UFC 289: 10 Things I Learned (Extended Edition)
Processing Saturday night's action at Rogers Arena from media row, offering instant analysis and insights
And Still, Forever
Amanda Nunes successfully defended her bantamweight championship with a dominant, one-sided win over Irene Aldana before announcing her retirement from the sport.
“The Lioness” controlled the fight from the outset, taking it to the somewhat frozen challenger, who struggled to get out of first gear. Mixing between kicks to the midsection and stiff jabs, hitting takedowns whenever she felt like it, and generally having her way with Aldana, Nunes seemed to be having fun in there. When the bout ended, we fully understood why, as the removed her gloves, laid them in the center of the Octagon with her belts, and said goodbye.
Nunes is the greatest female fighter of all time and one of the best fighters in UFC history. She goes out on top, having successfully defeated everyone to hold the bantamweight and featherweight titles, with a 16-2 record inside the Octagon.
Thank You, Amanda
When I spoke to Nunes on Monday, I asked her if she was going to retire. She smiled and told me she wanted to keep fighting, while hinting at maybe walking away after a fight in December, once her second child had arrived and she and her wife Nina could take a full family picture inside the Octagon.
She lied to me, and I’m glad she did because it made tonight truly special.
Over the last seven years, there isn’t a fighter I have spoken with more than Nunes, who has always been generous with her time, forthright with her answers, and appreciative of the routine we built by speaking before every fight. Being able to finally meet her in person on Tuesday and see her throughout the week now means even more, and being present for her final fight is something I will never forget.
Thank you, Amanda, for everything.
A Wounded Lion is Still a Lion
Charles Oliveira said that “a wounded lion is still a lion” all week, and against Beneil Dariush, he showed he’s still ferocious, putting away the lightweight contender in the final minute of the opening round.
Dariush actually did well for much of the frame, taking Oliveira to the canvas and roughing him up from top position, but the Brazilian was never bothered, and as soon as they worked back to their feet, he pounced. A bevy of strikes, including a well-placed high kick, put Dariush on uneven footing, and Oliveira never let him recover his balance, continuing to unload until he toppled. Once they hit the ground, “Do Bronx” bashed out at the finish, ending Dariush’s eight-fight winning streak and earning a statement win that makes things interesting at the top of the lightweight division.
While Oliveira said all the right things in his post-fight interview, including his signature, “The champion has a name” comment, the fact of the matter is that the champion does have a name, and it’s Islam Makhachev, and he holds that title after running through Oliveira last October in Abu Dhabi.
Hopefully we see them run it back this October. After this kind of performance, I’d say it’s more than likely.
Proper? Proper!
For the first time in his MMA career, Mike Malott didn’t earn a first-round finish, needing an additional 66 seconds in the second round to dispatch Adam Fugitt.
The Hamilton, Ontario native had been the breakout star of the week, delivering a command performance on the microphone at Media Day and the Press Conference, positioning himself to establish himself as a star on the rise — and the leading man in Canadian MMA at the moment — with a victory. After a strong opening stanza, Malott connected with a heavy right-left combo that dropped Fugitt before showing his Team Alpha Male pedigree by locking up a guillotine choke to secure the finish.
I said all week that folks misread Malott’s skills and experience because he was just 9-1-1 coming in, but he’s shown through his first three UFC starts that he’s not someone to be trifled with, and a step up in competition should follow this tremendous performance.
Gatekeeper is Not a Dirty Word
Dan Ige picked up his second win of 2023 in Vancouver, collecting a unanimous decision victory over a game and durable Nate Landwehr.
In both the first and second, Ige punctuated his efforts by dropping Landwehr, nearly getting the Tennessee native out of there in the middle stanza before the horn allowed Landwehr to get to his feet and stagger to his corner. “Nate the Train” recovered well and had his best frame in the third, but it was too little too late, as Ige matched him for the most part and claimed the win on all three scorecards.
This was one of those fights that illustrates the levels between these two men, within the featherweight division, and overall in the sport. Ige was just a little more active and effective in each of the first two rounds, keeping Landwehr out of rhythm before fading a little in the third. His technical striking and willingness to mix in body shots served him well, and stands as the differentiating point between fighters in these types of positions across all divisions.
Landwehr toughness is a weapon of sorts, and he doesn’t lose ground with this loss, but Ige clearly showed why he’s been a fixture in the Top 15 for the last several years.
Powering Up
After beginning his UFC career with three straight losses and winless in four, Marc-Andre Barriault has found a nice little rhythm, posting a second straight victory and fourth win in six starts in Saturday’s main card opener against Eryk Anders.
The French-Canadian, who trains at Kill Cliff FC in South Florida, dropped Anders in the first, and was the more effective of the two throughout, taking advantage of Anders’ willingness to fight at his pace in the first to get into gear and never falter. While Anders constantly came forward, Barriault did well to land in the moments when the former Alabama linebacker was gun-shy in front of him, connecting with more shots throughout.
A push into contention is highly unlikely for Barriault, but he continues to show that he’s a quality hand in the “Second 15” at middleweight, where durable, consistent competitors are at a premium. He’s done exceptionally well to steel himself away after an ugly start to his UFC run, and now Barriault looks to be settling into place in the 185-pound ranks.
