Fortunately, UFC Vegas 114 wasn’t burdened by real expectations. On paper it seemed like part of a standard Meta Apex incident, but the actual action was… Was it delivered? There used to be a common sentiment among fight fans that overlooked cards tend to be the most fun, but that concept has largely died out over the past few years.
Perhaps you brought an old theory to life last night! The undercard is also starting to heat up. Via Mezquita Possibly the best (only?) female bantamweight prospect on the roster. You can overwhelm your opponent and score a first-round submission victory (reproduced here). Manoel Sosa The three-round brawl concluded with a “Knockout of the Year” contender. Oki Bolageand 23 years old Elijah Smith He continued to show his amazing potential with a second-round strangulation. Sooyoung Yoo.
The match leading up to the scorecard was also quite fun. Vitor Petrino big Stephen Asplund It was the best unranked heavyweight clash in quite some time. That’s a low bar, but still! Eric Anders Retirement Showcase Vs. Brad Tavares It threatened to be the greatest middleweight fight in history, but actually delivered with action between two longtime veterans.
Moving on to the main card, it continued to be a mix of slick finishes and great action. If anyone bets Ion Kutrava Have you successfully made a ghillie jump? (see here) That’s something you don’t see every day. Likewise, how often do you see featherweight prospects brawl until someone’s jaw breaks? Marwan Rahiki big harry hardwick It was a lot of fun from start to finish and earned us “Fight of the Night” honors. It’s a bonus that few UFCs have won this year.
Andre Fili big Joseph Delgado and charles johnson big bruno silva Each match included multiple momentum changes and technical adjustments, making it a highly competitive and exciting scrap. Even the most grappling match on the entire card — Gillian Robertson big Amanda Lemos or Miktybek Orolbye big chris curtis — was at least somewhat active.
It all worked well to set the plates. Kevin Vallejos‘Great opportunity for Josh Emmett In the main event, “El Chino” played his role perfectly. From the first bell, the 24-year-old knockout artist seemed to read Emmett’s distance and setup perfectly. It took little time to pressure Emmett into taking big swings, and he immediately punished the veteran with slick counter combinations.
Emmett may be slipping, but KOing him within a round is still no joke (check back here). This great, confident performance from Vallejos will put him in title contention and add another fun twist to the Featherweight mix. Next time, you can pit him against anyone ranked in the top 10, and it’s a must-see matchup that could help determine the future of the division.
On paper, UFC Vegas 114 was never going to be the most important event. In fact, this card continues to entertain and lays the groundwork for compelling matchups in the future. Cards like this are the first step in breaking the UFC’s current slump, so let’s hope UFC London overdelivers to keep the momentum going next week.