UFC Vegas 38: About Last Night...
A look back at what went down inside the Octagon on Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas
Santos Rebounds in Tactical Bout with Walker
Thiago Santos got back into the win column, snapping a three-fight losing streak by winning a tactical five-round battle with fellow Brazilian Johnny Walker in the main event of Saturday’s fight card.
While most expected a chaotic, violent affair that ended early, the light heavyweights instead combined for a patient, hesitant, drawn out engagement, with Santos landing the better blows in Rounds 2, 3, and 5 to secure the unanimous decision win. After entering the contest winless since beating current champ Jan Blachowicz in February 2019, this victory gets “Marreta” moving in the right direction again and cements his place as one of the top talents in the 205-pound weight class. Conversely, the loss leaves Walker at a bit of a crossroads, as this is the third time he’s fallen to a ranked opponent and he seemed stuck between styles for 25 minutes opposite Santos.
A lot of people moaned about the fight on social media, calling it boring and disappointing, and while they’re certainly entitled to their opinions, I didn't feel that way at all. Although it wasn’t the wild affair most anticipated, there is something about a fight where there is tension and expectations throughout that is appealing to me — that moment of waiting to see what lands, knowing one shot to end it, always keeps me engaged and intrigued.
It’s going to be interesting to see how things are booked at the top of the division going forward, especially once the title fight between Blachowicz and Glover Teixeira is completed on October 30. There are options and intriguing potential pairings, and almost all of them carry explosive potential.
A Clash of Heads, A Submission Finish, and A No Contest Verdict
Midway through the first round of their co-main event battle, Kyle Daukaus and Kevin Holland came together in the center of the cage, violently clashing heads after Holland missed with a lunging left hand and the Philadelphia native stood up and stepped forward. The impact was so sharp that Holland’s nervous system short-circuited and he crashed to the canvas in a heap.
Referee Dan Miragliotta rushed in, ready to stop the action, but Holland snapped back to consciousness and the fight continued. Daukaus pounced, and roughly a minute later, he laced up a rear-naked choke, drawing a tap from Holland along the fence.
Miragliotta checked the replays and conferred with his colleagues, going over what transpired for several minutes before ultimately settling on declaring the fight a No Contest.
For me, it felt like the wrong decision because the fight continued.
If the bout was paused or stopped when Holland crashed to the canvas, the No Contest makes a ton of sense, but it wasn’t — they fought on, Holland was deemed capable of continuing, and Daukaus secured the finish. While I agree the clash of heads created the opening for Daukaus to chase the finish, we have comparable situations multiple times each year and those results aren’t changed after the fact.
Joseph Benavidez got knocked out shortly after a clash of heads with Deiveson Figueiredo opened him up, leaving him dazed and fussing with the blood leaking from his forehead. Figueiredo finished soon after, and while Benavidez got an immediate rematch, that result wasn’t overturned, and this one shouldn’t have been either in my opinion.
I love that we have instant replay, and I think it’s a vital tool, but this felt like a misapplication of the technology to me because the fight continued. If you stop it right away, sure, but it feels rough to take a finish away from Daukaus because of something that happens frequently, though rarely with this kind of impact, and despite the fact that the bout wasn’t stopped.
Plenty to discuss and debate here.
A Fight Fun Won on Damage, Not A Late Takedown
Niko Price landed on the happy side of a split decision verdict in his close, entertaining scrap with fellow wild man Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira, sealing the victory by uncorking a stream of punches down the stretch after capitalizing on Oliveira chasing a kimura, failing to secure the hold, and landing on bottom.
During the broadcast, Daniel Cormier suggested that a single takedown by either man could swing the close welterweight scrap, which was 1-1 heading into the third, saying nothing of damage, believing top position would be enough to dictate the decision. When Price landed in top position in the final entanglement, he labeled it as the deciding factor in the fight, and asked “The Hybrid” if he felt the same way in his post-fight interview. Price answered in the affirmative and I started to develop a headache.
The takedown — which wasn’t so much as a takedown as it was Price landing in top position as Oliveira chased a submission and couldn’t get it, ending up on his back — wasn’t the decider; it was the stream of punches that Price uncorked in the final 15-20 seconds, because they did damage, and damage is key.
Understanding and effectively communicating the scoring criteria is critical. Price rightfully won the fight, but explaining how and why is key.
