What mattered most at UFC Fight Night 184 in Las Vegas? Here are some post-fight reflections …
1. Cory Sandhagen’s ‘KO of the year’ should guarantee the title shot
Wow. Just wow. Even the morning after the fight, I still haven’t gotten over what [autotag]Cory Sandhagen[/autotag] (14-2 MMA, 7-1 UFC) did it for Frankie Edgar there. We’ve seen Edgar get knocked down by Brian Ortega and Chan Sung Jung before, but they were nothing compared to that. The blow to the flying knee that Sandhagen hit to stiffen Edgar like a board and flatten him on the screen was one of the most beautiful and frightening things I have ever seen happen inside the octagon. Considering that I’ve been working in the business for almost a decade – many years after the fighting game before that – it says a lot about how violent the ending was. If Sandhagen’s masterpiece isn’t at the top of the “Knockout of the Year” list, or simply the absolute winner at the end of December, we’ll have some real doozies this year. But it will be difficult to win. My criteria when distributing “KO of the year” combine style, bets and shock value. This one had it all. He was a title eliminator against one of the sport’s all-time legends, and Sandhagen finished quickly, cleanly and in a way that should instill some concern in every other bantamweight. The list of worthy candidates for the next 135-pound title dispute starts and ends with Sandhagen. I don’t want to hear about him fighting TJ Dillashaw now after his submission at Edgar, and Marlon Moraes’ knockout before that. He’s the guy, and unless something crazy happens in the UFC 259 title dispute between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling as a super controversial result, Sandhagen is the right choice to fight the winner. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4A6EzfwlLY
2. The end of Alistair Overeem and Frankie Edgar?
The 40 year old [autotag]Alistair Overeem[/autotag] (47-19 MMA, 12-8 UFC) has spent more than two decades as an active competitor in MMA, and is now at a crossroads with a crucial decision to make about his future after suffering a TKO loss in the second round to Alexander Volkov at the main event. Will Overeem, who has been very self-conscious about his limits and fight schedule during his “last race” for the heavyweight title fight, make the difficult but correct choice to hang up his gloves? With yet another UFC championship opportunity likely out of reach, this would be the ideal scenario. The other option, however, is Overeem chasing a final moment of success, because he doesn’t want his last moment to be his bloody face falling and stopping. But it is a dangerous game, because there is no guarantee that the next fight will not end in the same way, or perhaps with something worse. Edgar (24-9-1 MMA, 18-9-1 UFC) is essentially in the same boat after his knockout defeat on the prominent reel. He is approaching 40 and has almost eight hours of fighting just under the UFC flag, which is the record of all time. The rooster division is full of real savages, and after being defeated as it did against Sandhagen, it looks like a potentially scary turning point, where things can go from bad to worse in terms of your long-term health. Overeem and Edgar are two absolute legends of the sport, and their respective bodies of work must never be forgotten. I’m definitely not saying that both need to retire now, but seeing them eat by the hungry lions in the game within minutes is perhaps a sign that should be taken seriously. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vv4scdTXISo
3. Alexander Volkov shows his sharpness
Credit for [autotag]Alexander Volkov[/autotag] (33-8 MMA, 7-2 UFC). He appears to be a resilient guy who is dedicated to his craft, and after being totally defeated by Curtis Blaydes’ fight for five rounds in June, he managed to submit together with Overeem and Walt Harris. Although Overeem arrived at the main attraction with all the outstanding credentials, it was Volkov who showed superiority in his feet. He methodically worked on his opponent with a disciplined but highly effective striking game, bleeding Overeem to a horrible degree before finishing him in the second round. If someone lets Volkov attack from his most comfortable distance without confusing him, it probably won’t end well. The Russian has established himself as one of the best heavyweights of the moment, but will he be able to enter the championship? The top four in the heavyweight title photo at the moment are champion Stipe Miocic, Francis Ngannou, Jon Jones and Blaydes. These fights are all a handful for Volkov on paper – and we’ve already seen what happened against Blaydes in reality – but if he continues to win, it won’t be long before he can’t have a chance to prove himself against one of them guys. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXcvl-c5mkE
4. Clay Guida’s historic night comes with a victory
Unlike his veteran colleagues Overeem and Edgar, it was a remarkable night in [autotag]Clay Guida[/autotag] (36-20 MMA, 16-14 UFC) by becoming only the eighth fighter in UFC history to step 30 times in the octagon. What made it even more special, however, is that he left the cage with a victory. Guida managed to overcome veteran lightweight Michael Johnson over three rounds and win by unanimous decision, which was a very classic display of “The Carpenter”, who will turn 40 later this year. Although Guida has gone through many peaks and valleys throughout his history, he is still a familiar and useful name on the list of players who finds ways to raise his hand. The victories have been getting smaller and smaller over the years, but the fact that he stayed for so long, with limited easy fights along the way, says a lot about how he should be remembered. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6W16tv5R5c
5. Beneil Dariush continues to cross
[autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] (20-4-1 MMA, 14-4-1 UFC) has now won six consecutive fights in the ultra-competitive lightweight division, and it looks like only now will he break the top 10 of the sport’s deepest weight class. . Dariush showed once again that he is the best man for Diego Ferreira, making a split decision in a rematch of a fight that also won on the scoreboard in October 2014. He is more than proven at this point, and we can only hope that he succeeds an opportunity to rise. At one point in late 2020, Dariush was scheduled to fight Charles Oliveira in what seemed like the perfect opportunity for him. It collapsed when “Do Bronx” gave up, and the Brazilian defeated Tony Ferguson in another fight and obviously graduated in addition to a fight with Dariush. Still, Dariush deserves something at that level going forward. I hope this happens to him, because he deserved it the hard way. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qU1SX8Jdp4 [vertical-gallery id=586684] [vertical-gallery id=586682] [listicle id=586670] [listicle id=586667]