AFTER THE FIGHT: UFC 251 Recap
UFC 251 brought us to the shores of Fight Island and featured three title fights headlined by the highly anticipated welterweight title bout between Kamaru Usman and Jorge Masvidal.
Kamaru Usman (C) vs. Jorge Masvidal (3): Welterweight Title Bout
Usman retained his title following a dominating performance against the challenger.
Usman is the best athlete in the sport. He controlled where the fight took place with his excellent wrestling ability. Masvidal did a great job defending takedowns so Usman switched strategy and decided to clinch against fence. Wore Masvidal down with body punches, foot stomps and gruelling wrestling style.
Masvidal taking fight on 6 days notice stole the narrative of UFC 251. It made for a great story which ultimately sold the fight, especially to the casual MMA fan. I'm not going to use that as an excuse to why he lost this fight. UFC booked Usman vs. Burns on June 9th after negotiations with Masvidal fell through. Up until then, Masvidal has been preparing for Usman since their jawing-match on radio row during Super Bowl in February. Masival’s tank wasn’t topped of but he wasn't out of shape either as he helped teammate Dustin Poirer train for his fight two weeks prior. Losing 20lbs in 6-days while traveling across the world is a tall task, but as the champion Usman said during his post fight interview with Jon Anik. "I'm the champion, everyone in the welterweight division is training to be me all the time."
Alexander Volkanovski (C) vs. Max Holloway (1): Featherweight Title Bout
Alexander Volkanoski defended his featherweight title against Max Holloway in a close spit decision victory.
I had Max winning the fight 3-2, taking rounds 1-3. Volkanoski found success in the later rounds, consistently landing his left hand and securing a few takedowns, finishing in top position while showcasing the will of a champion.
Many viewers on social media thought the judges got it wrong, scoring the bout favor of Holloway. I understand the displeasure in the decision, but I cannot call this a robbery.
Despite the tough loss, Holloway took to twitter following the fight to auction off his fight gear with all proceeds going to the Hawaii food bank.
Petr Yan vs. Jose Aldo: Bantamweight Title Bout
Great fight. Petr Yan is a stud deserving champion obtaining the vacated 135lb belt. Back and fourth fight with a lot of technical exchanges as both fighters were toe-to-toe. Aldo fought a great fight but was beat by a better fighter at this point in his hall of fame career. The stoppage was hard to watch. The fight had been decided once Yan began to rain down punches to Aldo head as he curled up in the fetal position, but the referee Leon Roberts allowed the assault to go on for at least 30 seconds too long.
“Horrible, horrible stoppage by the referee. It should’ve been stopped way sooner,” said UFC President Dana White adding, “looks like we have to tighten up our refs and judges here in ‘Fight Island.’”
Jessica Andrade (1) vs Rose Namajunas (2): Woman’s straw-weight bout
Fight of the Night winner featured a rematch of two former 115lbs champions. “Thug” Rose Namajunas revenged her previous loss to Jessica Andrade in an action filled split decision victory. Both fighters made significant adjustments from their first fight, but Thug Rose always looked a step sharper in the first two rounds. Sensing the scorecards, Andrade came roaring back in the third, landing huge shots staggering Namajunas causing massive damage to the face. Namajunas stood her ground as both ladies exchanged blows in an epic finish to the fight. Andrade is still a serious contender for the belt and a tough night out for any one of the woman in the division. Namajunas looks primed to take on champion Zhang Weili.
Amanda Ribas (13) vs Paige VanZant (11): Woman’s Flyweight Bout
Amanda Ribas defeated Paige VanZant via first round submission. Rebas made quick work of the popular VanZant in what seems to be her last fight in the UFC, as her contract is up. Rebas stole the show the entire fight week with her infectious personality, which shine bright during her post fight interview with Jon Anik. Could this be UFC’s next big Woman’s star?
What matchups should we expect moving forward? Comment below and let me know.