Stephen Thompson proved helium inactive has title aspirations aft a dominating show implicit Kevin Holland successful the main lawsuit of UFC Fight Night, but others successful Orlando recovered their mode to radiance arsenic well. Brett Okamoto, Marc Raimondi and Jeff Wagenheim look astatine the biggest moments from an action-packed lawsuit successful Florida.
"Wonderboy" isn't overmuch of a lad anymore. Actually, helium hasn't been for rather immoderate time. But this mentation of Stephen Thompson, arsenic the flashy striker approaches his 40th birthday, inactive has rather a batch of worth to the UFC.
On Saturday nighttime successful the main lawsuit of UFC Orlando, Thompson bushed Kevin Holland via fourth-round TKO successful one of the year's champion fights, a rollicking, rollercoaster matter that saw some men get wounded and conflict backmost until the slick, crafty Thompson conscionable became excessively overmuch connected the feet for Holland, who injured his manus early. Holland's manager Bob Perez waved things disconnected earlier the 5th and last frame.
Thompson threw assorted techniques with his legs, from hook kicks to crescent kicks to liver kicks. He mightiness person adjacent deed Holland with Shawn Michaels' "Sweet Chin Music" astatine 1 point. It was hard to support track. Holland, meanwhile, cracked Thompson successful the archetypal circular with a piston-like close transverse and kept things entertaining throughout, contempt that manus issue.
All of this is to accidental that the connection of Thompson's imminent demise was highly overstated. In fact, it's truly each astir matchups. If "Wonderboy" tin proceed putting connected performances similar this, there's nary crushed helium shouldn't beryllium successful UFC Fight Night main events similar this oregon connected pay-per-view main cards a fewer times a year. Thompson did accidental helium inactive feels similar he's 25 years aged successful his post-fight interview, aft all.
The instrumentality is uncovering the close opponents. "Wonderboy" versus Holland was a maestro changeable from matchmakers Sean Shelby and Mick Maynard. Holland ever comes to fight, ne'er wants to wrestle oregon grapple, and is each excessively consenting to get into a brawl. Unfortunately for Holland, helium was the nonstop benignant of hostile to not lone rejuvenate Thompson, but helium was the archetypal "Wonderboy" foe to succumb to a KO/TKO since Johny Hendricks (remember him?) successful 2016.
A lawsuit tin beryllium made that Thompson has vaulted himself backmost into rubric contention with this victory. Maybe -- but what's the point? The apical of the welterweight part is filled with oppressive wrestlers similar Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington and Khamzat Chimaev. Thompson has already mislaid to Belal Muhammad and Gilbert Burns, some of whom who succeeded successful grinding "Wonderboy" retired with wrestling and grappling. And Usman, Covington and Chimaev are each amended wrestlers connected insubstantial than Muhammad and Burns.
No, the way guardant for Thompson should beryllium a amusive one, similar this combat against Holland. There are plentifulness of up-and-coming strikers the UFC tin propulsion astatine "Wonderboy" to spot if they tin hang. Who wouldn't privation to spot Thompson going up against a Michel Pereira oregon Jack Della Maddalena? Heck, wherefore not a bout betwixt "Wonderboy" and Philip Rowe, who had a highlight-filled triumph implicit Niko Price connected Saturday night? Prospects similar Ian Garry and Michael Morales could beryllium waiting successful the wings for an opportunity, too.
If Thompson tin stave disconnected a mates of those young, bare lions, you tin thrust him backmost into a large contender fight. But for the clip being, "Wonderboy" should not beryllium enactment wrong 100 feet of a wrestler. Feed the antheral strikers and ticker memorable performances similar the 1 Saturday nighttime proceed to occur.
Thompson is affable, likable, a instrumentality favourite and, erstwhile faced with the close foe crossed the Octagon, tin beryllium 1 of the astir entertaining fighters successful the world. He's inactive 1 of the champion welterweights successful the world. But is throwing him successful against a top-five contender the champion usage of a astir 40-year-old "Wonderboy?" Probably not.
Let's support things fun. And connected the feet. Thompson volition sound idiosyncratic retired with Sweet Chin Music 1 of these days.
Whether it's Conor McGregor oregon not, the UFC should find a program for RDA
Okamoto: Look, I person nary thought if McGregor volition instrumentality the bait connected Rafael dos Anjos's callout. No 1 does. His aboriginal is arsenic unpredictable arsenic it comes. Would I similar to spot him combat dos Anjos successful July? Yeah. Who wouldn't? And it was a astute telephone retired by dos Anjos. A genuine, shoot-your-shot benignant of thing, you know? But trying to trust connected a McGregor combat is risky business, and I would promote dos Anjos to signifier a Plan B.
I volition admit, I don't cognize what Plan B is. We've already been present with dos Anjos, investigating welterweight. He had immoderate occurrence determination years ago, but came up abbreviated erstwhile it was clip to tally into guys similar Leon Edwards, Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington. Those are hard matchups for him. And adjacent aft Saturday, helium spoke astir the carnal spot of Bryan Barberena, and told maine he's 38, helium doesn't deliberation he'll beryllium adding a batch of musculus wide immoderate clip soon.
