10 Things I Like at UFC Vegas 42
From the return of Max Holloway to a bangin' light heavyweight opener, Saturday's fight card has plenty to enjoy
Saturday’s fight card has suffered a few losses in the last couple weeks, with a couple interesting pairings never quite materializing and Kyle Daukaus losing not one, but two opponents, and then chance to fight entirely, leaving us with a tight 11-fight card capped by a dynamic pairing at the top of the featherweight division.
Because it’s following back-to-back all-star lineups, this card was never going to get a massive amount of attention, but it’s solid from start to finish, and should provide some interesting discussion topics once the smoke clears.
These are the elements that really pique my interest.
Max Holloway is Fighting
If the fact that Max Holloway is stepping into the Octagon isn’t enough to get you to tune in on Saturday afternoon, you might not be as big of a fight fan as you think you are.
“Blessed” is a high-volume, highly effective striker coming off arguably the best individual performance of the year, and now he’s got a dance partner in Yair Rodriguez with the kind of improvisational style that could make for a compelling and competitive matchup to close out the fight card. This is a can’t miss pairing, and I don’t say that often, and not just because I’m trying not to tempt the MMA gods, but because it’s not often that a matchup this intriguing, with as much on the line as is on the line here, touches down inside the Octagon, guaranteed to produce excitement in one way or another.
Selfishly, I love watching Holloway compete, succeed, and thrive because I climbed on board “The Blessed Express” long before most, getting a seat near the front and enjoying the ride from his days as a newcomer with a pencil-thin moustache that hadn’t grown into his ears and a budding prospect to his becoming a contender, champion, and now one of the biggest stars in the UFC. Dude has been electric for almost a decade (yet he doesn’t turn 30 for another couple weeks) and is one of my favourite fighters in every way, so if he’s stepping into the Octagon, you know I’m paying close attention.
Rodriguez’ Second Chance to Step Up
The last time Yair Rodriguez faced a test like this was in Dallas, Texas at UFC 211, when Frankie Edgar showed him “there are levels to this.”
The former Ultimate Fighter: Latin America winner has only competed three times since then, scoring that ridiculous up-elbow knockout of Chan Sung Jung three years ago yesterday, and engaging in a two-fight series with Jeremy Stephens where the first bout lasted 15 seconds and the second lasted 15 minutes. He’s looked very good in moments, yet a couple days ahead of this clash with Holloway, I still find myself looking at Rodriguez as a mercurial up-and-comer, and not the contender many envision him to be.
As much as he got the win over “The Korean Zombie” and showed the inventive offence that makes him such a threat, he was on the wrong side of the action more often than naught in that fight prior to the fight-ending elbow. If Jung wasn’t knocked out cold, he likely wins that fight on the cards. I know that’s one of those “he’d have won if he didn’t lose” arguments, but it’s true, and it factors into why I’m so curious about how Rodriguez looks on Saturday.
If he’s supposed to be a contender, lemme see it; go out here and give Holloway a run for his money. I know that’s a tall order, but these are the kinds of fights contenders are supposed to be in, supposed to show out in, and, if they’re good enough, supposed to win.
We’ll see where Rodriguez falls on that spectrum Saturday.
Song Yadong Gets His Next Test
I mentioned it yesterday in One Question, but I’m really intrigued to see how the next couple fights, next couple years in Song’s career play out because he’s reached that inevitable point where prospects level out for a little bit, and these next couple fights, couple years are going to dictate where he fits in the ultra-competitive bantamweight division.
Still just 23, Song cruised through his first four UFC assignments, earning a place in the rankings as a result, but he’s 2-1-1 since then, and not that far away from being 0-4, as he earned a questionable draw against Cody Stamann, a debated win over “Chito” Vera, and most recently scored a split decision win over Casey Kenney. One round, on one card, in each of those fights and his record looks real different right now.
And that’s fine because he’s 23 and development is never linear, but fights like this weekend’s pairing with Julio Arce are intriguing to me because this is where we start to see what the grown-up version of Song will look like in the Octagon.
This is when future contenders start winning the tough ones, the close ones, and showing the pieces they’ve added to their game or you see that they’ve plateaued for the moment and aren’t quite ready to take that next step. Honestly, I’m probably grading Song out tougher than most because he is still, officially 2-1-1 in his last four, including a win over a guy that just punched his ticket to the Top 10, and that’s really good.
But is there a next step and is he going to take it soon?
