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Stop me if you've heard a variation of the following commentary in recent weeks: UFC Philadelphia was saved by the closing contests. It took six fights for the event to run smoothly. Although Casey Kenney and Ray Borg were awesome, the finals are not all terrible, but the finishes are a good indication of the quality of the card. Nevertheless, things have piled up in the right way, just a fight on the main map that has turned out to be a whore. Notably, Justin Gaethje once again delivered a badass performance, delivering a one-shot knockout to Edson Barboza midway through the first round. Gaethje and Barboza have accumulated enough action during this half round to get a FOTN bonus. To say that the night has gone well would be a euphemism.
winners
Justin Gaethje: Obviously. Name the last time Gaethje had a boring fight. I'm still waiting. Whenever Gaethje enters the Octagon for the fight, the fans go away, satisfied with his performance. Even though this contest only lasted half a turn, they had the impression of getting value for money. The victory over Barboza threw him into potential negotiations for the title. Whether Khabib Nurmagomedov or the winner of Dustin Poirier-Max Holloway has not been decided yet, Gaethje has returned from his consecutive losses, ensuring first-round victories against James Vick and now Barboza. If Gaethje continues to behave this way, he may turn out to be the poster for the UFC.
Jack Hermansson: Although I thought Hermansson would be a solid addition to the middleweight division, I never thought he would be a top 10 fighter. I'm happy to say that he's proven me the best. opposite. Hermansson knew exactly what he wanted to do against Branch, executed it to perfection and left with a bid victory against a reputed wrestler. Since I'm not the only one surprised by Hermansson's progress, I think it's fair to say that his stock has improved more than anyone else in this event.
Josh Emmett: The representative of the men's Alpha team was about to lose, getting noticed by Michael Slicker. It only took a single punch and Emmett's return from his one-year absence was a success. I'll admit that I had planned to place Emmett in a different column because he was not getting the performance bonus that he rightly deserved – fighters foolproof should never ask for a bonus at the UFC – but I could not find it myself. a wonderful time from the guy. Not that my articles have an impact on his life in any way ….
Michelle Waterson: I've been tough with Waterson. I will admit it. Not that I do not like it. I was just not sold for his abilities against the elite in the straw weights, since Waterson had his best success at the atomic weight. I may have to rewrite this story. Waterson achieved a flawless performance against Karolina Kowalkiewicz, never allowing the Polish to fight where she was most confident. In addition, have you seen the best control of Waterson? I did not know that she could do that against Kowalkiewicz. Waterson is at its peak. Expect the UFC to take advantage by putting it in a highly visible contest.
Paul Craig: I do not want to congratulate Craig too much, because his fight with Kennedy Nzechukwu was incredibly ugly. But I have to give the Scots crazy props to win the second last-minute bid victory in a fight that he lost in his tenure at the UFC. I may have hated all his fighting with Nzechukwu, but I loved the end. Sometimes it's all that matters.
Sodiq Yusuff: There have been many products of the Contender's Series who fell flat on their stomachs. Nzechukwu is a perfect example. Yusuff is one of those who exceeded expectations. His under-rated match against Sheymon Moraes was tight in the first two rounds, before Yusuff lifted the score on the last lap. The Nigerian still has a lot of growth room. If you want a reason to argue for the Contender SeriesLook no further than Yusuff.
Marina Rodriguez: There was not a lot of hype behind Rodriguez when she joined the UFC on Contender Series: BrazilShe turned a few heads when she brought Randa Markos to a draw, but not much. The damn nearness of all members of the MMA community was noticed as she decimated an ultra-hard Jessica Aguilar, brutalizing her body with knees and kicks. Aguilar may have survived, but the referee could have intervened a few times without anyone complaining. Rodriguez seems to be able to become a candidate in the near future.
