10 Things I Like at UFC Vegas 33
The fight card has been decimated, but there are still elements about this weekend's event at the UFC APEX that intrigue me
I know — you think this card is terrible and there is no way that I can really find 10 things that I like about the slate of remaining bouts set to take place this weekend in Las Vegas, but you’re wrong.
This isn’t like the time I told people to watch in order to see what kind of design Brian Ebersole shaved his chest hair into all those years ago or one where I’m going to double-down on one or two athletes to milk an extra talking point out of the same fighter.
This is 10 Things I Like, just like every week, because every week, there are 10 Things I Like. Sure, this isn’t a name brand collection of things like you’ll see on the Thursday of a pay-per-view fight week or heading into a jam-packed Fight Night card like last weekend’s offering, but because I love this sport, devour this sport, and genuinely care about shining a light into every corner of this sport, finding 10 things that legitimately interest me about Saturday’s beleaguered fight card at the UFC APEX isn’t actually that difficult.
Let’s be clear: this weekend’s UFC card isn’t Saturday’s best card and it certainly doesn’t feature the weekend’s best fight — that honor belongs to Bellator and it’s Featherweight Grand Prix Finale between champ Patricio Pitbull and challenger A.J. McKee (I’ve got McKee BTW) — but there is still plenty to pay attention to inside the Octagon on Saturday, especially from a “file that away for later” position.
So here they are — the 10 Things I Like at UFC Vegas 33.
Enjoy.
Uriah Hall Finding Himself
We all remember it — the spinning hook kick that put Adam Cella on the deck in a catatonic state and instantly transformed Uriah Hall into the most terrifying competitor on Season 17 of The Ultimate Fighter and probably the history of the show to that point. That aura continued to grow as he continued to put guys out on his way to the finale, all while confiding in his coach, Chael Sonnen, that he struggled with self-doubt and self-confidence issues, was bullied as a kid, and generally didn’t feel in a place, mentally, where he knew how to handle all the pressures that come with competing at high levels in the mixed martial arts.
We all watched as Hall struggled with inconsistency — losing his post-TUF debut to John Howard, stumbling whenever he seemed poised to take the next step, seeming destined to be an ultra-skilled fighter who never quite figured it all out, largely because the mental side of things could never catch up to his immense physical gifts.
Fast forward to today and the 36-year-old Hall, who turns 37 on Saturday, enters this weekend’s main event on a four-fight winning streak and having won five of his last six. He’s found a home at Fortis MMA in Dallas. The mental has caught up to the physical.
I’ve spoken with Hall a great deal in the last few years, and with each subsequent call, he’s increasingly confident in who he is, where he’s at professionally, and his place in the middleweight division. After years of not being able to figure it out and get things consistently moving in the right direction, “Primetime” is now actually ready for primetime, and it’s really compelling to see that continued growth, that continued development of Uriah Hall the man create positive results for Uriah Hall the fighter.
By the way: that feature on Hall above might be the best feature I’ve ever put together, so please, check it out.
Sean Strickland: Unbeaten Middleweight
Sean Strickland is undefeated at middleweight.
That fact gets obscured or ignored or overlooked every time he fights, but the 30-year-old headliner is 18-0 in the 185-pound weight class and it feels like something we all should be paying a little more attention to as he continues to climb the divisional ranks. He went 15-0 to start his career, all at 185 pounds, including his first two UFC appearances, drop to welterweight where he caught a couple losses, and has gone 3-0 since returning to action last October, once again competing at middleweight.
If Strickland were just 18-0 and riding a five-fight winning streak in the UFC middleweight division, with his style, his fundamentals, his build, his upside, a lot more people would be fawning over him as a dark horse contender and name everyone should be talking about more, so I don’t see how or why a couple losses when he made the mistake of depleting himself to fight at welterweight should change any of that. Additionally, it’s not like he lost to scrubs at 170 pounds either, as the three guys that beat him are Santiago Ponzinibbio, Kamaru Usman, and Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos; a Top 10 fixture, the current champ, and a guy that once rattled off seven straight wins.
Strickland beat Brendan Allen last year three weeks after returning from a two year absence. He walked him down and finished him, and then came out earlier this year and out-hustled Krzysztof Jotko, a talented fighter that has lived in the 12-18 range in the division for the last six years. If he continues his winning ways, turns back Hall, and pushes his record to 19-0 in the division, folks better start recognizing that he’s the real deal and a real threat at this weight.
The Return of Kyung Ho Kang
Here’s another great example of why many people, myself included, feel like the bantamweight division is the best in the UFC at the moment.
Kyung Ho Kang returns this weekend to take on Rani Yahya, fighting for the first time since the final card of 2019. He returns on a three-fight winning streak and having won six of his last seven fights dating back to the start of 2014, and he’s still only 33 years old. Beating the Brazilian, who is a dangerous opponent in the middle tier of the division himself, boasting an 8-2-1 record in his last 11 fights, wouldn’t necessarily elevate Kang into the Top 15, but how many divisions have guys on solid four-fight winning streaks just hanging around outside the Top 15 at the moment?
