A 14-fight card at UFC 274 produced some giant wins, improbable motion, memorable knockouts and a lackluster co-main match sandwiched between two wonderful bouts. Jeff Wagenheim and Carlos Contreras Legaspi react to the pay-per-view and be offering their largest ideas at the evening.
Large combat nights headlined via championship bouts in most cases supply readability. However what UFC 274 delivered as an alternative used to be contradiction.
On Saturday evening in Phoenix, Charles Oliveira stepped into the cage as UFC light-weight champion. He then choked out Justin Gaethje in the first actual spherical — and walked out of the Octagon as ex-champ.
The cause of that mixed-up circumstance is that Oliveira had ignored weight Friday, leaving the UFC to remove his identify the instant his combat with Gaethje started. What that caused, on the conclusion of the combat, used to be an empty feeling that one thing used to be lacking — no “And nonetheless!” announcement via Bruce Buffer, no belt being wrapped round Oliveira’s waist via Dana White.
And but something is simple: Belt or no belt, Charles Oliveira is the most productive 155-pound fighter in the world.
That become glaring all over the three mins, 22 seconds the combat lasted. Oliveira wobbled Gaethje within the opening minute, however moments later Gaethje dropped him with a punch. Then Gaethje dropped him once more. However any person who used to be pondering this used to be the start of the top obviously had now not been staring at Oliveira in recent years.
The 32-year-old Brazilian used to be harm badly a yr in the past in Spherical 1 of his combat with Michael Chandler for the then-vacant identify, however Oliveira got here out for the second one spherical and instantly clipped Chandler, then completed him at 19 seconds of the spherical. Seven months later, Oliveira needed to persevere thru a coarse get started towards Dustin Poirier earlier than choking out his challenger in Spherical 3.
This time Oliveira, his face marked up via the vicious paintings of Gaethje, scored a takedown halfway during the spherical and briefly seized again regulate, placing him in place to sink in a rear-naked choke for the thirtieth end and twenty first submission of his 33-win professional profession. Throughout the Octagon, he has 19 finishes and 16 submissions — each UFC data.
If handiest there have been a powerful grappler within the department who could possibly deal with Oliveira’s flooring sport. Too dangerous Khabib Nurmagomedov is retired.
That may simply depart the task as much as Islam Makhachev, a Nurmagomedov good friend and teammate who has been known as Khabib 2.0. The 22-1 Makhachev has been operating his manner up the light-weight hierarchy, and his emergence couldn’t have come at a greater time. — Wagenheim
Must Tony Ferguson in point of fact have confronted Michael Chandler?
0:35
Michael Chandler displays off his athleticism as he nails two backflips after knocking out Tony Ferguson.
Early all over combat week, when I used to be plotting out the UFC 274 bouts that have been must-see, I additionally famous a pair that I suspected may well be arduous to look at. Person who I picked out ended up now not taking place, after Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone took in poor health Saturday, sparing us from the potential for seeing him prolong his six-fight winless streak in some way that may make us balk. The opposite combat I decided on did pass on and used to be certainly tough to look at — however now not essentially for the rationale I anticipated.
I feared that Michael Chandler vs. Tony Ferguson can be a painful show of what occurs when somebody at or close to the highest of his sport (Chandler) faces a fighter whose profession has been fading (Ferguson, who used to be coming off 3 brutal losses). It will get unpleasant rapid, I assumed.
However then Ferguson got here out for the light-weight bout and harm Chandler instantly. Early on, Ferguson regarded fluid and perilous and obviously aggressive. Possibly I used to be unsuitable about this reserving?
Or now not.
Within the opening seconds of Spherical 2, Chandler threw a instantly proper kick up the center, and when the ball of his foot attached flush on Ferguson’s chin, the combat used to be over right away. Ferguson fell limply on his face, subconscious, and lay there immobile for a number of moments. Even after he got here to and used to be helped to his toes, Ferguson nonetheless regarded dazed.