Miguel Baeza’s Bright Future
I think Miguel Baeza is going to be a fixture in the Top 15 in the welterweight division in the near future.
Four fights into his UFC career, he shared the cage with Santiago Ponzinibbio, starting hot, but slowing as the fight progressed en route to suffering a unanimous decision loss; the first of his career. Losing sucks, but when you start your career with 10 straight victories, including three consecutive stoppage wins in your first three UFC appearances, and the only guy to get the better of you is a veteran with three times as many fights and a residency in the rankings, I think you’re still doing okay.
But why I really think Baeza has a bright future is because he recognizes that too… even if it takes a little coaxing.
I spoke with the talented 29-year-old, who faces Khaos Williams on Saturday, on Wednesday, and his one positive takeaway from that fight was that it showed him how close he is to reaching the next checkpoint on his path he’s mapped out for himself in his head. Baeza isn’t a guy that focuses on moral victories and silver linings, but in laying out what he’s accomplished thus far and how uncommon it is, he said “Thanks; I appreciate you saying that” and kept it moving, focused on the task at hand and taking that next step.
And that’s championship-tier stuff to me.
Baeza has a wealth of talent and a ton of room to grow, which is a rare combination, and I’m very interested to see how he does coming off a loss for the first time in his career this weekend.
This Week’s Dynamite Lightweight Matchup
As much as I believe the bantamweight division is the most compelling and overall top division in the UFC right now, lightweight is always outstanding, and there seems to be at least one genuinely intriguing pairing in the 155-pound weight class on every fight card.
This week, it’s a fight between Thiago Moises and Joel Alvarez — talented grapplers with a common loss to Damir Ismagulov and a shared desire to keep working towards the Top 10. The former enters off a submission loss to Islam Makhachev in their main event clash in July (when they subbed in for Holloway and Rodriguez, ironically), while the latter has won three straight, including consecutive first-round submission wins over veterans Joseph Duffy and Alexander Yakovlev.
This is one of those “I don’t think you realize how good these guys are” fights that dot every fight card, every week — a matchup between two unassuming, but ultra-skilled fighters that many would (and likely will) skip over because neither have much of a profile, yet carries genuine significance in one of the best divisions in the sport. Moises is still clinging to the final spot in the Top 15 and the winner is likely going to face a ranked opponent next, at which point there will be a lot of folks scrambling to figure out just how good Moises or Alvarez are and how they landed opposite someone with a number next to their name.
Saturday afternoon, we get to see how that will come to pass when they square off in what is likely to be a fun, scramble-filled scrap.
A Flyweight Depth Finder
Looking at the Top 15 in the women’s flyweight division, it feels like one of those weight classes where there are some pretty clear tiers, and then a whole lot of sameness.
Valentina Shevchenko is in a class of her own at the top of the division. Jessica Andrade stands alone as the No. 1 contender. And then everyone from No. 2 down to No. 9 feels pretty interchangeable, and there are several in the pack from Nos. 10 to 15 that simply need a chance to prove they’re deserving of being in the next group up, which means 2-15 is kind of fluid, at least to me.
Saturday’s fight between Cynthia Calvillo and Andrea Lee is emblematic of that, as Calvillo enters ranked No. 5, Lee ranked No. 12, and I’m not sure there is that much difference between the two. Both have struggled over their last four fights (Calvillo is 1-2-1 and has lost two straight; Lee is 1-3, but coming off a win) and neither has ever really looked like more than the Top 15 stalwarts they have been to this point in their careers.
They’re Jeremy Stephenses, which is both formidable and probably frustrating, because while a lengthy run as a Top 10, Top 15 fighter is great overall, constantly being viewed as not quite good enough to really challenge for championship gold is a kick in the ass too.
How this one shakes out should clarify where each stands, as well as either poke holes in my thinking or show that I’m theory is sound.
Either way, it should be fun to see where we end up.
A Flyweight Crucible
Just as the fight between Calvillo and Lee will help delineate things in the Top 15, the clash between Cortney Casey and Liana Jojua could very well dictate what the future holds for each woman beyond Saturday.
I’ve talked about Casey plenty in the last two days (op-ed and One Q), but she’s not the only one looking to prove she belongs in the UFC long term this weekend, as Jojua enters with a 1-2 record inside the Octagon, desperate to deliver a quality performance.
