10 Things We Learned: UFC 257 Edition
Addressing the takeaways and talking points from the first pay-per-view of the year on Saturday night
“The Diamond” Shines on Fight Island
It took a couple minutes, but once Dustin Poirier settled in, he was a man on a mission and earned a measure of vengeance by finishing Conor McGregor under a hail of punches midway through the second round.
Early in the fight, Poirier looked jittery — he was shaking out his body, reaching on his punches, and seeming a little unsettled. But late in the frame, he ate a couple clean shots that seemed to give him the confidence to move forward and trust his skills. Once he did, it was a completely different fight.
At the start of the second, Poirier started investing in leg kicks that stifled McGregor’s movement and cut down his power, and then from there, he started opening up with his hands. A right hand hurt “The Notorious” Irish superstar and once Poirier saw that he was hurt, “The Diamond” went in for the kill and got the finish.
This was a career-altering win for Poirier, and that’s saying something because he’s already enjoyed a tremendous career, including an interim title win. But when you go out and do that to the biggest name in the game, everything changes — your name carries more weight, your fights (and pay checks) become bigger, and your place in the pantheon shifts.
Poirier has been one of the best lightweights in the world since returning to the division and he showed on Saturday that he is one of the absolute best fighters on the planet.
Gracious in Defeat, McGregor Will Be Back in 2021
Say what you will about McGregor, but the guy has always been gracious in defeat and Saturday was no different.
After getting laid out in a massive return to action, the former two-division world champion picked himself up, congratulated and praised Poirier, and suggested that this will not be the only time we see him in the Octagon this year.
McGregor spoke the truth, acknowledging that it’s extremely difficult to come back and compete at the elite level against truly world-class talent when you haven’t been doing it routinely.
This was his first appearance in a year and his last bout lasted 40 seconds. His last fight before that was in the fall of 2018, when he lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov, and this was just his third fight since November 2016. By comparison, this was Poirier’s ninth fight since UFC 205 and his sixth fight since the start of 2018, with all of them coming against top-flight competition.
If there is a positive in this result for the UFC and its fans, it’s that McGregor sounded like a man who wanted to fight a few more times this year in order get some of that rhythm and timing back, and if that is the case, this rough start could result in a really interesting, exciting year inside the Octagon.
Not that it wasn’t shaping up that way already.
Michael Chandler Belongs
Michael Chandler faced a ton of questions coming into his UFC debut and good lord did the newcomer answer them all in emphatic style.
Halfway through the first round, the former Bellator lightweight champion thumped Dan Hooker with a sweeping left hook that put the tough-as-nails New Zealander on the deck. As Hooker tried to grab for a single leg, Chandler pushed back, gained space, and fired off a series of right hand darts into the side of Hooker’s head, prompting referee Marc Goddard to wave things off.
This was the emphatic statement Chandler needed to make in order to thrust himself into the championship picture in the talent-rich UFC lightweight division. And in case the performance wasn’t enough, “Iron Mike” channeled “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair and took aim at everybody ahead of him in the pecking order — Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Khabib Nurmagomedov — in a note-perfect promo where the only thing missing was a calm, cool “Wooooo!” at the end.
It’s going to be interesting to see how the UFC books things coming out of this event, but I tell you what: Chandler might have earned himself a championship opportunity with that performance.
Much-Needed Quality Win for Joanne Calderwood
Joanne Calderwood started quickly and controlled the striking throughout her heated scrap with Jessica Eye in the middle of Saturday’s pay-per-view main card, collecting a unanimous decision victory.
The duo got after it out of the chute, meeting in the middle, tying up, and slinging punches and knees in the clinch to start and returning there many times over the course of the 15-minute affair. Each time they entered that position, Calderwood dominated, throwing knees to the body, elbows on the break, and uppercuts inside, and when they were in space, the Scottish veteran fired kicks of all types to every level, never allowing Eye to get settled.
Though she looked tired after the first, Calderwood maintained her output throughout, beating Eye to the punch a majority of the time and never really struggling with anything coming back her way.
After rolling the dice and losing her title shot last summer, this was the high quality, bounce-back win that Calderwood desperately needed. The much-beloved, soft-spoken fighter had struggled in high-pressure contests before Saturday, but rose to the occasion on Fight Island, out-hustling Eye all the way.
She’s got a little more work to do in order to get back to a championship opportunity, but this was a tremendous step in the right direction.
Makhmud Muradov Needs a Step Up in Competition
Makhmud Muradov collected his second consecutive third-round stoppage victory, third UFC triumph in as many starts, and 14th straight win overall on Saturday evening, making Andrew Sanchez do the stanky leg before scoring the standing technical knockout win.
“Mach” continues to look like a dangerous dark horse in the UFC middleweight division — an emerging talent with a great frame, quality hands, and confidence that continues to grow with each successive victory.
After working a little ahead of Sanchez in each of the first two rounds, he pulled the trigger early in the third, responding to a good shot from the former TUF winner with as clean right of his own that put Sanchez on roller skates and started the finishing sequence.
With three straight victories and twin finishes, it’s time for Muradov to get a solid step up in competition next time out. We know he can sling with the middle tier in the 185-pound ranks, so why not slide him in opposite someone with a little more history, a little more tenure in the division to see if he can keep making headway next time out?
Given that they’re on the same timeline after earning victories on Saturday at UFC 257, a date with Brad Tavares would make a lot of sense.
