UFC 265: 10 Things We Learned
Maligned in advance, Saturday's pay-per-view in Houston delivered tremendous action with plenty of divisional ramifications to discuss, capped by the crowning of a new interim heavyweight champion
A lot of folks distanced themselves from this event before Fight Week, frustrated by the interim championship stakes attached to the main event and disappointed with the quality of the lineup once Amanda Nunes’ bantamweight title fight with Julianna Pena got pulled last week.
But as the athletes started arriving in Houston and the fights drew closer, the objections faded and the underselling of this fight card subsided, with more and more people recognizing that the lineup at UFC 265 was terrific and the competitiveness of the fights positioned this weekend’s pay-per-view return to Toyota Center was top notch, with the main event clash between Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane standing as the only fight where the odds weren’t ultra-close.
And once the spectators filed in and the action got underway, UFC 265 delivered, as expected, providing us with plenty of takeaways and talking points to break down and discuss.
Here are the 10 Things We Learned.
Ciryl Gane: Undefeated Interim Champion
Ciryl Gane is your interim UFC heavyweight champion, pushing his record to 10-0 with a third-round stoppage win over Derrick Lewis in the main event of UFC 265 on Saturday night.
The 31-year-old rising star was calm and effective from the outset, patiently picking his spots through the first two rounds before turning it up and taking out Lewis in the third. As always, he was fluid in his movements, dancing on the outside, lunging in with long punches, and chopping down his legs with sharp, fast low kicks that eventually toppled “The Black Beast.” When it was clear that Lewis was on the ropes, Gane pounced, cranking up the pace and putting it on the hometown favorite, forcing referee Dan Miragliotta to step in and stop the fight.
While the potential of Lewis claiming gold at home was the more compelling Hollywood story, this went the way most expected, with the younger, faster, more complete fighter dictating the terms of engagement from the outset and dominating from start to finish, out-landing Lewis 98-16 in significant strikes, connecting at an 80-percent clip. It was a smooth, clean effort from the unbeaten French standout, who claims interim gold three years and five days after making his MMA debut, setting up a massive title unification bout with Francis Ngannou some time in the not too distant future.
A Different Kind of Heavyweight
Gane is different, folks.
He’s six-foot-four and 240-ish pounds and fights like a lightweight, staying light on his feet, switching stances, and escaping pressure with ease and fluidity. He’s constantly unbothered, coming forward with his hands down, making it difficult to know what he’s going to throw, while remaining confident that he can block or evade any return fire. He freezes opponents with his movement and presence, giving them unfamiliar looks that force them to think when they should be firing, allowing Gane to get off to good starts and find a good rhythm before his adversaries are able to get comfortable.
The MMA Factory product is an anomaly at heavyweight — a new age prototype that stands out from the traditional big men in the division who is more of a technician than a power hitter, but can still crack too.
Saturday’s victory sets up a delicious showdown with Ngannou, who is an evolved version of the traditional heavyweight with increased speed and alarming suddenness. He’s also the first fighter to be shepherded to the brink of UFC championship gold by Gane’s coach, Fernand Lopez, which is an intriguing wrinkle in an already compelling clash.
When Ngannou blasted Stipe Miocic to claim the title earlier this year, many thought he would rule unchallenged for the foreseeable future, but with each passing successful appearance, I can’t help but wonder if “Bon Gamin” might be the best heavyweight in the world right now.
Jose Aldo’s Still Got It
Former featherweight champion Jose Aldo turned in his best performance in a number of years, displaying greater activity, sharper boxing, and better conditioning than we’ve seen previously during his bantamweight run, pulling away from Pedro Munhoz with each passing round on the way to securing a unanimous decision win on Saturday night.
After getting his first victory in the 135-pound weight class earlier this year, Aldo turned back the clock in Houston, sticking Munhoz with sharp jabs, throwing increased combinations, and even mixing in some vintage leg kicks, busting up his countryman later in the fight to pull away. As always, Munhoz took everything coming his way and never stopped moving forward, but he simply couldn’t pin Aldo down, rarely landing clean and getting beaten to the punch in too many exchanges.
This was one of those fights that erases any questions people may have had about Aldo and his place in the division; an impressive effort against a Top 10 fixture that solidified the veteran’s place in the hierarchy and keeps him in the championship mix going forward. That didn’t seem likely when he was getting worked by Petr Yan and needing to grapple to get the better of things against Chito Vera earlier this year, but he seems to be getting more comfortable with each trip down to 135 pounds.
If he looks this good or better next time out, “The King of Rio” could find himself fighting for championship gold again in 2022.
