UFC 264: 10 Things We Learned Last Night (Extended Edition)
Assessing the impact of Saturday's massive pay-per-view in Las Vegas for the victors and the vanquished with a blown-out version of the post-event staple
Poirier Wins the Fight, Series
Dustin Poirier made it two straight against Conor McGregor to secure the series win, hitting the Irish superstar with heavy ground-and-pound for much of the first round before McGregor suffered a grizzly broken left leg, bringing the fight to an anticlimactic halt.
Just like their second meeting in January, McGregor started well, attacking with numerous low kicks and connecting with a few clean strikes on the feet as Poirier tried to find his range and initiate his own offence. McGregor opted to chase a guillotine choke as the two clinched along the fence, and it proved to be a mistake, as Poirier defended, escaped, and used the gift-wrapped top position to begin unloading. While McGregor countered with elbows off his back, landing a few with force, Poirier clearly had the greater success, leaving McGregor with blood seeping from his ear and filling his mouth as they returned to the feet late in the frame.
Then it happened.
Both men stepped forward to throw, neither one landing, and as McGregor looked to plant his left foot, his ankle buckled underneath him, his leg clearly compromised. Poirier came in looking for a finishing blow and when the horn sounded and the two side separated, it was clear that the fight could not continue.
This isnβt how anyone wanted this dynamic rivalry to end, but it has, in fact, ended, with Poirier winning the fight and the series.
Now What?
This always felt like it was a crossroads moment for both men, but given the way it ended, the question of what comes next for McGregor feels even bigger.
We know whatβs next for Poirier βΒ a lightweight title fight with Charles Oliveira, most likely in December, to determine the undisputed top fighter in the 155-pound weight class. Itβs an incredible matchup between two competitors that started young, persevered through rough patches and frustrating setbacks, and are now firing on all cylinders, and should instantly jump to the top of any βMost Anticipated Remaining Fights of 2021β lists that are being crafted and published.
Things are far less clear for McGregor though.
First and foremost is dealing with the gruesome injury he suffered on Saturday night, which can be extra dangerous given the number of major arteries and veins that run through the area and the way his leg appeared to break just above his ankle. In a sport where movement is vital and for a fighter who relies on footwork as much as he does, this is not the kind of injury McGregor should be in any hurry to return from.
While there were a couple matchups that made obvious sense for a defeated McGregor going into the fight, itβll be interesting to see if either remains as appealing whenever heβs able to return, as both Nathan Diaz and Jorge Masvidal, each of whom has lost two straight, could have moved on or faded from the spotlight, depending on how long the injured Irishman is sidelined.
An irate McGregor tried spinning things in his favor while seated on the canvas following the bout, his leg in an air cast, claiming again that he was dominating the fight right up until the point when it took a hard sideways turn in Poirierβs favor, trying to lay the groundwork for another meeting between the two, but that seems unlikely. Poirier is probably happy to be done with this series, having secured a bag of cash and wrapped up a championship opportunity with this win, and has no real reason to share the Octagon with McGregor again in the future.
There is a slim outside chance that this is the last weβve seen of the former two-weight world champ, as he turns 33 next week, will need at least a year to return to full health, and has several hundred million reasons to walk away and be done with this dangerous, violent sport following this injury. That said, given how enraged he was after the contest and how much he craves the spotlight, I canβt really see him going out on a two-fight skid with a busted leg.
But itβs going to be some time before McGregor is ready to compete again, and hopefully, we donβt hear too much from him before he does.
βDurinhoβ Does What He Needed to Do
Gilbert Burns turned in a tactically sound, smart performance to secure a unanimous decision win over Stephen βWonderboyβ Thompson in the co-main event of the evening.
In each round, the recent title challenger dragged Thompson to the canvas, neutralizing his offensive weapons and grinding out control time, peppering with short, but heavy shots in sporadic bursts. Each time Thompson started to find his timing and have a little success, βDurinhoβ was in his legs or his hips, spinning him to the mat to halt Thompsonβs offensive success and swing the momentum back in his favor.
