The best and worst from UFC Vegas 14: Felder vs. Dos Anjos
2020 has seen plenty of injury-hit UFC cards, but UFC Vegas 14 was definitely amongst the worst. The show lost a number of fights coming in, including the main event, and in the end, it was largely a disappointment.
Of the paltry nine fights we were given, only two of them finished before the final buzzer, and of the others, only the main event really stood out. Still, the show – like most UFC cards – gave a number of talking points.
Here are the best and worst moments from UFC Vegas 14: Felder vs. Dos Anjos.
#1 Best: Williams shows he’s up there with the UFC’s best power-punchers
The co-main event of the night featured Welterweights Khaos Williams and Abdul Razak Alhassan going toe-to-toe. Most UFC fans felt like this one wouldn’t last long based on the prior knockouts delivered by these two, and they were proven right.
In the end, it was the underdog Williams who came out on top. It didn’t take The Ox Fighter long, as he leveled Alhassan with a right hand in just 30 seconds. Incredibly, the punch didn’t even look like it took a lot of wind-up. It was a short, picture-perfect right to the jaw that left Alhassan as stiff as a corpse.
The knockout was easily the night’s most memorable moment and puts Williams on an eight-fight win streak, including two knockouts in the UFC.
Is he ready to step up to face some of the UFC’s more elite Welterweights? I’d be inclined to say no, as he’s still too inexperienced. However, with punching power like that, he’s definitely dangerous, and he almost certainly needs to be on a UFC main card again for his next fight.
If nothing else, he scored a contender for KO of the year last night.
#1 Worst: Felder’s gamble fails to pay off
When it was announced that Paul Felder – who hadn’t fought in the UFC since February and was in a self-imposed pseudo-retirement – would step up to face Rafael dos Anjos in last night’s main event, most fans felt he was crazy.
Felder had just five days to prepare for the fight, but The Irish Dragon comfortably made weight and actually looked to be in phenomenal shape when it came to fight time. However, despite not gassing out at all, there was to be no fairytale ending for one of the UFC’s most popular fighters.
Felder was simply outfought in all areas by dos Anjos, who looked sharper and more powerful than he’d done in a long time. For the former UFC Lightweight champ, this was a clear message that he still belongs at 155lbs, rather than up at 170lbs, where he’d been fighting since 2017.
Sure, Felder didn’t embarrass himself at all and should be commended for his guts in taking such a short-notice fight. But it was also a painful reminder of how difficult it is to succeed at the elite level in the UFC. Felder will probably be back in the near future, but he’ll probably have to face an opponent slightly lower on the ladder next time out.