5 best moments from UFC Fight Night: Amanda Ribas vs. Rose Namajunas
The UFC headed to its Las Vegas APEX for another Fight Night event last night, and overall, the show proved to be a memorable and watchable one.
UFC Fight Night: Amanda Ribas vs. Rose Namajunas featured five fun finishes, as well as a downright bizarre moment that saw a fighter disqualified for biting.
While that moment can't be considered one of the best of the night - it should probably be considered a dark stain on the event - there was plenty to enjoy.
Here are the five best moments from UFC Fight Night: Amanda Ribas vs. Rose Namajunas.
#5. Rose Namajunas outguns Amanda Ribas in a five round tactical duel
Last night's headline bout between former strawweight champion Rose Namajunas and highly-rated contender Amanda Ribas wasn't exactly a wild brawl, but it was definitely a fun tactical battle.
Neither woman came close to finishing this bout, but overall, it was 'Thug Rose' who did the better work, and she was awarded a five-round decision win.
Remarkably, this was Namajunas' first victory in the UFC since her strawweight title defense over Weili Zhang back in 2021.
So how did 'Thug Rose' perform here? On the feet, she didn't look quite as explosive as she'd once done, perhaps due to the move up to 125 pounds.
However, she never got in trouble with the dangerous Ribas. She was instead able to throw the Brazilian to the ground on a number of occasions and largely dominated on the ground.
Was there anything here to suggest that 'Thug Rose' could trouble either Alexa Grasso or Valentina Shevchenko in the future? Perhaps not, but it proved that she still has a lot to offer at the top level.
Given that the flyweight division isn't the most stacked right now, a shot at the gold isn't out of the realm of possibility in the future. Overall, this was a strong showing from one of the UFC's most popular female stars, and so it stands as one of the night's best moments.
#4. Fernando Padilla's long arms lead him to a slick win over Luis Pajuelo
The main card opener, a featherweight bout between Fernando Padilla and Luis Pajuelo, was largely flying under the radar last night. It was hardly a surprise, given Padilla's UFC record of 1-1 and Pajuelo's status as a debutant.
However, after a stellar performance that was enough to earn him a $50k bonus, few fans will likely be ignoring Padilla again.
'The Brave' made smart use of his lengthy 6.5-inch reach advantage by sniping at Pajuelo from a distance, and it didn't take long for his approach to pay off.
He decked the debutant with a lancing left hand midway through the first round, and when his follow-up shots failed to put him away, he used those long arms to snare up a brabo choke for the tap-out.
Post-fight, Padilla dubbed himself the "Mexican Jon Jones", and while that might be a little too far, it was hard not to be impressed with this showing. Hopefully, the UFC can get him back into action quickly and hope that his star continues to rise.
#3. Julian Erosa produces a classic one-round comeback to dispatch Ricardo Ramos
The best comeback on offer last night came from featherweight veteran Julian Erosa. 'Juicy J' saw his bout with Ricardo Ramos curiously placed on the prelim card, a decision from the UFC that made little sense considering his penchant for wild fights.
Sure enough, last night's bout was no exception. Ramos came in looking much sharper early on, stunning Erosa with a violent right hand and then dropping him with another seconds later.
'Juicy J' looked like he was in deep trouble, particularly when Ramos followed up with some solid shots on the ground.
However, after he escaped to his feet, Erosa pulled a rabbit from his hat. After dodging a spinning elbow, he found himself taken down but quickly latched onto a tight guillotine choke.
For a moment, it looked like Ramos would squeeze his head free, but instead, he was forced to tap out, giving Erosa a big win.
The victory broke a two-fight losing streak for 'Juicy J' and perhaps saved his UFC career in the process. More to the point, it was one of the night's best moments, proving yet again that Erosa is one of the best fighters on the roster to watch even if he isn't a title contender.
#2. Edmen Shahbazyan gets his UFC career back on track with his knockout of AJ Dobson
One fighter who probably had his UFC career on the line last night was Edmen Shahbazyan.
Once considered one of the middleweight division's brightest prospects, 'The Golden Boy' had won just once in his last five bouts coming into his clash with AJ Dobson.
Shahbazyan had moved training camp prior to last night's event, switching to the Xtreme Couture team, and was hoping for an improved showing. Thankfully for him, he got it.
Early on, Dobson looked like the sharper fighter, staggering Shahbazyan with a left hook and then hurting him with some ground-and-pound.
'The Golden Boy' survived, though, and when the fight came back to the feet, he opened up. A big left-hand waylaid Dobson, and once he went down, Shahbazyan was unrelenting, smashing him with punches and elbows for the stoppage.
The win probably won't move Shahbazyan back into the top fifteen at 185 pounds, but at the age of 26, his UFC career now seems back on track, and brighter things should be ahead. Overall, this excellent finish was definitely one of the night's best moments.
#1. Payton Talbott proves the hype is real against Cameron Saaiman
The best moment of last night's event probably came from bantamweight prospect Payton Talbott. He dispatched fellow up-and-comer Cameron Saaiman in devastating fashion, cementing himself as one of the best talents in the UFC's bantamweight division.
Talbott's striking looked on from the first moments of this bout. With a confidence reminiscent of current 135-pound kingpin Sean O'Malley, he was almost casual as he sniped at Saaiman with perfectly-placed shots, hurting him on numerous occasions in the first round.
Saaiman managed to last into the second round, but the fight didn't go much longer. In the stanza's opening moments, the South African basically walked into a nasty left hand and went crashing down.
Seconds later, the fight was over, courtesy of some big follow-up strikes from the graduate of Dana White's Contender Series.
Should the promotion now rush Talbott into contention? He's only 25, so probably not. It's better to take it easy with him and let him build his record slowly, as they did with O'Malley.
Is he a future title contender, though? On the basis of this performance, the answer is absolutely.