‘The Silent Assassin’ Continues to Make Noise
Vicente Luque only needed one opening to end Michael Chiesa’s unbeaten run at welterweight, lacing up a D’arce choke out of a scramble a little over three minutes into the opening round of their showdown in the middle of Saturday’s UFC 265 main card.
Chiesa was sharp early, moving laterally, sniping home punches, and opening a cut under Luque’s right eye. When he looked to change levels and take the fight to the canvas, he did so with ease, putting Luque on the deck and attacking, transitioning to the back, chasing submissions, looking like he might lace something up himself. But he got a little high on the back, resulting in Luque shaking free, and as Chiesa looked to get back to his feet, the Brazilian clamped onto his neck, securing the choke and rolling Chiesa onto his back, stuck in a dead-end position, leaving him no choice but to tap.
Luque has now won four straight, securing finishes each time out, pushing his record to 10-1 over his last 11 and 14-2 over his last 16. He’s one of the best and most consistent finishers in the UFC, a consistently entertaining competitor, and a legitimate championship threat. It’s been a slow and steady climb with a couple setbacks along the way for Luque, but with his ability to create finishing opportunities and punish opponents for their mistakes, “The Silent Assassin” is impossible to ignore in the welterweight division and could find himself in a title eliminator before the end of the year.
Torres Keeps Rolling, Cements Her Standing at 115
Tecia Torres pushed her winning streak to three on Saturday night, out-hustling Angela Hill over all three rounds in their second meeting, moving to 2-0 in the series.
The former TUF 20 contestants squared off more than six years ago when they were each fresh out of the house. Older, wiser, and more experienced, they ran it back on Saturday night, but the outcome was the same, with Torres sweeping the scorecards again, utilizing her superior speed and varied striking attack to keep Hill off balance and a step behind. It was closer than the 30-27 scores suggest, with Hill hanging tough and showing how much she’s improved since their first encounter, but it was clear from the jump that she hadn’t closed the gap enough to even things up in Houston.
People questioned where Torres fit in the division during her four-fight slide a couple years ago, but the key to that stretch was who she was fighting, not the results, as the first three setbacks came to against three former strawweight titleholders, with the final falter coming against rising star Marina Rodriguez. Those bouts showed the now 31-year-old isn’t an elite title threat, but these last three outings have cemented her standing as a fixture in the 6-10 range in the division and a miserable matchup for anyone looking to climb the rankings at her expense.
Strong Showing from Song Yadong
Chinese bantamweight prospect Song Yadong got back into the win column, securing a split decision win over Casey Kenney in the opening bout of the main card, out-striking the former Contender Series contestant in all three rounds. While Kenney was surprised with the verdict and one official saw it in his favor, this was a clear win for Yadong, who reminded everyone that he has an extremely bright future with this effort.
Still just 23 years old, Song is now 6-1-1 in the UFC officially, and even if you question a couple of those results from earlier in his career, you have to acknowledge that he’s fought a tough slate and looked fairly solid throughout, making him someone worth keeping a close eye on going forward.
In Saturday’s bout with Kenney, he showed improved counter-striking, drawing out shots from the American and landing in return, keeping things short and clean while Kenney threw more looping, wider shots. He showed quality takedown defence throughout and was able to maintain his pace from start to finish, landing more strikes in the third than he did in the first.
We have this tendency to get a little too hyped and therefore too eager to move on from young fighters whenever they stumble, and that seemed to happen with Song following his loss to Kyler Phillips earlier this year. He’s been ranked in the past and will be ranked again in the future, and if he continues to make further improvements over the next few years, he’ll be a factor in the championship conversation down the road.
As Good As Expected
The final preliminary card fight of the night between Rafael Fiziev and Bobby Green was as good as expected, with Fiziev walking away with a unanimous decision win in a thoroughly entertaining battle between two game lightweights.
Everyone circles this one as one to watch on Saturday night, and the talented combatants delivered, spending 15 minutes up in each other’s grill, trading punches, kicks, knees, and taunts; neither man backing down and neither man slowing up. The highly regarded Fiziev got out to an early lead, landing with greater impact and variety throughout the first two rounds, only for Green to turn up the pace and volume in the third, putting it on the streaking rising star down the stretch, even though one of the judges somehow still scored the round for Fiziev.
In 10 Things on Thursday, I said this was the test Fiziev needed and one that would tell us more about where he stands in the division, and he passed the test, showing that he’s worthy of the attention and buzz he’s received and deserving of another slight step up in competition next time out. If he can dial back his intensity and power 10-15 percent, it should help Fiziev remain a little fresher in the final round without costing him too much early.
