UFC Fight Night 138: Best and Worst
The 138th edition of UFC Fight Night is in the books and what a show it was!
Following in the footsteps of the incredibly entertaining and controversial UFC 229 event, Fight Night 138 saw the fighters stick to what they do best; fight.
The headline attraction for Fight Night was an intriguing clash between a pair of heavy hitters in Volkan Oezdemir and Anthony Smith.
It was a show that had been badly hit by withdrawals as Zubaira Tukhugov who was the original opponent for Artem Lobov was pulled from the bout due to his role in the post-UFC 229 melee. His future in the company appears to be over; Gavin Tucker was supposed to clash with Andre Soukhamthath but he suffered an injury in training and was replaced by debutant, Jonathan Martinez.
The event also offered up a massive seven preliminary bouts as young fighters attempted to make a name for themselves in this phenomenal sport. Sean Strickland and Don Madge did just that. Madge gave UFC the highlight of the preliminary card with a head kick comparable to Pete Williams's legendary "head kick heard around the world" as he saw his initial kick blocked by Te Edwards but quickly breached his opponent's defences by blasting him again for the highlight reel Knockout win.
That was just one of the incredible moments and surprises from an entertaining Fight Night card and now there is no doubt whatsoever that most eyes will now be on the next UFC event, UFC 230 next weekend, when Daniel Cormier puts the Heavyweight Championship on the line in what will surely be another glorious night of MMA action.
But first, it's time to review the best and worst moments from a wild night of fights at Fight Night 138 within the following slideshow.
#2 Worst - Early stoppage in the Sean Strickland vs Nordine Taleb fight
Referees obviously play a very important part in MMA. They ensure the rules are adhered to at all times and put fighter safety at the heart of their decision making.
However, sometimes their stoppage decisions can be a little premature and give a fighter little chance to recover.
That is exactly what occurred during the Sean Strickland and Nordine Taleb preliminary bout.
With Taleb having comfortably won the first round, he found himself on the receiving end of a right hand that put him down. He put Strickland inside his guard where Strickland attempted to finish.
The crowd loudly booed the stoppage, as the Canadian hero suffered the loss but they were also unhappy at the slightly early stoppage and likely believed that Taleb could have recovered to win.
We will never know. However, Taleb will live to fight another day.