Having talked about wanting another title shot with a victory in the preamble to Saturdayβs penultimate pairing, Burns seemed to understand following the bout that a second bout with Kamaru Usman might be a bridge too far after a quality win without any real standout moments, mentioning Jorge Masvidal, Nathan Diaz, and Leon Edwards as potential opponents.
Of that group, Edwards seems like the most likely candidate, as I suggested on Wednesday βΒ heβs coming off a very good win that most people remember for the final minute where he got put on roller skates, and though heβs done more than enough to merit a championship opportunity, itβs unlikely that heβll get the next shot at Usman and the welterweight strap.
There wasnβt much Burns could have done at UFC 264 to change his place in the pecking order, so this was a wise approach to a dangerous fight, and the result he needed to remain in the thick of the chase.
Spice Girls, Face Smashing, and Shoeys
Walking out to the Spice Girls is a big statement, but it wasnβt the biggest statement of the night for Tai Tuivasa, who went from getting rocked to wiping out Greg Hardy in about seven seconds.
After an initial feeling out period where Tuivasa attacks with low kicks, Hardy connected with a right hand that put the big fella from Western Sydney on wobbly legs. But when the former NFL defensive lineman looked to close the distance and follow up, Tuivasa planted his feet and planted a left hook in Hardyβs face, sending him crashing to the canvas.
And then he climbed onto the fence and downed a βshoeyβ out of a fresh pair of Air Force Ones.
Hardy pointed to the center of the Octagon when they touched gloves to start, the universal signal for βletβs stand and bang,β but Tuivasa made it clear that heβs not the guy you want to swing with, especially not when heβs running hot as he is now and not when youβre an inexperienced competitor like Hardy.
Saturdayβs sudden finish is the third straight win for βBam Bam,β who has put together results in three through his first nine UFC appearances. Still just 28 years old, Tuivasa seems to have taken a step forward in his development and once again has to be considered one of the top emerging fighters in the heavyweight division, and he should secure a step up in competition next time out as a result.
Aldana Makes an Impressive Statement
Mexican bantamweight Irene Aldana showcased her tremendous boxing on Saturday night, felling Yana Kunitskaya with a sweet left hook before pounding out the finish on the ground in the final seconds of the opening round.
This was the kind of performance Aldana need after getting out-hustled by Holly Holm last time out and missing weight on Friday. Sheβs long flashed potential, but has yet to navigate her way to the next level, stumbling in the biggest moments of her career, so bouncing back with a dominant effort and impressive finish gets her moving in the right direction again and solidifies her place in the Top 5.
Itβs going to be interesting to see who Aldana gets next as sheβs already faced Holm and Aspen Ladd is already booked, paired off with former TUF winner Macy Chiasson later this month. That leaves former featherweight champ Germaine de Randamie as the lone fighter ahead of her in the ranking without a dance partner, meaning itβs either a date with βThe Iron Ladyβ or another assignment against a fighter behind her in the division.
Either way, this was the kind of showing that illustrates the skills Aldana has on the feet and the power she packs in her hands, which make her an intriguing figure to pay close attention to going forward.
A Very Violent Episode of βThe Suga Showβ
Sean OβMalley put up ridiculous accuracy numbers on Saturday night, piecing up durable late replacement opponent Kris Moutinho in the opening bout of the main card, securing the stoppage in the waning moments of the third round.
The biggest betting favorite on the card, OβMalley worked as a sniper from the outset, landing a record number of strikes in the opening stanza and keeping up a torrid pace against the neon green-haired Terminator constantly walking towards him. He dropped Moutinho late in the first, chasing a guillotine choke at the horn, and continued to pop, pop, pop Moutinho with punches and kicks throughout. While some objected to the stoppage in real time, the truth is that the newcomer absorbed an astronomical amount of punishment and there was zero need to let the fight continue.
Listen, Moutinho deserves full marks for accepting the fight and hanging tough from start to finish, and he had some solid moments, but this was not competitive; this was a one-way beatdown that again showed that βSugaβ is a serious prospect and one of the top emerging strikers in the sport. He called out a host of competitors he feels are ducking him after the bout, including Cody Garbrandt and Rob Font, and should, in theory, get an opportunity to face a Top 15 talent next time out.
