UFC Vegas 51: About Last Night...
Detailing what transpired on Saturday night at the UFC APEX and the impact those results have for the victors and the vanquished
Muhammad Earns Massive Win, Measure of Revenge
Belal Muhammad really wanted to avenge his previous loss to Vicente Luque and to continue his climb towards the top of the welterweight division. On Saturday night, he did both in one incredible performance.
In four of the five rounds, Muhammad controlled the action, mixing up improved striking with superbly timed takedowns in open space, putting Luque in defensive positions for most of the contest. When the Brazilian did have success on the feet, Muhammad showed tremendous composure, working into space, returning fire, and then timing up another takedown. It was a breathtaking performance from the streaking Chicagoland native, who has now won three straight and is unbeaten in his last eight fights.
Things are getting crowded at the top of the welterweight division, with champ Kamaru Usman sidelined following surgery, Leon Edwards expected to get next, and Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev being positioned as potential opponents later this summer. Those are four of the five mean that will be ranked ahead of Muhammad when the rankings are updated next week, with Gilbert Burns being the other and seemingly being positioned for a marquee fight with an established name outside of contention next.
I have a feeling Muhammad could get an offer he doesn’t particularly like next, but I’ll talk about that more tomorrow on The Next Day Takeaways.
This was an outstanding performance from a fighter who has grown into himself and is now fully confident in what he brings to the table. He’s settled in to being a highly conditioned, unrelenting grinder with sharp enough striking to keep you honest, and it’s paying tremendous dividends.
Now if he could just work on drawing better circles when he does his Bully’s Bicks every week.
Strong Debut, Unfortunate Conclusion
Caio Borralho was on his way to a dominant victory in his promotional debut, thoroughly outworking fellow newcomer Gadzhi Omargadzhiev for nearly 14 minutes before things took a turn.
With Omargadzhiev along the fence with his left hand on the canvas, Borralho hit him with a knee to the head, immediately bringing referee Dan Miragliotta in to pause the action and address the illegal blow. He rightfully took a point from Borralho and had the doctor come in to check on Omargadzhiev. After an extended amount of time, the Russian debutant said he could not continue and the fight was officially waved off.
Despite taking the point and addressing it as if it were an intentional foul, Miragliotta declared the blow unintentional and the fight went to the scorecards for a technical decision, with Borralho earning a clean sweep of the scorecards.
There was a lot of discussion about how this fight differed from the first fight between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan or the Martin Buday-Chris Barnett fight earlier in the night, where illegal blows ended fights. In the former, Yan was disqualified and lost the bantamweight title, while in the latter, we had a technical decision as we did here.
From my perspective, the difference is that Yan’s blow was clearly intentional — he was clearly warned not to throw the knee while Sterling was down, took time, and then blasted him — while the elbow Buday landed was thrown in the midst of a flurry, while Barnett was moving his head, and wasn’t clearly an illegal blow. What’s interesting (to me) is that this was more akin to Yan’s foul and clearly what Borralho was trying to do, so how it was deemed unintentional is beyond me.
And it’s unfortunate that this is how the fight ended, but Borralho was dominating up until that point, and looks like he could be one of the better members of the DWCS Class of ‘21.
Statement Made
After giving a good accounting of himself in his short noticed debut back in January, Andre Fialho picked up his first UFC victory on Saturday, finishing Miguel Baeza in the waning moments of the opening round.
Baeza was in control for the majority of the contest, showing good movement and smooth boxing of his own, touching up Fialho early. But as the round progressed and they started to trade in the center of the cage more, the Portuguese welterweight started having more success. He turned Baeza’s nose into a crimson faucet, which distracted the DWCS graduate, and put him on skates with a series of heavy uppercuts in the clinch. When they separated a little seconds later, Fialho sealed the deal, putting Baeza down and pounding out the finish.
This was an outstanding effort from the tough, durable, and clearly dangerous Sanford MMA representative Fialho. He earned four finishes in 2021, including two against former UFC competitors, and now has his first stoppage win inside the Octagon under his belt. He looks like a legitimate person of interest in the 170-pound weight class, and if this is a sign of what’s to come now that he’s comfortable in the UFC, watch out.
Impact, Effectiveness Carry Bueno Silva to Big Win
Mayra Bueno Silva landed the more impactful, more effective strikes throughout her UFC bantamweight debut, battering Wu Yanan on the feet and threatening with submissions when the fight hit the canvas.
Moving up after going two fights without a victory at flyweight, the Brazilian looked impressive, throwing smoke and landing with force throughout the opening stanza, before attacking with both a triangle choke and a deep kimura when Wu looked to work from top position in the second. In the third round, the Chinese hopeful had a little more success, but Bueno Silva continued to score with the more impactful blows, snapping Wu’s head back multiple times. When the scores were read, the newly minted bantamweight swept the scorecards, with scores of 29-28 twice and 30-27.
As I said on Twitter during the third, this was a great case study in terms of impact when it comes to strikes being landed, as people can get confused when one competitor is offering a ton of volume, but struggling to land with any consistent force. Immediate impact is part of the scoring criteria, so while output is great, the damage inflicted by Bueno Silva’s heavier blows throughout the fight — and especially in the third — rate higher than the greater volume with less impact from Wu.
