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This weekend’s UFC Fight Night was flying under the radar somewhat, largely due to its last-minute thrown-together main event and the fact that it was coming one week before a major pay-per-view.
In the end, though, UFC Fight Night: Islam Makhachev vs. Bobby Green produced plenty of watchable action, entertaining finishes – and saw a number of fighters produce truly outstanding performances.
So with plenty of fighters looking likely to move up the ladder in their respective divisions after their wins this weekend, this turned out to be a more memorable show than many expected.
With that considered, here are the five biggest winners from UFC Fight Night: Islam Makhachev vs. Bobby Green.
#5: Ignacio Bahamondes – defeated Rong Zhu in a UFC catchweight bout
After he claimed a $50k bonus for his wheel kick knockout of Roosevelt Roberts in his last visit to the octagon, Ignacio Bahamondes probably would’ve felt aggrieved not to have made the main card at last night’s event.
However, ‘La Jaula’ clearly didn’t let that bother him, and picked apart Rong Zhu en route to a slick third round submission via brabo choke.
The victory was probably made even sweeter by the fact that Rong missed weight for the bout, meaning that 40% of his purse went to Bahamondes – essentially handing him another bonus, albeit a smaller one than last time around.
Regardless, this was an excellent win for the UFC’s tallest lightweight. He showed great poise throughout the bout to keep his Chinese opponent at the end of his strikes, and when Rong did attempt to switch it up with a takedown, Bahamondes quickly finished him off with his choke.
The win moved the native of Chile to 2-1 inside the octagon, and while it’s unlikely to shunt him into the top fifteen at 155lbs, he’s clearly a handful for any fighter to deal with thanks to his height and range. Thanks to this impressive win, he should be considered one of last night’s biggest winners.
#4: Armen Petrosyan – defeated Gregory Rodrigues in a UFC middleweight bout
Coming into his UFC debut last night, it’s safe to say that middleweight prospect Armen Petrosyan was willing to talk a good game.
‘Superman’ – who won a contract with the promotion thanks to a head kick knockout on Dana White’s Contender Series last year – promised an entertaining bout with Gregory Rodrigues, but also suggested that he’d smash his opponent and would fight two more times this year.
In the end, the fight wasn’t nearly as easy for Petrosyan as he might’ve hoped. Sure, he cracked Rodrigues with enough heavy strikes throughout the bout – largely landing more than the Brazilian – to claim a razor-close split decision, but he also ended up with a badly damaged nose and also came close to being knocked out and submitted at points.
Still, the fact that Petrosyan didn’t simply falter in the face of adversity means that he should be considered one of last night’s big winners.
Is he a hot enough prospect that title contention should be considered in his near future? Perhaps not, but he’s clearly capable of putting on wild and entertaining fights, which will serve him well in the octagon in the future.
#3: Wellington Turman – defeated Misha Cirkunov in a UFC middleweight bout
Coming into his fight with Misha Cirkunov last night, Wellington Turman had never won two bouts in a row in the UFC. The fact that he was able to change that by beating arguably his toughest foe to date easily makes him one of the event’s biggest winners.
Things could definitely have gone the other way in this bout. After shaking off an early rear-naked choke attempt, Cirkunov was able to dominate the first round, taking top position to bash his Brazilian foe with some thudding punches.
However, when the Latvian-Canadian looked to continue his momentum in the second round by tripping Turman to the ground again, the Brazilian surprised him by locking up an armbar literally out of nowhere, forcing him to tap out.
This was one of the most sudden armbars in UFC history – not meticulously set up, more like Ronda Rousey’s explosive finish of Cat Zingano back in 2015. Cirkunov is no dummy on the mat by any means, but he was caught seriously cold here.
Whether Turman can follow up this win with another – moving him towards the top 15 at 185lbs – is anyone’s guess, but for now at least, he’s gained some serious traction in a tricky division, something that didn’t seem likely as recently as last year.
#2: Arman Tsarukyan – defeated Joel Alvarez in a UFC lightweight bout
Coming into his fight with Joel Alvarez last night, not only was Arman Tsarukyan considered one of the UFC’s most dangerous lightweights, he was also considered one of the promotion’s most underrated fighters too.
After his beatdown of Alvarez, though, it’ll be very tricky for fans and observers to continue to underrate him. If anything, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see his name appear in the top 10 at 155lbs come next week.
The Armenian fighter absolutely destroyed ‘El Fenomeno’, slicing him up with some brutal elbows in the first round before continuing the abuse in the second round until the referee was forced to step in.
Considering that Alvarez was considered a hot prospect in his own right – and was already 4-1 in the octagon – it’s hard to play down the significance of this win.
Essentially, Tsarukyan seems to have no weaknesses in his game. His only loss in the octagon came to Islam Makhachev, a fighter who might be the best in the world right now – and even he only edged a tight decision.
Who should be next for the Armenian? Fights with Michael Chandler, Gregor Gillespie or Tony Ferguson would all work, but whoever faces him is likely to be in trouble.
Could we see a rematch with Makhachev – with the lightweight title on the line – in the future? It’s too early to say, but stranger things have happened. Either way, Tsarukyan was definitely one of last night’s biggest winners.
#1: Islam Makhachev – defeated Bobby Green in a UFC lightweight bout
It probably goes without saying that the biggest winner from last night’s event was Islam Makhachev. Not only did he extend his winning streak to ten bouts, but he also made his win over Bobby Green look stunningly easy.
To suggest that any other fighter – even Conor McGregor – now deserves a shot at the UFC lightweight title ahead of him is simply ludicrous.
Sure, the cynics will point to the fact that Green was a late-notice replacement for Beneil Dariush, took the bout on just under two weeks’ notice, and was unable to make the 155lbs lightweight limit, forcing the promotion to make the fight a 160lbs catchweight.
However, the truth is that, given he’d been preparing for a grappler, ‘King’ was actually a tricky match for Makhachev. Nobody had really outwrestled Green during his tenure in the octagon, and his boxing skills meant that most fans figured he’d hold an advantage over Makhachev standing.
However, those boxing skills didn’t come into play at all. Makhachev simply waited until the right moment, blasted through Green with a double leg, and then smashed him on the ground until the referee had to step in.
Essentially, while Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje are both fantastic fighters, assuming Makhachev is given a title shot before the end of 2022, it’s hard not to see him holding gold. He’s simply an amazing fighter, and this was just the latest example of that.
