About Last Night at UFC Vegas 22
Looking at the stories and setups from Saturday's fight card at the UFC Apex
Derek Brunson Beats Another Upstart
Derek Brunson took a smart, tactical, veteran approach in his main event pairing with Kevin Holland on Saturday, grinding out a unanimous decision victory over the talkative Texas resident.
Over the first two rounds, the 37-year-old used his offensive wrestling to ground Holland and control him on the canvas, staying heavy and staying active from top position. After getting clipped in the third, he wisely pressed into the clinch and took Holland to the canvas again, clearing his head and avoiding any further damage, and over the championship rounds, it was more of the same.
It wasn’t the most thrilling effort, but it was a sharp, measured performance against a dangerous upstart and the kind of hard-nosed effort you’re going to get from a tenured Top 10 fighter like Brunson every time out. While Holland was the hyped member of this pairing, Brunson showed experience and focus on fight night are crucial elements, extending his winning streak to four while bringing Holland’s five-fight winning streak to a halt.
Brunson suggested a date with Paulo Costa once the Brazilian is cleared to return during his post-fight interview and it’s the kind of matchup the veteran has earned at this point. He’s been a good soldier that has routinely faced emerging talents positioned to climb the ladder at his expense; now it’s time to give him the opportunity to do the same next time out.
Kevin Holland Plays Too Much
Remember in high school when you didn’t study for a test and things went real bad? That’s what Saturday’s main event reminded me of, as Holland failed “The Derek Brunson Test” in spectacular, lackadaisical fashion, looking like a dude that had little interest in winning the fight.
He earned this opportunity with a banner year in 2020, posting a 5-0 record, but he slipped back into his 2019 form this weekend, doing the exact thing that has forever bothered me about the promising middleweight upstart. Here’s what I said Thursday in 10 Things:
Throughout his UFC tenure, my one criticism of Holland is that he spends too much time talking and not enough time fighting, which bugged me because he’s clearly talented, but has let some fights be closer than they needed to be or looked less impressive than he should have because he was out there playing with his food.
He fought this fight like he could finish it whenever he wanted, got down on the cards, and spent more time talking to Khabib Nurmagomedov than punching Derek Brunson in the face, and as funny and entertaining and whatever everyone seems to think it is, he just wasted a golden opportunity to put himself into title contention against a guy that he had a chance to beat.
He doesn't seem to care and that’s his prerogative, but man — there are a lot of dudes that would kill to be in his place and to watch him squander it surely has to make a bunch of people real frustrated.
Max Griffin Keeps Getting Better
He may be 35 and still one fight below .500 in the UFC, but Max Griffin is continuing to put it together and showcase his skills. Saturday night, Griffin came out quickly and collected a first-round knockout win over Song Kenan in the co-main event of the night, stinging the Chinese welterweight with a sharp right, following it up with a two-piece that put him on the deck.
Griffin isn’t just one of those battle-tested veterans that has been carving out a career in the middle of the welterweight division — he’s a guy that has dealt with some tough assignments, bad scorecards, and inconsistency, but he also dominated Mike Perry back when everyone was still really high on Mike Perry, and has made some key adjustments and improvements over his last two fights. The talent and athleticism has always been there, and now that he’s getting the mental side of things dialled in, he looks like a potential veteran dark horse in the 170-pound ranks.
We’re often quick to write off guys like Griffin simply based on their records, but if you looked a little closer, you would have seen a dangerous fighter hiding in plain sight. With consecutive highlight reel stoppages, that talent and dangerous ability is finally starting to shine through for all to see.
Dominant Debut Win for Montserrat Conejo
There is still room for specialists to thrive on the women’s side of the sport and Montserrat Conejo proved that on Saturday night, using her superior wrestling and grappling to stifle the offensive attacks of Cheyanne Buys in their joint UFC debuts.
In each round, the Mexican newcomer clamped onto a tight headlock and put Buys on her back, peppering her with short punches while constantly searching for opportunities to attack a submission, content with keeping the Fortis MMA product grounded and neutralized if an opening didn’t present itself. While Buys had success whenever they were standing, as soon as Conejo got her hands on her, the fight hit the canvas and Buys struggled to get back to her feet.
This was a dominant effort from a woman who knows how to play to her strength. Conejo earned a finish from that same position last time out and there was no reason for her to deviate from that approach on Saturday. Buys defended well, but Conejo’s strength and control in that position was tremendous and she coasted to a comfortable victory that sets her up as someone to keep tabs on going forward.
Another Finish for Adrian Yanez
One of the breakout stars of the interrupted fourth season of the Contender Series, Adrian Yanez continued making waves in the bantamweight division on Saturday night, knocking out Gustavo Lopez with a sharp counter less than 30 seconds in to the third round.