Huge Victory for Marina Rodriguez
Despite being stationed higher in the rankings, Marina Rodriguez entered her main card assignment opposite Amanda Ribas as the underdog. Following a first round where she spent nearly four minute on her back, it seemed like the Muay Thai stylist was in for a long night, but early in the second, Rodriguez turned things around in dramatic fashion, put Ribas out to score a massive upset win.
Ribas pressed forward on the feet to begin the second and Rodriguez made her pay, blasting her with a counter right hand that twisted Ribas’ chin and spun her to the canvas. Rodriguez followed up, bringing referee Herb Dean in for a closer look, and although the striker stopped chasing the finish prematurely, she had no problem sealing the deal.
This was the massive, breakout performance Rodriguez needed in order to generate some buzz in the strawweight division. The 33-year-old entered with a 2-1-2 record in five UFC starts, having faced quality competition throughout, but taking out a rising star like Ribas was the kind of undeniable effort she needed in order to really push towards the Top 5.
Rodriguez is an outstanding fighter and very capable of becoming a challenger before the year is out, while Ribas will surely grow from this setback.
Arman Tsarukyan is Going to be a Handful
Lightweight is overflowing with talent and the depth in the division means quality fighters can often top out lower than you might otherwise expect, but provided things continue the way they’ve been going, Arman Tsarukyan is going to be a handful in the 155-pound weight class in the future.
The 25-year-old from Armenia collected his third straight victory on Saturday evening, outwrestling and generally out-hustling Matt Frevola over the course of 15 minutes. It was a quality overall showing from the youngster in a tough pairing against a grimy dude that came together Friday morning when their respective opponents — Nasrat Haqparast and Ottman Azaitar — were scratched from the event.
A lot can change when you start working your way towards the deep end of the talent pool, but Tsarukyan looked good against Olivier Aubin-Mercier and Davi Ramos before this, and should get another step up in competition following this win. He looked very good in his debut loss to emerging contender Islam Makhachev and really profiles as one of those athletes who is only going to keep getting better as he gains more experience and continues sharpening his skills.
A Brad Tavares Appreciation Post
If you’ve read my stuff before (and I’m guessing you have), you know I love me a veteran that just hangs around the Top 15 for years and years, grinding out a career facing tough competition fight after fight.
Brad Tavares is one of those cats.
Saturday night, the 33-year-old Ultimate Fighter alum collected his first win since April 2018 and the 13th victory of his UFC career by stuffing takedowns and sticking jabs against Antonio Carlos Junior.
The Hawaiian has never reached the Top 5 in the middleweight division and had been positioned as a gatekeeper before consecutive losses to Israel Adesanya and Edmen Shahbazyan were followed by an ACL tear last year, and he should return to that position again following this victory. He’s the ideal “truth machine” in the 185-pound weight class, boasting clean boxing, sound fundamentals, good conditioning, and excellent takedown defence, all of which was on full display against “Shoeface” on Saturday.
Dudes like Tavares seldom get any real attention coming off a card of this magnitude, but after a great showing and a quality career, it made sense to send a little love the veteran middleweight’s way.
Julianna Pena Makes a Statement
Former Ultimate Fighter winner Julianna Pena delivered one of the best performances of her career on Saturday night, rallying from a sluggish first round to submit former title challenger and Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann.
After getting controlled on the canvas for most of the opening stanza, Pena turned up the intensity and offence in the second, attacking off her back in the middle frame, and taking charge in the third. She hit a lovely body lock takedown early in the final round and ultimately took McMann’s back, sinking in her hooks and eventually connecting on a one-armed rear-naked choke for the finish.
As I tweeted out during the bout, there really isn’t anything special about what Pena brings to the table — she’s capable everywhere, but not dominant in any area; what sets her apart is her toughness, tenacity, and conditioning. Those elements have carried her to success in the past and they carried her to success on Fight Island as well.
Following the bout, Pena lobbied for a chance to share the Octagon with Amanda Nunes, who is set to defend her featherweight title against Megan Anderson at the start of March, and I have to say: I wouldn't be mad at that pairing, though I think timing will dictate that she takes another fight in between.
Pena’s fought a tough slate and only lost to quality competition, so one more good win (Raquel Pennington anyone?) and she could very well get the championship opportunity she asked for on Saturday night.
BTW: Nunes fired back quickly and sharply on Twitter after Pena accused her of ducking the fight:
Yeah, this one is going to happen at some point, and I’m all for it.
Young Talents Shine on Fight Pass
Up-and-coming talents Movsar Evloev and Amir Albazi used their opportunities early in the night to continue building their names, as both registered impressive victories against quality competition.
Evloev earned the best win of his career and his 14th consecutive victory to remain undefeated, pulling away as the fight wore on against veteran litmus test Nik Lentz. The young Russian, who is now 4-0 in the UFC, put himself in a couple tight spots early as Lentz dove on guillotine chokes throughout the first round. But as the minutes piled up, Evloev continued to pull away, shifting the momentum into his favor late in the first, and cruising to a dominant victory by the time the final horn sounded.
In the opener, Albazi kicked off the evening with a unanimous decision win over Zhalgas Zhumagulov, out-striking the tough-as-nail veteran from Kazakhstan, while mixing in timely takedowns and avoiding much of the return fire coming his way. Now 2-0 inside the Octagon and 14-1 overall, the 27-year-old from Iraq, who quickly tapped out Malcolm Gordon in his debut, has already cracked the rankings and should land an opponent with a number next to his name next time out.
These are the kinds of quality fights young competitors need to deal with at this stage in their careers, and they’re the type of talented up-and-comers that fight fans should be checking for early in the evening every single weekend.