Penalties Need to Be Enforced, Improved
Krzysztof Jotko grabbed a handful of fence as Misha Cirkunov tried to drag him to the canvas. Referee Herb Dean scolded him, but allowed things to continue without pause or penalty, and for the remainder of the contest, I couldn't stop thinking about that sequence. Jotko claimed a split decision victory in the end, and it probably should have been unanimous, but that fence-grab feels like a real Sliding Doors moment.
Here’s the weird thing too: seconds after that exchange, Cirkunov clipped Jotko in the cup, bring the fight to a momentary pause, and when it restarted, Dean put the duo back on the fence, awarding Cirkunov an advantageous position after committing a foul.
I thought a point should have been taken because that’s the standard for fouls and penalties need to be enforced, but I also agree with my guy Sean Sheehan, who suggested it’s too harsh a punishment for something that may not have been a true turning point moment. His suggestion was to give Cirkunov the position on the ground, and I’m not mad at that idea either.
Either way, something needs to be done because these fouls can and do alter the trajectory of these fights, and it’s not like the athletes aren’t aware of the rules and reminded of what not to do in the dressing rooms. I understand that referees don’t want to influence the outcome of these fights, but I would argue they’re not — the athletes are by committing fouls; the refs are just doing their jobs and enforcing the rules as they should.
This is a long-term issue that continues to just be treated with a “What are you gonna do?” attitude by officials and Athletic Commissions and it has to change.
Alexander Looks Great
Alexander Hernandez delivered his most impressive UFC performance to date on Saturday, opening the main card with a patient, measured, blistering first-round finish of Mike Breeden to once again return to the win column and claim some momentum for himself heading into the final several weeks of 2021.
Unlike prior fights where the talented lightweight was over-eager and chasing openings, the new 29-year-old took things slower on Saturday, finding his range, offering a couple different level changes to keep Breeden off balance, and letting the big shots come to him. He took his time and touched up Breeden, and then once he landed with something sharp and had the short-notice replacement backing up, that’s when Hernandez finally turned up the pressure, pace, and output.
A right hand dislodged Breeden’s gum shield, and it stole his attention for a split second, which is exactly when Hernandez dropped with win another clean right along the fence.
Hernandez has toggled between wins and losses since his breakthrough debut against Beneil Dariush several years back, gaining and losing momentum with each successive appearance. He has clear power in his hands and solid grappling skills, but he’s been a little over-eager at times, but avoided those mistakes here, staying within himself and allowing the fight to come to him. Now, smashing a short-notice replacement is different than besting an established lightweight name, but this is the kind of performance that should serve as a quality building block for the Factory X Muay Thai representative going forward.
Preliminary Card Talking Points
The prelims wrapped with a close, competitive scrap between Jared Gordon and Joe Solecki, with the veteran coming away on the happy side of the split decision verdict.
Solecki came out quickly and put Gordon on the deck right out of the chute, controlling the majority of the opening five minutes, but Gordon responded in the second, taking the fight to the Contender Series alum, out-hustling him in the clinch and doing the better work on the canvas as well. With the fight hanging in the balance the third, Gordon did a little bit more, dictating the terms of engagement and landing the more meaningful blows over the final five minutes to secure his third straight victory.
Gordon has always felt slightly undersized at lightweight, but his toughness and tenacity make him a tough out in the middle of the 155-pound ranks, and someone who can potentially thrive in this role if he’s open to accepting it. He called out Paddy Pimblett in his post-fight interview, and it feels like a reasonable matchup — a chance for the emerging Scouser to face a veteran test, and an opportunity for Gordon to instantly cement his place in the divisional hierarchy, setting a high floor if he can win a fourth straight overall.
Casey O’Neill is the clubhouse leader in the Newcomer of the Year race and a dark horse in the Fighter of the Year chase as well, as the undefeated flyweight picked up her third straight victory — and third straight finish — on Saturday afternoon, pounding out a second-round stoppage win over Antonina Shevchenko.
After a close first round, O’Neill was able to quickly close the distance and drag Shevchenko to the canvas, and once she slowed down a touch in her attacks, the unbeaten “King” dominated, climbing into mount and punishing Shevchenko, floating to back mount and chasing a choke before returning to mount and finishing with unanswered elbows. This was a tremendous effort from the 23-year-old, who has collected three finishes in nine months to push her record to 8-0, establishing herself as one of the top rising stars in the UFC in the process.
