UFC 269: 10 Things We Learned, Prelims Edition
Detailing the key moments from Saturday's UFC 269 prelims, where prospects clashed and contenders emerged
Best Prelims of the Year
In my opinion, Saturday’s prelims were the best collection of preliminary card fights of the year, producing a blend of finishes and entertaining decisions, including a couple comeback victories, a few names stepping to the fore, and a prospect putting forth a jaw-dropping effort that might have been the best performance of the entire pack of matchups.
There have been some other quality prelims this year — UFC 268 comes to mind off the top of my head — but every one of these fights was competitive, compelling, and delivered in their own way, setting up a loaded main card featuring five massive fights.
Everyone expected this card to be special, and if the prelims are any indication, UFC 269 is going to earn a podium finish in the “Event of the Year” race, and just may make a case for gold.
Close Featherweight Banger to Close Things Out
Josh Emmett and Dan Ige got after it to close out the preliminary card, slinging leather for 15 minutes in a tight, entertaining tilt that ended with Emmett earning a unanimous decision with scores of 29-28, 29-28, and 30-27.
While the 30-27 score feels suspect, this was a close bout where each man seemed to clearly win one frame, and the final five minutes deciding the fight. Both men understood that and came out trying to sway things in their favor, with the judges seemingly valuing Emmett’s power and the visible damage it caused over Ige’s slightly greater activity and more technical handiwork.
This is a big victory for Emmett, who had been sidelined since last June after suffering a torn ACL. He stung Ige right out of the gate, and dug in after dropping the second to secure the victory. Conversely, this is sure to be a bitter pill to swallow for Ige, who has now lost a back-to-back close, competitive contests after starting the year with a blistering knockout win over Gavin Tucker.
Featherweight could use some fresh names working into the championship mix, and while this win doesn’t quite put Emmett in that group, it brings him closer and should land him opposite one of the select few individuals ahead of him in the rankings next year.
Gutsy Performance from Dominick Cruz
Two-time bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz remained undefeated in non-title fights in the WEC/UFC with a gutsy rally to defeat Pedro Munhoz by unanimous decision.
Cruz was in his bag early, bouncing in and out, sniping at Munhoz from space, but then “The Young Punisher” caught the veteran with a clean jab that had him clearly rocked. Munhoz chased the finish, but Cruz did a great job of tying him up, gathering his wits, and then shifting the momentum back in his favor. He started clawing back even before the first round finished, but in the second and third, he took over.
This was a vintage performance from Cruz, who worked his stick-and-move, high-volume approach to perfection, stinging Munhoz on multiple instances while avoiding much of the return fire coming his way. Munhoz has an incredible chin and is as tough as they come, but Cruz did exactly what he needed to do in order to get the nod in the second and third, and sweep the scorecards to secure his second victory of the year.
Bantamweight is packed with talent and on fire at the moment, and Cruz reminded everyone that he’s still got a little something left in the tank with this performance at UFC 269.
Tai Tuivasa is Figuring Things Out
Tai Tuivasa started his UFC career with three straight wins, running through placeholders before edging out Andrei Arlovski on the scorecards to advance to 9-0 in his professional career. A three-fight losing streak followed, and “Bam Bam” fell out of the rankings and off the radar, but since returning last October, the big kid from West Sydney, Australia has really started to put things together nicely.
Saturday night, Tuivasa extended his winning streak to four, patiently working his way to a second-round finish against Augusto Sakai, beginning the finishing sequence with a check left hook and never letting the Brazilian recover.
The 28-year-old has spoken openly about things coming too easy for him during that initial run — how that prompted him to get ahead of himself and ultimately forced him to make changes — and he’s been sharp ever since. This was the biggest effort of his career and should carry him back into the Top 15, maybe even the Top 10, and re-establishes the wildly entertaining fan favorite as someone to pay close attention to going forward in the heavyweight division.
Blistering Effort from Bruno Silva
Bruno Silva ate a few heavy kicks and big knees in the clinch early in his clash with Jordan Wright, but when the Brazilian looked to return fire coming off the fence, he put “The Beverly Hills Ninja” down, securing his third straight stoppage win in the process.
Wright looked sharp right out of the chute, crashing home kicks to the body, working well inside as they first battled along the fence. But as the commentary team noted, the American carried his head high coming in, never moving off the center line and leaving himself open to return fire. When Silva looked to force his way off the fence, he connected, putting Wright on roller skates and then sending him to the canvas, following him to the ground to pound out the finish.
This was Silva’s third consecutive stoppage win in the UFC and his seventh straight stoppage win overall. He had to deal with a two-year suspension prior to debuting in the Octagon earlier this year, but he continues to make up for lost time and establish himself as an entertaining addition to the middleweight division.
