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Following a blockbuster show last weekend, very few fans were paying attention to last night’s UFC Fight Night event.
In the end, UFC Fight Night: Holly Holm vs. Mayra Bueno Silva wasn’t a bad show per se, but there’s no doubt most of it will be forgotten pretty soon.
Despite this, a number of fighters picked up major wins, and will likely climb the ladder because of them.
With that considered, here are the five biggest winners from UFC Fight Night: Holly Holm vs. Mayra Bueno Silva.
#5. Jun Yong Park – defeated Albert Duraev in a UFC middleweight bout
With literally hundreds of fighters on its roster, the UFC is bound to have a number flying under the radar. Despite a strong winning streak, Jun Yong Park is almost certainly one of them.
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‘The Iron Turtle’ has been with the promotion since 2019, but would’ve been hard for many fans to really remember any of his eight trips to the octagon prior to last night.
However, last night saw Park produce arguably his best showing to date, as he submitted Albert Duraev in the second round with a slick rear naked choke.
The end came after ‘The Iron Turtle’ used his pressure game to force Duraev back, eventually dropping him with a left hook. From there, he quickly took his back, sunk the choke, and ended the fight.
Park is now on a four-fight win streak and has actually only lost once in his past eight bouts. Is he a contender at middleweight? Based on his relatively low level of competition it’s hard to say, but it’s probably fair to suggest he needs a step up at this point.
#4. Nazim Sadykhov – defeated Terrance McKinney in a UFC lightweight bout
One fighter in action last night with some hype around him was Nazim Sadykhov. The native of Azerbaijan debuted in the UFC in explosive fashion earlier this year, stopping Evan Elder in a wild fight that saw critical acclaim.
Last night, Sadykhov was matched against the dangerous Terrance McKinney, and given that ‘T-Wrecks’ is one of those fighters with the capability of stopping anyone with a big shot, the fight seemed like a must-see TV.
Surprisingly enough, though, McKinney decided to grapple with his foe and actually dominated the first round by taking his back for a lengthy period.
In the second, though, Sadykhov turned the tables. He managed to take McKinney’s back, and moments later, he trapped his opponent’s left arm and used the opening to sink a fight-ending choke.
Is Sadykhov a man to watch, then? Perhaps. He dealt with a very dangerous opponent with absolute ease last night which was highly impressive.
He is 29 years old, which is a little old for a prospect in a division as stacked as 155lbs, but then he also hasn’t lost since 2018, meaning he’s got to be taken seriously. At worst, he should definitely be considered a big winner from last night.
#3. Francisco Prado – defeated Ottman Azaitar in a UFC lightweight bout
At just 21 years old, Francisco Prado was one of the more interesting fighters competing in last night’s event.
Sure, the Argentine native lost his UFC debut, but with 12 previous wins to his name, it was clear that he had talent. Even taking the tough Jamie Mullarkey to a decision was impressive enough.
Last night, though, Prado showed exactly why he was able to earn a contract with the world’s biggest MMA promotion at such a young age.
He absolutely destroyed veteran Ottman Azaitar, hurting him with a spinning elbow before smashing him on the ground with hammer fists and punches. The fight came to a merciful end just after the four-minute mark, with Azaitar left a bloody mess.
Prado doesn’t turn 22 until next June, meaning that there’s absolutely no need to rush him up the ladder, but the UFC may well have stumbled upon a special talent here. If they can treat him with kid gloves and build him slowly, he could well be a future star.
Moreover, with a $50k bonus to his name from last night, he should definitely be considered a huge winner.
#2. Jack Della Maddalena – defeated Bassil Hafez in a UFC welterweight bout
In many ways, Jack Della Maddalena was in a no-win situation last night.
Initially pegged to fight at UFC 290, first against Sean Brady and then against Josiah Harrell, the No.14 ranked welterweight ended up off the card when both of his foes were forced out late on.
Most fighters would simply have waited for a bigger re-booking later down the line, but earlier this week, it was announced that Maddalena would instead be competing last night against the largely unknown Bassil Hafez.
This was hugely risky, largely because it meant the Australian had to go through two weight cuts in as many weeks, but also because an upset would likely have knocked him far down the ladder.
Thankfully for Maddelena, he pulled through. It wasn’t without a fight, as Hafez proved to be remarkably tough, taking a ton of shots in the later rounds in particular, but in the end, despite the judges being strangely split, there was only one winner.
Next time out, of course, the Australian will be matched with a far higher-ranked foe – and to be frank, he’ll need to perform better than this. Regardless, in the end, he got his job done last night, picked up another win – as well as a $50k bonus – and is probably in the UFC’s good books, making him a major winner.
#1. Mayra Bueno Silva – defeated Holly Holm in a UFC bantamweight bout
The big winner at last night’s UFC event was undoubtedly Mayra Bueno Silva. The Brazilian came into her headline bout with Holly Holm as a major underdog, as despite three wins in a row, she’d never beaten anyone as good as ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’.
Despite this, Silva sounded confident throughout the week leading into the event, and sure enough, when it came to fight time she delivered.
Holm used her usual range striking gameplan in the first round, but never really seemed to throw Silva off, and in the second round, she made the error of leaving her neck open in the clinch.
From there, the Brazilian snatched it up, locked up a modified guillotine choke, and seconds later, the biggest win of her career was hers.
This was the first time that Holm had been submitted since her 2016 loss to Miesha Tate, and while ‘The Preacher’s Daughter’ is arguably past her prime now, it’s hard to downplay a win over her.
Will Silva now get a shot at the bantamweight title recently vacated by Amanda Nunes? Given that she should rise up above Holm in the rankings and crack the top three, it’s definitely possible.
Either way, she was definitely the biggest winner last night, and there could be great things on the horizon for her, too.
