UFC Fight Night Las Vegas Post Fight Analysis

Hello fight fans! UFC Fight Night took place this weekend at UFC APEX, Las Vegas and this was the last fight night of 2023!

Trivia (answer at end)

Who has the most knockouts in the Light Heavyweight division?

JunYong Park vs. Andre Muniz

Recap: This was a close fight that ended in a split decision.  The first round went back and forth with Muniz dominating with grappling and control and Park doing a great job of defending and getting to a standing position.  The majority of the round was favored for Muniz but with 40 seconds left, Park finally got the reversal and stole the round by inflicting ground and pound.  Even though Muniz was controlling the round, he didn’t deliver any damage to Park.  In the second round Muniz got Park on the canvas and dominated with his grappling by adjusting and staying on Park’s back.  Unfortunately for Park, he wasn’t able to get any reversals to help himself out.  Now the third round was interesting.  Muniz controlled the first half or so and around halfway through, Park reversed and got out.  From there he tried to get his offense going.  He found some openings and delivered some ground and pound but you could see both fighters were fatigued (grappling will do that to you!).  This round could have gone either way but according to the judges it just wasn’t enough and Muniz won by split decision.

What’s Next:  This fight puts Muniz back in the win column after suffering two losses against Paul Craig and Brendan Allen who are very tough competitors, and puts him in a really good position to get a top 15 opponent.  Don’t discount JunYong Park.  I think if he can work on that grappling and secure a couple more wins he’s going to be following suit very soon.

Tim Elliot vs. Sumudaerji

Recap: Sometimes when you take a fight on short notice it pays off and that’s what happened for veteran Tim Elliot.  He started off in his creative manner by somersaulting into a kick.  Sumudaerji was using his length and doing a good job not getting caught up in Elliot’s unique style but Elliot managed to grind and get Sumudaerji to the fence where he inflicted a big elbow before securing a takedown.  Once the two were on the ground, Elliot slapped Sumudaerji’s face (it won’t knock you out but can be effective) while moving to gain side control position.  Sumudaerji cradled up in the fetal position and Elliot was able to get in elbows to the face and body.  Then with 1:15 left in the round, Elliot got a head and arm triangle.  Sumudaerji didn’t tap and went to sleep at 4:02.

What’s Next: Tim Elliot who is ranked in the top 10 said he’s ready to fight next week and wants to make money.  His fights are always entertaining so I’d love to see him on any card.  Sumudaerji was ranked 11 and with this loss I can see him fighting someone ranked below him but still in the top 15 or someone who’s about to crack the top 15.

Nasrat Haqparast vs. Jamie Mullarkey

Recap: This fight was like watching a video game.  Both of these guys are great strikers and they came out in open stance (Haqparast in southpaw and Mullarkey in orthodox).  This sets up both fighters for hard crosses and that’s what they were trading.  Then with 3:27 left to go, Haqparast threw a jab and then a big cross that dropped Mullarkey to his knees.  Haqparast came in and punched Mularkey with his left uppercut like he was on turbo speed.  While that was going on, Mullarkey miraculously stood up to his feet even though he was completely knocked out and fell back down again, and that’s when the ref called it.  Haqparast secured the tremendous TKO at 1:44 of round 1.

What’s Next: Haqparast had an incredible performance and Mullarkey is not a walk in the park.  He wants a top 15 opponent and after this performance I can see him earning that one.  As for Mullarkey, he’s still fighting his way to get higher in the ranks to earn that position.  He’s coming close and this was a great back and forth fight.  He just got caught but that’s why we love this sport!

Anthony “Lionheart” Smith vs. Khalil Roundtree Jr.

Recap: This was a tough fight to watch because I really like Lionheart.  Throughout the fight, Roundtree looked like he was toying with Smith and slowly picking him apart.  Smith was staying in the pocket and going strike for strike with Roundtree.  He was landing some good punches but Roundtree did a great job with his counters and his speed and power were just too overbearing to go strike for strike with.  He hurt Smith badly that forced him to cover up at the end of round 1 and he wobbled him in round 2.  Finally in the beginning of round 3 Roundtree put Smith out of his misery.  Roundtree threw a right uppercut followed by a left overhand.  Smith then stumbled backwards, fell to the canvas, and did a backwards roll.  Roundtree stood looking down at Smith with his left hand up ready to strike a hammerfist but he didn’t need to as the ref called it after 56 seconds.

What’s Next: This is Roundtree’s 5th consecutive win and he called out Pereira.  Do I think he’ll get that?  No.  However, he did make a good argument for it.  He said the fans want a good striking match and they could make that happen.  It’s not a bad call out with his reasoning.  He even called out the politics that would prevent him getting that fight and I agree that’s why that fight won’t happen right now.  I would like to see him against Krylov, who I don’t think has a fight, in a 5 round fight or the loser of Walker and Ankalaev.  I don’t think the latter would happen though because he wants to fight sooner.  I really hope Lionheart retires soon.  I’m not sure who he’s going to fight next but I hope he gets the fight he wants for his last fight.

Song Yadong vs. Chris “El Guapo” Gutierrez

Recap: I think most fighters have a fight they can learn from moving forward and I think this was it for Gutierrez.  The two fighters were primarily striking back and forth for the first three rounds.  I don’t think Gutierrez did a bad job but I don’t think he did enough either in those rounds.  He peppered Song a lot with his kicks and punches, used his feints, and moved laterally to throw Song off.  Gutierrez also has really great defense (a bit similar to Strickland where he can manage distance well).  Unfortunately though, Song’s power was just too much.  In all three rounds I gave it to Song just because of his sheer strength and damage.  He also ended the third round dominating Gutierrez on the ground with ground and pound.  In the fourth round, Song really displayed the “mixed” part of mixed martial arts.  40 seconds in, he dropped Gutierrez and then the two scrambled which ultimately ended in him controlling Gutierrez on the ground.  The rest of the round was Song displaying his strength and grappling skills.  By the 5th round, Gutierrez needed a Hail Mary to win this fight.  However, his Hail Mary choice was not a popular one for the situation.  He went in for an Imanari roll (not talking about sushi here) which is a potential entrance for a leg lock.  As you can probably guess, it didn’t go his way and Song took advantage of him being on the ground and dominated Gutierrez the rest of the fight.

What’s Next: Gutierrez needs to continue working on that mental toughness.  He said he was working on it during this training camp but there are levels to this just like there are with technical skills.  He was talking to the ref about getting hit in the back of his head (I think they were clean hits) and in between rounds he yelled at someone in the crowd and was cursing them out.  I’ve done a lot of sports and I personally think MMA is the most mentally draining sport out there.  I give it an edge over tennis only because your life is essentially at risk.  Once he can dial that in, he’s going to do great things in this division.  As for Song, he looked great.  He called out Petr Yan and I think that matchup would be fantastic.  Both fighters are incredibly fast and Yan needs a fight.

Trivia Answer

Chuck Liddell with 10

Until next time fight fans!

BMF

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