The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned to action last night (Saturday, February 6, 2021) with UFC Vegas 18 inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, which saw Alexander Volkov knock out Alistair Overeem in the main heavyweight act (See). In the main co-event, Cory Sandhagen knocked out Frankie Edgar with a perfect flying knee to solidify himself as the next title contender with 135 pounds (highlights).
Biggest winner: Cory Sandhagen
“The Sandman” once again proved how legitimate he is by sleeping another longtime veteran and former champion, stunning Edgar with a devastating flying knee to get him out of the count in just 28 seconds. In his previous fight, Sandhagen did the same with Marlon Moraes by means of a wheel kick. Sandhagen now improves to 7-1 inside the octagon with his lone defeat against Aljamain Sterling, who will face bantamweight champion Petr Yan at UFC 259. Speaking of which, Sandhagen secured his title fight against the winner after his electric knockout. This man is the real one, ladies and gentlemen.
Runner-up: Alexander Volkov
“Drago” ruined Alistair Overeem’s dreams for the UFC championship once and for all by dominating him before scoring a technical knockout victory (TKO) in the second round. Volkov now has two consecutive wins – both by knockout – and will move up the 265-pound ranking and get closer to a title shot, which will be at stake at UFC 260, when heavyweight king Stipe Miocic faces Francis Ngannou . “Drago” accumulated an impressive 7-2 record within the octagon, with his two losses at the hands of Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes, two of the best in the division. All he needs to do now is sit back and weigh to see how the division unfolds in the coming months to see where he fits in the title photo.
Biggest loser: Michael Johnson
While most of you expected Overeem to take this place (and rightly so) after being stopped by Volkov, “The Reem” will at least live to fight another day inside the octagon. In addition, we will discuss his defeat and the future of the fight in our article “Monday Morning Hangover”. As for Johnson, his fighting future is another story. “The Menace” was once considered a legitimate threat to fight for the UFC title by leaving The Ultimate Fighter (TUF), but things have gotten worse in the last two years, losing four in a row, with his last loss last night against Clay Guida, that dominated Johnson for 15 minutes. When you look at Johnson’s track record, he hasn’t done very well since 2015 because he’s only 3-9 in the past five years, which includes several streaks of three losses. There’s no telling where he’s going from here, but he’s on thin ice when it comes to his UFC career.
Biggest loser: Frankie Edgar
Let’s break away from tradition here and put another big loser in the event, because we have to discuss Edgar’s impressive defeat at the hands of Sandhagen. “The Answer” was waiting for a new lease of life in his combat life, falling to the bantamweight, but it has been anything but a picnic for him. Although he defeated Pedro Munhoz on his 135 pound debut, many thought the fight should have gone differently. In his second effort in his new weight class, Sandhagen had him choose in less than 30 seconds, handing him his third loss in the last four matches. Nobody knows where Edgar is going from here, but I don’t want to hear any more about him fighting for a UFC title or even a title elimination fight, just as the buzz was going into this fight, despite having gone 1-2 before last night. His legacy is already defined as a former champion and one of the most courageous fighters who have ever stepped inside the octagon, but the past two years have been brutal for “The Answer”. That’s why if he wants to get close to sniffing another chance in the UFC, he will have to guarantee at least three consecutive wins. And this is a difficult task to say the least, given its recent history.
To see the full results of UFC Vegas 18 and coverage, click On here.