Shevchenko is a tough out, and O’Neill cruised once she settled in, rallying after an uneven start to control the action over the second half of the first and the whole of the second. You don’t put up a performance like this at 23 if you’re not a legitimate emerging talent, and in a division that includes young hopefuls Maycee Barber, Miranda Maverick, and Erin Blanchfield, O’Neill might be the best of the bunch.
Karol Rosa sent Bethe Correia into retirement with a one-sided beating, turning up the output and intensity as the fight progressed, getting the former title challenger out of there midway through the third.
The 26-year-old Rosa continues to develop as an intriguing name in the bantamweight ranks, pushing her record to 4-0 in the UFC and extending her winning streak to six, flashing a quality jab, diverse striking arsenal, and sound Fight IQ for someone with limited experience against top competition. There will be some that want to diminish the performance given Correia’s impending departure and struggles over the last couple years, but this was exactly what you want to see from a developing talent in the biggest spot of their career — a dominant effort where she fought wisely, piled up the offence, and was never in danger.
As for Correia, she made the absolute most of her quick start inside the Octagon, turning three wins into a championship opportunity and cult status with the UFC audience.
Jamie Mullarkey delivered another reminder that it occasionally takes a fight or two to get comfortable competing at the UFC level, as the Australian collected his second straight impressive stoppage finish on Saturday, overwhelming Devonte Smith in the second to get back to even inside the Octagon.
Smith came out flashing his quick hands, stinging Mullarkey a couple different times in the first, but the Aussie weathered the storm and finished the round strong before taking the fight to Smith at the outset of the second, staying in his face and crashing home quality strikes of his own. A chopping leg kick clearly bothered Smith, and Mullarkey never let him off the hook, attacking with combinations and constant pressure, eventually felling the Dana White’s Contender Series graduate just after the midway point of the round.
Mullarkey acknowledged after the fight that things are getting more familiar and comfortable with each trip into the UFC cage, and it’s something we should all keep in mind as we react to early career successes and failures and shape our opinions about these athletes.
You’v got to keep your hands up when you’re throwing kicks and knees.
This was a lesson Douglas Silva de Andrade taught to Gaetano Pirrello on Saturday afternoon, blasting the Belgian bantamweight with a clean left hook as he threw a naked strike in the center of the Octagon. Pirrello came forward, stepping into a left body kick with his hands down, and as he began to let loose the kick, KA-BAMMO — “D’Silva” crashed home a perfectly timed, perfectly placed check hook that instantly halted the fight.
I said in the lead to this contest that we need to give more love to guys like the 36-year-old Brazilian, and this is effort is an example of why, as Silva de Andrade showed again that he’s an entertaining, action fighter, one that has shared the cage with quality competition and scored a handful of impressive wins, including this one on Saturday night. While he’s never risen to be a ranked fighter, there is something to be said for having an eight-year career in the UFC and being capable of putting on performances like this.
Impressive stoppage win for Stephanie Egger in her second UFC appearance, putting Shanna Young away with ground-and-pound early in the second round.
In both stanzas, Egger used her judo pedigree to put Young on the canvas. In the first, Young attacked a leg lock that ultimately left her in a bad position, eating unanswered blows once Egger cleared the hold, and in the second, the Swiss veteran postured up from half-guard, blasted her with an elbow and secured the finish.
There were some questions about the stoppage online, as referee Mark Smith didn’t give Young a ton of time to respond to his prompts, but she covered her face in a manner that suggested she was hurt and was rolling to her belly as Egger looked to continue unloading. I understand wanting to let it go a little longer to see what happens, but the reaction of Young looked like she was hurt and giving herself up, so I had no issue with the stoppage.
Alejandro Perez kicked off the day’s action with a slick second-round submission win over Johnny Eduardo, taking the fight to the canvas midway through the round and forcing the Brazilian veteran to tap to a scarf hold armlock.
The two stayed upright through the opening round, trading scattered shots on the feet with neither man getting a significant advantage. After Eduardo put Perez on the deck early in the second, the former TUF Latin America winner got to his feet and returned the favor, attacking with strikes from top position before floating through a series of transitions before locking up the unique finishing maneuver. Perez resided in the lower third of the Top 15 for a handful of years during his seven-fight unbeaten streak a few years back, and could return to being an intriguing tough out just outside of the rankings going forward.