UFC Vegas 55: About Last Night...
Tackling the talking points and takeaways from Saturday's fight card at the UFC APEX
Vieira Ekes Out Victory
Ketlen Vieira scored a split decision victory over Holly Holm to close out Saturday’s fight card at the UFC APEX, earning a pair of 48-47 scores in the ultra-close, ultra-competitive battle.
Vieira landed well in space at times, but Holm did well to control things in the clinch and land strikes of her own. There were no real instances whether either fighter was hurt or where one of them really claimed the momentum and maintained it for long stretches; it was back-and-forth from the outset and remained that way throughout. Scoring fights like that is difficult and opinions on the verdict varied online, with many, including Holm, surprised that two judges awarded the victory to Vieira.
This was expected to be a fight that potentially determines the next title challenger in the bantamweight division and with Vieira now having earned victories over consecutive former champions (she beat Miesha Tate last November), you could make the case that she deserves an opportunity to compete for gold. However, you could also argue against it as this was an uneven effort that could have very easily gone the other way, and giving her a championship opportunity off this kind of performance would be a tough sell.
Vieira has all the tools to be a standout, but she simply doesn’t trust herself enough to let them loose as frequently as necessary, a fact that frustrated her coach Andre Pedernerais throughout the fight. She still managed to get the job done, barely, but whether she gets the title fight she called for after the bout remains to be seen.
The Evolution of Michel Pereira Continues
Though hardcore fans lament the fact that he’s not longer an absolute lunatic inside the Octagon, Michel Pereira is transitioning into being a legitimate force in the welterweight division, and he showed that on Saturday night, securing a split decision win over ranked veteran Santiago Ponzinibbio.
After arriving in the UFC as a certifiable wild man, the Brazilian has dialled back the crazy and deployed a more measured, more technical, more tactical approach, and it has produced a five-fight winning streak, capped by this gutsy effort against the ever game Ponzinibbio. Pereira came out of the gates sharp, and the diversity of his strikes and dexterity with which he throws them proved challenging for “The Argentine Dagger” to deal with. While Ponzinibbio started to find a rhythm in the second and the two men just got after it in the final five minutes, Pereira stayed right there in front of him, landing heavy shots and taking the best the veteran had to offer in return.
You hear me say it all the time, but winning five straight fights in the UFC is extremely difficult, and it’s even more difficult to do as you’re climbing the ladder in a division like welterweight, where guys like Ponzinibbio are always standing in your way. The 28-year-old Pereira is gigantic for the weight class and continuing to improve, establishing himself as an emerging contender in the 170-pound ranks.
He’s traded being freakishly entertaining for being a little more reserved and a legitimate threat, and it’s an exchange more fighters should consider making.
Bang Bang Indeed
Chidi Njokuani is having himself a very nice start to his UFC career.
Saturday night, the Dana White’s Contender Series grad and MMA veteran secured his second consecutive first-round stoppage win, sending Dusko Todorovic into the Land of Whispers and Ghosts with a beautiful standing elbow in the clinch late in the opening stanza. It was a ferocious follow-up to his 16-second knockout win over Marc-Andre Barriault in February, and the kind of effort that should land the 33-year-old on the podium for a couple mid-year awards when those things start being rolled out in July.
Todorovic looked to grapple in order to neutralize Njokuani’s striking, and he was successful early, initiating the clinch and grinding along the fence for the first several minutes of the frame. But when Njokuani was able to break free, he hurt Todorovic with a series of clean, heavy knees to the midsection and willing tied up with him again, looking for chances to land in tight. When Todorovic turned to free himself, Njokuani planted an elbow on his temple, sending the Serbian middleweight to the canvas in a heap, with no need to follow him to the canvas.
I said in One Question that there was no need to slow-play Njokuani given the depth of talent he’s faced throughout his career, and this outcome only further illustrates that. He’s now 2-0 in the UFC with consecutive first round finishes over middle-class middleweights. It’s time for a step up in competition to see if “Chidi Bang Bang” can keep this up against even more accomplished opponents.
