5 biggest winners from UFC 273: Alexander Volkanovski vs. The Korean Zombie

#4. Mackenzie Dern – defeated Tecia Torres in a UFC strawweight bout

Mackenzie Dern edged out Tecia Torres to remain in title contention at strawweight

After suffering a loss to Marina Rodriguez in her first UFC headline bout, it was imperative that grappling expert Mackenzie Dern pick up a win over Tecia Torres last night to keep her title hopes alive. She did that – just about – by edging a split decision.

Quite who deserved the nod in this one probably depended on how the first round was scored. Dern dominated the second stanza on the mat, coming close with a couple of submission attempts, while Torres clearly took the third with her striking.

The first, though, saw Torres land with more volume, but Dern connect with the more telling blows. In the end, she was judged to have done just enough for a win.

Given that Dern was ranked at No.6 in the strawweight division prior to this bout – one spot above Torres – it’s unlikely that she’ll climb any higher on the ladder following her win. However, this victory was still hugely important.

Had she lost to ‘The Tiny Tornado’, it would’ve been easy to count Dern out of title contention. Now, though, she could well find herself in line for a title shot with one more win – making her one of last night’s biggest winners.

---

#3. Khamzat Chimaev – defeated Gilbert Burns in a UFC welterweight bout

After his win over Gilbert Burns, there can be no more doubts around Khamzat Chimaev

It didn’t come nearly as easily as his previous wins in the UFC, but when the dust was settled, after an epic fight, Khamzat Chimaev came away with another victory. More to the point, any questions about whether he’s for real have now been firmly answered.

Chimaev took the fight to opponent Gilbert Burns – who was ranked No.2 in the division. After dropping him late in the first round, it looked like he was about to put ‘Durinho’ away for yet another stoppage win.

Burns proved to be tougher than ‘Borz’ expected, though, and hung on to make it into the second round. There, he began to take over the fight as Chimaev seemed to be wilting.

However, any questions around Chimaev’s chin were soon answered when he survived a barrage of shots in that round. The native of Chechnya then came roaring back to tear the fight away from the grasp of Burns in the third, winning via decision.

So is a title shot in Chimaev’s future? Even if it isn’t his next bout, it seems inevitable that he’ll fight for the gold at some point soon. Can he win the welterweight crown? Based on last night, he has some adjustments to make – but if he can do that, then he’s got a great chance. Either way, he went from prospect to genuine contender last night.