UFC Vegas 39: About Saturday Afternoon...
Taking a tour through the nine-fight, midday event at the UFC APEX, where Marina Rodriguez capped the night by establishing herself as a title threat in the strawweight division
A Contender Emerges
Marina Rodriguez’s performance against Mackenzie Dern in the main event of Saturday’s UFC matinee was one of the best efforts of the year, and the type of victory that should propel the 34-year-old Brazilian into title contention in the strawweight division.
After a solid opening stanza, Rodriguez spent the second in imminent danger, stuck on the canvas with the world champion Brazilian jiu jitsu specialist, fending off submission setups and miserable positions, while avoiding major damage and even briefly locking onto a D’arce choke of her own from bottom position. But once she navigated those rough waters, Rodriguez was largely in control for the remainder of the fight, adjusting to use a more stick-and-move approach that allowed her to snipe at Dern in space and easily extricate herself from any clinch or takedown attempts the 24-year-old hopeful tried to hustle into existence.
This was Rodriguez’s third win of 2021, second straight main event triumph, and one-sided upset victory of a fighter ranked in the Top 5, which all adds up to the Marcio Malko-trained fighter forcing her way into the elite tier in the division and entering the title conversation. Her previous split decision loss to Carla Esparza likely keeps her behind the waiting “Cookie Monster” at the moment, but should former champ Joanna Jedrzejczyk look to return, it should be against Rodriguez.
This is one of those performances that was considerably better than the 49-46 scores across the board reflect and contained a pair of impressive defensive stretches for Rodriguez, who found herself mounted in the final minute of the fourth round in addition to the misery she endured in the second. Not many fighters would have been able to work their way out of those spots or survive the way the Brazilian did, and her ability to make the proper in-fight adjustments to avoid further treacherous entanglements highlights the well-rounded skills she possesses.
Right now, the title picture is a little backed up and the top of the division is a little stalled, but as it clears up and gets moving again, Rodriguez will very much be in the mix, and has to be considered a legitimate championship threat going forward.
Experience, Know-How are Still Crucial
Dern had positive moments during her first main event assignment and probably would have finished a number of opponents during her dominant second-round effort on the canvas, but things didn’t work out that way, and now the talented 28-year-old has a few key areas she knows she needs to address if she’s going to be a title contender in the future.
A big part of what Dern is missing is simply experience and understanding, two things that only come from hours in the gym and rounds in the Octagon against quality competition. The basics of her stand-up approach are solid, and she has natural power, but there is a lack of understanding when it comes to how to piece things together and use her striking to get her preferred positions that continues to hold her back. Additionally, while her jiu jitsu game is top-notch, the multiple-time world champion is stuck in the same quagmire as numerous other elite grapplers before her, lacking the chain wrestling and assortment of takedowns and attacks needed to consistently dictate where her fights take place.
That last piece is what separate Demian Maia from his contemporaries as he was climbing to championship opportunities in two divisions, as the mild-mannered Brazilian had outstanding wrestling and needed only to get his hands on you in order to start chaining together attacks that put opponents on the defensive. If she doesn’t add that element to her arsenal, Dern will need to work diligently with her head coach Jason Parillo to continue improving her striking, learning to put together effective combinations that either allow her to win striking battles consistently or get inside where she can drag opponents to the ground.
These are the kinds of things that often rear their head like this when an undeniable talent such as Dern makes a rapid climb through the ranks. Saturday was her 13th professional appearance and eighth fight in the UFC, and while there have been a few three-round bouts in there, she’s also stormed through a handful of contests and steamrolled overmatched opposition, which leaves little time to accrue the invaluable experience that fighters early in their career and lacking a complete skill set desperately need.
She remains an outstanding talent with considerable upside, but now the onus is on her to address the holes in her game that Rodriguez exposed on Saturday if she wants to remain a fixture in the Top 10 and rebuild herself in to a contender in the future.
Steady Progress
Over the course of his six-plus year UFC run, Randy Brown hasn’t had any real major developmental jumps. Instead, the now 31-year-old Queens, New York native has made minor improvements consistently, steadily developing into an intriguing figure in the welterweight division.
