10 Things We Learned at UFC 266 (Extended Edition)
Here's what I was left thinking about following Saturday's UFC pay-per-view at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas
What a night.
What. A. Night.
This was one of those cards where everyone excited as it was announced and started coming together, but no one wanted to get too hyped because getting too hyped is an easy way to get disappointed, so we all just kind of kept it under wraps, letting a little bit more of that excitement seep out Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, as everything we were hoping to see drew closer.
And then the action hit the Octagon on Saturday night and it was glorious.
This was one of the best cards I can remember in quite some time and there was plenty to discuss, so letās get to it.
Alexander Really is Great
Alexander Volkanovski retained his featherweight title, turning in a dominant performance against challenger Brian Ortega in the main event of UFC 266 on Saturday night.
After a close first two rounds, the champion started pulling away in the third, putting it on Ortega for the next 10 minutes, coming close to securing a finish on a couple occasions before the sheer volume of output finally started to catch up to him in the fifth, when the game Ortega tried to bring the fight to him, turning in his best frame since the first, but coming up short.
Volkanovski is now 10-0 in the UFC and on a 20-fight winning streak. Heās beaten Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo, Max Holloway (twice), and Brian Ortega in succession ā read that again and think about that list ā and he just keeps doing what needs to be done, every time out, shining when the lights are brightest and the competition is toughest.
I donāt know what more people need to see, what more he needs to do in order for people to give him his due and recognize how sharp Volkanovski is, each and every time he steps into the Octagon. There is no flash, so he doesnāt get nearly as much attention and coverage as some of his contemporaries and a handful of folks that havenāt accomplished nearly as much, but where it matters most and when it matters most, āAlexander the Greatā has continued to prove heās as good as advertised.
And Still, And Never In Doubt
Valentina Shevchenko pitched a shutout against Lauren Murphy, patiently picking apart the overmatched challenger through the first three rounds before shaking her equilibrium with a check right hook and eventually securing the finish.
This was an absolute masterclass from the flyweight champion, who has every tool in her arsenal and had them all on display on Saturday. In space, she sniped at Murphy with punches and kicks, countering and leading the dance at different times. In the clinch, she muscled the challenger to the canvas multiple times while outworking her on the fence as well. And on the ground, she controlled Murphy without issue, ultimately finishing with a storm of elbows.
Shevchenko has no equal, at least not at flyweight, and the only interesting fight at this point is a third date with Amanda Nunes. Sheās on the very short list of the best fighters in the world right now, regardless of gender, and there are zero holes in her game.
Watching her compete is a treat each and every time she takes to the Octagon and tonight was absolutely mesmerizing.
āNo Masā
Robbie Lawler and Nick Diaz threw literally hundreds of punches at one another through the opening 10 minutes of their five-round rematch midway through Saturdayās UFC 266 pay-per-view main card, with the former UFC welterweight champion walking down the returning Diaz, while the anti-hero veteran stood right there, firing back.
But early in the third, Lawler hit Diaz with a clean shot that blew up his nose and sent him to the canvas. When Lawler walked away and referee Jason Herzog called Diaz to his feet, the Stockton, California native declined, resulting in the fight being stopped.
There were a lot of different outcomes one could have forecasted for this fight, but Diaz quitting after getting hit with a big shot wasnāt one of them. Iām not knocking him either ā he came back after more than six years on the sidelines, went shot-for-shot with a former welterweight champion who has been active and was highly motivated for the first two rounds, and then didnāt feel the need to absorb any more punishment; I just never thought I would see it.
Hereās the weird thing: I actually wouldnāt mind seeing Diaz fight again now.
He didnāt seem locked in this time around and still held his own initially against Lawler. If he can find a matchup that he likes, a fight that motivates him to train properly and get back into the kind of fighting shape weāve seen him in before, then I wouldnāt mind seeing him get in there and mix it up with someone one more time.
Will we see it? Who knows āĀ there is no way of predicting what the Diaz Brothers are going to do.
Curtis Blaydes Handles His Business
It wasnāt pretty, but Curtis Blaydes fought a smart, tactical fight to secure a unanimous decision win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik on Saturday night, navigating a badly swollen eye to wrestle away the final five minutes and wrap up the win.
In each round, Blaydes was able to put Rozenstruik on the deck, grinding away control time and neutralizing the kickboxerās big power. Even when he ate a flush flying knee in the second, the Elevation Fight Team product was able to stay on his takedown attempt, dragging āBigi Boyā to the canvas and avoiding any further punishment. He took a similar approach in the third, minus eating a knee, and picked up his 10th win, getting back into the win column following his February stoppage loss to Derrick Lewis.
Blaydes is a difficult figure to decipher ā a standout wrestler who doesnāt have great entries or setups, which means heās got to work behind his striking, which has improved tremendously, but he doesnāt take damage well and has been iced a couple times as well. That makes things a little more complicated when heās in there with certified bangers, but also means there is still room for the 30-year-old Top 5 stalwart to grow.
