MMA had a big night on Saturday.
The weekend was dominated by Jake Paul’s first-ever MMA event, as Ronda Rousey and Gina Carano ended long retirements against each other at The Forum in Inglewood, California. The card also boasted the likes of former UFC heavyweight champions Francis Ngannou and Junior dos Santos and fan favorites Nate Diaz and Mike Perry.
Meanwhile, the UFC had a lower-profile Fight Night at its Apex facility in Las Vegas. In the main event, Arnold Allen looked to rebound from a loss to Jean Silva as he took on the streaking Melquizael Costa. Elsewhere, Doo Ho Choi sought a third straight win against Daniel Santos after being out of action for over a year.
Here are five lessons learned from both events…
One bout in the prelims of the UFC card stood out from the real: a matchup between ranked women’s bantamweights Ketlen Vieira and Jacqueline Cavalcanti. One might be forgiven for asking why such a divisionally relevant fight was buried there, but that wondering ended rather quickly.
While both Vieira and Cavalcanti spent a competitive, if rather slow, first round on the feet, Vieira secured a takedown in the second and largely kept the fight on the mat. Cavalcanti, meanwhile, looked lost as she remained pinned underneath her opponent for an extended period of time. Needing a finish in the third, she instead seemed hesitant to blitz with strikes, seemingly fearful of going to the mat again.
Ultimately, Vieira was awarded the unanimous decision – a result that must have left Dana White disappointed, if not angry. In a division as starved for fresh blood as women’s bantamweight, Cavalcanti failed to rise to the occasion.
Vieira also comes off looking bad, even in victory. If this ugly grinding style is how she wins most of the time, she cannot be trusted to be an exciting contender in her division. Thus, the UFC might keep throwing prospects at her and hope that one of them dominantly finishes her, which could be lead to a Jon Fitch-esque release.
Salahdine Parnasse is one of the most exciting fighters in MMA outside of the big promotions today. He proved that on Saturday when he knocked out Kenneth Cross with a body punch – his 15th finish in 23 wins.
With Parnasse’s victory in the rear view, the former KSW two-weight champion now has many options as to where his career goes. He had previously spurned the UFC because of low pay, but Dana White might put up a better bid with Conor McGregor (more on him later) potentially gone soon.
The PFL could also be in play, with its lightweight division desperate for challengers for the dominant Usman Nurmagomedov. Over in Asia, RIZIN’s lightweight title has changed hands in two straight fights, while ONE is no stranger to KSW double-champs, having previously boasted Roberto Soldic.
There is also the chance that Parnasse sticks with MVP and crosses over to boxing – which is not far-fetched…
In his first MMA fight in over a year, Ngannou proved that he had not lost a step, knocking out Philipe Lins in the first round. Unfortunately for him, a return to the UFC or PFL seems unlikely at this point in his career.
Luckily, Paul likes big names and big builds. One name perfectly fits the bill for Ngannou: fellow ex-UFC heavyweight king Jon Jones. Soul-stealing power vs. technical versatility – put those two in a stadium, and the hype will be real.
It is official: Conor McGregor is back, and the UFC could not have timed the announcement better.
The former two-division champion will rematch Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329, marking McGregor’s first fight in over five years. The bout was revealed in the midst of the MVP event, as the UFC looked to steal some hype back for itself.
In the post-PPV age, the UFC and CBS will want to boost Paramount+ subscription numbers. McGregor-Holloway 2 could be the fight that does the trick.
Up next is a break for the UFC, as America celebrates Memorial Day.
There will, however, be a major MMA event over the weekend, as the PFL lands in Brussels. In the main event, Patrick Habirora welcomes former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson back to the sport. It has all the makings of a dominant showcase – one that seems unnecessary.
Rousey is satisfied after winning for the first time in over a decade. Carano, meanwhile, will probably fail to attract opponents before realizing that she should just focus on Hollywood…
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