This is a key piece of the criteria that people need to understand when it comes to scoring fights, and the kind of thing I wish more people watched for and paid attention to every Saturday night.
Another Impressive Win for Pat Sabatini
Featherweight Pat Sabatini secured his fourth straight UFC victory on Saturday, grinding out a good win over a game TJ Laramie, showcasing his outstanding grappling skills and relentless pace over the course of three rounds.
In the first, the Philadelphia native edged out the Canadian with a three-strike combo late in the frame that left Laramie in a bad position, hitting the Contender Series alum with a front kick to the midsection, a kick upstairs, and a right hand, all of which landed flush before he chased a guillotine that wasn’t there. In the second, Sabatini completely dominated, taking Laramie down early and out-striking him by more than 50 shots, before controlling the grappling exchanges for long stretches in the third.
Laramie gave a good showing of himself in his first fight in more than 18 months, hanging tough and refusing to look for exits, but Sabatini was simply too much.
Now 4-0 in the UFC and riding a six-fight winning streak, the 31-year-old former CFFC champion continues to move forward in the talent-rich 145-pound weight class. His grappling and grit make him a tough assignment for anyone in the division, and Saturday’s result should continue to carry him forward into a matchup with someone a little closer to the Top 15.
Lazzez Rolls Through Loosa
Mounir Lazzez earned a clean sweep of the scorecards in Saturday’s main card opener, piecing up short-notice replacement opponent Ange Loosa in a fight contested almost exclusively in striking range.
Originally scheduled to face Brazilian veteran Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santos, Lazzez made the most of the shift in opponents, dominating a favourable matchup after initially being paired with a dangerous, proven veteran. He got loose with his striking early and remained ultra-confident throughout, catching Loosa with counters and getting the better of the exchanges for all 15 minutes, never really having to deal with too much adversity.
The 34-year-old Lazzez, who trains with the Team Nogueira outfit in Abu Dhabi, has thus far shown to be a force in bouts where he’s clearly the superior talent, doing the same to Loosa on Saturday as he did to a fatigued Abdul Razak Alhassan in his debut. In between those two outings, he got folded over by a body kick from Warlley Alves, leaving me to wonder if he can replicate these dominant efforts against higher tier talent in the future.
This was a strong outing in what turned into a showcase opportunity, but what comes next is what is more important for Lazzez.
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Preliminary Card Thoughts
Devin Clark closed out the prelims in emphatic fashion, collecting a third-round knockout win over William Knight in the closer.
Knight had success in the first, clamping down on a guillotine choke when Clark left his neck exposed on an early entry before elevating into a flying knee and winging more than a dozen heavy shots at the seasoned “Brown Bear.” But Clark did a better job of setting up his takedown attempt in the second, landing a right hand before changing levels and putting Knight on the deck, keeping him there for the majority of the round. In the third, he entered behind a clean left hook, and while the Dana White’s Contender Series alum kept it standing, Clark still made him pay, blasting Knight with an elbow and a right hand that put him on wobbly legs before sending him to the canvas and sealing the deal.
This was the kind of explosive effort Clark is capable of when he’s locked in and firing on all cylinders, and the shift to working with the Elevation Fight Team is something that could pay major dividends.
I really didn’t like Knight taking this fight at heavyweight because I thought it could quite easily look like it did and lead to a second consecutive poor showing for the Dana White’s Contender Series graduate. He has impressive raw power and explosive athleticism, but fighting at heavyweight is a bad idea and these last two fights couldn’t have gone any worse.
Nine years and change after their first meeting on the Scandinavian regional scene, Pannie Kianzad and Lina Lansberg locked up for a second time, leaving the cage covered in each others blood after an entertaining, competitive 15-minute affair.
Kianzad claimed the unanimous decision victory with scores of 29-28 across the board, showcasing sound grappling in the second half of the first and smooth technique in space in the third. Lansberg, who was fighting for the first time in two years and since giving birth to her daughter, acquitted herself well, dropping Kianzad with a step-in elbow late in the second to claim the round while showing she still has plenty left in the tank despite turning 40 last month.
This is one of those contests that sets a baseline for levels in the bantamweight division, as Kianzad and Lansberg entered stationed next to each other at Nos. 11 and 12 in the rankings and should trade places after this one. Neither has been able to work too much further up the standings over the course of their careers, but they’re steady in this space and will continue to serve as integral, ranked veterans ready to mix it up with whomever is stationed across from them.
Fighting for the first time in more than two years, Drakkar Klose beat the snot out of Brandon Jenkins on Saturday to get back into the win column and instantly re-establish himself as a factor in the lightweight division.
Klose dominated from start to finish, making it clear from the outset that Jenkins had no business being in the Octagon with him, pummelling him over the opening five minutes, and getting him out of there 33 seconds into the middle stanza. The veteran lightweight, who reconnected with the team at the MMA Lab, is now 12-2-1 for his career and is clearly positioned in the “Second 15” in the 155-pound weight class, sitting closer to 16 than 30.