I’ve always liked Kang — he’s a tough out, sound everywhere, has a little bit of South Korean swagger to him, and can be an interesting return addition to the division, win or lose. He’s the kind of all-around experienced hand every division needs and after more than a year on the sidelines, I’m curious to see if he can push this winning streak to four and become yet another person of interest in the ultra-competitive 135-pound weight class heading into the final five months of the year.
Take Two for Cheyanne Buys
Cheyanne Buys had a little bit of buzz and momentum heading into her UFC debut earlier this year, but it got wiped out in a hurry.
Originally scheduled to face Kay Hansen, she instead shared the cage with Montserrat Ruiz, who dragged her to the canvas for extended stretches in all three rounds, keeping her stuck there in a scarf hold position, grind minutes off the clock en route to a unanimous decision win. Buys had some good moments, especially in the third when she kept it standing for the opening half of the frame, but will be largely remembered for getting real feisty after the fight, threatening to follow Ruiz outside after her Mexican opponent called her a choice word at the horn and flipped her off.
Buys competed that night under the Fortis MMA banner, but she’s no longer there, having returned to her adopted hometown of Las Vegas and reconnected with the folks at Xtreme Couture, who guided her throughout her time as an amateur and the nascent days of her professional career as well. To say she’s happy to be home is an understatement.
But the 26-year-old also knows she has something to prove this weekend when she takes on Gloria de Paula, another Contender Series graduate who faltered in her debut. Going 0-2 to start your UFC career is a tough hole to crawl out of and one that is even more difficult to escape when you’ve already switched things up and done the whole “I wasn’t happy or healthy then, but I’m happy and healthy now” thing.
Talent-wise, Buys’ stand-up stands out — she’s got some pop, she likes to mix it up — but she’s also lost to the best competition she’s faced, both as an amateur and a pro, and for all the promising flashes and obvious upside, it’s time for “The Warrior Princess” to start putting things together in a real consistent manner or else she’s going to get swept under by the crush of talent climbing the ranks in the strawweight division.
This weekend’s fight with de Paula is a good test — a bout against another relatively inexperienced, but capable UFC neophyte who also needs a win in a big way — and the result will be incredibly instructive.
“Bam Bam” is Back
Back in November, I remember sitting down to start transcribing a really terrific interview I’d had with Bryan Barberena a few days earlier, clicking over to Twitter and seeing the news that “Bam Bam” was out of his fight with Daniel Rodriguez because he’d been rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery. Turns out, he had a couple ruptured arteries in his omentum (the covering in your abdominal cavity) and it could have been even more serious than it was if it wasn’t discovered and dealt with at the time.
Eight months later, Barberena is ready to make the walk again, squaring off with Jason Witt in the main card opener on Saturday, eager to re-stake his claim to being one of the most enjoyable all-action fighters in the 16-25 range in the UFC welterweight division.
The 32-year-old is 6-5 inside the Octagon, but none of those losses are what you would consider “bad losses.” He dropped a close decision to Chad Laprise in his sophomore outing which earned Fight of the Night honours, dropped decisions to Colby Covington and Leon Edwards during their individual rises through the ranks, and was finished by Vicente Luque and Randy Brown, two dangerous, established finishers. He got back into the win column following those twin defeats last September with a solid effort against Anthony Ivy and felt like a great matchup for Rodriguez before he was sidelined.
I know I say it all the time in this space (and other spaces), but Barberena is the exact type of guy that every division needs and who deserves far more respect and appreciation than he receives. He’s part of the “Tougher Than a $3 Steak” crew, makes you work for every inch inside the cage, and is more than capable of up-ending your plans to climb the rankings; just ask Warlley Alves.
I’m happy to see “Bam Bam” back at full strength and poised to step back into the Octagon, and I look forward to him resuming his vital, but thankless role in the welterweight ecosystem.
The Curious Career of Nicco Montano
I wrote a piece with that title in the early days of this newsletter, before I realized embedding tweets with pictures would provide cover images, and remain as genuinely fascinated by the travails of the inaugural UFC women’s flyweight champion as she once again readies to step into the Octagon this weekend against Wu Yanan.
People like to joke about Montano’s UFC run thus far, which consists of three times as many fight cancellations and withdrawals as actual bouts and just as single victory, which happened to be in a world title fight after navigating literally the most difficult bracket possible during her time on The Ultimate Fighter, not to mention a last-minute change in opponent ahead of that championship bout.
I’m so intrigued by Montano as a fighter and as a story within this sport because I think she has upside and several chapters that remain unwritten, but she could also be someone that just captured lightning in a bottle during that one stretch on TUF and fades into the background, forever remembered as the person that held the flyweight strap before Valentina Schevchenko ascended to her rightful place atop the division.
Much like Buys’ fight, I think this one will be very instructive in regards to where Montano is at in her career and what the future may hold, as Yanan has struggled in the UFC, lost her first fight of the year to a debuting, short-notice opponent, and profiles as someone Montano should be able to bully around the Octagon if she’s right… but that’s always a big if, which is why I can’t wait to see how this one plays out.