There are limited matchups that make sense for him going forward and heās going to be even more stuck because some of the guys ahead of him have either shown no interest (Stipe Miocic) or have beaten him already, like Lewis and champion Francis Ngannou. Itāll be interesting to see how things shake out, but for now, Blaydes should just be content with getting back in the win column, earning another solid victory, and solidifying his place in the pecking order for the time being.
Very Much Still in The Mix
Jessica Andrade made it clear that she is still very much a force in the flyweight division on Saturday night, opening the pay-per-view by becoming the first person to finish Cynthia Calvillo, putting here away in the closing seconds of the very first round.
Fighting for the first time since being stopped by Valentina Shevchenko in their title clash in April, the Brazilian came forward right out of the chute and never took a backward step, pressuring Calvillo and showing little respect or concern for the shots coming back here way. She chopped at Calvilloās legs and swung hammers at her head, ultimately stinging her with an uppercut in the final minute of the first and sealing the deal with a stream of unstopped punches along the fence.
Andrade, who turned 30 on Saturday, is 13-7 in the UFC across three divisions, winning gold at strawweight and fighting for titles in two other instances, once at 115 and earlier this year at flyweight. Sheās the first female fighter to clock 20 appearances, and showed at UFC 266 that sheās still got plenty left in the tank, blowing through Calvillo in a shade under five minutes.
Seven Straight for āThe Machineā
Merab Dvalishvili has the most apt nickname in the sport because the dude really is a machine.
Early in the first round, Marlon Moraes had Dvalishvili in terrible position, rocked by a series of major shots to where he was stumbling around the Octagon, unable to get his balance, and forced to sprint into space in order to avoid further punishment. It felt inevitable that Moraes would finish, but then, Dvalishvili clamped onto a body lock, and from that point forward, the Brazilian didnāt land another strike.
Seriously.
Once Dvalishvili put Moraes on the deck, the Georgian-born New Yorker shut him down and shut him out, rallying to nearly finish Moraes in the waning moments of the first and putting it on him non-stop in the second, finally securing the stoppage late in the frame to push his winning streak to seven, establishing himself as a tremendously intriguing fighter in the thick of the hunt in the 135-pound weight class.
This was a breakout performance for Dvalishvili, who has dominated with his wrestling, but seemed to favor control over chasing finishes, even when he was well ahead on the cards. But on Saturday night, āThe Machineā knew he had Moraes dead to rights and just stayed on him, hammering away with heavy elbows from inside his guard and a torrent of punches to finally get the finish. Heās bound for the Top 10 after this win, and given everything he showed at UFC 266, there wonāt be many people rushing to sign up to face him next time out.
Back in the Win Column
Dan Hooker got back into the win column on Saturday night with the most complete performance of his UFC career, out-hustling Nasrat Haqparast while showcasing his full arsenal en route to a unanimous decision win.
Both men dealt with delays and challenges in simply getting to Las Vegas for this fight, but once they were in there, they each showed why everyone was so excited for this contest, with Haqparast holding his own early before Hooker took charge and pulled away over the final two rounds, mixing in more wrestling and grappling than weāve seen from the New Zealander to date. While the signature striking was sharp as always, the new wrinkle of attacking with precisely timed takedowns caught Haqparast by surprise and creates another element for future opponents to think about when the step in with the high-volume striker.
Hooker is one of those guys that might not get to the championship level āĀ he might not even be a Top 5 fighter in the lightweight division ā but heās a shining example of why judging competitors by belts and rankings leaves you missing out on so much, as heās an all-action, thoroughly entertaining fighter and a permanent fixture in the middle-third of the rankings, which is still really, really good. We get hung up at times on fighters failing to clear the last couple hurdles, but doing so often shortchanges genuinely terrific talents like Hooker.
In addition to shining against Haqparast, āThe Hangmanā also shone on the mic afterwards, finishing his post-fight interview by calling out Beneil Dariush, which is an absolutely perfect fight to make given the current slate in the lightweight division.
Chris Daukausā Ceiling is Still Undefined
Itās not often that you get a fighter that climbs into the Top 10 without anyone having a real strong, established understanding of where their ceiling rests, but thatās what Chris Daukaus has done, as the Philadelphia heavyweight moved to 4-0 with a fourth straight finish on Saturday night, putting away Shamil Abdurakhimov in the second round.
He doesnāt necessarily look the part ā he looks like a regular dude with a couple tattoos, a solid beard, and nothing that really jumps off the page upon first glance ā but heās got quick hands, solid conditioning, and a little nastiness to him, as we saw when he tried to avoid the second round by pummelling Abdurakhimov right to the horn, flipping him off early in the second, and mauling him in the second. Once he settled in and started letting his hands go, this was all Daukaus.
Entering Saturdayās contest, the 31-year-old was stationed at No. 10 in the rankings, and heās sure to move higher next week, which puts him a win away from the Top 5, which isnāt something anyone would have forecasted going into his promotional debut last August. But 13 months later, heās a perfect 4-0 in the Octagon and we still donāt know how far he can take it.