Following his victory, Klose angrily and aggressively called for a fight with Mark O. Madsen, who maintained his unbeaten record last weekend with a unanimous decision win over Vinc Pichel. It’s the right kind of fight for Klose after a performance like this, but perhaps not quite the fight to make for the undefeated Danish Olympian as he looks to continue climbing the ranks.
Quality effort from Rafa Garcia, who showed an increased sense of urgency after losing a point early in the second round, chasing down a submission finish over Jesse Ronson before the frame was up.
The 27-year-old lightweight got the better of the Canadian in the opening round, making Ronson worry about takedown attempts while landing the better shots on the feet, but early in the second, Garcia caught Ronson with a knee to the head while he was still grounded. Referee Mark Smith rightfully took a point, and Garcia cranked up his intensity, putting the returning veteran on the deck and never letting him get back to his feet. With only a few seconds remaining in the round, Garcia laced up the rear-naked choke to secure the finish, removing the judges from the equation.
This is a second straight victory for Garcia after dropping his first two UFC appearances. He’s clearly starting to settle in and feel more comfortable, and continuing to make adjustments, doing a great job of changing levels and switching up his approach against Ronson, who expected a striking battle on Saturday. He’s now entrenched in the division, and it will be interesting to see what kind of further improvement and growth he can make going forward.
Martin Buday is someone to keep an eye on in the heavyweight division long term.
The Dana White’s Contender Series alum scored a solid victory over Chris Barnett on Saturday, dominating the first two rounds in the clinch before the bout was halted early in the third when he landed an inadvertent illegal strike to the back of the head. With the victory, the 30-year-old Slovakian moves to 10-1 for his career and extends his winning streak to nine.
Right now, Buday is still in the “gigantic human being with basic tools” stage of his career and he’s making it work, lumbering forward, using his size to dominate in the clinch, and fighting within himself. What makes him so intriguing to track going forward is that there are clearly quality raw materials to work with and room for him to grow, plus as a heavyweight, he’s still got a good 10-15 years left in his career. (Not necessarily, but you know what I mean)
I’ll address the online anger/frustration/annoyance with how the fight ended tomorrow on The Next Day Takeaways podcast.
Nothing major to discuss from the lightweight bout between Jordan Leavitt and Trey Ogden, which ended with Leavitt earning a split decision win. Leavitt landed a bunch of leg kicks throughout, Ogden clamped onto a guillotine in the first round, and when they grappled over the final two rounds, there wasn’t much to it.
The real talking point coming out of the contest is how the UFC broadcasters need to either (1) thoroughly educate themselves about the scoring criteria and how to judge fights or (2) stop talking about it entirely, because too much time was spent offering thoughts and insights that either weren’t quite right or were pure speculation, which isn’t exactly what you want from your designated experts.
Scoring fights is difficult, but the criteria is available for everyone and since it’s such an integral part of the game, it would behoove the UFC to get all of its analysts through one of the judging courses and in a room with officials from the Association of Boxing Commissions (ABC) that can answer any questions they have with the correct answers.
None of the major sports are going to put people on the call that don't understand the game and how things are scored. I know MMA is a different sport a ton of variables to consider and a subjective scoring system, but there is no reason for these broadcasters to turn up week-after-week wondering aloud how to score these fights.
Sam Hughes finally picked up her first UFC victory on Saturday, rallying after dropping the first round to score the majority decision win over Istela Nunes.
The Brazilian started quickly, busting up Hughes in the opening round with her quick, powerful striking. In between rounds, Hughes got clear, pointed instructions from Sayif Saud, and in the second, she implemented those directions and shifted things in her favour. There was a point deduction in the third after Nunes poked Hughes in the eye for the second time, but it was inconsequential, as Hughes controlled the round and would have earned the nod on the cards regardless.
This was Hughes’ first fight since moving to Dallas and connecting with Saud and the Fortis MMA crew. She’s always been a strong athlete with clear toughness, and she showed on Saturday that she’s extremely coachable, so it’s going to be interesting to see what kind of further gains and improvements the former collegiate track athlete can make in future camps with her new team.
Helluva performance for Alatengheili, who continues to show development in his fifth UFC appearance, getting veteran Kevin Croom out of there in a hurry.
The 30-year-old “Mongolian Knight” connected with a right hand to the temple that put Croom on shaky legs, and Alatengheili never allowed him to recover. Follow up shots came quickly and prompted Croom to momentarily face-plant on the canvas, resulting in the fight being stopped just 47 seconds after it began.
Powerfully built and brandishing obvious power, Alatengheili is one to keep an eye on in the bantamweight division, as Saturday’s victory brings him to 3-1-1 inside the Octagon, with the draw coming as the result of a point deduction that cost him a victory. He’s 11-2-2 over his last 15 fights now, and 5-1-1 over his last seven, which illustrates that he’s continuing to improve and make adjustments, which is what you want to see from competitors once they settle into life in the UFC.
This was a statement victory and should earn him a step up in competition next time out.