And if he can do that, “Ataman” could become a real force in the talent-rich 155-pound weight class.
Penne, Menifield Impress on Prelims
Jessica Penne and Alonzo Menifield delivered impressive performances in capturing victories on Saturday’s televised prelims, each picking up their second wins of 2021.
Penne showcased her outstanding grappling, welcoming Karolina Kowalkiewicz to the canvas and making the returning Polish veteran pay for her decision to venture into her world. After tying her up and working her way to top position, the former Invicta FC atomweight champ began attacking an armbar and never let off, maintaining pursuit until she secured the limb, forcing Kowalkiewicz to tap in the waning moments of the opening round. Following a four-year layoff due to myriad suspensions and injuries, the former Ultimate Fighter bronze medalist has now earned consecutive victories since pushing to two with her TUF 20 Finale win over Randa Markos.
Surprisingly, it was the heavy-hitting light heavyweight Menifield who became the first fighter to win by decision on Saturday, going the distance against veteran Ed Herman, earning a clean sweep of the scorecards while battering “Short Fuse” from start to finish. The Fortis MMA product made sharp adjustments early in the contest, avoiding the TUF 3 finalist’s left hook and investing in low kicks, hobbling Herman and sapping his power before cruising to a clean win on the cards.
Both Penne and Menifield have the weapons to be interesting figures in their respective divisions, and after strong showings like this, they should each receive a step up in competition next time out.
‘Starboy’ Finally Shines
Manel Kape was a high profile addition to the UFC flyweight ranks after an action-packed run under the RIZIN banner in Japan, but through his first two appearances, “Starboy” was a little too tentative, resulting in a debut loss to Alexandre Pantoja and a questionable split decision verdict in his sophomore showing.
On Saturday night in Houston, Kape finally showed his explosiveness, catching Ode’ Osbourne with a perfectly timed flying knee late in the first, chasing him to the canvas and putting him away with punches, finally collecting his first UFC victory.
The 27-year-old from Portugal is quick and powerful, and shared the ring with many of the top flyweights outside of the UFC during his time in Japan, which is why he was expected to be a contender right out of the chute. That didn’t happen and he was potentially on the chopping block heading into this one, with the fact that he missed weight by three pounds on Friday ratcheting up the importance of having a strong showing against Osbourne.
Now that he’s finally got things moving in the right direction, we could be seeing the start of a quality run of results inside the Octagon for Kape. The top tier of the division has really separated itself from the pack, and it will be interesting to see what comes next and where he is able to situate himself within the 125-pound ranks over the next 12-18 months.
Toughness and Negligence are Not the Same
Victoria Leonardo walked back to her corner after the second round and told her coach and husband Brent Mason that her “arm isn’t working right.” She had broken that arm in her previous fight against Manon Fiorot, and couldn’t use it in the second round, trudging back to the corner down 2-0 on the scorecards to Melissa Gatto.
Instead of waving off the fight, Mason gave her instructions for the third round, as if his exhausted, deflated fighter and wife was going to go out there with a jacked up arm, turn things around, and secure the finish that she needed. Thankfully, the doctor checked out the arm and waved off the fight, recognizing that it was broken.
The broadcasters praised Leonardo’s toughness for being ready to compete with a busted arm, but that’s not toughness to me — it’s stupidity — and her corner sending her back into the fray in that condition is negligence, and neither should be celebrated.
It happened in the bantamweight fight between Miles Johns and Anderson dos Santos too, as Johns battered the Brazilian’s lead leg in the first, had him dead to rights after the second, and rather than protecting their fighter, dos Santos’ crew sent him back out there.
Johns flattened him with a clean right hand to the jaw 76 seconds into the frame.
This is getting stupid.
We need to normalize genuinely protecting fighters.
Athletes are rarely going to pull themselves out of the fight — they’ve worked too hard, too long, sacrificed too much to get there — and so it is incumbent on the corners to not send their athletes into the fray when they’re compromised, especially when they look as deflated and defeated as Leonardo did between rounds on Saturday. She’s not coming back and while the break may not get worse, it might, and she’s probably going to take more damage in the final five minutes as well, for no good reason.
I know that coaches and fighters will tell me I’m overreacting and they never want to be pulled from a fight, but man — we have to start making it okay for these athletes and their coaches to call it when something is genuinely wrong instead of mistaking stubbornness for toughness and praising corners for giving their fighter a chance when they’re really doing them a disservice.