OβMalley is the real deal, folks.
Griffin Finding a Different Gear
It took him some time find a rhythm in the UFC, but Max Griffin has been operating a different level as of late, securing a third straight victory on Saturday with a unanimous decision win over Carlos Condit.
The 35-year-old NorCal native came out quickly, taking the fight to the veteran welterweight, utilizing a series of low kicks to each side to limit Conditβs movement before putting him on the deck and chasing a finish. While it didnβt materialize, it was an outstanding start for Griffin, and though his pace slowed in the middle stanza, he picked it up again in the third, pulling away down the stretch.
Griffin has always been a durable, competitive presence in the thick of the 170-pound pack, but since beginning to work with a mental coach, heβs taken his well-rounded skills and added consistency, turning in consistent results to close in on the Top 15. Condit came in on a two-fight winning streak of his own and is as tough as they come, but Griffin stayed within himself, navigated the successful moments βThe Natural Born Killerβ enjoyed, and secured the biggest win of his career in the final preliminary card bout of the night on Saturday.
As Wild as Expected
The second it was announced, everyone circled the welterweight pairing between Michel Pereira and Niko Price as an absolute must-see barnburner with gigantic chaos potential given their individual insane histories. Once they got in there, it was every bit as wild as expected.
Pereira started quickly, utilizing his size and speed advantage to wear on Price and take the fight to the indefatigable American, keeping the crazy attacks to a minimum while establishing a lead on the scorecards. In the second, the Brazilian got a little more wild, executing his signature moonsault against the down Price, his right foot catching βThe Hybridβ in the head, which would seem to make it an illegal blow, but it wasnβt addressed as such. Pereira moved into dominant position on the ground and chased a couple submissions, but when he couldnβt catch, he rose to his feet exhausted, giving Price an opening to take the fight to him in the third.
The American went hard over the final five minutes, chasing Pereira down, chasing the finish, and chasing the victory, but he came up short, with Pereira walking away with a unanimous decision win and 29-28 scores across the board.
βDemolidorβ is as wild in his approach, but continues to have success, securing his third straight victory on Saturday to push his record to 4-2 inside the Octagon and 26-11 with two No Contest verdicts overall. This win should elevate him in the welterweight rankings and set up a marquee assignment for the Brazilian mad man next time out.
Outstanding Effort from Ilia Topuria
Ilia Topuria accepted the fight no one was eager to take, agreeing to share the Octagon with unconventional grappling ace Ryan Hall, and Saturday night, he made the absolute most of it.
Approaching every exchange cautiously and quickly hustling into space whenever Hall rolling for an ankle, the unbeaten 24-year-old Topuria bided his time, landing the shots he could while avoiding prolonged entanglements on the ground. As the round progressed, he got a better read of Hallβs decision-making, and when βThe Wizardβ went for another roll, the emerging featherweight pounced, catching him with a torrent of hammerfists on the canvas that sent him to the land of nightmares and ghosts.
A member of the UFC roster for only nine months, Topuria is now 3-0 in the Octagon, earning first-round stoppage wins in each of his two fights where heβs had a full camp to prepare. While the 145-pound weight class is flush with talent β and particularly emerging, young talent β this effort and the totality of his efforts to date make βEl Matadorβ one of the absolute best up-and-comers on the roster, not just in the division.
Putting a heavily avoided guy like Hall away with this kind of precision is bound to open a bunch of eyes and should earn the rising star a number next to his name when the rankings update next week.
It might also make him the guy no one in the division is hurrying to fight as well.
Dricus du Plessis Most Definitely Still Knocks
South African middleweight Dricus du Plessis got the televised prelims off to a thunderous start, knocking out Trevin Giles with a precise right hand down the pope in the early stages of the second round to secure his second stoppage victory in as many UFC starts.