Quality Fight Cut Short
The final preliminary card fight of the evening was cut short due to a clash of heads.
Nassourdine Imavov and Chris Curtis appeared to be ready to take things up a notch early in the second round of their middleweight bout, but as Imavov came forward with Curtis backed into the fence, their heads came together, with a cut opening right at the corner of Curtis’ right eye. Referee Jason Herzog saw the accident contact and immediately paused the action, with the doctor eventually coming in to check on “The Action Man.” Despite his protestations, the bout was halted and declared a no contest.
For Curtis, that’s consecutive contests where a clash of heads impacted his fights, as his loss to Kelvin Gastelum earlier in the year seemed to swing on a similar incident that went uncalled. For Imavov, it halts what was to that point a solid outing where he showcased more of his wrestling than he had in previous outings. Understandably, neither man was happy with the outcome, and it will be interesting to see how each is booked going forward after this one.
Still Developing, Still Growing
Canadian Jasmine Jasudavicius keeps getting better, showing continual improvements and steady development each and every time out, posting the biggest win of her career on Saturday with a unanimous decision victory over Miranda Maverick.
The St. Catharines native spent the back half of the opening round defending an armbar, but dominated the next two rounds, using excellent counter-wrestling and non-stop pressure and output to win the second and third rounds on all three scorecards. She’s now won back-to-back contests and three of her first four UFC appearances, showing increased promise and upside each time out.
Because she’s 34 years old, it’s difficult to call Jasudavicius a prospect, but she’s young in her career, with Saturday’s fight with Maverick being her 11th appearance overall. She only started competing at the tail end of 2017, going unbeaten as an amateur and now sporting a 9-2 record as a pro, flashing even more room to grow. A spot in the rankings is in her future, and continued development isn’t out of the question.
With her pressure and relentless style, Jasudavicius could emerge as a dark horse in the division in the next couple years.
Zahabi Bomb
Aiemann Zahabi registered his third straight UFC victory, clocking Aoriqileng with a counter left hook that sent the Mongolian bantamweight to the canvas in a heap.
The two came out measuring one another, with Aoriqileng banging home a couple heavy leg kicks, while Zahabi looked to find his timing with his hands. When they stepped into the pocket to trade, Zahabi slipped a shot and fired off the left over the top, finding the chin and raising his hands as his opponent crashed backwards to the canvas. A quick coffin nail followed and the fight was over.
Zahabi has now one three straight after incurring the only two losses of his career, ending two of those contests in the opening round. He’s 35 years old and hasn’t been as active as most of his bantamweight contemporaries, but he’s clearly dangerous, dialled in, and eager to get back out there in the fall. On a night where Canadian talents dominated the early portion of the card, Zahabi sent the partisan crowd into hysterics.
Size Matters
The overall physicality of Kyle Nelson carried him to victory on Saturday night, as the Canadian veteran handed Blake Bilder the first loss of his professional career.
“The Monster” used every bit of his size advantage to get the best of things, bullying Bilder along the fence and landing the more punishing and telling blows throughout. While Bilder moved well and had moments, Nelson’s conditioning held up well and the pronounced power difference produced a unanimous decision win.
Matchups and results like this are why fighters cut weight. Nelson, who has previously competed at lightweight and could honestly fight at welterweight if he really wanted to, is only four inches taller than Bilder, but size is about much more than simply height, and the two looked a weight class apart in the cage. Bilder had no answer for the strength of Nelson, in any realm, and it allowed the Canadian to dictate the terms of engagement and secure his first victory in nearly four years.
Welcome to the UFC, ‘AstroBoy’
Heck of a debut for Steve Erceg!
The Australian flyweight jumped into a short-notice assignment opposite Top 10 fighter David Dvorak just a couple weeks after his original debut was scuttled a coupe weeks ago. He showed he belonged right out of the chute, and once he settled in, he showed why fans in the ANZAC reason were excited to see “AstroBoy” in the UFC. Erceg popped Dvorak with a clean right hand in the second, following it with a head kick that wobbled the Czech veteran, clamping onto a guillotine choke as he looked to shoot and recover.
He was unable to complete the submission, but continued to have moments in a competitive third, earning himself a unanimous decision victory over a ranked opponent in his debut. With the Octagon returning to Sydney later this year, it’s a pretty solid bet that Erceg will be on the card, and it should be with another Top 10 opponent standing opposite him inside the cage.
Activity is Essential
Diana Belbita earned a clean sweep of the scorecards in the opener against Maria Oliveira, in large part because the Romanian-born, Ontario-based strawweight was the more active of the two.
In every situation, Belbita was throwing — on the feet, in the clinch, off her back, in top position; wherever they were, the “Warrior Princess” was trying to land something. She was effective off her back in the first round, worked knees in the clinch in the second off the fence, and was happy to trade in space at all times. Oliveira had her moments, but the constant activity from Belbita was too much to overcome.
More fighters need to understand how to do this and adopt this approach. You don’t have to be landing power shots the whole way — touch, touch, touch, and land bigger shots when you can.