The UFC made an emotional return to Las Vegas on Saturday evening as the T-Mobile Arena played host to UFC 216, the promotion’s ninth pay per view of the year to date.
With the atrocious events of the Mandalay Bay shooting, taking the lives of fifty-nine people and injuring almost five hundred in the process, the event was a tribute to those affected and those who assisted in the line of duty.
Dana White made an emotional statement at the commencement of the main card whilst #VegasStrong was displayed across the arena and on the broadcast throughout. The UFC invited first responders and those directly affected by the shooting into the arena and Everlast played ‘America the Beautiful’ inside the octagon.
When the fighters entered the octagon, there was a mixture of jaw-dropping moments alongside some thumb twiddling moments. Let’s look at the four things we learned on an emotional night in Las Vegas.
Tony Ferguson wins the McGregor lottery (and the interim title)
As Tony Ferguson sunk in just the second triangle choke finish in a title fight, there was only one name that needed to be mentioned… Conor McGregor.
Ten consecutive victories have propelled Ferguson to the pinnacle of one of the toughest and most competitive divisions in the sport. It wasn’t all plain sailing for ‘El Cucuy’ with Kevin Lee proving a difficult opponent. A lapse in concentration likely cost Lee as he rested whilst having Ferguson in the full guard before he succumbed to a triangle choke in the third round.
The ‘Motown Phenom’ was likely to be leading on the judges’ scorecards, but a tough weight cut and a later revealed staph infection seemed to affect the twenty-five-year-old’s gas tank. Kevin Lee has superstar potential, in a couple of years we could see him rule this division, depending on how he bounces back from this defeat.
Ferguson wasted no time on the microphone, shouting “Where you at McNugget, you piece of s**t! I’m gonna kick your a**!” before throwing down the challenge saying “Defend or Vacate!”.
The fight between the two would likely happen early next year, and with Ferguson netting $500k for his victory over Lee, you’d likely see that double to face McGregor.
Demetrious Johnson is the greatest of all time
Was there ever any doubt that Johnson would surpass Anderson Silva’s record for consecutive title defences?
The world didn’t give Ray Borg a chance and Johnson proved why with a dominant performance over the challenger, capped off by a beautiful suplex into armbar in the fifth and final round.
Whilst Johnson landed 172 strikes in the fight, at an incredible success rate of 82%, Borg landed just 22. ‘Mighty Mouse’ was dominant in every aspect of the fight, standing, he out struck Borg and on the ground he outworked him, clocking up over seventeen minutes of control time in the process.
The finish just rounded off another impressive performance to make it eleven consecutive title defences. What’s next for the champion? A crack at the bantamweight division for the second time? I hope so!
Vannata & Green put on Fight of the Year contender
Lando Vannata doesn’t do boring fights. All four of his octagon appearances have been wildly entertaining, and this bout with Bobby Green was no anomaly.
Vannata certainly had the opportunity to finish the job in the first round, after knocking Green down before mistakenly landing an illegal knee, leading to a point deduction that proved pivotal when the fight went to the scorecards.
Vannata and Green went toe-to-toe for three rounds, forcing the judges to declare the bout a split draw and for the second time in succession, Lando put on a fight of the year contender without securing a victory.
Would I watch these again? YES!
Hype train derails in Las Vegas
Tom Duquesnoy and Magomed Bibulatov were touted as the two future stars of the bantamweight division, as potential challengers to the insurmountable throne of Demetrious Johnson. However, they both came unstuck at the T-Mobile Arena.
Russia’s Bibulatov came into the bout as a heavy favourite with a perfect 14-0 record after competing in the Russian scene before winning on his octagon debut earlier this year. He came up against former title challenger John Moraga.
Moraga rocked Bibulatov with on overhand right, before missing with a right headkick and landing a massive left hook that sent the Russian flying towards the canvas, forcing the referee to call an end to proceedings. Moraga earned a $50k performance of the night bonus for his efforts!
Frenchman Tom Duquesnoy looked to continue his form after picking up BAMMA titles at two different weight classes before joining the UFC. He faced Cody Stamann, who had dropped down from featherweight for his second octagon appearance.
In the early exchanges, the bout seemed well contested on the feet with Duquesnoy and Stamann trading strike for strike, but when the American secured a couple of takedowns, it swung the tide in his favour.
Stamann simply seemed stronger as the bout went on, whilst Duquesnoy looked to fade. The American landed more strikes, secured more takedowns and had more control time over the fight, earning a narrow decision victory.
The octagon moves on to Gdansk on October 21st with Englishman Darren Till taking on Donald Cerrone in the main event.
