UFC 275: 10 Things We Learned Last Night (Extended Edition)
Recapping and reacting to everything that happened inside the Octagon on a wild and eventful Saturday night in Singapore
New Champ Answers Plenty of Questions
Jiri Prochazka is the new UFC light heavyweight champion, having capped off a wild affair by forcing Glover Teixeira to tap to a no-hooks rear-naked choke with less than 30 seconds remaining in their main event encounter. Had it made it to the horn, the Brazilian would have retained his title, but instead, Prochazka becomes the first fighter from the Czech Republic to claim UFC gold.
The challenger entered the fight as both the betting favourite and an enigma — an experienced fighter outside the Octagon with just two appearances inside the UFC, each of which ended in vicious knockouts, while leaving many questions about Prochazka’s skills and endurance unanswered. We now have answers, as the 29-year-old battled out of multiple bad spots and dealt with bushels of adversity to continually find a way to press forward and ultimately secure the fight-ending choke.
Though he understandably slowed later in the fights, Prochazka successfully navigated the championship rounds in his first trip there. Additionally, despite being down on two of the three scorecards — the two men were level on the other card — there was no quit in Prochazka, who had opportunities to find an exit and take it a handful of times, only to instead find a means of turning the tables on Teixeira and have some success of his own.
He’s crazy and wild in all the right kind of ways, and now he’s the UFC light heavyweight champion as well.
Fight of the Year Frontrunner
That’s got to be the frontrunner for Fight of the Year, right? I mean, if it’s not, what are we even doing here?
There is plenty to dissect and discuss in the coming days in terms of the technical aspects of the fight, but right now is the time to revel in the tenacity, grit, lunacy, and brilliance of Prochazka and Teixeira and the fight they just delivered. Every round featured multiple shifts in momentum and points where it felt like we could be progressing towards a finish, only for the hammer to become the nail, the crimson to start flowing, and everyone watching to lose their collective minds.
I don’t want to be hyperbolic or give this fight too much credit right here, right now (shouts to Jesus Jones) as I’m still high from sitting through that near 25-minute war of attrition, but it feels to me like the spiritual successor to the Robbie Lawler-Rory MacDonald fight at UFC 189, where each man had their moments, both were absolutely battered and leaking blood all over themselves and each other, and it finally ended when one just couldn’t hold out any longer.
I’ll have to sit and re-watch it in order to get a better sense of where it falls in the pantheon of all-time classics, but this felt like a special contest watching it live, and if it doesn’t end up as the best fight of the year, it means we’re a bunch of spoiled, lucky fuckers because this one seems like it’s going to be might difficult to top.
And Still… But Not Without Effort
Valentina Shevchenko remains the UFC flyweight champion, but with all due respect to the reigning queen of the 125-pound ranks, there were most assuredly doubts.
Brazilian challenger Taila Santos pushed Shevchenko in a way she’s never previously been pushed in this weight class, showing superior strength and an ability to control the talented titleholder on the canvas that no one had previously exhibited. While some of those opportunities to work from dominant positions and threaten Shevchenko came off tactical mistakes from the usually flawless fighter from Kyrgyzstan, Santos made sure to take advantage of every opportunity that presented itself and saw her stock rise several points, even in defeat.
The fight was a close, competitive affair heading into the championship rounds, where a clash of heads seemed to expedite the swelling that had already began around Santos’ right eye earlier in the fight. Surprisingly, Shevchenko continued to chase the clinch and the chance to put the challenger on the canvas, despite having a distinct advantage on the feet. While it didn’t come back to cost her, this was the first time Shevchenko played with fire and nearly got burned.
She said the outcome was never in doubt in her post-fight interview, but this was very much a close battle where the scores could have been 3-1 either way heading into the final stanza and reasonable arguments could be made for either side.
An immediate rematch doesn’t feel warranted as Santos didn’t come away with the win and this wasn’t a controversial result, but a date with a top talent should Shevchenko shift her attention to bantamweight next is a must fort Santos, who comes away from this fight with more shine than the woman walking out of the Octagon with the bejeweled belt slung over her shoulder.
An Incredible Finish, An Unexpected Departure
Zhang Weili knocked out Joanna Jędrzejczyk with a spinning backfist midway through the second round of their highly anticipated rematch, stamping her ticket to a championship opportunity against Carla Esparza later this year.