From Green: After a series of misfortunes – with several opponents missing their weight, a car accident shortly before a scheduled competition – Green finally got the kind of stylish victory he needed to push him. Of course, Ross Pearson may not be the same fighter as he was a few years ago, but Daniel Hooker was the only other fighter to stop the British in recent years. It turns out that green is good enough for competition on even terrain.
Kevin Aguilar: I know that many of them disagreed with my view that Aguilar's defensive struggle would come under Barzola's systematic barrage of grounding. I felt justified when Aguilar successfully defended all of Peru's attempts, although Aguilar's stiffness had more to do with it than anything else. Whenever Barzola was near a takedown, Aguilar was present with offense to prevent him from doing so. Excellent performance of Aguilar.
Casey Kenney: Whether you agree with the decision or not – I did not do it – Kenney had the air very Well, he fought eight days before UFC Philadelphia. He fought against Ray Borg without worrying about Borg's reputation and that paid off as the judges felt Kenney was the most effective fighter. Again, I did not agree, but I can not forget such a moment – and a great fight – simply because I did not like the result of a close match. The main accessories of Kenney.
Maryna Moroz: If I had to guess, I would say that the time spent in a camp different from the one she had spent in the past was a bigger advantage for Moroz than the switch to flyweight. Nevertheless, both actions seemed beneficial as she obtained a clear decision as to Sabina Mazo's first participation. Moroz has been around for about four years now. It is easy to forget that she is still only 27 years old and only five years old in her professional career. It is plausible that these changes can help him move up the rankings.
Alex Perez: It's good to see the former flyweight rebound after a crushing defeat against Joseph Benavidez by the end of 2018. Perez has not followed the same relentless pace as in his previous victories, but he took advantage of his strengths and demonstrated that he would not be physically dominated in his new home. In fact, Perez was the tyrant against Mark De la Rosa.
Alun from the Contender series: There were seven members of the UFC combat show who were in action in Philadelphia. Of these seven, six came out victorious. The only exception was Nzechukwu, who was about to win before beating less than a minute from the end. Not all of the cards have been so successful from alum, but it proves that the series is sufficiently successful in finding valuable talent for the UFC to consider expanding the program. Contender's Series Europe, perhaps
losers
Edson Barboza: Although this defeat effectively removes Barboza from the title race for many, those who did not believe him had already eliminated him from the picture because of his consecutive defeats against Khabib and Kevin Lee. Barboza is as dangerous to an attacker as he is in weight, but he collapses under pressure. I do not mean that Barboza is bad. It's just not at the light weight level. Given the violent nature of this KO and the blows received during the aforementioned losses, I would not be surprised at least if he ended up taking a break. He has always been an active fighter and that would probably do him good. Nevertheless, it seems that this loss will effectively prevent him from participating in high level competitions for the moment.
David Branch: It is safe to say that the WSOF Branch transition has been a failure. The loss to Luke Rockhold was understandable, but that loss to Hermansson and his previous loss to Jared Cannonier should have been at least competitive. Instead, it was completed very quickly in his last two contests. I'm not saying that he will not be able to save the last years of his career. I think his best chance is to go to 205. But he has to make some immediate changes.
Michael Johnson: Johnson was less than a minute away from turning his featherweight drop into a career revitalization. Only one minute. That's all. That's why you can not lower your guard for a second. Not to say that's what Johnson did, but Emmett did charge for being exposed for a split second. It is safe to say that Johnson is nothing more than a guardian for the classified fighters right now.
Karolina Kowalkiewicz: Kowalkiewicz is no longer a straw. The former rival Joanna Jedrzejczyk has now lost four of his last six, his two wins against a pair of women arguably out of the top ten in the division. The whole competition with Waterson, Kowalkiewicz seemed to be stuck in a neutral position and never go there. The performance proved to be a symbol of his current career as it has not progressed for a long time. The saying is that if you do not move forward, you step back. This is the unfortunate case for Kowalkiewicz.