Lopez talked junk about Yanez heading into the fight, questioning who the youngster had fought and why he had so much hyped, but he found out once they stepped into the Octagon. Yanez was the sharper, quicker, cleaner of the two from the jump, and after sitting Lopez down in the second, he spun Lopez to the canvas out of the chute to start the third. It was a clean counter and a walk-off win for the talented Texan.
Bantamweight is loaded with emerging fighters at the moment, but Yanez is definitely one to keep very close tabs on going forward. His poise and ring generalship is better than you tend to see from young, emerging fighters, and he pairs it with precision and fight-ending power, creating a dangerous mix that has him looking like a future Top 10 fighter just two fights into this UFC career.
Quick and Easy for Tai Tuivasa
Tai Tuivasa wasted little time getting late replacement Harry Hunsucker out of there on Saturday, chopping his lead leg out from underneath him immediately and dusting him with heavy hands soon after, earning the finish in under 60 seconds.
It’s hard to take too much from this performance because of the late notice and skill discrepancy between the two men, but it’s worth remembering that Tuivasa is only 28, back on a two-fight finishing streak, and still clearly improving. He got hustled into a fight with Junior Dos Santos in his fourth UFC appearance and stumbled for a minute, but he’s righted the ship and remains an young, intriguing figure in the heavyweight division.
Preliminary Card Quick Hitters
The prelims wrapped with a terrific, competitive fight between Macy Chiasson and Marion Reneau, with the TUF winner Chiasson coming away with a unanimous decision win and the biggest victory of her career.
Still early in her career and coming off more than a year on the shelf, Chiasson flashed her upside by picking apart Reneau at range and battering the veteran in the striking exchanges, but had some struggles in the clinch and the grappling realms. It was a true building block fight for the 29-year-old from New Orleans, who pushed her record to 8-1 with the victory. She still has tons of room to grow, but this effort showed she has the potential to make a move up the rankings over the next couple years.
Grant Dawson was locked in a close fight with Brazilian veteran Leo Santos and appeared content to ride out the final 60 seconds of the third round in top position, taking his chances that he’d won one of the first two rounds on two scorecards… and then he smashed Santos into the Odinsleep to score the finish at 4:59 of the third round.
A look at the scorecards show that Dawson was in the clear as he was even with Santos on one card and up 2-0 on the others, but you have to appreciate his willingness to chase the finish rather than settling for a decision. It’s not always worth it, but in tight contests like this, Dawson’s approach down the stretch is what was needed and it paid massive dividends as he secured the finish and most likely a $50,000 bonus as well.
If you’re ever looking for a fight that highlights the importance of Fight IQ, look no further than Saturday’s middleweight bout between Trevin Giles and Roman Dolidze, where Giles did everything in his power to hand the fight to the unbeaten late replacement fighter from Georgia.
Early in the third, Giles stung the tired Dolidze on the feet, sitting him down in the center of the Octagon, but rather than unloading ground-and-pound or forcing him to stand, the Houston native looked to grapple, and it opened the door for Dolidze to make things close. Whenever they were standing, Giles was doing damage, but each time they started grappling, Dolidze turned the tables.
In-fight decision-making is vital, and some of that comes from who you train with, who your coaches are, and understanding the strengths and weaknesses of both yourself and your opponent. Giles is missing that piece right now and it’s going to continue to limit his upside.
Montel Jackson is one of those dudes folks don’t talk about too much because he’s still grinding in the shadows and doesn’t say too much ever, but it’s clear when he’s in the cage that he’s making progress and going to be a problem in the bantamweight division down the line. “Quik” scored a first-round stoppage win over newcomer Jesse Strader on Saturday, showcasing much improved striking to end it inside two minutes.
He’s now 4-2 inside the Octagon and his two losses were against more experienced, Top 15 caliber fighters Ricky Simon and Brett Johns. Jackson hasn’t even been a pro for four years, but he’s spent three years competing on the biggest stage in the sport, so as he continues developing, continues making strides, he should continue to level up.
Competing on the final bout of his contract and still searching for his first UFC victory, Bruno Silva did so in style in Saturday’s opener, earning a second-round stoppage win over JP Buys. The long-time training partner of Henry Cejudo was more aggressive and sharper than we’ve previously seen, taking the fight to the Fortis MMA newcomer in the first and picking him apart on counters as Buys turned up the aggression in the second.
This was a very strong effort for the 31-year-old Brazilian, who entered on a two-fight losing streak and winless in his last three. He looked a step ahead of Buys at every turn and collected an impressive stoppage win when it mattered most, so it will be interesting to see if this can be the catalyst to a quality run in the flyweight division should he ink another deal and continue to compete inside the Octagon going forward.
all photos courtesy of Chris Unger / Zuffa LLA via Getty Images