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UFC Vegas 30, a fight night card lost amid the leftovers from UFC 263 and the anticipation around the UFC 264 pay-per-view, is finally in the books. The event took place in the UFC Apex facility in Las Vegas and featured a heavyweight contender fight between Ciryl Gane and Alexander Volkov in the main event.
Adorned by some of the lesser known names in the promotion, the card produced some exceptionally good fights and stunning performances. While Gane remained an unsolved puzzle for Volkov and presumably for the entire heavyweight division, a potential new breakout star emerged from a distant part of the world at UFC Vegas 30.
3 Winners from UFC Vegas 30
Like we always say, wins and losses sometimes go beyond the official results of the fight. Here are three winners and three losers from UFC Vegas 30.
#3 Ciryl Gane
Ciryl Gane's win over Alexander Volkov will raise many questions about his knockout power going up against the likes of Derrick Lewis, Stipe Miocic and champion Francis Ngannou. That's because power is an attribute that determines the outcome of heavyweight contests more often than not. However, it's not a common sight to watch a technically sound fighter display creative striking and five-round cardio to score a decision win in the heavyweight division.
'Bon Gamin' has now outclassed two top contenders in a long-drawn striking battle in back-to-back fights and deserves to be respected for raising the bar of technique in the division.
#2 Shavkat Rakhmonov
Kazakhstan's Shavkat Rakhmonov became the first man to finish veteran fighter Michel Prazeres in his 30-fight MMA career at UFC Vegas 30. The UFC welterweight division has not witnessed the rise of a breakout star like Rakhmonov other than Khamzat Chimaev over the last couple of years.
Shavkat Rakhmonov's debut win over Alex Oliveira at UFC 254 perhaps didn't get the attention it deserved. However, his dominant win over Prazeres definitely cemented the fact that 'Nomad' could be the next breakout star in the welterweight division who could present a fresh and unique challenge to the champion in the future.
#1 UFC Vegas 30 fight card
UFC Vegas 30 did not have an abundance of high-ranked fighters or the biggest names competing. It was a fairly average-looking card that might not have attracted a lot of casual or semi-hardcore fans. But cards that appear weak on paper usually deliver the best results. 7 out of the 13 fights on the prelims and the main card resulted in finishes.
Kennedy Nzechukwu and Timur Valiev scored impressive come-from-behind wins, while Ciryl Gane, Renato Moicano and Shavkat Rakhmonov put on high-level performances to put their divisions on notice. Overall, the UFC Vegas 30 fight card was the biggest winner of the night.
3 Losers from UFC Vegas 30
#3 Yancy Medeiros
UFC veteran Yancy Medeiros was always considered a fun fighter who defeated the likes of John Makdessi, Erik Silva and Alex Oliveira during his initial run with the promotion. However, things have been difficult for Medeiros in recent times. Medeiros suffered his fourth consecutive loss against Bosnian-Danish fighter Damir Hadzovic at UFC Vegas 30. Having last tasted victory against Oliveira in December 2017, Medeiros has since lost to Gregor Gillespie, Lando Vannata, Donald Cerrone and, most recently, to Hadzovic last weekend.
The 33-year-old fighter is not an aging competitor at the tail-end of his career. However, the series of losses in recent times aren't likely to go unnoticed by the UFC, who have released many under-performing veterans in the past year.
However, his toughness is undeniable and his habit of pushing through damage and continuing to throw strikes will be noted by the promotion. Perhaps his last-minute rear-naked choke attempt has earned him another octagon walk.
#2 Alexander Volkov
Over the years, Alexander Volkov has emerged as a contender who makes it really difficult for his opponents to look good against him, irrespective of the outcome. 'Drago' is a skilled fighter who has proven that he can be competitive in every aspect of the fight game and all three of his losses in the UFC were hard-earned victories for his opponents.
However, including the UFC Vegas 30 loss to Ciryl Gane, Volkov has now lost to three out of the five fighters that are above him in the heavyweight rankings. A win over Gane was the Russian's only chance to present a case for a title shot or a title eliminator bout in the foreseeable future.
With his UFC Vegas 30 loss, Volkov might have landed in a situation that will demand him to take up high-risk, low reward fights against rising contenders that are below him in the rankings.
#1 UFC for the design of its gloves
By now it is common knowledge that instances of accidental eye pokes are way more common in the UFC than any other major MMA organization. It is also no secret that UFC gloves are designed in such a way that they force a fighter to keep an open palm rather than a closed fist which causes eye pokes. Eye pokes are probably the worst form of accidental fouls and can significantly alter the course of a fight, if not altogether end it.
UFC Vegas 30 saw the fight between Andre Fili and Daniel Pineda end in a no-contest after Pineda was rendered unable to continue due to an accidental eye poke from Fili. The main event between Gane and Volkov also went through a late scare due to an eye poke.
The UFC has made impossible things possible during the 28 years of their existence. However, it is difficult to think of a valid reason for the promotion to not abandon the design of the current gloves and come up with a better one that can minimize the instances of eye pokes.