Saturday afternoon, Brown showed poise and precision in earning a unanimous decision win over Jared Gooden, working through a dislocated or possibly broken toe suffered in the first round — when he front kicked Gooden in the face, hard — to deliver an impressive, measured performance en route to his second victory of 2021. While Gooden gets full marks for his resilience and adamantium chin, Brown was never in any real danger, patiently picking his spots, connecting at a solid clip, and showcasing the continual progress that now his him within arm’s reach of the Top 15 in the 170-pound weight class.
He answered my question from earlier in the week with a resounding “Yes!” mixing his attacks and putting his considerable tools to full and proper use, dictating the terms of engagement with a long, persistent jab and an assortment of kicks to all levels, keeping Gooden off balance and frequently interrupting his rhythm with pinpoint attacks. It wasn’t as flashy as his first-round finish of “Cowboy” Oliveira earlier this year or some of his other, more memorable victories, but this was the kind of professional effort that underscores that Brown’s ascent is real and he’s ready to face the next tier of talent in the welterweight division going forward.
Matheus Nicolau Keeps Moving Forward
It’s never easy, it’s always close, but Matheus Nicolau keeps moving forward in the UFC flyweight division, collecting his second win of 2021 on Saturday by edging out Tim Elliott on the scorecards.
The Brazilian, who was released by the promotion towards the end of 2018 when the division seemed to be in peril, was the more active and accurate of the two over the final two rounds, collecting 29-28 scores across the board. He had a similarly close battle with Manel Kape earlier this year in his return to the Octagon, and while he’s yet to have an emphatic performance since rejoining the UFC roster, the 28-year-old Brazilian is now 5-1 in the promotion, establishing himself as a Top 10 fixture in the 125-pound weight class.
Nicolau reminds me of Raphael Assuncao in that he’s a well-rounded competitor with zero flash, but the ability to frustrate anyone that stands across from him inside the cage. He made good adjustments to deal with Elliott’s herky-jerky approach, works well to the body, and is a precision striker, landing at an impressive clip without taking too much punishment in return. It’s rarely explosive and often competitive, but Nicolau continues to do what he needs to do in order to keep stacking wins and moving forward in the flyweight ranks, and he has to be considered a dark horse contender as he’s now won four straight overall.
Mariya Agapova is Still an Incredible Prospect
If you jumped off the Mariya Agapova bandwagon after her loss to Shana Dobson last time out, good luck finding a seat now.
Saturday afternoon, the 24-year-old prospect pieced up and choked out Sabina Mazo, operating as a much more technical and patient fighter than in her previous efforts while turning in the most impressive performance of her young career. She allowed Mazo to come forward and punished her with quicker hands, heavy body kicks, and excellent footwork, getting off and getting out of the way as “The Colombian Queen” lumbered forward.
Agapova is a perfect example of why patience is a must with young fighters.
She flashed a ton of upside during her Contender Series appearance and subsequent victories under the Invicta FC banner before blowing through Hannah Cifers in her promotional debut. But when she started fast, faded, and got finished by Shana Dobson, it seemed like a lot of people decided in that moment that she was overrated, dismissing her because she stumbled and landed on the wrong end of one of the largest betting upsets in UFC history.
That one fight shouldn’t have erased the obvious quality building blocks she showed before that — her sharp boxing, quickness, length, and finishing instincts — but too often in this sport, people react and overreact to each individual performance in the moment, unwilling to play the long game and allow inexperienced competitors the time it takes to learn, develop, and grow. It’s only about right now and not down the road, and it leads to too many talented fighters getting dismissed too quickly and overlooked for too long.
Agapova is still an ultra-talented prospect with an abundance of upside, and she showed that once more on Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas.
Six and Counting
Bantamweight is loaded with talent and making headway in the division is extremely difficult, but Chris Gutierrez is doing everything in his power to get noticed, pushing his unbeaten streak to six on Saturday with dominant decision win over Felipe Colares.
While the final verdict says it was a split decision, the 29-28 scorecard for the Brazilian was damn-near unjustifiable, as Gutierrez controlled the action throughout, using his movement and superior technical striking to stick-and-move for 15 minutes, collecting his second straight win and maintaining a run of success that stretches back to the start of 2019. Each time Colares came forward, Gutierrez exited out one side and stuck him with counters, turning up his output over the final two rounds and distancing himself down the stretch.
