The final UFC fight card of the summer went down in Mexico City last night and despite the lack of star attraction, it didn’t disappoint. Seven first round finishes, three submissions, four knockouts. What a perfect evening of mixed martial arts.
But as the octagon is set to be locked away for four weeks, with Mayweather and McGregor set to fill the void in just three weeks time, what did we learn in Mexico?
Is Sergio Pettis next in line at 125lbs?
After a first round that could have been scored 10-8 with Moreno dominating the fight on the mat, Sergio Pettis must have been wondering how to adapt his game plan for Round 2.
Pettis was certainly vastly improved after speaking with his corner and outstruck the Mexican in the second round. The fight was interestingly set up for the latter rounds with Pettis the sharper on the feet whilst Moreno was in control when the fight went to the ground.
In the third round, Moreno landed a head kick before Pettis caught the Mexican with a jab as he chased his opponent carelessly. Pettis cut Moreno in the final moments with a perfectly timed high kick. Heading into the championship rounds, I had the fight all square at 28-28.
The fourth round had little in terms of action, with the altitude of 7,200 feet clearly starting to become a factor for two fighters who have never been in a five-round main event in the UFC. Pettis provided more output which possibly secured him the round on the judge’s scorecards.
Moreno secured a takedown early in the final round and maintained top position for the majority of the round. Pettis returned to his feet with just over a minute to go in the round but didn’t manage to land anything significant. I had the fight scored as a 47-47 draw!
Pettis took the fight unanimously on the scorecards and with four consecutive decision victories, could be in line for a short against Mighty Mouse.
A mixed night for home fighters
With no shorter than eight Mexicans representing their nation on this card, it represented a perfect chance for those south of the American border to impress.
Two of the first four fights saw Alvaro Herrera and Enrique Briones both submitted in exactly two minutes and one second with Rinaldi submitting Herrera in only the fourth Von Flue choke finish in UFC history, whilst Briones was the victim of a beautiful Kimura by Brazilian Rani Yahya.
Hector Sandoval was knocked out in just fifteen seconds by Dustin Ortiz, with both men coming out swinging from the off whilst Martin Bravo lasted slightly longer at twenty-six seconds before being knocked out by a knee from Peruvian Humberto Bandenay.
Decision victories for Alexa Grasso (in a great fight), Alejandro Perez (in another great fight) and a dominant performance early on for Jose Alberto Quinones helped soften the blow.
Niko Price is making waves at welterweight
Jouban was widely considered to be on the verge of breaking into the top ten at 170lbs before losing to Gunnar Nelson at UFC London. Niko Price dispatched him in comfortable fashion, stopping him with strikes in just under two minutes in Mexico City.
The twenty-seven-year-old will now be expected to target either a ranked opponent, or someone on the cusp of the top fifteen at welterweight. Ten fights, ten wins with nine finishes… not a bad start to a professional mixed martial arts career!
A knockout of the year contender emerges…
Peru’s featherweight debutant, Humberto Bandenay was priced as the biggest underdog of the evening against rising unbeaten prospect Martin Bravo.
When the fight began however, the Peruvian looked immediately to avenge Bravo’s defeat of his compatriot Claudio Puelles last year. After a few feints and a lively start, Bandenay landed a kick to the body before following it up perfectly with a knee to the head of the Mexican, as he was shooting for a takedown.
Sit back, relax and enjoy…
Never underestimate a fight card
With the small matter of a boxing match around the corner, and with UFC 214 in the rear-view mirror, it was widely expected that UFC Mexico City might be a card worth skipping.
I said it myself, others said it but the world was treated to a fight card which must have left the UFC brass left in confusion as to who to award the ‘Of the Night’ bonuses to.
The octagon returns in September in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. I’m counting down the days!