It was a fitting finish to a bout and rivalry where power was the differentiating factor between the two rivals, especially given that Jedrzejczyk staggered Zhang with a similar shot in the waning moments of the iconic battle two years ago at UFC 248. While Jedrzejczyk’s blow was crisp, Zhang’s on Saturday was crushing, instantly short circuiting the power to the former titleholder’s central nervous system and sending her crashing face-first to the canvas.
As the decision was getting set to be read, Jedrzejczyk removed her gloves, and when she spoke with Daniel Cormier in the cage, she confirmed what everyone was thinking in that moment, announcing that she was retiring from the sport. Given that this was her first fight back in two years, it didn’t feel like a possible final appearance for “Joanna Champion” heading in, but as soon as she started undoing her gloves, it all made sense.
Jedrzejczyk turns 35 this summer and has accomplished everything there is for her to accomplish inside the Octagon, and will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame in the next few years. She forced people to pay attention to the strawweight division, became the face of the female side of the roster when Ronda Rousey was dethroned and departed, and remained a bankable, entertaining, beloved fighter even after losing her title.
Moments like this are always difficult, because it feels like Jedrzejczyk’s announcement upstaged Zhang’s brilliant performance, but there is really no way around it, save for never interviewing a defeated fighter, though that would rob the Polish superstar of the opportunity to address the crowd.
Zhang looked like an absolute wrecking machine on Saturday, and will rightfully be a heavy favourite heading into her eventual clash with Esparza. As for Jedrzejczyk, she was classy in defeat just as she was classy throughout her career, and she is going to be missed.
Matthews Shines Against Fialho
There was very little attention was being paid to Jake Matthews in the run-up to his UFC 275 encounter with Andre Fialho, the ultra-active welterweight looking to make it three wins in as many months on Saturday night in Singapore. Well, there’s going to be a lot more discussion about the youthful veteran now, as Matthews put an impressive beating on Fialho, halting his tidy two-fight winning streak by leaving him slumped against the side of the fence midway through the second round.
Matthews met Fialho on his terms, happily trading with him in the pocket, getting the better of the majority of the interactions and exchanges. While the Portuguese UFC rookie steadied himself and tried to respond, Matthews continued to be both the aggressor and more effective fighter. Just when it seemed like Fiahlo had made a good read on Matthews’ attack, the former TUF: Nations man found pay dirt and put him away, giving a playful shrug to the camera after dispatching Fialho to the Land of Whispers and Ghosts.
This was a tremendous showing from the experienced 27-year-old, who gets back in the win column and usurps all of Fialho’s momentum in less than eight minutes of work. While it’s too reactive to say this shows Matthews has reached his full potential and taken the next step, it should remind everyone of his upside and skill, and give Fialho and others pause about hustling into dangerous matchups with little prep time in the future.
Matthews profiled as a dangerous assignment for the active new arrival from the instant this fight was announced, and he showed why on Saturday.
Delightful Jack Della
Jack Della Maddalena pushed his winning streak to an even dozen with the biggest victory of his career in Saturday’s main card opener, surviving a scary grappling entanglement with Ramazan Emeev before hurting the Russian to the body and putting him away from there.
The Australian, who punched his ticket to the UFC with a win on Dana White’s Contender Series and looked terrific in his promotional debut against late replacement Pete Rodriguez, setting up this sizeable step up in competition here. Emeev came in with a quality record, a solid reputation, and a good pedigree, and Della Maddalena dealt with the scary bits and turned things into his favour instantly.
Now, the natural reaction to an effort like this is to get too excited and over-shoot expectations and projections for Della Maddalena as he becomes the first fighter to finish the seasoned Emeev, and I don’t want to make that mistake. That said, there is a great deal to like about the emerging welterweight and he’s going to be afforded the opportunity to continue flourishing over the next 12-18 months.
Getting stuck in the D’Arce attempt early was a little over-confidence from Della — he thought he’d navigate it easier than he did, forgetting he was in there with a world-class grappler competing at the highest level in this sport — but once he worked free, the brilliance of his work on the feet shone through. He moves exceptionally well, works comfortably from both stances, and mixes up levels, all of which proved impactful in his performance on Saturday night.
We’ll see who he gets next and how quickly the UFC looks to push him, but this was a tremendous effort from an exceptionally intriguing Rookie of the Year candidate.
Have a Go, Lads
Josh Culibao and SeungWoo Choi closed out the prelims with a back-and-forth slobberknocker in the featherweight division, with Culibao landing on the happy side of a split decision verdict that shouldn’t have been a split decision if we’re being honest.