I say it all the time, but going unbeaten over this many fights is difficult, regardless of the level of competition you’re facing, and Gutierrez has looked sharp throughout, particularly here. He’s overdue for a step up in competition, and profiles as the kind of talented, technical striker that could become a veteran staple in the talent-rich 135-pound weight class going forward.
We don't pay enough attention to fighters like Gutierrez and that needs to change. Get him in there with one of the younger, emerging fighters just outside the Top 15 and let him get some shine by sharing the cage with a more established named.
Preliminary Card Takeaways
It’s time to start talking about Alexander Romanov as an intriguing addition to the heavyweight division, as the unbeaten wrestler from Moldova collected another dominant victory on Saturday, pummelling Jared Vanderaa to move to 4-0 inside the Octagon.
From start to finish, “King Kong” was in control, rag-dolling the full-sized heavyweight Vanderaa, putting him on the ground multiple times and punishing him every time they settled on the canvas. This was a different approach for Romanov, who had hunted submission opportunities and found them in his first two UFC wins, but it worked all the same, as he busted up Vanderaa and secured the finish late in the second round.
Romanov felt like a bit of a wild card and curiosity when he first arrived in the UFC, having posted 11 wins and 11 finishes against a host of inexperienced or over-the-hill opponents, and seemed a fun new addition to the division following his first two appearances in the Octagon. While his last outing left something to be desired, Saturday’s victory over Vanderaa was the kind of one-sided effort you can’t ignore, even if Romanov still feels like a bit of an oddity in the increasingly athletic heavyweight division.
You don’t win 15 consecutive fights by accident and with a third stoppage in four UFC starts, it’s time for Romanov to get a real step up in competition and for us to find out if he has the goods to become a contender.
Damon Jackson exited the Octagon with an axe wound over his right eye and a victory in hand on Saturday afternoon, securing a unanimous decision victory over Charles Rosa in a competitive battle that turned into a bloodbath.
The Fortis MMA representative controlled things over the first two rounds with his grappling, staying one step ahead of Rosa in the clinch and on the canvas. At the start of the second, Rosa hit Jackson with a spinning back elbow that opened a three-inch gash over his right eye that instantly started bleeding, resulting in the canvas and both fighters being bathed in crimson by the time the fight came to a close.
Jackson is a perfect mid-pack talent in the featherweight division — the kind of gritty, well-rounded, experienced veteran every weight class needs — and seems much more comfortable inside the Octagon during this second stint on the UFC roster. He’s a tough out that proved his toughness once more on Saturday night, and he should continue to thrive in pairings like this and matchups against emerging hopefuls going forward.
If it wasn’t clear from the way she acquitted herself in her promotional debut, Loopy Godinez made it clear she is one to watch in the strawweight division on Saturday, straight-up mauling Silvana Gomez Juarez to collect her first of many UFC victories.
The Mexican-Canadian landed three crisp punches while closing the distance in the opening moments of the first round, timing a level change beautifully to put Gomez Juarez on the deck, and she never let her back into the fight after that. Whenever the Argentine got back to her feet, Godinez quickly deposited her back on the canvas, and when she finally took her back, Gomez Juarez went the wrong way looking to scramble out and the former LFA strawweight champion pounced, locking up a beautiful belly-down armbar to secure the finish.
The 28-year-old is a powerhouse in the 115-pound weight class, with crisp boxing, excellent wrestling, and the conditioning to push a hard pace for as long as needed to secure the victory. Strawweight is the deepest and most talent-rich collection on the female side of the roster, but make no mistake about it, Godinez is going to be a factor in this division for the foreseeable future.
Alright, Steve Garcia — I see you.
The Albuquerque native had a couple rocky moments on the feet against Charlie Ontiveros, but each time he was staggered, the former Contender Series competitor gathered up his opponent, put him on the deck, and went to work. After opening Ontiveros up with a sharp elbow from north-south position late in the opening round, Garcia again took the fight to the canvas early in the second, climbing to mount and pounding out the finish in less than two minutes.
The 29-year-old has struggled to find consistency and set up camp in one weight class, but this was a tremendous performance overall and one that should prompt him to stay put at lightweight for the foreseeable future.