UFC 313 Post-Fight Tally

UFC 313 brought the heat this time around with spectacular knockouts, the redistribution of power in divisions, and potential future super fights obliterated in front of our eyes. The UFC has done such a nice job creating stars and moments for years and Saturday was no different. A star was born and another stars light dimmed. We are still coming down from Mauricio Ruffy’s Knockout of the Year contender, his spinning wheel kick delivered in the first round was nothing short of something out of Bruce Lee movie. Those kind of knockouts are what get you credit in this sport. We’ve all seen stars born from moments like this, not to mention the guy looks like prime McGregor. On the other side of the coin, we saw “The One, the Only” Alex Pereira get out fought for 5 rounds, not looking like his normal dominant self. “The One, the Only” is used scarcely by Octagon Announcer Bruce Buffer for fighters that transcend the sport. Its only been used for Jon Jones, and Conor McGregor. Elite company to be in, however the status didn’t match the outcome. Much of the credit must be given to his opponent, as Ankalaev’s vision and fight IQ was exactly where it needed to be to get the job done. Dana White and the UFC are looking for an immediate rematch between the two, to potentially save the super fight of Pereira and Jones. The card top to bottom didn’t disappoint and was filled with many emotional ups and downs for the fighters, lets take a look at the matchups…

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In the first fight of this evenings main card, We got USA’s King Green taking on the red hot Brazillian contender Mauricio Ruffy. This fight was a wowzer. We said this fight would start off fast paced as it did. We did not expect what we got, although we aren’t particularly surprised. Mauricio Ruffy put King Green down like a feral canine. Within minutes of the opening bell, Ruffy had Green pushed back up against the fence, where he double feinted the 1,2, following up with a spinning wheel kick, landing his heel on the chin of Green, sleeping him instantly. Stuff out of a Bruce Lee film. I had all of my friends texting me about this guy, and they are casual fans. When a guy comes out looking like Prime McGregor in his stance and sleeps a tough opponent convincingly with style, you gotta take notice. He credited the moment being inspired by Brazilian soccer star, Neymar. He admires Neymar’s ability to sell feints, especially when he layers them, “feint over feint.” This guy will get a top contender next for sure, a couple wins away from a title fight. Its written in the stars. He expressed interest in fighting Beneil Dariush in his octagon interview with Joe Rogan and thats the perfect matchup for the guy from the UFC’s perspective. Dariush is top contender, who is teetering on retirement. A perfect showcase opponent that would vault him into title contention with a highlight reel finish. King Green on the other hand has some serious thinking to do. Do you stick around as the competition gets younger and more fresh, potentially risking your future health more than it already has been, or do you stick around for the paychecks and the love of the game? The old adage in this sport,”the game will retire you before you retire from the game." King Green can still fluff any card and be the guy that filters the crap from the legit stuff, but at what point do you give it up and pursue other things. More knockouts wont make things better for your longevity that’s for sure. King Greens attitude and heart is clearly still in this game, but real conversations need to be had between him and his team. This was one off the coolest fights of the evening and the finish stole the show. In our grading scale, based on stakes, action and impact on the future, this fight earned an 8/10.

@MMAMania

The second fight of the evening, we got the Women’s Straw Weight fight between Brazil’s Amanda Lemos and Brazil’s Iasmin Lucindo. We predicted this would be the only fight to go to the ground, and although it wasn’t the only one, the fights big moments were on the ground. We thought Lucindo’s size and ground game expertise would win her the fight. We were so wrong. Lemos made her comeback and proved to a lot of people she can wrestle with best, after getting dragged in her fight against Zhang Weili for the belt. This was a huge must win in the career of Lemos. Known for her powerful strikes and ability to finish fights on the feet, this was a pleasant surprise. She showed versatility, and gave future opponents more to worry about. This side of her game, if shined up could land her back in title contention. If she lost the fight she might have been on the way out getting random fight night appearances as she fades out. This win keeps her name in the mix for the year to come. Lucindo’s momentum was halted, however. She’s still young and has plenty of opportunity to develop. Her crazy nature to induce slugfests and get messy on the feet, could get her more exciting fights. Lucindo has a bright career ahead of her if she keeps fighting wild, she will be one of the more fun female fighters to watch for years to come. It’s tough sometimes to really engage with some of the women’s fights because of the limited “holy shit” moments, so the opportunity in women’s MMA is wide open. Go be a Justin Gaethje, get in there and put on shows and the world will start to pay attention. We think Lucindo could do that. Anyways, this fight earned a 6/10 due to the time spent on the ground, lack of big moments, and what it means for the future.