Is his aboriginal a welterweight rubric run? We tin effort it, but it doesn't adhd up. But backmost astatine lightweight, dos Anjos has mislaid his footing a spot successful the nonaccomplishment to Rafael Fiziev successful July. He's not brainsick past his premier though, and helium has earned the close to not conscionable get thrown the adjacent up-and-comer for the remainder of his career. I anticipation the UFC tin bring him successful and sermon the adjacent mates of years of his career, and find a solution that makes consciousness and has direction.
Philip Rowe was arguably the biggest victor successful Orlando
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Phil Rowe finishes the combat vs. Niko Price successful Round 3 to nonstop his hometown Orlando assemblage into a frenzy.
Okamoto: I'm not kidding. On a paper that was filled with imaginable breakout performances and memorable upsets, Rowe stood retired to me. I find myself a large believer successful his imaginable walking distant from this weekend. He told maine aft the combat that he's ne'er been capable to amusement his afloat arsenal successful a fight, and I judge him. He's trained with the likes of Alex Pereira, Glover Teixeira, Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza and Rodolfo Vieira. His narration with his manager Julian Williams is rock, stone solid. Outside of the cage, helium has a batch of charisma and intelligence.
As acold arsenic what helium wants next, helium said helium wants a amended contract, and past he'll beryllium much than blessed to judge the astir challenging fights successful the division. Again, that's a astute stance to take.
Believe me, the much radical spot and perceive from Rowe, the much they volition similar him. He did miss value for the 2nd clip successful his UFC vocation this week, which he'll request to fix, but helium told maine it was much of a clip absorption contented than a semipermanent occupation with the value itself.
Sergei Pavlovich shakes up the heavyweights with KO of Tuivasa
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Sergei Pavlovich needs little than 60 seconds to decorativeness disconnected Tai Tuivasa successful beforehand of a disappointed Orlando crowd.
Wagenheim: In conscionable 54 seconds, Sergei Pavlovich knocked down Tai Tuivasa 3 times, bloodied up his look and finished him via knockout. Then the 30-year-old Russian walked retired of the Octagon and did not portion an big beverage retired of a shoe. The guy's lone gimmick, apparently, is throwing a scare into the full UFC heavyweight division.
Pavlovich moved to 17-1 with his 5th consecutive victory, each by first-round knockout, the past 2 coming wrong the fight's archetypal minute. Despite his abbreviated clip successful the cage, Pavlovich showed some connected Saturday night, and successful his 55-second TKO of Derrick Lewis successful July, that he's nary brawler. His dangerousness is not conscionable astir offense.
Against Tuivasa, Pavlovich had a 23-2 borderline successful important strikes, making Tuivasa whiff connected 8 of the 10 big, winging punches helium threw connected his mode to getting KO'd. Pavlovich utilized his 84-inch scope well. And portion it mightiness look silly to accidental this pursuing specified a speedy finish, Pavlovich exhibited the benignant of patience that tin marque a quality successful a value people wherever anyone tin person his lights turned retired successful a millisecond.
This feline has what it takes to airs problems for anyone successful the apical tier of the big-boy division, including his chap knockout creator Francis Ngannou, the champ. Pavlovich has shown himself to beryllium arsenic method a striker arsenic Ciryl Gane -- conscionable with much power. That's a operation that'll marque fans forgive him for not having a trademark solemnisation connected his mode retired of the cage aft starching different opponent.
Jauregui tin beryllium UFC's adjacent Mexican star
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Yazmin Jauregui finishes Istela Nunes connected the crushed to triumph the archetypal bout of the nighttime astatine UFC Fight Night.
Raimondi: Brandon Moreno. Yair Rodriguez. Irene Aldana. Alexa Grasso. Now, adhd Yazmin Jauregui to that database of immoderate of the UFC's apical Mexican-born fighters.
Yes, it's early. She lone has 2 UFC fights and is conscionable 23 years old, but she's each spot the imaginable astatine that property that immoderate of the supra were. Jauregui won her debut successful August against Iasmin Lucindo successful a barnburner of a fight. On Saturday, she rallied backmost from getting dropped successful the archetypal circular to decorativeness Istela Nunes via second-round TKO astatine UFC Orlando.
It's not conscionable that she won Saturday, either. It's however she won. Have you heard of "Mexican style" successful boxing? Jauregui fights similar that. She's perpetually aggressive, pressing forward, throwing hard shots with each limb. Nunes had occurrence countering successful the archetypal round, but Jauregui made immoderate adjustments successful the 2nd and took the combat to Nunes. She dropped her 3 times successful the circular and finished with immoderate ruthless, convulsive crushed and pound.
Jauregui has the benignant of motor, strength and ruthlessness you don't often find successful the lighter value divisions. She's consecutive up violent.
The question moving guardant is however rapidly the UFC volition propulsion Jauregui. The promotion is acceptable to marque large moves successful Mexico successful 2023, with rumors of a large lawsuit successful the state and crushed being breached connected a UFC Performance Institute successful Mexico City. With the likes of Moreno, Aldana, Rodriguez and Grasso -- each of whom are successful title oregon contender slots moving into the caller twelvemonth -- the UFC has an arsenal of Mexican fighters to showcase successful its adjacent travel southbound of the border. Jauregui needs to beryllium spoken astir successful that speech now, arsenic well.
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