The best and worst from UFC 222
UFC 222 was an odd PPV in a lot of ways – almost cancelled a few weeks ago when the planned main event of Max Holloway vs. Frankie Edgar fell through due to an injury to Holloway, it was saved by a thrown-together main event between Cris Cyborg and UFC newcomer Yana Kunitskaya and ended up looking like a decent card on paper.
In execution? It was decent enough – we got some fun finishes up and down the card and although there were one or two slow portions, it wasn’t a bad show. Will it be remembered well by the end of the year? Likely not as the UFC will hopefully put together some stronger cards down the line, but it was acceptable. Here are the best and worst moments from UFC 222.
#1 Best: Brian Ortega is the contender at 145lbs
Timing is a funny thing in MMA. When the UFC put together a Featherweight title fight between champ Max Holloway and challenger Frankie Edgar back in late 2017 it made a ton of sense as Edgar was coming off an impressive win over top prospect Yair Rodriguez and appeared to have earned his shot.
But the fight at UFC 218 fell through due to an Edgar injury; Holloway beat Jose Aldo instead and then a week later, Brian Ortega choked out Cub Swanson and suddenly he was the name on everyone’s lips at 145lbs in terms of a possible challenger to Holloway.
Despite the hype for a possible Holloway/Ortega fight, the UFC decided to stick with the longer-tenured Edgar for the next title shot, leaving Ortega waiting in the wings.
But when Holloway was forced out of the planned fight last night, Ortega stepped in to fight Edgar on late notice, risking all the momentum he’d put together. In the end, it turned out that the fates were on the side of the UFC – and Ortega – after all.
Edgar got off to a quick start but a sharp left elbow swung the fight in favour of Ortega, and seconds later ‘The Answer’ was unconscious on the mat courtesy of an Ortega uppercut. It was the first time Edgar had ever been finished in over a decade of UFC action, and it was by a man more known for his grappling rather than his knockout power.
Ortega now stands firmly as the top contender at 145lbs and by dispatching of Edgar, nobody can claim he hasn’t earned his shot. Holloway vs. Ortega is probably the best Featherweight title fight – on paper at least – since Conor McGregor first challenged Jose Aldo in 2015, and hopefully it’ll be a big-time main event later in 2018. It was an amazing moment for Ortega and it was all made possible because he chose to gamble with an opportunity.