We Have to Be Clearer About Effective Grappling
Tabatha Ricci earned a unanimous decision win over Polyana Viana on Saturday via top control, and it’s honestly quite disappointing.
In the first and second rounds, Viana was the more active, more effective fighter in both phases, landing the more impactful strikes standing and on the canvas, including being active off her back while Ricci hung out in top position, offering very little. Each time Viana attacked, Ricci would back out of the position or be forced to defend, and yet the judges all agreed that being in top position was more meaningful than actually landing strikes and being effective in the grappling exchanges.
This honestly felt like one of those scorecards from a bygone era when “do nothing takedowns” were tremendously important and people felt it was impossible to do anything effective off your back. I thought we were passed those times, but evidently not, and that’s disappointing.
While it doesn’t factor into the official scores, it’s also problematic that the broadcast team consistently gives credence to the idea that being in top position and racking up control time means something, when that is just not the case. You have to be active and effective, and in the first and second, Ricci was neither of those things, and yet all three judges felt comfortable giving her at least one of those rounds, and ultimately the fight.
We Have to Be Clearer About Effective Striking Too
In the main card opener, Eryk Anders was the one coming forward, leading the dance as Jon Anik framed it throughout the contest, but Junyong Park did well throughout to land solid shots in close, matching Anders’ output while defending takedowns non-stop. Throughout the contest, the focus was given to Anders dictating the terms of engagement, with few references or acknowledgements of the effectiveness of Park’s work in tight.
It was clearly a competitive fight and when the scores were read, some people seemed surprised at the split decision win for Park.
For me, this fight was a good example of how effective striking trumps everything else in a bout contested exclusively on the feet. Regardless of the fact that Anders was the one coming forward and initiating a lot of the entanglements, “The Iron Turtle” consistently landed the cleaner, more impactful blows, and that’s what scores; nothing else. You don’t get points for coming forward or working for innumerable takedowns. You don’t even get points for the odd takedown that lands; not when the other person scrambles to their feet quickly without you doing any damage.
Anders landed some shots, to be sure, but Park landed a commensurate number and they seemed to have a greater impact the more the fight progressed. That’s what judges are looking for — or supposed to be looking for — and what wins rounds, and we need to do a better job of communicating these things during these kinds of fights.
Preliminary Card Thoughts
There was nothing ugly about Joseph Holmes’ second UFC appearance, as “Ugly Man Joe” made quick work of Alen Amedovski in the final preliminary card bout of the day.
After finding his range with a clean jab and a couple inside low kicks, Holmes put a perfect stepping knee on the chin of Amedovski, sending him crashing to the canvas. It looked like that would be enough to finish things, but the fight continued, and Holmes made sure not to let the returning Amedovski off the hook. He dragged him back to the canvas and clamped onto the choke, drawing an immediate tap and securing his first UFC win.
Holmes’ debut came on short notice earlier this year against Jamie Pickett, and he turned in an uneven effort while catching a loss. It wasn’t the performance he wanted or one that was representative of what he can bring to the table, and he showed that in spades on Saturday. He has good size and length for the division, and is only three years into his professional career, making him someone to keep tabs on going forward as a potential long-range prospect in the 185-pound weight class.
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Jailton Almeida is an all-caps PROBLEM.
The Brazilian light heavyweight ventured up to to the big boy ranks this weekend, jumping into the Octagon against streaking heavyweight Parker Porter and running through the New England native with alarming ease. Seconds into the fight, Almeida changed levels and looked for a takedown, ultimately scooping Porter into the air and depositing him on the canvas. He never got back to his feet again.
Almeida worked from half guard, landing softening blows that left Porter lumped up and beginning to bleed, and when the American began working to get back to his feet, “Malhadinho” effortlessly moved into a dominant position, forcing Porter to give up his back. From there, it was academic, as Almeida attacked the choke, squeezed out the tap without getting under the chin, and picked up his second straight UFC victory.
