UFC Fight Night Singapore Post Fight Analysis

Hello fight fans! This UFC fight night took place this past Saturday at Singapore Indoor Stadium and someone was cutting onions!!!

Junior Tafa vs. Parker Porter

Recap: Going into this fight, I thought Porter had a chance of pulling off the W if he used his wrestling, given that Tafa struggled with that in his first fight against Mohhamed Usman. However, Tafa showed us in this fight what we wanted to see in his prior one. Within the first minute of round 1, Tafa wobbled Porter with a knee up the middle which Porter responded with an unsuccessful takedown attempt. Then, Tafa showcased his power with a right hook to Porter’s head that sent him face planting into the octagon canvas. Tafa’s power demands some attention in this division. Which knockout do you think was better, Junior’s or his brother’s?

What’s Next: This was Porter’s 8th fight in the UFC. Since his fight against Justin Tafa, he has slimmed down and was moving a lot better against Braxton Smith. I think he still has a few more fights left in him so I hope we see him again. This is Tafa’s 2nd fight in the UFC. He has a lot of power but his strikes can be loopy and I’m hesitant on his wrestling skills. I’m looking forward to seeing how he progresses in the heavyweight division.

Erin “Cold Blooded” Blanchfield vs. Taila Santos

Recap: If there was going to be a fight that really tested Blanchfield it was going to be this one with Talia Santos’s speed, power, and grappling capabilities. Santos took the first round with her high volume hard shots and incredible takedown defense. Blanchfield got her in the clinch, but not much damage was done. Blanchfield grappled her way back in the fight in the second round. Santos still had great takedown defense, but Blanchfield eventually got her to the ground and had more control. For a second, I thought Blanchfield had her back, but Santos displayed solid ground defense and got out of it. Round 3 was where we saw Blanchfield’s game plan come to fruition. Her relentless takedown attempts started to wear Santos down and more punches were landing for Blanchfield. Overall this was a hard fought fight between these two flyweights with Blanchfield taking home her 6th consecutive win scored at 29-28 among the judges.

What’s Next: This fight did not lower Santos’s stock, so I think she’ll take on the winner between Fiorot and Rose. Blanchfield definitely earned the winner between Grasso and Bullet for her next fight. Whoever wins will be an awesome matchup for her style.

Rinya Nakamura vs. Fernie Garcia

Recap: Rinya Nakamura is an up and comer in the Bantamweight division that deserves some attention. He’s currently undefeated at 8-0 and 2-0 in the UFC. All three rounds he showed his strength and dominated Garcia with his wrestling winning him the fight.

What’s Next: I’m looking forward to whoever Nakamura fights next. There are so many potential good matchups for this UFC newcomer so keep an eye out for him. As for Garcia, this was his third loss in the UFC. I’d like to see him get a W on the board, but he really needs to focus on his takedown defense and ground game skills.

Giga Chikadze vs. Alex Caceres

Recap: Giga Chikadze is back mutha fuckas! Giga made a triumphant return to the octagon after an 18 month hiatus recovering from injury and his previous battle against Calvin Kattar. The fight between him and Caceres was back and forth technical striking which looked like a karate point fighting match (Wonderboy, anybody?). Caceres had more output throughout the fight, but Giga had more accurate and palpable shots. You could not only hear Giga’s shots land, but they moved Caceres. Giga secured the victory by unanimous decision, winning all three rounds.

What’s Next: Giga is known for his incredible kicks but as seen in his fight against Kattar, it can only take you so far. I was hoping to see more parts of his stand-up game (ie. clinching, more use of his hands/punches). Because of this, I’d love to see how Giga fairs against someone like Bryce Mitchell. Mitchell is ranked below him and is known for his grappling. This would not only showcase Giga’s potential growth, but it would also be a huge challenge for Mitchell. I’d keep Caceres at #15 and have him fight anyone ahead of him. I think he brings a lot to the table and is extremely technical and entertaining to watch.

Anthony “Lionheart” Smith vs. Ryan “Superman” Spann

Recap: I love that Anthony Smith is not only an analyst, but he applies that to his own fights. After listening to him talk in the pre-show, his focus was more leg kicks. He wanted the fight to go all three rounds and he made that happen. Lionheart had a very strong first round displaying his leg kick training and he also executed a notable Muay Thai catch and sweep (ahh I love me a good Muay Thai catch and sweep). Spann caught Smith’s left eye with a left hook that caused a good amount of damage in round 2. He got Smith to the ground but after he let Smith stand, not much happened. I’d give the second round to Spann with a boring ending. In the beginning of round 3, Spann had a sweet embrace with Lionheart (I guess he learned to stop talking so much shit since their last bout). Then, he proceeded to headhunt which I wasn’t a fan of. Smith had his guard up high protecting that left eye, so I would have thought Spann would get in some more body shots. Other than that, round 3 was slow with Smith coming out ahead in a split decision.

