UFC Long Island: About Saturday Afternoon...
Early action prompted a shift in titling and provided a great deal to discuss over the next couple of days
Not What You Wanted to See
There is no way to spin fights that end in injuries, especially when it happens early and there was very little to dissect before that, as was the case with Saturday’s main event, which ended with Brian Ortega suffering a dislocated shoulder.
Yair Rodriguez came out sharp, flashing his speed on the feet against the two-time title challenger; his quickness and diverse attack prompting Ortega to look to clinch more than we’d seen in recent bouts. Late in the round, Ortega spilled Rodriguez to the ground, with the Mexican contender throwing up an armbar attempt, and when Ortega pulled his arm out, his shoulder popped out of socket.
This was a highly anticipated clash that carried some potential championship stakes, but it’s hard to put too much value on the result, which Rodriguez acknowledged after the bout. He’s certainly the most interesting potential challenger for champ Alexander Volkanovski, however with the champ hurt and this fight ending the way it did, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Rodriguez back out there quickly, potentially in a clash with fellow title hopeful Josh Emmett.
As for Ortega, the first thing is to get healthy, which might only happen after surgery. The 31-year-old has had operations on his shoulders in the past, and would be out of action for some time if that is the case, which might finally mean we get some fresh matchups and movement at the top of the featherweight division.
Brazilian Bounce Back
Earlier this year, Amanda Lemos made her main event debut, suffering the first loss in her strawweight journey, getting caught in a standing arm triangle choke by former champion Jessica Andrade. Saturday, she showed she’s got some submission skills in her arsenal as well, returning to the win column by catching Michelle Waterson-Gomez in a guillotine choke.
Lemos is a powerhouse striker, but she’s a quality grappler as well, and put the full arsenal on display on Long Island. Her power had Waterson-Gomez ducking out of the way of offerings on the feet and looking for level changes. She hit a lovely takedown late in the first round, and when she went for a similar attack in the second, Lemos took advantage, clamping onto her neck.
Waterson-Gomez deserves props for acknowledging she tapped as referee Kevin MacDonald was on the opposite side and didn’t see it, while Lemos released the hold. Some competitors would take the opportunity to get a re-start, but the veteran accepted her fate and Lemos rightfully celebrated.
This win not only gets the Brazilian back in the win column, but it also resets her baseline in the 115-pound weight class. Her loss to Andrade sets a ceiling, and this effort shows she’s worthy of a Top 10 spot, putting her in a position to face another tenured, established competitor next time out.
Li Out Here Lamping Dudes
Li Jingliang thumped on Muslim Salikhov on Saturday afternoon.
The welterweights ran fairly level through the opening stanza, but in the second, Li turned up the pressure, touching Salikhov with little shots before finding a home for a crushing right hand that put “The King of Kung Fu” on rubber legs. After fending off a desperation takedown attempt, Li connected with another clubbing right hand that put Salikhov on the canvas, with the coffin nails coming soon after.
A fixture in the UFC for the last eight years, this was an impressive effort for Li, who got trucked by Khamzat Chimaev last time out and entered this one as the underdog. He was patient and measured, waiting for his openings and making the most of them to snap Salikhov’s five-fight winning streak.
This fight highlights why I talk so much about tests and answering questions, as Salikhov entered on a good streak, but had yet to face, never mind beat, a fighter Li’s pedigree, and “The Leech” made sure that didn’t happen on Long Island.
Good Lord, Matt Schnell
I had no idea that Matt Schnell was part of the Weapon X project, but on Saturday afternoon on Long Island, it was shown that “Danger” had some adamantium infused into his system after he weathered an hellacious beating from Sumudaerji to finish the towering Chinese emerging talent in the second round.
Schnell looked out on his feet at least four times in the second round after “The Tibetan Eagle” hit him with a series of long, powerful lefts and a collection of beautiful framed elbows that froze him in place each time they landed. Somehow, Schnell weathered the blows and stung Sumudaerji with a right, hitting a beautiful level change behind it and climbing straight into mount. From there, he bashed home elbows that split the vulnerable prospect open before throwing up a triangle choke that eventually resulted in Sumudaerji taking a nap on the canvas.
This was an absolute bonkers fight and show of grit from Schnell. He had no business surviving the onslaught that came in the first half of the second round, never mind rallying to finish before the frame ended. The Louisiana native is all gas, no brakes every time he steps into the Octagon, and shall remain an all-action fan favourite from now until eternity.
Just an insane effort.
Burgos Grapples Win Away from Jourdain
Most were expecting Shane Burgos and Charles Jourdain to stand in the pocket and beat the holy hell out of one another, but the New York State native had other ideas, opting to deploy his grappling game to wrestle out a victory against the dangerous French-Canadian striker.
Burgos climbed onto Jourdain’s back and controlled things there for the first half of the first round, threatening with a neck crank, before occupying a similar position, but doing less damage and threatening less throughout the second. Jourdain came out like a bat out of hell in the third, taking the fight to Burgos and putting it on him for four minutes before throwing an ill-advised flying kick attempt that led to Burgos grabbing a waist lock and slowing things down over the final minute.
This was an interesting one on the scorecards, as none of the officials — Eric Colon, Chris Lee, and Mike Bell — gave Jourdain a 10-8 in Round 3, while Bell awarded Burgos that score in the second.
