A quick snapshot at the weekend that was.
Biggest Upset: Jiri Prochazka +155 over Volkan Oezdemir
Notable New Champions:
- Legacy Fighting Alliance Featherweight Champion: Justin Gonzales
- UFC Bantamweight Champion: Petr Yan
A Few Storylines Going Forward:
- Five More Rounds?: It was damned close, real goddamn close, and even a Max Holloway homer would struggle to give him more than three rounds against Alexander Volkanovski in their featherweight title rematch, and despite the cries of “robbery!” from some in the back, their fight was what it was, a very close fight that Holloway started very strong, with Volkanovski closing the gap late. Some thought he made it at the finish line, and some thought he didn’t make it in time, but at the end, by split-decision, Volkanovski was awarded the victory. I don’t think we’re done here, even if Max has to win a title eliminator fight to get another shot at him, but I think we’ve got five more rounds left of this rivalry.
- One Last Battle for Gold?: Most of us expected Petr Yan to bulldoze his way through an aged Jose Aldo, who was coming off of two-straight losses and 3-5 in his last eight, but goddamn if Aldo didn’t jump in the wayback machine and deliver an athletic, violent, and precise performance. Unfortunately, it was for naught at the end, when he was finished waaayyy too late, but for a minute, he was the Scarface of old. In the words of former colleague Lucas Bourdon…
- That, Uh, Got a Little out of Hand: Maybe next time we pump the brakes a little, eh? We all love Jorge Masvidal, but next time there’s a situation like this, let’s stop treating a beloved fighter like they’re Thanos, and take a break and see things logically. He was taking a title fight that required a 20lb weight cut and a trip across the world to fight at 6 in the morning in six days notice against a much more well-rounded fighter who had an entire camp. I got sucked it, you all did, too, and hopefully we’ll remember this for next time.
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