5 takeaways from UFC Fight Night: Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi
The UFC visited Edmonton, Alberta, last night for a Fight Night event. Overall, it was a mixed bag.
UFC Fight Night: Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi featured some memorable fights and performances, but plenty of bouts were also forgettable.
With not too many talking points thrown up, it's likely that fans will move on from this show quickly. However, there were a couple of notable moments.
Here are five takeaways from UFC Fight Night: Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi.
#5. Cody Gibson ushered in a new era of sorts for the UFC by using 12-6 elbows
While it largely flew under the radar, last night's event was notable for a couple of big changes in the Unified Rules of MMA. Arguably, the biggest of these changes was that the ban on 12-6 elbows, always a point of contention, had finally been lifted.
History was always going to be made in Edmonton, then, and the fighter who made the most use of the new rule was Cody Gibson.
'The Renegade' clearly won his bantamweight fight with Chad Anheliger, and while he didn't finish his foe, he made full use of 12-6 elbows in a lopsided second round that earned him a 10-8 score from one of the judges.
Would this have been more memorable had Gibson scored a TKO using the strike? For sure, and naturally, the first fighter who does achieve this will carve out their own spot in the history books.
For now, though, Gibson can call himself the first fighter to really use 12-6 elbows legally in the octagon.
#4. Aiemann Zahabi might be climbing into contention, but is it too late?
Perhaps the most notable result on last night's preliminary card came in the bantamweight clash between Aiemann Zahabi and Pedro Munhoz.
Munhoz is no longer ranked in the top fifteen at 135 pounds, but 'The Young Punisher' is still one of the division's most respected fighters. After all, he holds notable wins over the likes of Rob Font, Cody Garbrandt, and Chris Gutierrez.
Last night, though, he was thoroughly outclassed by Zahabi. The Canadian seemed content to fight on the counter and stopped all of Munhoz's takedowns en route to outstriking him.
Sure, he never came close to finishing the Brazilian, but when the fight ended, there was no doubt as to who the winner was.
Zahabi is now on a five-fight win streak and hasn't lost since 2019. Usually, any fighter on that kind of run would be considered a potential title contender, but the Canadian has one major problem - his age.
He's set to turn 37 years old later this month, and given he's already got a decade of professional MMA experience under his belt, it could be that he's left this run a little too late.
Essentially, if he wants to get to the top of the UFC, he'll not only need to defeat elite foes but beat Father Time, too - something that's usually impossible.
Given how good he looked last night, it's highly unfortunate. Were he a decade younger, he might be considered a hot prospect after his win over 'The Young Punisher'.
#3. Dustin Stoltzfus probably saved his UFC career - and may have ended Marc-Andre Barriault's
With the UFC's packed roster under a constant state of churn, every event seems to have at least a couple of fights that could be considered 'loser-leaves-town' affairs.
The fight that best fit that description last night was the middleweight bout between Dustin Stoltzfus and Marc-Andre Barriault.
Both men were coming off losses, with Barriault having lost two in a row and Stoltzfus being on a run of 3-5 in his last four years.
Given his home country advantage, many observers pegged Barriault to win, but in the end, it was Stoltzfus who saved his octagon career.
He dropped 'Power Bar' with a big right hand late in the first round and then quickly sealed the deal on the ground before the Canadian had any chance to recover his wits.
The performance earned Stoltzfus a $50k bonus, but it should ensure at least two more bouts in the octagon for him, which could be even more valuable.
For Barriault, meanwhile, it could well signify the end of his five-year tenure with the UFC - showing how difficult it can be to retain a roster spot these days.
#2. Did Erin Blanchfield win the co-headliner - or did Rose Namajunas throw it away?
Last night's co-headliner saw a five-round affair between flyweight contenders Rose Namajunas and Erin Blanchfield go the distance.
Given that both women came into the bout ranked in the UFC's top five at 125 pounds - Blanchfield at No.3, Namajunas at No.5 - it was always possible that a future shot at the flyweight title was on the line here.
In the end, Blanchfield came away with the win, taking the final three rounds by utilizing her strong top game and willingness to pressure 'Thug Rose' onto her back foot.
When all was said and done, it was hard not to think that Namajunas had lost the fight more than Blanchfield had actually won.
'Thug Rose' looked fantastic in the first two rounds, piecing 'Cold Blooded' up with her boxing, but once Blanchfield scored her first takedown in the third round, it was as if the former strawweight queen simply froze.
In the aftermath of Blanchfield's win, many fans took to social media to partially blame Namajunas' coach, Pat Barry, and his apparent lack of good advice for the result.
The truth, though, is probably that Blanchfield capitalized on a classic Namajunas performance, with the former champ's inconsistency shining through again.
Whether 'Cold Blooded' can overcome Valentina Shevchenko or Manon Fiorot is another thing entirely, of course, but given the way she wrestled the intiative away from 'Thug Rose' here, it'll be interesting to see her try.
#1. Brandon Moreno showed Amir Albazi an entirely different level
Last night's headliner was a classic example of a more experienced, proven, top-level fighter showing a rising star that there are levels to the game, even at the peak of the UFC.
Amir Albazi came into his bout with Brandon Moreno riding a six-fight win streak, with five of those victories coming in the UFC. 'The Prince' had shown great skills in all areas and shone in a win over Kai Kara-France in his last fight.
Against former flyweight champ Brandon Moreno, though, the native of Iraq was found wanting.
'The Assassin Baby', seemingly fully recharged after taking nine months away, beat Albazi down over five rounds. He never gave 'The Prince' a moment to breathe and even came close to finishing him off in the second and fifth rounds.
In the end, the fact that Albazi survived for five rounds felt like an achievement in itself.
Moreno looked so good, in fact, that it'd be easy to argue that he might well only just be reaching his prime despite losing the flyweight title to Alexandre Pantoja in 2023.
Could he earn another title shot in the future? Based on this, for sure. In fact, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the UFC book a rematch between the Mexican and Brandon Royval to decide the next top contender at 125 pounds.
As for Albazi, he'll be back, but this was a painful reminder for him that if he wants to reach the top of the mountain, he's got a hell of a lot of work to do.