Winners
Lorenz Larkin went 1-4 early on in his UFC career but managed to turn it around following a debut in the welterweight division. There, Larkin defeated John Howard and, most recently, Santiago Ponzinbbio to go 2-0 since dropping down a weight class. Things look as though they are really coming together for the veteran fighter in his newfound home at welterweight, as he has never looked better in the UFC.
Thiago Santos strung together back-to-back wins for the first time in his UFC career when he defeated Bosse in emphatic fashion on Saturday night. The win came in the form of a highlight-reel head kick KO that also happened to earn him a Performance of the Night bonus.
Losers
Lyoto Machida did not look terrible in his main event outing against Yoel Romero, but he certainly did not look like the Machida of old, as he had clearly lost a step and it cost him dearly. While the Brazilian was clearly landing more shots in the opening rounds, Romero landed the heavier, more punishing blows and kept Machida on his toes throughout the contest. In the end, Machida suffered his second TKO loss in a short span of time, which means he needs to take some time away from the sport to clearly contemplate the next step in his personal and professional career.
Steve Bosse retired from professional MMA in the midst of a seven-fight win streak back in 2013, which included a KO win against Houston Alexander. However, his return to MMA was a rude awakening, as Bosse was knocked unconscious by a brutal head kick that sent him tumbling to the canvas. It was a vicious finish to the fight, as Bosse didn't see the kick coming and took it at full impact. It will be interesting to see where the Canadian goes from here.
Levan Makashvili proved that he might not be ready for a fighter of Hacran Dias' caliber just yet, as he only began to take an aggressive approach late in the fight, which was not enough to win the bout. The Georgian was competitive during the contest and displayed some remarkable strength but was unable to impose his grinding style on the more experienced Dias and eventually dropped his first ever fight in the UFC. If he continues to improve, he will likely work his way back up the ladder.
Steve Montgomery had a lot to prove following his dramatic departure from The Ultimate Fighter show following a seizure. While it was put off as a miscalculation in his water intake, Montgomery was still sent packing from the show without a fight and with no guarantee that he would compete in the UFC. However, he accepted a fight on short notice but was unable to make the statement he so desired. His UFC debut a few minutes and ended with him on the wrong side of a TKO loss. While he may get another fight in the promotion, he will likely be aware that it is a steep uphill battle from here.
Other Notes
Yoel Romero was the more physically imposing fighter on Saturday night and managed to make Machida look like a shadow of his former self - all without taking advantage of the skill set that won him an Olympic silver medal. That is all we should be talking about on Sunday, as the Cuban native stole the show with his vicious win. However, he later committed a PR nightmare when he ranted about the Supreme Court's ruling for same-sex marriage across the United States. Instead of being hailed as the rising UFC contender that he is, Romero will now enjoy a marred reputation that include the label ‘imbecile.' There is simply no room for misogynistic and sexist fools who hide behind their religion as a tool to condemn and judge others, especially if you are a professional athlete with a live microphone.
Visa trouble proved to be the underlying story behind the depleted UFC Fight Night event that fans watched on Saturday night. After it was announced that the U.S. visa system was offline because of technical problems, many fighters were unable to travel to the event, which forced the UFC to reshuffle the card and more several fights onto different shows. In the end, a nine-fight card remained that was even less impressive than it predecessor. While an argument could be made that the card was weak from the start, there is little the UFC could have done to save the event in terms of the visas. In North America particularly, the visa process is complicated and inconsistent, which means that visas could be difficult to process and could be handed out quite late, as you are at the mercy of the embassy. Therefore, it should simply be chalked down as an unfortunate situation.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NQnfuVxCChY" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe>
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZybaBFjNEjQ" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe>
Lorenz Larkin went 1-4 early on in his UFC career but managed to turn it around following a debut in the welterweight division. There, Larkin defeated John Howard and, most recently, Santiago Ponzinbbio to go 2-0 since dropping down a weight class. Things look as though they are really coming together for the veteran fighter in his newfound home at welterweight, as he has never looked better in the UFC.