This was a good effort that showed a new wrinkle for Burgos, and a bout that highlights Jourdain’s upside, while also illuminating some of his shortcomings as well. It wasn’t the barnburner most anticipated, but it was an entertaining scrap nonetheless.
Murphy Makes a Statement
Lauren Murphy delivered an outstanding bounce-back performance in Saturday’s main card opener, putting it on Miesha Tate from start-to-finish to get back in the win column and reassert her standing as one of the top talents in the flyweight division.
The soon-to-be 39-year-old came out quickly and took it to Tate, spoiling her divisional debut. Her hands looked improved and her strength was on display, as she out-muscled the former bantamweight champion in the clinch and shut down her takedown attempts without much of a challenge. She busted up Tate’s nose, likely busted up her orbital bone, and never stopped sticking jabs in her face and knees into her midsection in a truly tremendous performance.
This was a bout where one fighter looked like they were forced into a fist fight and the other went out there looking for a fight, with Murphy seeking out exchanges and action from the jump. She called for a date with the No. 1 contender, hoping to work her way back into the title mix, and after a performance like this, Murphy just might get her wish.
* * * * *
Preliminary Card Thoughts
Puna-Bomb!
Just 28 seconds into the second round, Punahele Soriano turned out the lights on Dalcha Lungiambula, closing out the prelims with a bang. A left hand toppled the African powerhouse, and a right hook charging forward put him out, returning Soriano to the win column in the process.
This was a patient effort where he weathered everything Lungiambula had to offer in the first, happy to grapple against the heavily muscled “Champion,” knowing his conditioning would hold up better over the long run. But he didn’t need his conditioning, as his left hand created an opening early in the second and his right hand sealed the deal immediately after.
The 29-year-old flashed promise right out of the gates, and this is a good reminder of the upside he possesses. It’s going to take much more than this to get Soriano really moving forward in the division, but this is a quality step in the right direction.
*
What a performance from Ricky Simon! The streaking bantamweight pushed his winning streak to five by securing his second consecutive stoppage victory, bouncing Jack Shore from the ranks of the unbeaten with a second-round submission finish.
The duo ran level through the first, but in the second, Simon used his superior athleticism to take control, scooping Shore into the air and depositing him to the canvas with force before putting a right hand on his temple that shook his brain circuitry. When the Welshman stumbled to the floor, Simon scrambled into mount, clamping onto an arm-triangle choke in a flash and quickly drawing out a tap.
These two entered positioned in the lower-third of the bantamweight rankings, and this victory should catapult Simon into an even bigger opportunity next time out. He called for a date with Sean O’Malley, and d’you know what? I would watch the hell out of that fight!
*
Fighting in front of a crowd in the UFC for the first time, Bill Algeo navigated an early triangle attempt and some sharp elbows from Herbert Burns to secure a second-round stoppage win over the returning Brazilian.
Once Algeo escaped Burns’ early submission attempt, he dominated, taking the fight to the fatigued and fading Burns, who struggled to get back to his corner at the end of the first and looked like he wanted no part of continuing. Though he trudged out to begin the round, as soon as he failed on a lateral drop attempt, it was pretty well academic, as Algeo battered him from top position and earned the stoppage when Burns refused to rise to his feet. when called up to continue.
“Señor Perfecto” spoiled the debut of DWCS grad Joanderson Brito in January and raised his level here. He’s a perfect, well-rounded and battle-tested veteran that will have a long, fruitful career hanging out on the fringes of the Top 15 in the featherweight division.
*
Dustin Jacoby is now 6-0-1 since returning to the UFC, collecting a fourth straight victory with a first-round walk-off knockout of Da-un Jung on Saturday afternoon in Long Island.
“The Hanyak” returned to MMA competition in 2019 and hasn’t lost, earning eight wins and a draw during that stretch, none better than this one. He and Jung were talking to each other in the Octagon and the 28-year-old South Korean was having some success, but then Jacoby fired home a perfect return right hand that landed flush and put Jung out.
Light heavyweight is always in need of fresh names, and it’s undeniable now that Jacoby deserves a look. The veteran has been rolling since returning to the Octagon, and merits a step up in competition next time out.
*
Good win for Dustin Stoltzfus as he slowly found his way inside and dominated on the canvas in the second and third to defeat Dwight Grant.
After a trio of tough losses against superior grapplers, the DWCS grad was finally able to play to his strengths, securing quality takedowns in the second half of the final two rounds that resulted in stretches of punishment and positional advancements, allowing Stoltzfus to salt away his first UFC victory. He’s a little flat-footed and robotic with his striking, but when he was able to grapple, Stoltzfus showed his class.
Neither of these guys are going to rise to the rankings, but they’re solid fixtures in the middle of the middleweight division and should continue to have additional opportunities going forward.
*
Outstanding effort from Emily Ducote in her promotional debut, battering the lead leg of former title challenger Jessica Penne from the outset and delivering a patient, precision performance to secure a clean sweep of the scorecards. The 28-year-old Oklahoma native has settled into life in the 115-pound weight class, extending her winning streak to four and her record to 6-1 since moving down to strawweight, establishing herself as a definite name to track going forward.
Penne hung tough and had her moments, but Ducote never backed down, remaining poise and maintaining pressure throughout. She showcased sharp hands with the punishing low kicks, and still has a quality grappling game in her back pocket if needed. This was a tremendous way to kick off her UFC career and should earn Ducote an even greater challenge next time out.