Kennedy Nzechekwu: I chose the young man on the basis of his athletic superiority over Craig. This does not mean that I have no apprehension, because Nzechekwu had almost nothing of value in his fight. What we've had is one of the ugliest fights I've ever seen for a long time. Although Craig deserves as much reproach as Nzechekwu for that, the Scotsman had to make him ugly if he hoped to win. Thus, the responsibility lies with Nzechekwu. I hope it will take a little while before seeing the young man again because he needs a LOT of seasoning.
Sheymon Moraes: Moraes was immediately engaged in a difficult battle within the UFC when he debuted against Zabit Magomedsharipov. After giving up the contest, he concocted two great victories. Now, with his defeat against Yusuff, even if it was competitive, it is unlikely to be seen as a mere face in the cluttered featherweight image. He is better than that.
Jessica Aguilar: Do you remember when Aguilar arrived for the first time at the UFC in 2015? There were many, myself included, who thought she would have a hard time getting the straw-weight title at some point. Instead, she has gone 1-4 since joining the organization. Aguilar did not have the impression of seizing Rodriguez at first, but she ran out and scored very little offense after the first round. The end of the line is very close ….
Ross Pearson: It's hard not to be a fan of Pearson if you've been following this sport for a while. He has always been one of the most entertaining competitors in the UFC lineup, rarely taking a prolonged absence. However, he has now dropped six of his last seven contests. The only victory of this stretch was won by Mizuto Hirota, a woman defended in the same way. Only Pearson can decide when he will retire, but I have no desire to see him continue to try his luck at this stage.
Enrique Barzola: I may not be as important to Barzola as my colleague Connor Ruebusch-I chose him well anyway-but I'm very proud of his abilities. Nevertheless, I worried about his ability to ground someone who has shown himself able to defend the takedowns against a decent wrestler. Barzola is relentless, but his lack of explosive athletics will limit him. I'm not saying that he can not improve from here, but his ceiling is limited.
Ray Borg: I know I already said it, but I firmly believe that Borg won against Kenney. However, I'm trying to understand how a Borg fighter found himself in such a close competition against a novice fighter who had competed for the last time just eight days ago. Borg had virtually all the benefits you can think of. Damn, Borg did not even gain weight, despite his last participation in flyweight. I think Borg is concerned about his son's health problems, but that was not the way to make his debut as a bantamweight.
Mark De la Rosa: This is not a good sign for De la Rosa. Not necessarily that he lost, but that he was completely mastered by an old flyweight. I understand that De la Rosa is himself an old flyweight, but how will he react against an opponent bigger than Perez? There are many there. I'm afraid that half of the first UFC husband / wife duo is about to leave.
Conor McGregor: I will admit that McGregor's placement here has less to do with the events of this event than a stack of events, but what happened here does not help either. First, the allegations of sexual abuse are obviously bothersome. Since I would not want anyone to be guilty of this crime, let's hope they are not true. Secondly, since the move from UFC to ESPN, they no longer need McGregor as much as before, which hurts him in his negotiations with the UFC. Some of you may claim that he retired, but I do not believe that for a second. He retired three years ago, although this turned out to be a leveraging technique in the negotiations. So how did this event hurt McGregor? Gaethje will never become the star that McGregor is / was, but he can certainly play an important role in the cumulative efforts to replace him. Performances like Gaethje's here will not do McGregor any leverage.
Or
Kevin Holland and Gerald Meerschaert: I did not know what to do with this fight. During the first two rounds, it was a good thing, because their difficult exchanges entertained me a lot. Things got worse after that, while none of the fighters still had a lot of energy. It was incredibly difficult to judge too, which means I would have really been less concerned about how the judges scored the contest. Nevertheless, Holland emerged victorious as many viewers moved away wondering what they had just seen.
Sabina Mazo: I give a little pass to the 21 year old girl. Mazo looked flat in the first two rounds, but she woke up in the last frame and easily took that ride. Mazo looked like a deer in the headlights during the first two rounds, so I'll attribute it to nervousness rather than lack of preparation. She will almost certainly get better.
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