Thiago Santos strung together back-to-back wins for the first time in his UFC career when he defeated Bosse in emphatic fashion on Saturday night. The win came in the form of a highlight-reel head kick KO that also happened to earn him a Performance of the Night bonus.
Losers
Lyoto Machida did not look terrible in his main event outing against Yoel Romero, but he certainly did not look like the Machida of old, as he had clearly lost a step and it cost him dearly. While the Brazilian was clearly landing more shots in the opening rounds, Romero landed the heavier, more punishing blows and kept Machida on his toes throughout the contest. In the end, Machida suffered his second TKO loss in a short span of time, which means he needs to take some time away from the sport to clearly contemplate the next step in his personal and professional career.
Steve Bosse retired from professional MMA in the midst of a seven-fight win streak back in 2013, which included a KO win against Houston Alexander. However, his return to MMA was a rude awakening, as Bosse was knocked unconscious by a brutal head kick that sent him tumbling to the canvas. It was a vicious finish to the fight, as Bosse didn't see the kick coming and took it at full impact. It will be interesting to see where the Canadian goes from here.
Levan Makashvili proved that he might not be ready for a fighter of Hacran Dias' caliber just yet, as he only began to take an aggressive approach late in the fight, which was not enough to win the bout. The Georgian was competitive during the contest and displayed some remarkable strength but was unable to impose his grinding style on the more experienced Dias and eventually dropped his first ever fight in the UFC. If he continues to improve, he will likely work his way back up the ladder.
Steve Montgomery had a lot to prove following his dramatic departure from The Ultimate Fighter show following a seizure. While it was put off as a miscalculation in his water intake, Montgomery was still sent packing from the show without a fight and with no guarantee that he would compete in the UFC. However, he accepted a fight on short notice but was unable to make the statement he so desired. His UFC debut a few minutes and ended with him on the wrong side of a TKO loss. While he may get another fight in the promotion, he will likely be aware that it is a steep uphill battle from here.
Other Notes
Yoel Romero was the more physically imposing fighter on Saturday night and managed to make Machida look like a shadow of his former self - all without taking advantage of the skill set that won him an Olympic silver medal. That is all we should be talking about on Sunday, as the Cuban native stole the show with his vicious win. However, he later committed a PR nightmare when he ranted about the Supreme Court's ruling for same-sex marriage across the United States. Instead of being hailed as the rising UFC contender that he is, Romero will now enjoy a marred reputation that include the label ‘imbecile.' There is simply no room for misogynistic and sexist fools who hide behind their religion as a tool to condemn and judge others, especially if you are a professional athlete with a live microphone.
Visa trouble proved to be the underlying story behind the depleted UFC Fight Night event that fans watched on Saturday night. After it was announced that the U.S. visa system was offline because of technical problems, many fighters were unable to travel to the event, which forced the UFC to reshuffle the card and more several fights onto different shows. In the end, a nine-fight card remained that was even less impressive than it predecessor. While an argument could be made that the card was weak from the start, there is little the UFC could have done to save the event in terms of the visas. In North America particularly, the visa process is complicated and inconsistent, which means that visas could be difficult to process and could be handed out quite late, as you are at the mercy of the embassy. Therefore, it should simply be chalked down as an unfortunate situation.
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NQnfuVxCChY" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe>
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZybaBFjNEjQ" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="560"></iframe>
- Yoel Romero def. Lyoto Machida via knockout (elbows) – Round 3, 1:38
- Lorenz Larkin def. Santiago Ponzinibbio via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 3:07
- Antonio Carlos Junior def. Eddie Gordon via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 3, 4:37
- Thiago “Marreta” Santos def. Steve Bosse via knockout (head kick) – Round 1, 0:29
- Hacran Dias def. Levan Makashvili via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Alex Oliveira def. Joe Merritt via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Leandro Silva def. Lewis Gonzalez via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
- Tony Sims def. Steve Montgomery via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:43
- Sirwan Kakai def. Danny Martinez via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
