The best and worst from UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Volkov
Outside of one major exception – more on that later – UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Volkov was a show filled with fights that ranged from good to great. The card looked like a solid one on paper and largely delivered, and while we didn't get many finishes on the main card, it didn't really matter much due to the high quality of action we were offered.
Here are the best and worst moments from UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Volkov.
#1 Best: The war between Emmett and Burgos
I had high hopes for last night's Featherweight co-main event between Josh Emmett and Shane Burgos, and incredibly, the fight actually surpassed all expectations. The two men went to war for fifteen minutes, never backing down for a second, and the toughness shown from both was jaw-dropping at times.
The story of the fight was essentially that – until the third round, at least – Burgos was somehow able to walk through Emmett's power punches to land the more varied strikes. He busted Emmett's nose up with continual jabs, and at one point, it appeared that the left leg of 'The Grim Reaper' was absolutely wrecked after a series of hard low kicks.
Emmett hung tough, though, and in the third round, as Burgos began to slow up slightly, he began to find his target a little more. Twice 'The Hurricane' found himself knocked down, but somehow that amazing chin held up and the two ended up exchanging shots all the way to the final buzzer.
My one criticism? I thought Burgos had done enough to take the first two rounds and would've given him a 29-28 victory by a slight margin, whereas the judges decided Emmett had won the first and third rounds – with one giving him a 10-8 in the final stanza.
In all honesty, though, this was the kind of fight that doesn't have a true "loser" per se. Both men will wake up battered and bruised this morning but both should also feel a ton of pride. This was a genuine contender for the Fight of the Year.
#1 Worst: Blaydes may have missed an opportunity
Heavyweight is a bit of a frustrating division in the UFC right now. UFC's ongoing obsession with booking endless rematches and "trilogy fights" – a tired hangover from boxing – has meant that Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier have largely bottle-necked the division over the last two years.
Miocic defeated Cormier last August to avenge his loss a year prior and reclaim his title, but while both Francis Ngannou and Curtis Blaydes have done enough to earn a shot at the gold in the interim, the UFC has instead waited a year and then chosen to book another Miocic/Cormier rematch.
After knocking out Jairzinho Rozenstruik last month, Ngannou – who has two wins over Blaydes – sits at the top of the queue to face the champ in late 2020, but last night, 'Razor' was given a chance to state his own claim by beating Alexander Volkov in impressive fashion.
However, while Blaydes won, it wasn't the best fight of all time by any means. Sure, he comfortably outwrestled Volkov, throwing the Russian around in the early rounds, but he didn't come close to a finish and appeared to tire out badly in the final two rounds.
Following the event, Blaydes has already come under fire from UFC President Dana White for his failure to impress – particularly after he was quite outspoken on the controversial topic of fighter pay in the week leading up to the fight.
'Razor' says he's happy to wait for a title shot against whoever might hold the title once Ngannou has had his crack, but as unfair as it is, the UFC isn't a meritocracy, particularly when it comes to fighters willing to speak out about their paycheque. After this somewhat dull fight, expect 'Razor' to have to fight at least one more time before he gets his title shot.
#2 Best: Old man Miller gets it done at UFC on ESPN
More than almost any other sport, the world of MMA is no country for old men. The UFC has known this for a long time, and that's why we've seen so many aging heroes fall to younger rising prospects over the years.
Last night's clash at UFC on ESPN between veteran Jim Miller – who's been in the UFC since 2008 – and fast-rising star Roosevelt Roberts felt like a classic example of one of those fights. Everything about it seemed to favor 'The Predator', from the 160lbs Catchweight to the fact that Miller's durability has waned badly in recent years.
And yet when it came down to it, Miller was able to put Roberts on the ground in the opening seconds of the fight, and then comfortably outgrappled the younger man en route to a beautiful first-round armbar finish.
It was a nice reminder that sometimes, the older fighter can still find a way to get things done against a much younger fighter. Roberts didn't fight badly last night – he was just caught by a wily veteran who still has the ability to win embedded firmly in him.
Miller's victory last night should send a wave of optimism through the rest of the aging veterans who the UFC often seems to keep around as "enhancement talent". Chalk one up for the old man!
#2 Worst: Poor cornering again mars an event
Questionable corner work has been a theme over the past few UFC shows, as we've seen both Anthony Smith and Felicia Spencer take ridiculous amounts of punishment when it would've been far better for both athletes to have the towel thrown in.
Last night's event might've seen an even worse incident though, courtesy of famed grappler and former UFC fighter Robert Drysdale. Drysdale was the main cornerman of newcomer Max Rohskopf, who fought Austin Hubbard in the opening fight of UFC on ESPN.
Despite winning the first round, Rohskopf found himself in deep trouble in the second stanza. Hubbard began to take over the fight with some excellent striking – living up to his 'Thud' nickname – and when the buzzer sounded, the newcomer looked both hurt and exhausted.
In a bizarre moment, Rohskopf then told Drysdale that he couldn't continue, essentially asking his coach to stop the fight. Incredibly though, Drysdale refused – telling the newcomer repeatedly that "we got this". Quite why he'd ignore his own fighter is anyone's guess, but to simply brush off Rohskopf when he said, "I don't want to do this anymore" is both reckless and downright dangerous.
Thankfully, Rohskopf chose to end things on his own – telling the referee that he couldn't continue – and unlike Drysdale, Mark Smith was happy to oblige him.
The newcomer should now hopefully be able to rebound from this loss – and if he fights in the UFC again, he should perhaps consider changing his cornerman.
#3 Best: Belal Muhammad and his impressive win streak
In my predictions for UFC on ESPN, I stated that Belal Muhammad was one of the UFC's most underrated fighters, and after a tremendous showing in a war with Lyman Good last night, that feeling has only grown stronger.
'Remember the Name' took the fight to Good for the first two rounds, pressuring him with combinations and largely outstriking him. It was an extremely impressive showing given that Muhammad is more known for his grappling than his kickboxing.
In the third round, though, good came back, landing a right hand that knocked Muhammad down and had him on the verge of being finished. 'Remember the Name' was left a bloody mess and was knocked all around the cage for the majority of the five minutes. He could well have ended up losing a 10-8 round, which would've led to a draw.
However, he showed that he's got a tremendous amount of heart and tenacity to go with his impressive skills, and with seconds remaining, he was able to take Good down, advance to back control, and almost sink in a rear-naked choke. That was enough to ensure he only lost a 10-9 – giving him a win on all three judges' scorecards.
Muhammad is now on a three-fight win streak and has gone 7-1 in his last eight appearances. Sure, he isn't a ruthless finisher, but when he's putting on fights this entertaining, does that really matter? He deserves a step up in his next fight, and should hopefully be matched against someone in the top 15.
On a show that didn't have the Burgos vs. Emmett thriller, he'd have almost certainly won the Fight of the Night bonus, too.