Was once this horrifying knockout an instantaneous byproduct of Ferguson being pale, his reflexes too sluggish to offer protection to him and his chin now not in a position to resist have an effect on? Or used to be this simply one thing that would occur to any person, even a champ or prime-of-career fighter? Nobody is aware of evidently, however I’ll simply say this: It used to be the kind of finishing I used to be envisioning as a chance for Ferguson and Cerrone once I expressed fear over their bookings.
“Cowboy” and “El Cucuy” are legends of MMA. Each have delivered numerous thrills and wonderful moments through the years. Nobody is calling for those end-of-career guys to be close down fully, however matchmakers wish to acknowledge when each opponents are of their careers earlier than sending them into the cage in combination.
All the way through a UFC run highlighted via a 12-fight successful streak, Ferguson used to be breathtaking. However now when he fights we’re left to carry our breath. — Wagenheim
Namajunas-Esparza: A identify combat not like some other
“I’m the most productive! I’m the most productive!”
That used to be the chant Rose Namajunas mentioned aloud, quietly and resolutely and time and again, as she walked out to the cage for the co-main match.
I ponder what mantra she had for the lonely stroll again to the dressing room as a former champion.
Namajunas, to be honest, has proven herself to be the most productive strawweight on the planet those previous few years, with two reigns as champ and more than one victories over former champs Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Zhang Weili, in addition to a win over any other titleholder, Jessica Andrade. However Saturday evening she used to be now not the most productive — or no less than she opted not to display us her highest.
Carla Esparza used to be booed once you have her arm raised and having the belt wrapped round her waist. She didn’t deserve that reaction. She had moved ahead all over a lot of the combat, however Namajunas stored her distance and refused to interact. Esparza achieved little over the 5 rounds, it’s true, however little is best than not anything, and that “not anything” is what Namajunas confirmed till the very finish of the bout, when it used to be too past due.
Two questions linger: First, used to be this the worst identify combat in UFC historical past? It’s surely a contender. Esparza landed simply 30 important moves, the fewest in a call victory in a UFC identify combat within the promotion’s fashionable generation. However hiya, Esparza is basically a wrestler. Namajunas, however, is referred to as a slick striker. She attached with simply 37.
0:37
Carla Esparza will get Rose Namajunas’ again and ratings a takedown in her split-decision victory.
“It’s arduous to seek out somebody who doesn’t need to combat,” Esparza mentioned within the Octagon after the bout.
That ends up in the second one query popping out of this combat: What will we make of Namajunas? Why did a fighter who had stood her flooring towards a number of extra bad foes dance across the Octagon for the easier a part of her 25 mins in there with Esparza? I don’t know that there’s a major resolution, however have you learnt who will have to have identified that resolution because the combat opened up? The Namajunas nook. From what I may just listen of her coaches, nobody attempted to mild a hearth and get Rose to combat like Rose.
Namajunas is an enigma, such a lot in order that this dud of a efficiency doesn’t sign a loss of life. The following time she’s within the cage, she may seem like a world-beater. Which is what she frequently gave the look of… again when she used to be a champion. — Wagenheim
Francisco Trinaldo, younger at 43
0:32
Francisco Trinaldo makes Danny Roberts double over after he hits him within the frame with a crushing left hand.
If you wish to know the way deep the UFC light-weight department is, simply check out the unranked veteran Francisco Trinaldo. He went all-out towards Danny Roberts — who used to be coming off a two win streak — to near the prelims at UFC 274 and illuminate the Footprint Middle.
”Massaranduba” earned his 18th victory within the Octagon with an entire hanging efficiency and had Roberts in hassle greater than as soon as all over the combat. He’s some of the many gatekeepers the department has and he’s surely all the time a amusing fighter to look at, continuously searching for the knockout end. Trinaldo has defeated Bobby Inexperienced, Jim Miller and John Makdessi.
At 43 years outdated and with over a decade preventing for the promotion, he’s status with a 5-1 file in his remaining six fights. Like Andrei Arlovski, who may be stacking wins towards opponents who most probably weren’t even coaching when he signed with the UFC, Trinaldo isn’t appearing indicators of slowing down and needs to make some recollections for his 5-year-old son. And this night used to be a just right one. — Legaspi
