WITH THE DUST now firmly settled on two of the UFC’s final three shows of 2014, it’s fair to say they can be reflected upon with almost complete satisfaction.
Moreover, provided next Saturday’s UFC FN 58 in Brazil does not result in complete catastrophe, the promotion can consider themselves above reproach in how they’ve seen out a year which has been plagued by calamity.
The weekend kicked-off on Friday night in Las Vegas with the TUF 20 finale and was followed by UFC on Fox 13 in Phoenix, Arizona, in the wee hours of Sunday morning.
In total, the shows accounted for 23 bouts, most of which were of a high quality. The respective main events provided us with the first-ever women’s strawweight champion and one of the year’s most absorbing match-ups.
Here are five of the main talking points from the weekend:
1. As promised, a new champion is crowned
Carla Esparza clinched the women’s strawweight title with a third round submission of Rose Namajunas in Friday night’s top-of-the bill world championship bout.
The former Invicta FC champion utilised superior wrestling and top-gaming in a dominating performance which culminated in her finishing Namajunas via rear-naked choke.
As had been speculated before the clash, Esparza’s wiliness and experience were significant to the outcome, as she applied the perfect tactic to neutralise the slick submissions and dynamic striking which had served Namajunas so well during the course of the series.
Regardless of just how Esparza fares in the future, she will be forever remembered as the division’s inaugural champion. Saturday night would provide her with a certain degree of insight as to who the first challenger to her title will be.
At Friday’s post-fight press conference, Dana White intimated that if Claudia Gadelha defeated Joanna Jendrzejczyk the following night, she was likely to be the first number contender. However, Poland’s Jendrzejczyk put a proverbial spanner in the works by earning a split-decision victory over Gadelha, and the consensus now seems to be that the first shot at Esparza’s belt is hers.
2. All’s well that ends well for Aisling Daly
It is never recommendable to miss weight in the UFC. Aside from losing 20% of one’s purse, it tends to attract the considerable ire of Dana White. But, to do so prior to your promotional debut, without any established good-standing to mitigate the issue, is one sure way to put your job in immediate jeopardy.
A visibly fatigued Daly weighed-in at 118lbs, two more than the strawweight division’s limitation allows for citing, increased media commitments for her inability to make the requisite weight. Such was her appearance on the scales, it barely seemed plausible that she would be able to conjure the performance she did.
However, Daly gave a grappling master-class against Alex Chambers, and submitted the Australian via armbar with just seven seconds remaining in the first round. The win capped-off a banner year for Irish MMA and, in particular, Team SBG. Provided Daly’s infraction at the scales remains an isolated incident, she has a bright future in fledgling division to look forward to.
3. Junior dos Santos and Stipe Miocic put on a battle for the ages
While the first two heavyweight bouts on Saturday night’s main card each lasted less than a round, its headliner was a 25-minute war of attrition. Dos Santos and Miocic stood toe-to-toe and slugged it out for the duration of a contest that will live long in the memory before the former was awarded a unanimous decision victory by the judges.
The scorecards read 48-47, 49-46 and 49-46 in favour of the former champion, which did not feel like an adequate reflection of what had transpired. Granted, Dos Santos deserved the win, but whether it was by such a large margin is debatable.
Yet, questionable judging should not detract from what was, at times, a jaw-dropping spectacle. Miocic assumed control in the early-goings by walking down Dos Santos, while landing heavy punches almost at will.
In the third and fourth rounds, Dos Santos increased his output and he went into the ascendancy. He dropped Miocic in the third with a left-hook, which felt like a turning point, though the latter continued with his relentless pursuit. In what was essentially a boxing match, both men withstood an incredible amount of punishment and they had the bloodied, swollen faces to prove it.
Going into the fifth, it was anyone’s fight but somehow Dos Santos mustered enough offence to pull away from a clearly-exhausted Miocic.
Given his performance, Miocic’s stock is unlikely to fall too much after the loss, and the Fight of the Night bonus cheque he received should in some small way ease his evident dejection in the post-fight press conference.
For Dos Santos, getting a win after a 14- month absence from competition will be a great relief but, once again, he’s paid a heavy price for it.
4. Rafael Dos Anjos looks set for a long-awaited title shot
Dos Anjos gave arguably the best performance of his six-year UFC career in defeating Nate Diaz in the co-main event. En route to a unanimous decision win, the Brazilian brutalised Diaz with leg kicks and dominated him in all facets of the game.
Dos Anjos has now won eight of his last nine bouts and, with Khabib Nurmagomedov not expected back from injury until May, it looks as if he will be next to face lightweight champion Anthony Pettis.
5. Alistair Overeem gets back to winning ways
Overeem looked a lot like the fighter of old as he pounded fellow Dutch heavyweight Stefan Struve into unconsciousness. Overeem negated Struve’s significant reach advantage by taking him to the mat and landing devastating punches from the guard position, to secure what could prove to be the most-significant victory of his career.
With only two wins since 2011, had Overeem failed to get the first round stoppage, it may have signalled the end of his time with the UFC. For now, he can breathe a little easier and endeavour to ensure the win was a sign of things to come, as supposed to a fortunate anomaly.