Another First Round Finish for Andre Muniz
For the second time this year, Andre Muniz waltzed into the Octagon and snatched up a first-round submission win by armbar, following up his victory over Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in May by doing the same to Eryk Anders on Saturday, through the former Alabama linebacker didn’t leave with his arm broken.
This was a dominant effort from a dark horse contender in the middleweight division, as Muniz quickly put Anders on the canvas, controlled the grappling exchanges along the fence, and transitioned into the armbar, drawing the tap out of Anders before his arm started moving in the wrong direction. Now 4-0 in the UFC and having won 16 of his last 17 fights, the 31-year-old Brazilian has now established himself as a dangerous name to track in the division, and should find himself sharing the Octagon with a Top 15 opponent in the first half of 2022.
There was a lot of “Muniz is clearly someone to watch” chatter following the bout, but if we’re being honest, there should have been more talk about “Sergipano” before hand, given what he’s already done inside the Octagon, the fluid nature of the 185-pound weight class, and the way everyone jumped on the Kevin Holland bandwagon after he knocked out Souza to end last year.
Muniz was already someone to watch heading into this fight; now he’s a potential contender in the middleweight division.
Erin Blanchfield Might be the Best Prospect in the UFC
Erin Blanchfield secured her second UFC victory and may have established herself as the best prospect in the organization in the process, dominating fellow up-and-comer Miranda Maverick over 15 minutes.
Most expected this to be a competitive battle, but the 22-year-old New Jersey native Blanchfield was in control from the outset, putting Maverick on the deck early and returning her to that position in each round. Her control and transitions were on point, but she also showed a level of physicality and strength that wasn’t as apparent earlier in her career, as she out-muscled the physically impressive Maverick.
By no means does this limit Maverick’s future potential — she’s 24, a very good athlete, and has plenty of room to grow — but it makes it very clear that Blanchfield is on a different level, and in the mix as one of the very best prospects in the UFC. She still has tons of room to grow, especially in the striking department, but is already a handful on the canvas and an emerging threat in the flyweight division.
Ryan Hall is a Ground Game Savant
Ryan Hall is one of the most entertaining weirdos in mixed martial arts, and I mean that in the most respectful, loving way possible.
“The Wizard” secured a unanimous decision win over Darrick Minner on Saturday, navigating through a close first round to use his world-class grappling over the final two rounds to secure the victory. In both the second and third, Minner came forward and gave Hall opportunities to grapple, making odd choices that allowed the former Ultimate Fighter winner to get into his bag and leave Minner playing defence for far too long.
Hall is an oddball with limited, funky striking, but an absolutely killer ground game, showcasing an ability to put opponents in danger from every position, no matter how the fight gets to the canvas, and this fight was a prime example of that.
Minner is going to kick himself for repeatedly grappling with Hall even though he was having a lot of success on the feet, but it’s also understandable — he’s a grappler, he’s confident in his abilities, and instinct takes over at times. But when you’re in there with someone as active, dangerous, and skillful as Hall, you have to proceed like the floor is lava.
He didn’t and Hall made sure that he got burned.
Impressive Performance on One Side, Hard Truth on the Other
Tony Kelley turned in the best performance of his UFC career on Saturday, returning for the first time in over a year to collect a second-round stoppage win over Randy Costa in the second fight of the evening.
The Louisiana native came out quickly, taking the fight to Costa, forcing the lanky striker to carry his weight throughout the first before striking more in the second. After hurting Costa with knees in the clinch, the 34-year-old chased him to the canvas and unloaded, forcing referee Mark Smith to stop the fight as the torrent of unanswered elbows and punches rained down.
Kelley’s standout effort illuminated the shortcomings Costa has at the moment, as the 27-year-old once again landed on the wrong side of the results when the action lasted more than two-and-a-half minutes. Costa’s five-fight run in the UFC has yielded a mixed of sudden finishes and second-round stoppage losses, and it will be interesting to see if the Massachusetts native gets another chance to step into the Octagon after this one as he’s dropped back-to-back efforts and just can’t seem to hang with anyone capable of imposing their will on the contest and dragging things into the second round.
Critical Finish in a Crucial Spot
Gillian Robertson choked out Priscila Cachoeira with one second remaining in the opening round, drawing out a tap on a deep rear-naked choke the Canadian attacked in transition and finished without any hooks.
This was a tough spot for Robertson, who entered on a two-fight skid and had to deal with the Brazilian missing weight by three pounds. Early in the bout, Cachoeira connected with some clean shots that bloodied “The Savage,” but the South Florida-based former TUF contestant pressed forward, hit a takedown in the center of the cage, and got into her grappling game, transitioning into mount and chasing down the finish.
This was Robertson’s 11th UFC appearance and she’s still just 26 years old, so there is still room for her to keep developing, keep building, and potential grow into being a Top 15 fighter in the 125-pound weight class. But even if she doesn’t get there, Robertson has established herself as an entertaining presence in the flyweight ranks, and closes out the year by getting things moving in the right direction again.