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With two title fights at the top of the card, as well as a major rematch of a previous classic, UFC 275 always looked like one of 2022’s biggest events, and it definitely delivered the goods.
UFC 275 saw some incredible performances up and down the card, and with both title fights leaving a number of questions as well as answers, it’s an event that’ll be talked about for some time.
Overall, the event saw a number of big winners, and those fighters are highly likely to move onto bigger and better things in the future.
With that in mind, here are the five biggest winners from UFC 275: Glover Teixeira vs. Jiri Prochazka.
#5. Jack Della Maddalena – defeated Ramazan Emeev in a UFC welterweight bout
UFC 275’s main card opener saw Australian welterweight prospect Jack Della Maddalena match up with Russian veteran Ramazan Emeev in what looked like a decent test for the flashy striker, and essentially, the fight delivered in every possible area.
Emeev was expected to test Maddalena if he could get him to the ground – something that the Australian’s first octagon opponent, Pete Rodriguez, failed miserably in doing. Indeed, in the early going, it appeared that the Russian had discovered a hole in Maddalena’s game.
He took the Aussie to the ground, locked up an anaconda choke, and for all intents and purposes, the fight appeared to be over. It seemed only a matter of time before Maddalena had to tap.
Incredibly, though, he was able to gut out the terrible position, free his neck to escape to his feet, and then destroy Emeev with ruthless strikes on the feet.
Basically, then, this was the perfect test for the prospect. Not only did he show he’s capable of surviving bad positions on the ground, but he also demonstrated his nasty striking skills once again. Overall, it seems like the sky is the limit for him, and he definitely stands as one of last night’s big winners.
#4. Jake Matthews – defeated Andre Fialho in a UFC welterweight bout
If you rewind a couple of years ago, there were few hotter prospects in the UFC’s welterweight division than Jake Matthews. ‘The Celtic Kid’ debuted in the octagon back in 2014 as a 20-year old and picked up some good early wins, but it was 2018 when he really appeared to hit his stride, winning three in a row.
However, a loss to Anthony Martin derailed him pretty badly, and while he won another three bouts between 2019 and 2020, his 2021 loss to Sean Brady seemed to suggest he’d never make it to the top of the mountain.
However, last night, in his first bout for well over a year, ‘The Celtic Kid’ looked fantastic. His fight with Andre Fialho appeared to be set up for the Portuguese to pick up his third highlight reel knockout of the year, but things didn’t pan out that way at all.
Instead, Matthews demonstrated a massively improved boxing game, took the fight to Fialho, and ended up stopping him with a brutal combination in the second round.
Whether these new boxing skills can finally elevate Matthews up the ladder remains a question mark, as to be fair, three of his five losses have come via submission. However, if he can continue to fight like this, another climb is a definite possibility – and he was definitely one of last night’s big winners.
#3. Valentina Shevchenko – defeated Taila Santos to defend the UFC flyweight title
Prior to last night’s event, UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko had never really been tested at 125lbs. She’d claimed the title there in 2018 by outpointing Joanna Jedrzejczyk and had reeled off six straight title defenses, finishing four of them.
Her fight with Taila Santos was supposed to be business as usual. The Brazilian looked like a decent prospect, but she’d won just four bouts in the octagon and simply didn’t look ready for ‘Bullet’. However, when it came to fight time, things were a little different.
Incredibly, the challenger dominated the first two rounds on the ground – coming close with a rear-naked choke in the opening stanza – and then appeared to have edged the third round, too.
Shevchenko came back well in the final two rounds, though, hurting the Brazilian with her strikes, but when she couldn’t secure a finish, it looked like her title reign was about to be over.
Instead, though, the judges surprisingly handed ‘Bullet’ a split decision, with one of the three somehow giving her four of the five rounds.
Should Shevchenko really be considered a big winner, then, given that she arguably lost the fight? Well, yes. Every fighter has an off-day, and last night was probably hers – meaning the fact that she somehow escaped with her title should be considered a huge achievement.
#2. Weili Zhang – defeated Joanna Jedrzejczyk in a UFC strawweight bout
Given that Dana White had already promised a shot at UFC strawweight champion Carla Esparza for the victor, whoever came out on top of the clash between Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk was always going to be one of the night’s big winners.
However, after their epic five-round war back in 2020, few fans could’ve seen one of these two women dominating proceedings and coming out with a big knockout.
Incredibly, though, that’s exactly what Zhang did. ‘Magnum’ took the fight to Jedrzejczyk from the off, taking her down in the first round and landing plenty of heavy strikes. In the second round, she was able to catch her coming in with a spinning backfist, knocking her silly.
Given the stakes, the quality of her opponent, and what’d happened in their previous fight, this was probably the best performance of Zhang’s UFC career, and the finish alone should make her into an even bigger star than she was before.
So can ‘Magnum’ regain the title she lost to Rose Namajunas? Based on this showing, it seems highly likely, particularly as she appears to match up well with Esparza. There can be no denying, then, that the Chinese star was one of last night’s biggest winners.
#1. Jiri Prochazka – defeated Glover Teixeira for the UFC light heavyweight title
Naturally, the biggest winner at last night’s event was definitely Jiri Prochazka. Not only did the Czech native put on an all-time classic war in the night’s headliner, but he also managed to choke out Glover Teixeira, making him the new UFC light heavyweight champion.
Unlike his first two octagon wins, this one did not come easily for ‘Denisa’. Teixeira survived a number of onslaughts on the feet, and was able to take Prochazka down on numerous occasions across five rounds, battering him with strikes on the mat.
Worse for the challenger, in the second round, Teixeira split him open with a brutal elbow, causing blood to spray from his forehead in a truly gory scene.
Prochazka was undeterred, though, and kept on coming forward with aggression, and as the fight tipped into the championship rounds, while Teixeira was still pushing the pace, the Czech looked like the fresher man.
Sure enough, with less than a minute to go in the fifth round, Prochazka kept on coming, and somehow managed to lock up a no-hooks rear-naked choke – forcing Teixeira to tap out.
Who should be next for the new champion? After a war like this, he probably needs a long and lengthy rest, perhaps until early 2023. Overall though, this might’ve been 2022’s best fight, and whether anyone can topple ‘Denisa’ based on his showing here is a big question mark.
There’s no disputing, then, that he was the biggest winner at last night’s event.
