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Junior back Santos (left) and Blagoy Ivanov Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC / Getty Images
Saturday l & # 39 UFC made its debut in Idaho, and obviously the company was looking to make a splash.
The UFC's cable television cards tend to work together these days, but UFC Fight Night 133 was unusually fleshy. This took a literal turn in the main event when the beefy heavyweights Junior dos Santos and Blagoy Ivanov fought. Dos Santos, the former heavyweight champion, has beaten for the first time in more than a year thanks to a run-in USADA. Ivanov himself has a championship pedigree, having held gold under the banner of the World Series of Fighting.
Several other named fighters appeared on the map. Sage Northcutt, the favorite life of all, faced Zak Ottow at the main event. Cat Zingano, a female co-bantamweight competitor, Chad Mendes and several other promising talents also made their mark. And did anyone say Darren Elkins? Oh yes.
As always, the latest lines of statistics do not reveal everything. These are the real winners and losers of the UFC Fight Night 133.
For literals among us, the official results appear below.
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Josh Hedges / Zuffa She did not always compete with television, but that was enough to put Junior dos Santos back in the winning streak.
Behind this familiar blow, Dos Santos beat Blagoy Ivanov in five rounds to take a ruthless defense. unanimous decision.
The two men seemed a little slow, and the exit was often behind. Last week's flat line between Derrick Lewis and Francis Ngannou was the last reminder that heavy fights are not all KOs. It was not so bad, but it is not the memory of this memory
Ivanov is in any case a hard-working fighter, a Sambo master who prefers to wait on the counter rather than directing dance. . He did not land as many shots as Dos Santos, who seemed to slow down his long break. Cigano manages to pick up some decent combinations, but the strong and voluminous boxing that helped him make his name no longer seems to live here.
Finally, Dos Santos used his jab to control the distance and further discourage Ivanov's dismantling attempts. Anyway, given the disadvantage of Ivanov and the great defense of Dos Santos
There were times when Ivanov no longer seemed to want to be there, but Dos Santos could not oblige him. No need to dress this one as anything other than what it was, which was a running-in contest that played and ended predictably. They can not all be incredible.
Ivanov deserved to be there and he deserves to be here again. His UFC did not go as he would have liked, but all who come back to have been stabbed in the heart are super hard in my book. Meanwhile, the Bulgarian receives another blow.
Meanwhile, after the fight, the very friendly Dos Santos told broadcaster Jimmy Smith that "a revenge with [Stipe] Miocic would be welcome." Miocic just lost the title last week to Daniel Cormier, so he may need a dance partner. Dos Santos may be the outsider in this contest, but the former champion showed Saturday that he won the chance to attempt
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Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC / Getty Images
How can you not like Yes, Sage Northcutt drank a hate ration for receiving special treatment from the UFC for his beauty, his torn abs and his Californian blonde personality (he comes from Texas, but you know what I mean
The thing that people forget is that he's in the joke.He knows he's nerdy and he can laugh at it- even (we could probably all learn something about it.) His incessant beard also raises eyebrows, but that sounds pretty authentic too.
Still, Northcutt must ultimately earn the respect inside the cage, and c & rsquo; What he did when he knocked out Zak Ottow in the second round.
Ottow shook Northcutt early in the first round, sending Super Sage to the mat and his eyes turning in his skull. It seemed like it could be the beginning of the end of a short night. But Northcutt avoided a stop and slowly recovered, even though he probably lost the round.
In the second, a jab changed everything. Northcutt has a legitimate power of striking, and he hit Ottow on his bad. Ottow caught for a takedown from one leg, but Northcutt rained punches and hammer fists, and that's all she wrote.
Speaking of writing, Ottow did not disguise his lack of self-esteem for Northcutt's fighting skills during the news cycles of Before the fight. After the fight, perhaps in response, Northcutt noted that "the words are powerful", then explained what he meant in a statement sent by email to reporters:
First, I I feel that there is too much negativity in the world and I think that one great thing that martial arts teaches you is to be respectful. We should be more reflective with what we say to each other. Two, I feel the power in words that you can turn into reality. Just as Conor McGregor says that he will knock down his opponent and that he will, I did it tonight . Know that your words are powerful and use them wisely.
Northcutt is a tough guy with skills and athleticism, and he seems to be finding the fighting game. His youth sometimes makes you forget that he is a man. He reminded everyone Saturday
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Chad Mendes (top) ends Myles Jury. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC / Getty Images
Has the theme emerged at UFC Fight Night 133.
Several big name fighters were looking for victories after long drafts of futility, inactivity or the two. Dos Santos was certainly one of them. Chad Mendes was another.
Thanks to a two-year suspension from USADA, it's a very long suspension, it was his first fight since the defeat of Frankie Edgar in 2015. For even more recoil, Mendes' penultimate bout was his defeat to Conor McGregor at UFC 189, which seems to have happened several lives ago.
Mendes was not at all rusty, crushing a more than worthy opponent in the Myles jury. After a few minutes of felt, the most significant offense was a much longer jury head kick. Mendes changed this soon after, however, when he faked to the body, then crushed Jury with a sweeping left hook. The jury hit the ground, and after a barrage of shots on the ground, the referee waved it.
"I'm back!" Mendes told Smith in the cage after the fight.
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Niko Price (bottom) eliminated Randy Brown. Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC / Getty Images
The knockout of Randy Brown was as unconventional as it was impressive.
In other words, it could have been the strangest love at first sight I've ever seen at the UFC, and it took a lot of power and creativity to pull it off .
About mid-way through the fight, there was good trade but nothing memorable. During a scrum on the floor, Price, working from the bottom, went for the leg lock. As Brown tried to maneuver out of danger, his head came within reach of Price's fists. But since Price was tied up and had his back to the ground, that was not exactly a clear and present danger.
But it was dangerous.
Price saw the occasion and began to hammer his fists. These are not hammer fists, however. At the finish, seven of Price's 11 wins were won by KO. Make 8 out of 12.
Price not only had short-range punching power in the back, but he also had the presence of mind to support Brown's head with his foot, like a golfer on an alley. It took five punches for Price to separate Brown from consciousness.
It was not normal, it was not technically wonderful, but it was a safe entrance on the light coil of 2018
5 of 7 [19659056] Cat Zingano ( right) destroyed Marion Reneau “/>
Cat Zingano (right) destroyed Marion Reneau Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC / Getty Images
One of the most charismatic fighters of the UFC is finally back
Cat Zingano dominated a tough customer in Marion Reneau, landing what looked like dozens of big disbademblies and spilling onto the floor and setting her on the road to a unanimous victory of the decision.
OK, so it was in fact, six grounding – still enough to tie Ronda Rousey's record for takedowns in a single fight in the UFC women's U-turn, according to Michael Carroll, the keeper of FightMetric statistics .
It has been a difficult year for Zingano. His series of three defeats on defeat dated back to 2015 and was surrounded by long periods of inactivity. But she washed everything Saturday.
And you know what? This victory could have placed it squarely in the title photo. There are not many things in the division right now. Guess who Zingano beat in his last win before Saturday. If you've guessed Amanda Nunes, the bantamweight champion of the UFC, you're right.
Most fans probably still hope for a superposition between Nunes and the Cyborg Cris featherweight champion, but Zingano is definitely back in the game.
