I like this matchup for Rose because she needs a win and Ribas will come forward and engage enthusiastically. Have to imagine Rose is able to dart in and out and put her skills on display. Ribas is extremely hittable on the feet so I have a tough time seeing her path to victory. I don’t think she’ll be able to get a hold of Rose or walk her down.
No doubt there’s more going on behind the scenes here but just looking at this event we’ve got a last minute opponent changeup, Chatri’s comments about Japanese fighters, and Sexyama being offered a fight with Holzken on two weeks’ notice. Looks like Chatri was trying to engineer these results.
What’s his deal anyway? The has to be a reason for his inactivity and I’d be more likely to believe the Kadyrov connection makes it difficult to book him and fly him to certain parts of the world than Dana just putting him on ice for no reason. If there’s a buck to be made Dana’s going after it. Might also be that Khamzat fades hard so they’re reluctant to put him in a five rounder while the hype train is still in effect.
The UFC should be pushing to make Aspinall v Stipe and the Aspinall v Jones. If Stipe and Jones are both set for retirement it would be better for the promotion to feed them to Aspinall and build his star power. He’s the one that’s going to be around headlining future PPVs. Might be smart to … you know … promote him.
I thought Allen’s accuracy would put Evloev in a lot of trouble but credit to Evloev, he kept his composure and stuck to the game plan. What did everyone think about those knees?
Magny with the buzzer beater! I had been impressed with Malott to this point but I felt like was a little too respectful of Magny early and really fumbled the bag attempting those leg lock in round three instead of standing up and coasting to victory. Big learning experience for Malott and solid veteran performance by Magny.
Enjoyed learning about MBS through the Embedded videos this week so it was disappointing that what we got was pretty much the lowest skilled title fight the UFC has ever put on. MBS really wasn’t there after round one and didn’t seem to have prepared for a five round fight. There were times where she waded forward with arms outstretched hoping Pennington would allow her to apply a ninja choke - she held on to chokes that weren’t there all night long and Pennington seemingly won by outlasting MBS. It was a good veteran performance but I’m not thrilled about seeing what this division has to offer.
Closer fight than I expected. I had it 3-2 for Strickland with sound defence and crisper shots but it could have gone either way. I was impressed that Dricus was able to basically take big lunges and throw power shots all night long without gassing. Given his strength advantage over most of the division I wonder what style beats Dricus. He’s certainly hittable but he just powers through it all.
Didn’t wait too long. Wow. It’s a shame we never got a Nunes rematch. Cyborg’s longevity and cross discipline success is wild regardless of the level of competition.
please sir may i have some more.gif
“A lot of hype around him, undefeated, I think this is just the perfect bounce-back fight for me, as well. A lot of people are saying he’s dangerous, which look, he is dangerous. He’s a powerful dude. He’s undefeated. That’s a story in itself. You’ve got the story of what happened in my last fight. People are like, ‘Oh, is he coming back too soon?’ All this is a part of the story. When I look at it, I’m like, ‘Mate, I’ve been in camp for that long. I’m hearing people saying, Oh, he’s back too soon.’ I just can’t see it.
“I’ve been busting my ass for that long. I’m like, ‘What do you mean?’ Like, I’ve had that much time. This has been a very long camp for me. Obviously I followed all the protocols after it from concussion and that like, I’m lucky enough to have a great team around me. But we followed that to a T, and that’s why the fight was pushed back a month because we just thought January was rushing. We wanted that extra month where I could ease into it and then start camp. That’s what we did.”
I like what we’re hearing from Volk here. If he loses I don’t think it’s because he rushed back - he’s facing a talented younger fighter and Volk at an age where we would expect to see some decline. I could see Volk getting caught but I could just as easily see him putting on a masterclass and schooling Topuria. That’s what makes this fight so hotly anticipated. War-Volk.
Respect the champ but feels like this is the wrong way around.
This is cool. PFL / Cedric developing some legit hype. If I’m not mistaken Pettis put his hand up for this fight? I’m here for it.
Good news for the fighters. Can’t wait to hear more about what goes on behind the scenes.
I’m here for the Aspinall era. Looks game and keen to stay active. What’s not to love?
DDP backing onto the fence early in fights while he tries to get reads could be a big story in round one because we know Strickland is going to want to walk him down.
Pennington’s latest run has been solid but I’m hyped for MBS. These candid moments are great to see - I thought it was hilarious that she was embarrassed to see subtitles on one of her interviews even though she was speaking English. The UFC haven’t done her any favours in terms of promoting or hyping her fights but perhaps they should - I think we see a submission in the third.
So did Yair not see Ortega injure himself as the fight was being announced or what?