UFC Fight Night Vegas Post Fight Analysis

Hello fight fans! UFC Fight Night took place this weekend at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. Let’s get to the main card!

Trivia (answer at end)

There are two men in the UFC who have multiple TKO’s via leg kicks. One being Jonathan Martinez. Who is the other?

Christian Rodriguez vs. Cameron Saaiman

Recap: These two fighters were matched up extremely well with their fighting styles which made this fight so fun to watch. It was action packed from the beginning to the end. In all three rounds, there was a lot of high level striking with spinning back kicks and spinning back fists. Rodriguez used more of his fists and Saaiman attacked more with his legs. These two also stayed in the pocket where they had strong exchanges and many times they connected at the same time. When the two were on the ground, they rolled and scrambled but Rodriguez had better positioning during the exchanges. Both had an impressive showing with the judges scoring the fight 30-27, 30-27, and 29-28 giving Saaiman his first loss in the UFC and Rodriguez a win with an asterisk . . . .

This asterisk should be a big one. Rodriguez missed weight by 4 pounds before entering this fight and this wasn’t the first time he missed weight. He missed weight in his last fight by 2.5 pounds against Rosas Jr. For anyone who doesn’t think this is a big deal, it is. This is INCREDIBLY unprofessional especially missing twice, and 4 pounds is a lot. I’ve said this before . . . MAKE WEIGHT. The last 5 pounds always suck but it is part of the job. I don’t want to take too much away from Rodriguez because he’s a great fighter, but I cannot confidently say the outcome would have been the same if he made weight.

What’s Next: As mentioned before, this is Saaiman’s first loss in the UFC. He’s young at 22 years old. His grappling defense looked solid and he’s a South African kickboxing champion. Keep a lookout for him. As for Rodriguez, figure out the weight cut. He mentioned in the post fight conference that he just couldn’t lose the extra pounds but I’m calling BS. That unprofessionalism pisses me off.

Andre Petroski vs. Michel Pereira

Recap: Welcome to the Middleweight division Pereira, and what a way to make a statement (he finally moved up in weight class as he missed weight a few times in the Welterweight division). Only one kick was thrown before Pereira came in with a right cross to the jaw and knocked Petroski to the ground. Pereira ran in and pounded his way to the TKO giving Petroski his first loss after 1:06.

What’s Next: Pereira is looking YOKED in this division and the extra weight I think is playing in his favor especially as he didn’t lose any explosiveness. I’m not sure who he’s going to fight next, but I’m excited to see him in this new division and he will give a lot of the guys a run for their money. Petroski is known for his grappling and needs work on his standup, so I'd like to see how he rebounds and improves on that aspect of his game.

Jonathan Martinez vs. Adrian Yanez

Recap: This was a pick ‘em fight at -110 with Martinez known for his leg kicks and Yanez known for his boxing, and the leg kicks prevailed. Martinez stuck to his game plan to take out the legs of Yanez (a boxer can’t punch without his legs) and he put on another clinic (he TKO’d Cub Swanson with multiple leg kicks too). From the beginning of round 1 to the TKO, Martinez used his southpaw stance to his advantage and chopped away at Yanez’s inside lead leg. Yanez was having troubles checking the HEAVY thrown kicks and was severely compromised at the end of the first round. Then in round 2, Martinez got Yanez to the fence where he teed off on him with more leg kicks and dropped him at 2:26 when the ref called the fight.

What’s Next: This is Yanez’s second TKO in a row, so I’m looking to see how he comes back. He has extremely good boxing, and I’d like to see how he evolves with overall striking and grappling for his next fight. Martinez called out Merab and I love that call out. First, nobody calls out Merab. His nickname is “The Machine” for a reason (go watch his fight against Fiziev). Second, I love big call outs because let’s get these fighters some money! This is the entertainment business after all. Martinez and I don’t think he will get that fight just yet and will fight someone in the top 10 first but hey, wishful thinking.

Jennifer Maia vs. Viviane Araújo

Recap: This fight went the distance and was a big win for Viviane Araújo as it put her in the top 10 and also showcased her improvement from her last fights. Both fighters were patient in the first round going from zero to 100 with their exchanges where they threw hard combos. Araújo had the first grappling attempt but Maia defended it. Within the first 30 seconds of round 2, Araújo got Maia on the ground where she maintained control for the rest of the round with not much physical damage being done to either fighter. Round 3 had a lot more action and urgency from Maia as she tried to finish the fight with an armbar but it wasn’t enough. After three rounds, the judges scored the fight 29-28 for Araújo.

What’s Next: Both these women are well rounded and a matchup with Andrade, Murphy, or Barber would be a good fight for either woman. Andrade is very well rounded and coming off three loses, Murphy is an awkward striker, and Barber is a striker with some grappling so any of these three would be a good test.

Sodiq Yusuff vs. Edson “Junior” Barboza

Recap: What a CRAZY BATTLE between the legendary Edson Barboza and up and comer Sadiq Yusuff. In round 1, Yusuff’s right hand was working and he dropped Barboza within the first minute and rag-dolled him for the rest of the 5 minutes. He was headhunting and connecting (although I think he should have added in body shots since Barboza had his guard up high) and got the takedown where he inflicted ground and pound for the rest of the round. This was easily a 10-8 round for Yusuff. In the second round, Barboza was pressing the action more and landing a lot of body shots while Yusuff continued to headhunt. Then with 1:15 left, Barboza caught Yusuff with a nice cross and his confidence skyrocketed. In round 3, you could see that Yusuff was slowing down and this is where the experience came in. Barboza continued with the pressure and attacked the body with punches and kicks, and with a little over 45 seconds left in the round Barboza dropped Yusuff with a spinning wheel kick to the head. The round ended with some nice ground and pound.

After that incredible comeback by Barboza, the scorecards were tied. The last two rounds would be dependent upon the gas tanks and again, Barboza’s experience gave him the edge. Rounds 4 and 5 were tough striking battles. Round 4 could have gone either way and after the horn, we got some coaching insights where Barboza’s coaches were honest and told him just that and Yusuff’s coaches told him “right hand, left hook.” In round 5, Yusuff didn’t listen to his coaches and instead kept backing up and jabbing. Barboza continued with his game plan and got a big takedown with a little over a minute and a half left to go. He controlled Yusuff the rest of the fight by clinch and another takedown to end it. In the end, the judges scored it 49-46, 48-46, and 48-46. This was an insane comeback by Barboza who had over 100 body shots throughout the fight.

What’s Next: I’d like to see Barboza fight Calvin Katter. Both guys are older and Katter is coming off two losses. Both Barboza and Katter need to heal, but the timing could work out for next year so we’ll see. Yusuff is still young and clearly has a lot of talent. We saw what experience does when you're going for the title, and I think another fight that would test him is against Dan Ige. Ige is older with experience as well and a strong striker. Whoever Yusuff fights next though, I want to see how he rebounds, makes the adjustments, and implements what his coaches are telling him.

Trivia Answer

Edson “Junior” Barboza

Until next time fight fans!

BMF

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