The 26-year-old Georgian lost her debut to Sarah Moras, who missed weight and boasted significantly more experience, before rebounding with a first-round submission win over Diane Belbita in her flyweight debut last July. She was getting roughed up on the feet in that one before Belbita inexplicably opted to grapple, but you have to credit Jojua for making the most of the opportunity.
Last time out, “She Wolf” suffered a stoppage loss to Miranda Maverick following the first round when a cut on the bridge of her nose wouldn’t stop bleeding. It was a bullshit stoppage that Jojua wanted no part of in the moment and the kind of overly cautious decision that would never be made if it were a man standing in her position; that’s just the truth.
Still, she’s got one win in three starts and while there have been positive flashes, there have been moments of struggle as well, and Casey is experienced, scrappy, and possibly fighting for her place on the roster, so Jojua will need to show something on Saturday night too, or else she could find herself switching places with “Cast Iron” next time out.
The Return of Marc Diakiese
Remember how I said earlier there is always one really solid lightweight fight on every card?
Well Marc Diakiese is the singular version of that — a really sound lightweight competitor that no one is really checking for at the moment, despite the fact that he’s been a permanent fixture in the 16-30 range in the division since arriving in the UFC in the fall of 2016.
The 28-year-old raced out to three wins to start his tenure, including a Street Fighter II style finish of Teemu Packalen that is still dope to this day, but has dropped four of six since, including three-in-a-row at one point. That slide knocked him off everyone’s radar, but go back and look at it now: he lost to Drakkar Klose, Dan Hooker, and Nasrat Haqparast; a sturdy veteran, a certified savage, and a skilled prospect.
After earning wins over Joseph Duffy and Lando Vannata to get things moving in the right direction again, Diakiese dropped a decision to Rafael Fiziev last time out in a Fight of the Night-winning battle.
He’s now nine fights into his UFC career and still just 28… would it really be shocking if Diakiese cobbled together a few wins and made a run at the Top 15? It wouldn’t be to me, which is why I’m genuinely curious to see how Saturday’s clash with Rafael Alves shakes out, because the Brazilian is the exact kind of guy the talented “Bonecrusher” needs to beat if he’s going to embark on said run.
A Dynamite Opener (with Legitimate Stakes)
Here’s part of what I wrote yesterday in One Question about the light heavyweight opener between Kennedy Nzechukwu and Da-Un Jung:
Nzechukwu has won three straight, including back-to-back stoppages this year that each garnered him a Performance of the Night bonus. Jung is 3-0-1 in the UFC and riding a 14-fight unbeaten streak. They’re both under 30 years old in a division where new names are always needed and a few strong outings can carry you into a pairing with a Top 15 opponent, and yet somehow, for some reason, these two have been tasked with opening the show this weekend.
A day later, I still can’t wrap my head around it.
If Nzechukwu wins, he’s on a four-fight winning streak with three victories this year, having just ended someone’s 14-fight unbeaten streak. If Jung wins, he’s on a five-fight unbeaten streak in the UFC, a 15-fight unbeaten streak overall, and just toppled a promising Contender Series graduate who earned bonuses in each of his last two outings.
The winner is almost guaranteed to land a Top 15 opponent next time out, so even though it’s stationed at the start of the day, and they’re not the biggest names on the card, I urge you not to miss this one, because it should be entertaining as hell and it carries real weight in the light heavyweight division.
Saturday Brunch Battles
Yes, I’m going to keep mentioning this every time there is an early start and I hope others do too because maybe, just maybe, the UFC brass while hear the resounding approval this move receives and make it a semi-permanent thing.
Eventually, Fight Night cards will resume being held outside of the UFC APEX and people in those host cities aren’t necessarily going to want to pile into the arena at 9:30am PT for a 10am start time… but they might. I mean, have you seen how early people show up to football stadiums on Saturday and Sunday? D’you know how many folks over here in North America get up in the pre-dawn hours to watch F1 races and European soccer matches on the regular?
The fact that it’s most likely a fleeting venture makes these last few early Saturday starts all the more enjoyable, because there really is something terrific about opening the day with a hot cup of coffee, breakfast foods, and people getting punched in the face, with everything wrapping up before dinner, leaving the evening open to go out and socialize (if you’re into that kind of thing) or, in my case, move from the office to the living room to lounge on a different couch, stare at a different television, and enjoy some other form of entertainment.
It’s a real nice way to spend a Saturday, and I’m going to miss these moments when they’re gone.