The opening round was competitive, but favored the South African sophomore as du Plessis showed pieces of his grappling game, seamlessly climbing into mount twice, advancing to Gilesβ back in one scramble, and hitting a beautiful kimura sweep in another, while neither man was able to land anything serious on the feet. In the second, they came out firing, and after Giles looked to move forward after landing his best punch of the fight, he left his hands down and his chin exposed, and du Plessis found it.
Du Plessis is one of those guys who excelled outside of the UFC, amassing a 14-2 record that included two-weight champ status under the EFC banner and a welterweight title win over Roberto Soldic in KSW, but remained a bit of an unknown commodity heading into his second UFC appearance. Having laid out Giles in the center of the Octagon on Saturday, he should be unknown no more.
He proclaimed himself a future Top 10 fighter in the 185-pound weight class, and after a second straight stoppage win, that very well could be the case.
Flyweight is Ultra-Competitive⦠and Not Competitive at All
It seems like every time Top 10 flyweights get in the Octagon and mix it up, weβre treated to a competitive, back-and-forth affair, and Saturday night was no different as Jennifer Maia and Jessica Eye went shot-for-shot for 15 minutes, with the Brazilian coming away with the unanimous decision victory.
This was largely a boxing match under MMA rules, with Maia mixing in a couple knees up the middle and a high kick or two and Eye turning to low kicks in the second half of the contest. While Eye was the one coming forward, Maia was the one landing the better shots throughout, finding a home for heavier, more impactful blows in the midst of several exchanges, primarily scoring with a long right hand and beautiful body-head combination. This was the same kind of spirited, tight contest weβve seen numerous times over between championship hopefuls in the 125-pound weight class, where it seems like everyone in the Top 7 or 8 is capable of beating anyone else on any given night, ensuring every flyweight pairing delivers on Fight Night.
As competitive as things are between the contenders, things become non-competitive once the title is on the line because champion Valentina Shevcehnko is just that good. When losing a round makes people sit up and take notice, it tells you how far ahead of the pack you are, and thatβs where βBulletβ is at right now.
But thatβs an issue for another day, and not really an issue at all since watching dominant talents be dominant is still appealing, at least to me.
For tonight, letβs just enjoy the constantly competitive fights and deal with how often those exciting contenders are getting wiped out by the champion later.
A Brad Tavares Appreciation Post
Thursday in 10 Things I Like, I talked about how Brad Tavares has carved out a nice career for himself inside the Octagon, holding down a place in the middleweight Top 15 for last half-dozen years, at least, while often serving as the litmus test for emergent hopefuls in the 185-pound ranks.
Saturday night, the Hawaiian veteran secured his 14th win in 20 UFC starts, adjusting after a close first round to secure a split decision win over Omari Akhmedov that felt like it had no business being a split decision. Sure, you could give the βWolverineβ from Dagestan the first round, but after that, it was all Tavares, as he began rolling out low kicks and crisp jabs, busting up his adversary more and more as the fight progressed.
This was a classic Tavares performance β measured, patient, technical βΒ and another good win for the middleweight stalwart. Heβs now earned consecutive victories after a year on the sidelines recovering from an ACL injury, and despite his experience, heβs still only 33 years old, so a late-career run towards the Top 10 and perhaps beyond is certainly not out of the question for the Xtreme Couture representative.
Standing Ninja Choke? Standing Ninja Choke
Zhalgas Zhumagulov kicked off the action at UFC 264 in style, stinging Jerome Rivera with a clubbing left hand coming in and clamping down on a ninja choke that forced the New Mexico native to submit just two minutes into the opening round.
Rivera came out hot, throwing heavy kicks to the body and looking to push the pace after suffering losses in each of his first three UFC appearances. Zhumagulov took the kicks well and when Rivera pressed forward, he uncorked a left hook that clipped Rivera on the side of the head. When the Contender Series alum shot for a panicked takedown, Zhumagulov locked onto the ninja choke, a variant of a guillotine choke locked up with a Dβarce choke or rear-naked choke hand positioning.
The fighter from Kazakhstan was unsuccessful in each of his first two Octagon appearances, but had looked good, going the distance with Amir Albazi and Raulian Paiva. Now, βZhakoβ has his first victory and a highlight reel finish.