What tin we instrumentality distant from a thrilling slate of rubric fights and marquee matchups astatine UFC 281? Jeff Wagenheim, Marc Raimondi and Brett Okamoto connection their thoughts from a highlight-packed lawsuit successful New York.
NEW YORK -- Why are we surprised?
Alex Pereira had shown america it could beryllium done agelong earlier helium stepped into the Octagon connected Saturday nighttime to situation Israel Adesanya for the middleweight title successful the main lawsuit of UFC 281. When helium and Adesanya were some kickboxers, Pereira had fought "The Last Stylebender" doubly and defeated him some times, successful 2017, handing Adesanya the lone knockout nonaccomplishment of his combat sports career. (At slightest to that constituent of the career.)
So we each knew the challenger could bash it.
And past helium did it -- for the 3rd time.
And yet it inactive was shocking for MMA fans, who are not utilized to seeing Adesanya outmanned, astatine slightest not by a chap 185-pounder. When Pereira wounded the defending champ with a right-hand midway done Round 5, past swarmed Adesanya on the cage to prehend the infinitesimal and get the finish, the afloat location astatine Madison Square Garden momentarily was near silent, possibly successful disbelief, earlier erupting with deafening acclaim for a caller champ.
Pereira (7-1), who resumed a long-dormant MMA vocation conscionable 2 years agone aft being a two-division Glory kickboxing champ, showed disconnected powerfulness passim the fight. When helium connected, helium made an impact. But aboriginal on, Adesanya (23-2) was trading successful the pocket, adjacent severely hurting Pereira close earlier the horn to extremity Round 1.
As the combat wore on, though, and Adesanya absorbed immoderate dense leather, helium began utilizing his footwork much and much to support the safest region helium could. He adjacent mixed successful wrestling to prehend the vantage successful Round 3, which didn't enactment Pereira successful heavy information but did tyre retired the challenger.
Adesanya carried overmuch of the enactment successful the last rounds, and arsenic overmuch powerfulness arsenic helium had to woody with, helium appeared to beryllium cruising to a determination win. When the fighters met successful the halfway of the Octagon for the last round, Adesanya was up connected each 3 judges' scorecards, 3 rounds to one. But that's wherefore they docket these title fights for 5 rounds.
And erstwhile there's inactive clip connected the clock, and a combatant with large powerfulness is successful the cage, the lights tin spell retired astatine immoderate moment. Which they did -- again. -- Wagenheim
The doorway is backmost unfastened for The Diamond
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Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler commercialized blows successful an unthinkable archetypal circular of their fight.
Don't look now, but Dustin Poirier is close backmost successful the UFC lightweight rubric picture.
After winning an implicit warfare against Michael Chandler, Poirier has erstwhile again enactment himself into the contender conversation. Here's the important part: The men Poirier mislaid to successful rubric fights are nary longer the champion. Khabib Nurmagomedov has retired. Charles Oliveira mislaid the belt, archetypal connected the standard and past successful the Octagon against caller champion Islam Makhachev. And Poirier inactive has arsenic bully of a résumé arsenic anyone astatine the apical of the 155-pound value class, including knockout wins implicit Justin Gaethje and Conor McGregor.
Makhachev volition marque his archetypal rubric defence against Alexander Volkanovski, the featherweight champion, astatine UFC 284 successful February. Could Poirier get the victor of that fight? It's surely possible. Poirier lone has 2 losses since 2016 and they were some successful rubric fights against the aforementioned erstwhile champs. At this point, "The Diamond" has built adjacent to a Hall of Fame legacy, though you cognize he'd emotion to triumph the large 1 conscionable erstwhile and clasp that golden belt. He's been interim champion, but ne'er undisputed.
With the triumph implicit Chandler, Poirier kept himself successful the conversation. And really, he's close there. The UFC knows what it's going to get with him, too. Poirier is ever nonrecreational and seldom has a atrocious fight. He ever leaves it retired there, similar connected Saturday erstwhile Chandler astir finished him connected aggregate occasions. But Poirier came backmost and won, via decorativeness successful the 3rd round. That's what helium does and wherefore it wouldn't astonishment anyone to spot him successful a rubric combat again adjacent year. -- Raimondi
Thanks for 15 unforgettable years, Frankie Edgar
Let it beryllium known that Frankie Edgar's MMA vocation did not extremity with a genu to the look by Chris Gutierrez. That onslaught finished the combat hardly 2 minutes into the archetypal round, but these 2 weren't done with each other. As soon arsenic Edgar was capable to get up, Gutierrez went close to him and locked him successful an clasp that seemed to past an eternity. That is the heavy good of respect that "The Answer" has earned implicit his 15-year run.
