The UFC returned to Boston tonight for a stacked card headlined by two championship fights. It was an electric atmosphere for some of the best fighters in the world and the crowd was rewarded with some very impressive performances, capped off by a stunning knockout.
Let’s take a look at some of the highlights of the night and break down the three fights we looked at in our UFC 292 preview.
Prelim Highlights
In the first of two The Ultimate Fighter finales, Brad Katona and Cody Gibson went the distance in an absolute war. These two went back and forth in a stand-up battle, but it was Katona who found a home for his punches late in the third round to hurt Gibson and separate himself in the eyes of the judges to take the title of The Ultimate Fighter in the bantamweight division.
As for the lightweight final, Kurt Holobaugh used some brilliant jiu jitsu to put Austin Hubbard away early in the second round. Once the fight went to the floor, Holobaugh was clearly the better fighter as he quickly advance positions and looked to work his submissions. When he managed to lock up an armbar and force a scramble from Hubbard, a beautiful transition from Holobaugh found him with his opponent locked in a triangle choke that led to the finish.
In a middleweight bout between Gregory Rodrigues and Denis Tiuliulin, we saw a very quick, but somewhat controversial finish. Rodrigues scored a huge takedown early in the first and quickly found himself in a full mount. Once Tiuliulin gave up his back, Rodrigues landed two huge elbows and that was the end of it. A slow motion replay appeared to show that the first of the two elbows landed on the back of Tiuliulin’s head, which would make it an illegal strike. However, the fight was awarded to Rodrigues. I wouldn’t be shocked to hear about a protest later on.
Main Card Highlights
The main card opened up with an exciting bantamweight showdown between Marlon Vera and Pedro Munhoz. These guys decided early on they were just going to stand in the pocket and throw their hands and it made for a great show. It was Munhoz who was more active in the first but Vera’s jab seemed to be inflicting the most damage. The second round saw more of the same except that Munhoz was even more active and continued to land more and more punches. The third is where the tide turned though as Very really found his range. He touched Munhoz quite a bit as he continued to fight behind his powerful jab. After fighting to the final bell, the judges awarded the fight to Vera in a surprisingly one-sided decision. It was a very good showing from both men but Vera continues to be one of the toughest puzzles to solve in the bantamweight division.
Talk about a wild eight days for UFC bantamweight Da’Mon Blackshear. Just a week ago, he secured the third every win by twister in UFC history on his birthday. After celebrating for a few hours, he stepped up on short notice to challenge Mario Bautista tonight. In the early going, Blackshear was completely in control of the fight as he had Bautista constantly moving backwards. Bautista defended well but, aside from a guillotine attempt, he never really got off any offense of his own. The second round was much closer as Blackshear appeared to be fading just a bit. In the third, Bautists looked like a different fighter. He was far more aggressive and looked much better in the striking game while also managing to take Blackshear down multiple times. Blackshear flurried at the end but it was enough as Bautista took him to the final bell. The judges awarded Bautista a unanimous decision victory. Unfortunately, one judge scoring the fight an absurd 30-27 will distract from a good showing from both fighters. Judging in the sport continues to be possibly the worst officiating in all of sports.
Ian Garry def. Neil Magny
Ian Garry is one of the fastest rising stars in the UFC and her showed everyone in Boston exactly why tonight. The very first leg kick he threw dropped Neil Magny and that instantly became the story of the fight. Magny’s legs were compromised and he could not get any offense going against Garry. Instead, Garry continued to pick Magny apart, dropping him repeatedly with leg kicks. The one positive for Magny was the incredible toughness he displayed in this fight, somehow reaching the final bell. And that can also be played up as the only negative for Garry, who was unable to put away an opponent who was fighting on one leg effectively for the entire fight. Still, it was an impressive performance and Garry will be lined up for a big fight his next time out.
My pick: Garry via 2nd round knockout
Result: Garry via decision
Zhang Weili def. Amanda Lemos
The trend of dominant performances carried into the co-main event as the womens strawweight champion Zhang Weili showed everyone why she it the best pound for pound female fighter in the world. She took Amanda Lemos down early and controlled her on the ground for what felt like 24 of the 25 minutes they spent in the octagon. She took the challenger down almost at will and locked up the largest differential in total strikes in any UFC womens fight ever. The fight did go the distance though, purely because of the toughness of Lemos. She was also incredibly impressive in her ability to lock up submissions on Zhang on multiple occasions. The champion was obviously always able to defend, but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone lock up a d’arce choke faster than Lemos. It was a strong showing of toughness for the challenger but Weili proved once again to be in a class all her own.
My pick: Weili via 4th round knockout
Result: Weili via decision
Sean O’Malley def. Aljamain Sterling
The atmosphere in Boston was on another level for this main event, with the crowd firmly in the corner of the challenger. That doesn’t come as a surprise as Sean O’Malley has been a fan favorite for some time now, but stepping into the octagon against arguably the best bantamweight of all-time, this was a brand new stage for him.
The first round was essentially five minutes of these two guys just feeling each other out. Sterling was clearly being cautious of the pinpoint striking and power of O’Malley, and O’Malley was being cautious of the world-class grappling of Sterling. The champ likely stole the round in the closing seconds, but it was close. Early in the second, Sterling looked for an early takedown but the challenger fought it off, which was a huge win for him. Little did he know, a much bigger win would come just seconds later. Sterling lunged for a right hand and O’Malley countered with one of his own, dropping the champ. He pounced with some ground and pound and after just a few more shots, the fight was over and we had a new champion. It was an incredible showing of talent and power from the new champion who has just been vaulted into UFC superstardom.
In a great showing of class, Sterling congratulated his rival on the win and let the fans know he’ll be back. O’Malley called out Chito Vera for his first title defense, specifically laying out a fight in Las Vegas in December. For selfish reasons – namely, my prediction of O’Malley being the champion at the end of 2023 – I hope that doesn’t happen. At least just hold off until January. Either way, the bantamweight division has enter the “Sugar” era.
My pick: O’Malley via 2nd round knockout
Result: O’Malley via 2nd round knockout
The UFC will return to ESPN on Saturday, August 26th for UFC Fight Night: Holloway vs. The Korean Zombie. Be sure to check back for a preview of the event.