What’s Next: Lionheart sounds like he’s on the verge of retiring. He’s had 55 fights and when asked about what’s next for him, he wasn’t focused on fighting. If I had to choose a fight for him, I’d have him go against Krylov. I want to see a fight between Spann and Roundtree. I think that would be extremely entertaining since both can be wild cards during fights.

Max “Blessed” Holloway vs. The Korean Zombie

Recap: I love both these fighters and I can’t believe they’ve never fought before so let me take you back to paint this picture. Prior to this fight night, there were rumors that the Korean Zombie was going to retire and he said he would make up his mind after the fight. Also, Holloway is from Hawaii and we all know about the devastating fires that happened there. So going into this fight, we knew these fighters were going to fight their hearts out.

Lights turn blue in the stadium and the Singapore fans start cheering. “Zombie” by The Cranberries starts to play. The camera focuses on TKZ and his team walking through the corridor to the stadium. Everyone is taking in this potential last moment as we think he’s going to retire, but we’re still not 100% sure. A few steps into the arena, he stops, raises his arms, and puts his left hand to his ear before the first chorus to hear the crowd sing . . .

If that didn’t get you going, he turned to embrace the fans and repeated his arm motions as they belted out the second chorus right before he screamed and entered the octagon for what we now know would be his last fight in UFC.

Lights turn red in the arena and Holloway starts to walk out to a special song dedicated to Hawaii and the people of Lahaina with the Hawaiian flag draped around him. He also dressed in red in solidarity with them that night. The energy in the stadium was unreal as the Singapore fans gave him just as much love walking out as they did TKZ. Mana (spiritual power) was surging through the stadium that night. I don’t know about you but, I had some major goosebumps going on.

Now, to the fight . . . . Round 1 was a fun striking match to watch and both had solid shots that landed. Overall, Holloway came out ahead in the first round. Early into round 2, Holloway hit TKZ with a body shot followed by a right hook to the side of his head that knocked TKZ down. I thought TKZ was done but he rolled over, grabbed Holloway’s left leg and started to grapple. Holloway got him in an anaconda where I thought TKZ was out, but he wasn’t! Chan Sung Jung is called the Korean Zombie for a reason. I have no idea how he survived that but that’s why he’s the Korean Zombie and I’m not. Throughout the rest of the round, Holloway continued to pick apart TKZ with his incredible boxing. In round 3, TKZ came out HOT! There’s a saying “kill or be killed” and TKZ fought just like that. Unfortunately for him, he was knocked out in the first 20 seconds with Holloway’s right hook. What an incredible fight and an honorable way TKZ went out. A lot of fighters will say they’ll end their career in a kill or be killed style, but they don’t. Much respect for TKZ and to Holloway who was a class act and went over to show respect. Holloway also raised TKZ’s hand in his post octagon interview.

What’s Next: Holloway has beaten pretty much everyone in the division. He mentioned in his post fight interview that he’ll fight anyone to get the title again. If that’s the case, get ready for him to shatter more records.

Before proceeding, go grab some tissues.

After the fight, the Korean Zombie announced his retirement. Now, I’ve seen a lot of UFC retirements and I thought TKZ’s time was overdue, but man did this one get to me. As if his announcement wasn’t emotional enough, he laid his gloves down, bowed on the octagon floor, and cried. When he got up and embraced his teammates, “Zombie” was playing in the arena and as he stepped out of the octagon the Singapore fans sang for his last time . . .

What a beautiful way to retire. He always wanted to fight Max Holloway and he ended his career with his bucket list fight. This man is a legend, has done so much for the sport, and has fought some of the most epic and entertaining fights. Let’s not forget that he was the first to submit an opponent via twister. Korean Zombie, you may have never been a champ in the UFC, but you are the undisputed champion in the heart of the fans always and forever.

Trivia (answer will be in next newsletter)

How many seconds did it take for Conor McGregor to defeat Jose Aldo?

Last Week’s Trivia Answer

What year was the belt first introduced in the UFC? 1995 in UFC 5 to Dan Severen

Until next time fight fans!

BMF

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