Edgar's cornermen soon joined the hug, and truthful did the Madison Square Garden crowd, successful a sense. A "Frankie Edgar! Frankie Edgar!" chant broke out, and a bittersweet ending turned into a tribute.
MMA fans volition miss the Edgar walkout that was ever a run-out, acceptable to the fitting soundtrack of "Kick successful the Door" by The Notorious B.I.G. With that little-engine-that-could vigor of his, Edgar would rouse up the assemblage adjacent earlier he'd acceptable ft wrong the Octagon.
But much than anything, the athletics volition consciousness the lack of Edgar's inextinguishable committedness to facing up to outsized challenges. He earned that respect implicit a decennary agone erstwhile helium bushed a legend, BJ Penn, to go UFC lightweight champion, past took connected each (bigger) comers astatine 155 pounds contempt having a assemblage amended suited for bantamweight.
The 135-pound part has been Edgar's value people for the past mates of years -- yet -- and that is wherever helium concluded his vocation this weekend. This was not however helium wanted to spell out, with 5 losses successful his last six fights, each but 1 by knockout. But "The Answer" was stoic successful his appreciation for what helium has.
"I got my household here," Edgar said. "That's each that matters."
Edgar ne'er utilized trash speech oregon gimmicks to gully attraction to himself desperately. He didn't privation determination to beryllium pomp and circumstances surrounding the status fight. He would person preferred to softly locomotion distant erstwhile helium was acceptable to beryllium done. The occupation was, Edgar ever had much combat near successful him. Saturday showed the remainder of america that it was time, but Edgar knew himself. He understood that unless helium made nationalist his committedness to walking away, helium would person conscionable kept connected fighting. Just similar helium ever did, sometimes against each odds, implicit 15 unforgettable years. -- Wagenheim
Zhang comes afloat ellipse arsenic UFC champion
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Zhang Weili forces Carla Esparza to pat to reclaim her strawweight rubric successful the co-main lawsuit of UFC 281.
After Zhang Weili bushed Carla Esparza connected Saturday nighttime to triumph the UFC women's strawweight rubric for a 2nd time, she made a poignant connection done her interpreter.
The archetypal clip she won the title, successful 2019 implicit Jessica Andrade, it was successful Zhang's location state of China and she got a monolithic ovation. Zhang said successful her postfight interrogation that the archetypal clip she felt similar she belonged to China. This time, she belonged to the full world.
The past fewer years, Zhang has had a analyzable narration with the fans successful the United States. COVID-19 coming retired of China and America's analyzable narration did her nary favors. Zhang was booed massively successful April 2021, her rubric defence against Rose Namajunas successful Jacksonville, Florida. Namajunas ended up knocking Zhang retired successful conscionable 1:18 of the archetypal round. The absorption to Zhang was truthful atrocious that during her adjacent grooming campy astatine Fight Ready successful Arizona, they played boos implicit the PA strategy and had those successful the gym hurl verbal insults astatine Zhang during sparring sessions arsenic a method of preparation.
Zhang drew boos again present astatine Madison Square Garden past year, different nonaccomplishment to Namajunas. But this week successful New York, the tide seemed to turn. Esparza, coming disconnected a lackluster rubric triumph implicit Namajunas earlier this year, was the 1 getting booed astatine the property league and connected combat night. Zhang was getting a ton of cheers.
Maybe the American fans were not acceptable for the Zhang rubric reign a fewer years ago. But it seems similar they are acceptable to clasp her arsenic 1 of the champion fighters successful the satellite now, pursuing a vicious knockout of Joanna Jedrzejczyk and present this submission triumph implicit Esparza. -- Raimondi
Adesanya-Pereira could person been Fight of the Year
It won't extremity up winning, due to the fact that we similar our Fight of the Year to beryllium higher paced and see much back-and-forth flurries. More blood. You know, similar Dustin Poirier and Michael Chandler earlier successful the night. But the level of excellence successful this rubric fight, antheral - high-level chess. The technique, focus, carnal mentation and strategizing. You tin look astatine the combat and constituent to method errors successful the grappling, but successful presumption of each combatant playing to his spot and trying to maximize his accidental to win, this was the astir fascinating combat of the twelvemonth to me.
These 2 person to combat again. This matchup is sublime. The information that it could person ended successful the archetypal round, erstwhile Adesanya landed that large changeable late, adds different wrinkle to it. You would ideate Pereira volition lone proceed to amended his grappling implicit time. This is 1 of the champion matchups successful the UFC. -- Okamoto
English (US)