I Want to Know More About… A Lot of People, Actually
There are a bunch of newer arrivals and debuting talents I want to see compete on Saturday, so rather than spread them all out individual in order to talk about them, I’ve gathered them all here in one little subhead to make it easier/quicker/more efficient.
Here goes.
Melsik Baghdasarayan: Glendale Fighting Club product with a slick Muay Thai background, managed by Ronda Rousey’s team, won on Contender Series, but didn’t get a contract. Quality striker, but what else does he bring to the table? How’s the gas tank a year later?
Collin Anglin: Contender Series grad on a seven-fight winning streak; training out of Factory X; has some pop, but can also grind. Great pairing with Baghdasarayan to see which one takes a step forward right away.
Rafa Garcia: competitive in debut, short-notice loss to Nasrat Haqparast, which was first loss of his career; now he gets a full camp and a matchup with Chris Gruetzemacher, and I’m curious to see more from him.
Danny Chavez: third UFC appearance after getting elevated a little too far up after his debut win; solid striker with potential to be a fun, action fighter in the middle of the featherweight pack, and matchup with Kai Kamaka III could be explosive.
Orion Cosce: unbeaten, but largely untested Contender Series grad; younger brother started fast, faded, and got beat in his debut earlier this year, now let’s see if big bro can avoid the same fate.
I always have questions about every fighter than steps into the Octagon and I like getting answers, even when the athletes are just getting started.
Start of Something for Jinh Yu Frey?
After dropping her first two appearances inside the Octagon, Jinh Yu Frey scored her first UFC victory last time out, grinding out a win over Gloria de Paula, who competes later in the night on the main card. Heading into her fight this weekend against Ashley Yoder, I’m curious to see that last effort was the start of a little run for the former Invicta FC atomweight champ or just a good performance against an inexperienced foe because there are ways for me to talk myself into either case.
Frey’s first fight came on short notice and her second fight took place on Fight Island, amidst the pandemic. Changing divisions is never easy, training and preparing last year had to be difficult, and once she got settled, situated, we saw a good performance.
Conversely, everyone was dealing with training issues in 2020 and she was moving up in weight, so if anything, the prep should have been a little easier, at least in terms of the weight cut. Losing to Kay Hansen I can see, but the loss to Loma Lookboonmee was a bit of a surprise, given the experience difference.
I’m always going to give fighters from Fortis MMA a little longer leash when it comes to judging them because I know how much effort that team puts into its preparations and the overall success rate they’ve had, so I wouldn’t be surprised if Frey came out and made it two straight this weekend, but I also want to see it, you know?
Again, I have question, this even provides answers… that’s really all I need.
Hidden Bantamweight Banger
Adding to my earlier “bantamweight is the best” point earlier in this piece, the second fight of the night is a hidden gem in the 135-pound weight class between Ronnie Lawrence and Trevin Jones, two promising relative newcomers coming off finishes in their last outings.
Lawrence, who earned a contract with a Contender Series win last fall, trains at Sanford MMA and looked great in his debut victory over Vince Cachero, working at a good clip, mixing things up, and getting him out of there in the third round. He’s won four straight, is 7-1 overall, and has a little bit of a Brad Riddell feel in that there’s nothing flashy about his game, but he’s good everywhere and going to be in a lot of competitive fights going forward.
Jones rallied and finished Timur Valiev in his short-notice debut, but it was overturned when he tested positive for marijuana after the fight. He returned in March and iced Mario Bautista, finishing him 40 seconds into the second round at UFC 259. Now residing in Guam, the 30-year-old is one of those dudes that either gets a finish or pushes the opposition to the hilt as of late and it should be no different this weekend.
This is one of those fights that we’ll end up looking back on in 18-24 months when the winner is continuing to make waves in the deep 135-pound ranks.
The Importance of Quality Experience
This one might make me sound like an asshole (or more of an asshole than you already believe me to be), but I want to see how Orion Cosce looks in his promotional debut against Philip Rowe because I think he and his younger brother, Louis, who was similarly unbeaten, but lost to Sasha Palatnikov in his debut last year, are prime examples of how shiny records don’t mean nearly as much as gaining valuable experience on the regional circuit.
It’s funny because we talk all the time about how MMA isn’t like boxing and you don’t have to be undefeated to garner attention and opportunities, but then geek out more over fighters with pristine records that haven’t faced anyone than those who have fought a tough slate and lost a couple times.
Prior to beating Matt Dixon on the Contender Series last summer, Cosce had faced one opponent with four professional fights, and that was Daniel McWilliams, who was 18-43 at the time. His brother was in a similar position, also beat McWilliams, and faded hard as soon as Palatnikov didn’t wilt in the first like everyone else he’d faced to that point.
The same questions exist for Rowe as well, as “The Fresh Prince” has beaten exactly one fighter with a winning record — Leon Shahbazyan on the Contender Series, whose last fight prior to that bout was against… Daniel McWilliams.
This might not be the fight that definitively answers my questions about Cosce or Rowe, but it should provide a little insight into what to expect from them going forward, though my instinct tells me the answer is “not all that much.”