After another impressive stoppage victory this weekend, Iām done wondering where his ceiling rests; instead, Iām going to just keep enjoying the ride.
Taila Santos has Officially Arrived
Taila Santos pushed her winning streak to three on Saturday night, dominating veteran Roxanne Modafferi for three rounds to likely force her way into the Top 10 in the flyweight division.
The 28-year-old Brazilian lost her promotional debut, getting out-hustled by Mara Romero Borella, but since then, the Muay Thai stylist has rolled, earning decision victories over Molly McCann, Gillian Robertson, and now Modafferi, working her way up the divisional ladder with each appearance, continuing to show improvements each time out. Saturday night, she took the fight to Modafferi in every facet, using her strength to dominate the grappling exchanges while battering āThe Happy Warriorā with heavy shots at a high percentage whenever they were on the feet.
A performance like this is what I was looking to see from Santos when I asked Wednesday if she was a future contender in One Question ā a consistent, multi-faceted effort against someone whose place in the division is firmly established and is a proven tough out. Now, Santos has established herself as a Top 10 fighter in the division, and the question becomes how far can she go from here?
Jalin Turner is Putting Things Together
Donāt look now, but Jalin Turner has put together a three-fight winning streak, with three straight finishes and consecutive submission wins after tapping out Uros Medic on Saturday night, setting himself up as one of the top emerging names in the lightweight division in the process.
This was one-way traffic from the outset, with Turner catching a kick and dumping Medic to the canvas early before hurting him to the body once they got back to their feet. With Medic covering up, shrinking to the canvas, and turtling up, Turner attacked the neck, lacing up a rear-naked choke and securing the finish.
Turner is a gigantic lightweight, standing six-foot-three with length for days, and he uses it well. Heās also still just 26 years old, which is important to remember because heās now 16 fights into his career and clearly improving, putting everything together fluidly, and fighting confidently. It always difficult move forward in the 155-pound weight class, but with three straight finishes, he should garner a step up in competition, and if he continues improving, āThe Tarantulaā could become an interesting figure in the division in the next couple years.
Welcome to the UFC, Nick Maximov
Hereās another name to remember: Nick Maximov.
The 23-year-old Nick Diaz Academy representative picked up a unanimous decision win in his promotional debut on Saturday night, out-hustling and then out-lasting Cody Brundage in an entertaining scrap early on the prelims. After controlling the first two rounds with his grappling, the former Contender Series competitor had to dig deep down the stretch, turning to his wrestling to slow Brundageās gathering momentum and come away with the win.
While there is obviously still tons of work for him to do and areas where heās going to need to improve, you have to like what you saw from Maximov on Saturday night āĀ heās already showing a high IQ, with outstanding wrestling and strong conditioning, which you expect when youāre literally running with the Diaz Brothers, and as he continues putting the pieces together, Maximov could develop into a fighter of note in the middleweight ranks.
Give him time, allow him to grow, but the future is bright.
Semelsberger Calls His Shot
Coming off his first UFC loss, Matthew Semelsberger jumped at the chance to compete in front of a crowd for the first time at UFC 266, signing on to stand opposite Nick Diaz training partner Martin Sano Jr. on Saturdayās prelims. A former collegiate football player, he said he felt more comfortable in front of a crowd, forced to compete in front of an audience, believing that he always rose to the occasion.
When speaking about Saturdayās contest, he was both focused on preparing for the best version of Sano Jr. possible, and confident that he was going to handle things quickly and emphatically: āIn terms of where Iām at mentally and with my confidence, I feel like Iām going to run straight through this m*****f*****.ā
On Saturday night, this happened:
Now 3-1 in the UFC, Semelsbergerās last two wins have taken a combined 31 seconds, as he knocked out Jason Witt in 16 seconds in March and shaved a second off that time on Saturday.
Heās still learning, still putting everything together, but you canāt teach power like that, and it automatically makes you a person of interest in the welterweight division.
Keep an Eye on Jonathan Pearce
Jonathan Pearce kicked off the night with a dominant second-round submission win over Omar Morales, fighting his way inside midway through the first to turn the featherweight contest into a grappler match before taking the fight to Morales and getting the finish.
A Contender Series graduate (Class of ā19) who lost his debut up at lightweight, in Boston, against Joe Lauzon, Pearce has since returned to the 145-pound ranks and put together a tidy two-fight winning streak, following up his ground-and-pound finish of Kai Kamaka III last November with this outing on Saturday. He fights within himself and plays to his strengths, using his pace as a weapon, and accepting that heās going to get stung once or twice if he wants to get inside, and heās making it work.
Featherweight is flush with talent and making real headway is hard, but these are two excellent efforts and quality wins for Pearce in the last 10 months, and if he can stay healthy, āJSPā is someone that can make a little noise in the 145-pound weight class.