I wasn't sold on Almeida as a prospect coming of Dana White’s Contender Series, but it’s clear I was mistaken. While he’s a bit of a late bloomer, the skills are undeniable at this point. That takedown should worry everyone in the light heavyweight ranks, and his clear power and finishing abilities make him an intriguing player in the 205-pound weight class from this point forward. He’ll get a significant step up in competition next time out, and profiles as someone that could be challenging for a place in the rankings before the year is out.
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Impressive effort from Uros Medic to get back into the win column, dealing with solid pressure to secure a finish against Omar Morales.
After suffering the first loss of his career last September in a fight with Jalin Turner, the Kings MMA product was more aggressive and locked in on Saturday, welcoming the exchanges with Morales and landing superior blows throughout. He clipped Morales towards the end of the first round, and in the second, he went from picking at the Venezuelan from range to finding a home for heavy shots that put him down.
Medic was one of the first competitors I spotlighted in the Fighter to Watch series back in September ahead of his fight with Turner. While that fight didn’t go as anticipated, this fight further underscored the positives that earn him that distinction in the first place. He works well from range and has good power, but he also moves well, feints well, and does a good job of just constantly touching his opponents, chipping away until the opening to land with force presents itself.
One did on Saturday, and “The Doctor” kicked in the door, putting another stoppage win on his resume and allowing him to recapture some momentum heading into the second half of the year.
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Thorough effort from Jonathan Martinez in collecting his third straight win on Saturday, sweeping the scorecards in his clash with Vince Morales.
Right from the jump, the 28-year-old bantamweight came out aggressively, fighting with confidence and taking the action to Morales. As he always does when he’s locked in, Martinez was mixing his attacks, firing kicks to all levels combined with clean punches up top. He immediately started getting to Morales and building momentum, and from there, the snowball just kept rolling downhill.
Martinez is an interesting fighter to monitor in the 135-pound weight class at the moment — he’s 16-4 overall, 7-3 officially in the UFC, and riding a three-fight winning streak. But he’s also 7-2 over his last nine with one of those being a janky split decision verdict opposite Andre Ewell and the other a knockout loss to Davey Grant, who has continued to prove himself as a veteran presence on the fringes of the Top 15.
As he keeps growing more confident and putting the piece together, I’m curious to see how far “The Dragon” can take things in the ultra-competitive bantamweight ranks.
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Chase Hooper showed that he used his time away effectively, becoming the first fighter to finish Felipe Colares inside the Octagon on Saturday to get himself back into the win column.
The 22-year-old Washington state product was dominant in the first and competitive in the second, but cranked up the pressure, the output, and the effectiveness in the third, prompting referee Mark Smith to step in and wave off the action. This was one of those performances where you could see the advancements in the game of “The Dream,” but also see where he has additional room to grow.
When he and I spoke for the above story, Hooper talked about Imposter Syndrome and learning to carry confidence into these contests. We saw a little more of it here, as he was attacking throughout and secured the finish. What’s even more interesting (at least to me) is that as Hooper continues to mature physically and learn to settle in with his grappling rather than always chasing attacks, he’s going to become an even more dangerous competitor in the featherweight — and eventually lightweight — division.
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Following Sam Hughes’ first fight since moving to Dallas and connecting with Sayif Saud and the team at Fortis MMA, I said the following:
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.
Saturday, Hughes made her second start with the team and showed continued improvements and confidence, getting Elise Reed out of there late in the third round to secure her second straight win. She played to her strengths in the clinch and on the canvas from the outset, shutting down Reed’s opportunities to strike, and turning up the intensity and output as the fight progressed.
This was a one-sided effort from the former NCAA track athlete, who has always shown promise, but is starting to put it all together now that she’s surrounded by outstanding coaches and more experienced teammates.