Some may need predicted a first-round stoppage when Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane met in the primary occasion of UFC 321 in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, however nobody may have foreseen the stoppage being due to an incidental eye poke. It was, to be frank, a bummer to see Aspinall’s extremely anticipated first title protection finish in a no contest after a principal card that already had positioned a brand new champion atop the strawweight division, a probable No. 1 contender within the males’s bantamweight division and had hinted on the subsequent challenger for the winner of Aspinall vs. Gane.
The UFC 321 headliner will nearly actually be rescheduled instantly — possibly even this 12 months — however wouldn’t it have ever occurred within the first place if the UFC hadn’t spent a lot time pairing Jon Jones with Stipe Miocic in 2023? Brett Okamoto has to surprise.
Andreas Hale and Jeff Wagenheim additionally posit that the situations are proper for Mackenzie Dern to make an prolonged reign at strawweight and that Umar Nurmagomedov may get one other title shot sooner fairly than later.
The fallout of Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic continues
When one thing like this occurs within the heavyweight division, I can not assist however return to the UFC’s determination to e book Jones vs. Miocic in 2023 (and once more in 2024, when the unique date acquired delayed by a 12 months due to harm). It was such an pointless combat. We waited over a 12 months for a consequence we already knew: that Jones would end Miocic, who primarily got here out of retirement. Why did the UFC try this? Cash? How a lot cash is it now costing the corporate to have a heavyweight division in ruins? If the UFC had actually wished to deliver Miocic again into the fold, it ought to have pressured him to combat Tom Aspinall as soon as Jones went down for that title combat in 2023.
If the UFC had began to advertise Aspinall in 2023, think about how completely different this division may look. On the very least, it would not really feel so stagnant. It may not be setting the world on fireplace as a result of, frankly, it would not at the moment have the depth for that, however a minimum of it would not really feel like a division during which nothing has occurred for 3 years. I can not think about how irritating it’s for Aspinall, which is why his father, Andy, is speaking about preventing out their contract with the UFC and pursuing boxing. Aspinall can be the second heavyweight champion prior to now a number of years to try this if it have been to come back to move, becoming a member of former UFC champion Francis Ngannou.
I am crying over spilled milk, and I do know it. Let me. The heavyweight division would not really feel actual good proper now, and the UFC closely contributed to that for the sake of a combat that actually was barely fascinating. — Okamoto
Mackenzie Dern is changing into an entire fighter at simply the correct time
Though she was 5-4 in her previous 9 fights, it was clear that Dern had been evolving because the world-class grappler was centered on enhancing her hanging. It had lengthy been the lacking instrument that prevented Dern from reaching the lofty expectations set when she debuted for the UFC in 2018.
However it all lastly got here collectively for her at simply the correct time towards Virna Jandiroba.
With Zhang Weili vacating the strawweight title and there being no clear high contender to face reverse the No. 1-ranked Jandiroba, the UFC opted to opportunistically thrust Dern right into a title combat in what can solely be described as a now-or-never scenario for the fan favourite.
And it labored.
Dern, who defeated Jandiroba by determination in December 2020, used her hanging to grind out a unanimous determination and declare the vacant title. Dern managed to be efficient sufficient together with her hanging to pressure Jandiroba into takedown makes an attempt all through the combat. Jandiroba managed to take Dern down 9 instances however was largely ineffective on account of Dern’s excellence in grappling. With Jandiroba unable to seek out a bonus wherever within the Octagon, she was relegated to hanging exchanges that noticed her outstruck by Dern 249-208.
To be clear: There’s a vital hole between the present champion and the previous champion. Ought to Weili resolve to come back again to strawweight after she faces Valentina Shevchenko for the flyweight title on Nov. 15, she would possible be a big betting favourite to regain the championship towards Dern. If and till then, the brand new champion is rounding out her recreation at a time when there is not a real multidimensional opponent ready within the wings. She’s now competent sufficient in her standup to be aggressive towards the division’s finest strikers (Amanda Lemos, Jessica Andrade and Yan Xiaonan), despite the fact that she has misplaced to all of them beforehand. And her floor recreation will all the time give her the sting towards fellow grapplers and wrestlers, corresponding to Tatiana Suarez and Gillian Robertson.
She should be considered as a transitional champion till she secures her first title protection, however the evolution of Mackenzie Dern is noteworthy and has lastly seen her ascend to the highest of the strawweight mountain. — Hale
Not all title shot eliminator fights are created — or end — equally
The 2 fights instantly earlier than the title bouts each pitted championship contenders seeking to safe a golden alternative. Whereas the 2 winners could have succeeded at that, just one instilled followers with hope that if he is granted a title combat, it has an honest probability of being a altering of the guard.
At heavyweight, Alexander Volkov received for the fifth time in his previous six fights, however his victory over Jailton Almeida didn’t encourage ideas that he may dethrone Tom Aspinall. Volkov has misplaced to solely two males in his most up-to-date 11 fights — Saturday’s headliners, Aspinall and Ciryl Gane. And whereas each of his losses to Gane went the gap, the second ending in a controversial cut up determination, Volkov acquired smoked by Aspinall in 2022, dropping by first-round submission.
Why ought to anybody imagine that will change after watching Volkov get taken down seven instances and managed on the canvas for lengthy stretches throughout his slim victory over Almeida? It might appear possible that Aspinall and Gane will run it again after their anticlimactic no contest, however even wanting past that, the place does Volkov slot in?
Then again, males’s bantamweight Umar Nurmagomedov raised his inventory by bouncing again from his solely profession loss — to champion Merab Dvalishvili in a January title combat. Nurmagomedov placed on a powerful efficiency towards a recreation Mario Bautista, touchdown almost 60% of his strikes and amassing 11 takedowns. Watching that whetted appetites for a second Dvalishvili-Nurmagomedov conflict. Deliver it on. — Wagenheim