The Australian was firing off quick, impactful shots from the jump, catching Choi with clean strikes that put the South Korean in troublesome spots in the first and on the back heel in the second. Choi hung tough and fired back, connecting with some power of his own that kept Culibao honest, and in the third, he eventually worked around to the back, threatening with a rear-naked choke before Culibao worked free towards the end of the round.
This was a higher level version of the fight between Kyung-Ho Kang and Batgerel Danaa from earlier in the night, and a bit of a clarifying effort for Culibao. He came into the contest with a 1-1-1 record in the UFC, having battled Charles Jourdain to a draw and won his last, but felt like a bit of a mystery to me. Well he’s a mystery no more.
This was a good win over a game opponent that puts “Kuya” on a three-fight unbeaten streak, and staring at a step up in competition next time out.
Introducing Maheshate
If you’re looking for ways to make a first impression, you couldn’t do much better than the effort Maheshate turned in on Saturday.
Making his promotional debut, the 22-year-old Chinese lightweight put a clean right hand on the jaw of Steve Garcia, sending the Jackson-Wink veteran face-down into the canvas just 74 seconds after the bout began.
The young newcomer punched his ticket to the UFC with an impressive effort on Dana White’s Contender Series, handing Battlefield Fight League lightweight titleholder Achilles Estremadura the first loss of his career. It was the kind of effort that made him worth keeping tabs on going forward, and that attention proved merited on Saturday. He’s still exceptionally young and in the very early stages of his career, but this was a quality first effort and Maheshate is certainly someone to watch from here on out.
Allen Needs to Start Advancing
This is going to sound strange to say about a fighter coming off a victory and now sitting on a two-fight run of success, but Brendan Allen needs to start advancing.
Saturday night in Singapore, the 26-year-old Sanford MMA product picked up a unanimous decision win over Jacob Malkoun, landing more damage in a fight that featured a great deal of grappling. It was a solid effort where you could clearly see that Allen was the superior fighter, but that’s also what made this a bout that illustrated how the emerging middleweight really needs to start putting things together better.
The Louisiana native has a wealth of skills and undeniable ability — he’s a legit black belt on the ground and has continued advancing his striking, particularly since moving his camps to South Florida — but it seems like there are times where he gets a little too confident and a little too comfortable in his skills, and it tends to bite him in the ass from time-to-time. We saw it in the fights he lost, where it was as much hubris as him being overmatched, and it nearly reared its head here too as well.
Middleweight is wide open at all times and Allen has the ability to go on a run — he’s relatively young, with a bunch of experience and skill, but he’s just needs to get it all dialled in.
Quality Effort, Clear Delineation
Kyung-Ho Kang turned in a quality veteran effort in his matchup with Batgerel Danaa, dropping the opening round before getting behind his lovely jab to land clean and out-hustle the heavy-handed Mongolian, earning scores of 29-28 across the board.
This was one of those fights that illustrates the clear delineation of talent within the bantamweight division, but also how we’re seeing tiers become more established across all weight classes.
Kang is a quality veteran that has reached his ceiling as a fighter, but remains a polished, tough out for anyone looking to work their way forward in the 135-pound weight class. He’s one of those ecosystem fighters I talk about all the time, and that are vital to every weight class, because they’re the ones that help sort things out in these divisions.
As much as folks tend to dismiss bouts like this most weeks, they’re the ones that provide clarity for where everyone shakes out lower down in the divisions, and they’re vital to keeping weight classes moving.
Right on the Button
Silvana Gomez Juarez halted a two-fight skid on Saturday, finishing Liang Na in vicious fashion with a blistering right hand to secure her first UFC victory.
The Argentinian veteran flashed that power last time out against Vanessa Demopoulos, dropping the former LFA standout right out of the chute with a similar overhand wrecking ball. But in January, she followed Demopoulos to the canvas, left her arms up for grabs, and paid the price. That wasn’t the case on Saturday.
After getting away with a fence-grab to stop an early takedown attempt, she worked hard to keep the fight standing, moving well, getting loose with her hands, and forcing Liang to reach and put herself out of position. As the Chinese fighter came marching forward looking to close the distance, Gomez Juarez unloaded, connecting with a right hand that stiffened Liang where she stood, while the left hand that followed twisted sent her crashing to the canvas in a heap.
This was one of the most jarring knockouts of the year thus far, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for the 37-year-old competitor.