UFC 276: 10 Things We Learned, Prelims Edition
Big cards get big recaps, which means delivering individual packages of things we learned for the preliminary portion of the card
Skill Levels at An All-Time High
Without getting into any of the results just yet, the main thing Saturday’s prelims reminded me of is that the skill level in the UFC is at an all-time high right now. You can grouse about fight card composition (not this one, obviously) or various business practices of the promotion, but in terms of the level of talent stepping into the Octagon each and every Saturday evening, it has never been better.
Coming into the night, the finishing rate across all divisions in the first half of the year was .496 and a number of those have been amazing. We’re seeing high-level performance every Saturday, prospects growing by leaps and bounds, and top-end talent doing top-end talent things all the goddamn time. Disappointing cards have been a rarity this year and every event is providing new names to follow, new questions that need to be answered, and plenty of new matchup opportunities.
It’s amazing, and if you can’t appreciate it, I don’t know what to tell you.
Statement Made
Jalin Turner wasted absolutely no time getting Brad Riddell out of the Octagon on Saturday night, submitting the City Kickboxing in 45 seconds to close out the prelims.
He clocked Riddell with a right hand when he was behind the tram line that made the New Zealander change his thinking, prompting him to look to get inside for a takedown. As he entered, Turner locked up the neck, riding Riddell’s movement into mount, leaving him no choice but to tap.
These is no way to downplay how outstanding an effort this was from Turner, who has now won five straight, all by finish, and continues to sport a 100 percent finishing rate in his career. As my colleague and podcast partner Harry Powell puts it, Turner is a unique problem at lightweight given his tremendous size, undeniable power, and keen ability to identify how to secure the finish.
He's continuing to get better each time out and looks like he’s going to be a real problem in the lightweight division.
Lightweight Closing the Gap on Bantamweight
As much as it pains me to say this, the lightweight division might be closing the gap on bantamweight in the quest to be the best division in the UFC.
Now, some of this is certainly recency bias and I might change my stance following the main card bantamweight bout, but over the last couple weeks, we’ve seen a couple really tremendous lightweight efforts from new names in the division, and we’ve got another one on deck next weekend between former champ Rafael Dos Anjos and Rafael Fiziev.
While I still think the overall depth of talent and competitiveness in the bantamweight division is better — there are more quality middle-pack guys at ‘35 than at ‘55, which just has more depth overall — it’s getting closer as more and more of these young cats like Turner start showing they’re ready to be facing the established set.
Ultimately, it doesn’t matter which is the best division really because all it really means is that we’ve got an embarrassment of riches to enjoy and there is no signs of that changing any time soon.
Jim Miller: Most Wins in UFC History
Entering Saturday night’s contest in a three-way tie for the most victories in UFC history, Jim Miller gave himself a one-fight edge in the standings by defeating one of the men he shared top position with, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.
After a competitive first round where Cerrone looked good to start, but took a couple good cracks, Miller landed another good left hand early in the second and staggered the veteran, leading to the New Jersey native diving on his neck and securing a fight-ending guillotine choke. We joke about never jumping guillotine, but this is the perfect example of when it’s okay — Cerrone stumbled, Miller got it deep, and trapped the arm as he locked it up.
Miller has the most starts in UFC history — Saturday was No. 40 — and has designs on competing at UFC 300 after making the walk at the previous two century-mark shows. He’s now won three straight, all by stoppage, ad has always understood his place in the ecosystem, so provided he can remain health, there is no reason he can’t make it to that landmark event late next year.
End of the Road for Cowboy
Following the defeat, Cerrone took off his gloves and laid them in his trademark cowboy hat in the center of the Octagon, announcing his retirement.
The veteran told Joe Rogan that he simply doesn’t love competing any more (and that he’s going to be a movie star) and that it’s time to walk away, and it’s unquestionably the right decision. Saturday’s loss put him on a seven-fight run without a victory, and while he looked solid here, facing a fellow veteran certainly played a part in that. While I’m not sure about the movie star bit, I am sure that Cerrone will get the Hall of Fame induction he mentioned wanting in his final post-fight interview.
There will never be another Donald Cerrone, and it’s been an absolute joy to watch him compete.
Garry Gets the Work He Needs
Ian Garry remained undefeated, turning in the kind of performance that showcases his brilliant upside and need for further development on Saturday night against Gabriel Green. At no point was the Irish prospect in danger and he landed the cleaner, more impactful blows throughout, leading to a unanimous decision win, but there were also little moments where his lack of experience showed, reminding everyone that he’s still just 24 years old and 10 fights into his career.
Garry has said throughout his time in the UFC that he doesn’t want to be hustled along and knows he needs to clock time in the Octagon, and I think that's why Saturday night was perfect in many ways. He got a good 15 minutes of work under his belt, had some moments that really made you sit up and appreciate how skilled he is even at this early stage of things, and also will see a few things that he can work on when he goes back and looks at the tape.
