5 biggest things that happened at UFC 292
UFC 292 just wrapped up this Saturday and it was an evening to remember. The card was headlined by Aljamain Sterling and Sean O'Malley, marking 'Funk Master's' fourth title defense. For 'Sugar,' it was his chance at immortalizing himself as one of the rare few 135-pounders to capture undisputed gold.
Meanwhile, the co-main event featured a seismic clash between Zhang Weili and Amanda Lemos, with China's first-ever UFC champion looking to defend her title after reclaiming her crown from Carla Esparza. For Amanda Lemos, it was her opportunity to become the latest in a long line of Brazilian UFC champions.
Other noteworthy bouts included Chris Weidman's long-awaited return from injury as he took on Brad Tavares, while Ian Machado Garry sought to extend his undefeated run against short-notice replacement Neil Magny. So with the card over, what were some of the biggest events of the evening?
#5. Chris Weidman now has seven losses in his last 9 UFC fights
Ahead of his octagon return against Brad Tavares, Chris Weidman felt slighted by the UFC's decision to book his bout for a prelim spot. As a former middleweight champion who had crawled his way back into competition from one of the worst injuries in the promotion's history, it's easy to understand his grievances.
Unfortunately, Weidman was unranked and had lost six of his last 8 fights, all by knockout or TKO. And at UFC 292, his return was anything but triumphant. While he managed to avoid being on the receiving end of another knockout or TKO, he still dealt with the bitter taste of defeat.
Tavares punished the former All-American with low kicks, forcing him to switch stances. Meanwhile, Weidman failed to score a single takedown en route to a disheartening unanimous decision loss that puts him at seven losses in his last 9 bouts.
Even worse, according to Dana White, Chris Weidman tore either his MCL or ACL during the bout. Given that he was returning from a severe leg injury, only to suffer another one, he will find it impossible, at 39, to ignore the retirement calls.
#4. Marlon 'Chito' Vera sets up a potential title shot
Before UFC 292, Marlon Vera faced Cory Sandhagen in a fight that exposed his worst tendency: not doing enough to win. He came into that bout with a four-fight win streak, but his low-volume style of giving away rounds in favor of patiently finding an opening for a knockout blow led to a unanimous decision loss.
But at UFC 292, he bounced back with a quality win over Pedro Munhoz that may have earned him a title shot against newly crowned bantamweight champion Sean O'Malley. The pair have a well-documented rivalry due to 'Chito's' part in handing 'Sugar' his first-ever professional MMA loss.
Ahead of his matchup with Sterling, O'Malley was vocal about Vera being his first title defense. With his unanimous decision win over Pedro Munhoz, a past opponent of Sean O'Malley's, he may have earned himself his first-ever title shot in the promotion.
#3. The Ian Machado Garry hype train continues
Ian Machado Garry was initially expected to face Geoff Neal in a tough bout that would have solidified the Irishman's place in the top 10 had he won. But 'Handz of Steel' was forced to withdraw from the matchup due to undisclosed reasons. Fortunately, Neil Magny stepped in as a short-notice replacement.
As a longtime fixture in the welterweight division, Magny brought a significant amount of experience but was completely helpless against Garry. The Irishman dropped him with the first low kick he landed, and it was much of the same for the rest of the fight, with Garry frequently hurting him with low kicks.
Despite leaving Magny one-legged for most of the bout, Garry failed to find a finish. Nevertheless, he won, maintaining his undefeated record. Afterward, he called out Stephen 'Wonderboy' Thompson in a bid to crown himself the welterweight division's best-ever striker.
#2. Zhang Weili breaks a strike differential record against an overmatched Amanda Lemos
Amanda Lemos headed into UFC 292 with the goal of becoming the next Brazilian to capture undisputed gold in the promotion. Instead, what happened was she quickly found that Zhang Weili was nothing like any of the seven women she's beaten in her 9 UFC fights prior to her title fight.
Zhang Weili dominated her like no one else has, scoring multiple takedowns to not only out-grapple her but land vicious ground-and-pound. China's first-ever UFC champion even scored a knockdown to punctuate her performance. But perhaps the greatest takeaway of her strawweight title defense is the record she broke.
Zhang Weili broke the record for the largest strike differential in UFC women's history, as she outlanded her foe 288 to 21. Only a finish would have made her fight more dominant.
#1. Sean O'Malley brings an emphatic end to Aljamain Sterling's UFC title reign
The week preceding the pair's bout, there were some in the online MMA community who felt that they were on the cusp of witnessing an ascension akin to Conor McGregor dethroning José Aldo years ago. At UFC 292, those fans were proven right, as Sean O'Malley justified the promotion's faith in him.
He stepped inside the octagon, defended every takedown Aljamain Sterling attempted, and floored him with a trademark right hand before TKO'ing a man, who some now revere as the greatest bantamweight of all time. In doing so, 'Sugar' became the bantamweight champion of the world.
With his victory, he leaves behind a Sterling in need of soul-searching. After the loss, 'Funk Master,' much like Henry Cejudo before him, found the taste of defeat sobering when it came to his previous hopes of facing featherweight kingpin Alexander Volkanovski, as he questioned how badly he'd have lost to him.