@MMAJunkie

The third fight of the evening, The UFC provided us a hot lightweight matchup. USA’s Jalin Turner took on the up and comer, Chile’s Ignacio Bahamondes. We predicted this would be a shocking upset and redirection of Turner’s career. Boy were we wrong. You can hope and dream, but Bahamondes did what he was supposed to do and wrapped up a deep triangle choke that ended the fight in the first round. Bahamondes is the real deal and has fully grown into his body. The mans chin is hard to find, his cardio is top notch, and he has a scrappy side that gives him an edge. Scrappy fighters are the best man. Bahamondes has been fighting out of Chicago for awhile now, and his English is perfect. We expect these types of fighters coming out of South America to have broken to no English, so when he speaks perfect English we can get a real glimpse into his mindset. The guy fights like he’s trying to put food on the table and that chip on his shoulder will land him in the top of the division very soon. This was a big finish for the young star, and exactly what he needed to keep his momentum red hot. His propensity to finish fights is the most compelling part of his career thus far. The lightweight division, for a long time, has been ran by the same 5 guys, we are finally seeing the changing of the guard this division, necessarily didn’t need, but has seemingly been stalled out longer than we anticipated. Bahamondes is coming lightweights, Watch Out! Jalin Turner on the other hand, is seriously considering retirement after the fight, and was, according to reports before the fight too. Bahamondes was pleading with him in the octagon to not retire as well. We will see what the future has in store for Turner, as he is now 14-9, not a great representation of his career. The guy has fought many a up and comer which stinks, because some of these guys get a walk in the park, matchup-wise. A 14-9 record is a doozy though. The guy has been perfect for the division for a long time because he is the only one who brings that physicality and length. We will see whats next for Turner, as of now anything could happen to that guy. This fight was a great fit on this card as it matches the story lines of the other fights so well. The fight earns a 7.3/10 due to the swiftness and dominance of Bahamondes.

UFC.com

Our Co-Main event of the evening served up a heaping pile of action. Justin Gaethje rematched the Azerbaijani Rafael Fisiev. The rematch was just as exciting as the first fight between these two. While Justin Gaethje had most of the big moments, watching these two guys damage each other, you can feel the bad intentions. The big key to Justin’s win was his ability to stay marching forward and finding success inside with uppercuts that sliced through the tight guard of Fisiev. It’s interesting to watch Fisiev’s tight Muay Thai style of fighting get picked apart by the hockey-style brawling of Justin Gaethje. Its something that doesn’t seem to make sense in the imagination, but when you see it play out, its something that reminds you of the intangibles that play a huge roll in fights. Its not always the cleanest techniques, the power you can land with but, sometimes it’s the will to win that wins fights. Now, Justin definitely has a screw loose or something, because he’s been hit hard his whole career, only being knocked out once in his previous outing. Justin Gaethje secured the win by unanimous decision, but still is fighting like he did before. There was legitimate worry that after his last fight, he would not show up the same. However, the opposite has been proven and he has asked for one more shot at the belt. He’ll get that chance. Fight fans around the world should recognize that this fight might be the last time we see Justin Gaethje in all his glory, putting unrestricted hands on his opponent, as the current lightweight champion, Islam Makhechev, is likely to dominate his fights for years to come. Now, on the otherside of the coin, is Fisiev hitting a plateau? His skills are undeniable, but he continues his losing streak, and that leaves us with questions. He is definitely good enough to keep getting high profile fights, but if he doesn’t start winning soon, he will find himself fighting tough up and comers that could level his career into gatekeeper status. Every division needs one, you fight the best of the best, but it doesn’t move you closer to the belt. This fight won fight of the night and for good reason. We give this fight an 8.7/10 earning one of the highest scores yet this year.

@MMAMania

In our main event of the evening, the Light Heavyweight belt was up for grabs. The defending champion, and the Promotions Boogieman, Alex Pereira took on second time title challenger Magomed Ankalaev. This fight was a let down to a lot of fans around the world, but were here to tell you that you are wrong. Alex Pereira is beloved by many around the world for his flashy knockouts and stoicism that paints him to be the ultimate tough guy. He couldn’t find his footing and people didn’t like the product because they are used to seeing this guy walk people down like Robocop. There is a reason it has taken him so long to fight Ankalaev. Its simply an unfavorable matchup. This is the first fight where Pereira didn’t look huge, firstly. Second, Ankalaev’s fight IQ and vision was never going to make it easy for Pereira to find an opening. Lastly, Ankalaev marched that dude down for five rounds, using the clinch to catch his breath in necessary moments. Pereira said post fight he was never hurt badly however, and will be ready to rematch soon. We might get much of the same if he comes back too soon. Ankalaev always seems to get the momentum in his fights and never fights recklessly. Truly a top notch talent that might dominate the division for the foreseeable future. Now, obviously the UFC wants Pereira to get the belt back for the possibility of super fights down the road, however a crafty Russian stands in the way of that goal. Ankalaev secured the unanimous decision victory, which is enough reason to book a rematch, however this is normal Ankalaev stuff. Convincing wins, limited finishes. Despite the limited finishes, Pereira was wobbled by Ankalaev, so he does have it in him at 205 lbs, don’t forget. I wouldn’t be surprised if this fight got rebooked for international fight week in June. This fight also earned an 8.2/10. This fight was exciting and we have to respect the carefulness in these kinds of fights, but the fight lost points, because Pereira seemed flat. We didn’t get the normal Pereira moments leaving us wanted more from this.

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The card has earned 7.6/10 and slots itself in as one of the best yet this year!