There is a lot to like about Garry as a prospect — he has tremendous size for the division, moves extremely well, and is dangerous in space, with a lovely high kick that he hides before releasing. He’s working with a great team, is saying and doing all the right things from a career perspective, and looks like the real deal thus far, but the real test will be when he starts facing guys that are of the same caliber or slightly better on paper.
Those days are coming and I cannot wait to see how the Irishman handles them when they arrive.
Du Plessis Does Damage
After five minutes, it looked like Dricus Du Plessis was on his way to getting out-hustled by veteran Brad Tavares. He wasn’t finding much success on the feet, at takedown attempt resulted in Tavares landing in top position, and generally speaking, the Hawaiian veteran was out-classing him. But in between rounds, it seems like the South African simply said to himself, “Naw, I’d like to win this fight” and then came out and made it happen.
Over the course of the next 10 minutes, “Stillknocks” stuck heavy shots in Tavares’ face non-stop, mashing his nose into his face with a beautiful knee and turning him into a bloody mess on the way to a unanimous decision victory. Now 3-0 in the UFC and 17-2 overall, he’s officially someone to watching in the middleweight division, and likely to have a number next to his name come next week.
The really interesting thing to me is that — how do I put this without sounding like a complete asshole? He’s kind of all over the place as a fighter. He’s off-balance at times, seems to have some conditioning or pacing challenges, but hits like a ton of bricks and is a solid overall athlete, and I just wonder what he would look like if he were to move to a major North American gym where some of that green-ness and messy-ness could get coached out of him.
This was a very good win over a perennial Top 15 fighter, and I still feel like Du Plessis has a ton of room to grow. Consider me officially intrigued.
Good Win Move Muniz’ Winning Streak to Nine
Brazilian grappler Andre Muniz maintained his unblemished record inside the Octagon and extended his winning streak to nine at UFC 276, collecting a unanimous decision win over former Ultimate Fighter finalist Uriah Hall in the final fight on the early prelims.
Entering with three consecutive first-round armbar finishes, Muniz was stymied in his various attempts to find a submission on Saturday, but controlled the fight throughout, showcasing numerous trips in the clinch, good control on the back, and the persistence and pressure to work through 15 gruelling minutes against a very sound defensive fighter in Hall. It wasn’t the brilliant effort some were hoping for — or maybe even expecting — but it was a quality win that should continue to move him forward nonetheless.
This was one of those fights that serves as a reminder that we need to see up-and-coming fighters in there against the best competition possible before we’re able to make a real read on where these athletes stand.
Muniz had all kinds of momentum coming off his wins over Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and Eryk Anders, but his inability to get Hall slows his momentum just a touch and brings more questions about where he fits in the division and how far up the ladder he can climb. He should get a slight step up in competition next time out, but it’ll be a bigger test and he’ll likely be positioned as the underdog heading into that one.
Tenacious Barber Gets It Done
While she may not be “The Future,” Maycee Barber has certainly started to find herself inside the Octagon. On Saturday night, the 24-year-old scored a unanimous decision win over veteran Jessica Eye to push her winning streak to three.
It was a second consecutive grimy effort for the former super-prospect, as she battered Eye in the clinch in the first round, landed the more effective strikes in a grappling-heavy second stanza, and control things in all phases in the third. She’s not a tremendous athlete, nor is she the most technical fighter, but she’s gritty and understands the need to constantly be attacking and looking to deliver damage, and has gone a very good job over her last two fights of doing just that.
Although some of the bloom is off the Barber rose, she’s still pretty young, still has plenty of room and time to continue growing, and seems to have settled into a home at Team Alpha Male, where assured of getting both good coaching and quality reps in the gym. Saturday’s performance showed she’s a couple steps behind Casey O’Neill and Erin Blanchfield in the collection of young flyweights moving forward in the division, but she’s starting to put things together more consistently and remains one to keep tabs on in the 125-pound weight class.
Following Saturday’s bout, Eye took off her gloves, left them in the center of the Octagon, and announced her retirement. The 35-year-old Cleveland native unfortunately exits on a four-fight and with just one win in her final six appearances.
Stoliarenko Snatches First UFC Win
Julija Stoliarenko avoiding becoming the first woman in UFC history to suffer five straight losses, securing a rapid submission win over Jessica-Rose Clark to kick off Saturday’s event.
The Lithuanian had her feet taken out from under her on the first strike Clark landed, but was able to quickly regain her wits and go on the offensive. She ducked under Clark’s punches as she came forward, hitting a perfectly timed double in the center of the cage, instantly hustling to side control and attacking the armbar. Two seconds later, Clark’s arm was contorted at an unfamiliar angle and the fight was over.
While Stoliarenko secures her first UFC win, Clark suffers not only a gruesome injury, but a second straight first-round submission loss by armbar. Now 34 and facing an extended recovery period, it’ll be interesting to see what comes next for the popular Clark. Tactical mistakes led to both of her recent losses, and it doesn’t seem like any adjustments were made between her loss to Stephanie Egger earlier in the year and this fight on Saturday.
But the moment belonged to Stoliarenko, the ex-TUF competitor who was clearly overjoyed with the result and will now find herself heading into her next fight coming off a win for the first time in more than two years.