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The UFC’s latest Fight Night event went down last night and while the show lacked name value, it turned out to be decent enough in the end.
As always with the UFC’s events, some fighters picked up major wins which should move them forward and advance their cause for a potential title fight in the future.
Whether these fighters manage to move up the ladder, or simply fall at the next rung, remains to be seen, but it’s fair to say they won big last night.
Here are the five biggest winners from UFC Fight Night: Kai Kara-France vs. Amir Albazi.
#5 Muhammad Naimov – defeated Jamie Mullarkey in a UFC lightweight bout
It’s always tricky for any fighter to make a successful debut in the UFC, particularly if that debut comes on short notice. Muhammad Naimov, then, was always going to be considered a big winner if he could defeat Jamie Mullarkey this weekend.
Mullarkey came into the fight on the back of a two-bout winning run, and had already made eight appearances in the octagon.
Naimov, on the other hand, took the fight on five days’ notice to replace the sidelined Guram Kutateladze.
Early on, it looked like the more experienced fighter had the edge, as Mullarkey clearly took the first round. In the second round, though, he got too overconfident, dropping his hands slightly, and that was all it took for Naimov to end his night with a big right hand.
Quite how far the native of Tajikistan can go in the lightweight division remains to be seen, as it’s often hard for a newer fighter to reproduce a great showing like this in their return to the octagon.
However, this was definitely a great way for him to debut, and he also claimed a $50k bonus, which is nothing to sneeze at.
#4 Alex Caceres – defeated Daniel Pineda in a UFC featherweight bout
Last night’s Fight of the Night award went to the featherweight veterans competing in the co-headliner. Alex Caceres and Daniel Pineda didn’t produce the wild finish some hoped they would, but their bout was hugely entertaining, with Caceres eventually picking up a decision.
‘Bruce Leeroy’ suffered a knockdown in the third round, but overall, he clearly outfought his experienced opponent.
Caceres worked Pineda over to the body, had him badly hurt at points in the final round, and largely got the better of the grappling exchanges, too.
Is this win likely to move him up the featherweight rankings? That seems doubtful given that he’s already ranked at No.15 while Pineda was not ranked beforehand.
However, ‘Bruce Leeroy’ has now won seven of his last eight bouts, and appears to have settled into a role as one of the UFC’s premier gatekeepers.
Given that he’s been around since 2010, that’s an excellent spot for him to keep hold of – making him a big winner from last night.
#3 Karine Silva – defeated Ketlen Souza in a UFC flyweight bout
The nastiest finish on offer last night was probably Karine Silva’s first-round submission of Ketlen Souza.
‘Killer’ needed just under two minutes to dispatch her fellow Brazilian, taking her down before locking up what initially looked like an ankle lock. However, moments later, Souza’s knee seemingly popped, eliciting the tap.
The win was not only Silva’s second in the UFC via stoppage, but her 16th in MMA overall. In fact, she’s never gone the distance in any of her career victories.
Sure, the Brazilian has not been properly tested yet, but given the thin nature of the women’s flyweight division, it’s hard not to imagine her cracking the top 15 soon, if she doesn’t this week.
Based on this showing, the promotion ought to fast-track her and look to move her into title contention, because she’s clearly a huge talent. While she didn’t win a $50k bonus last night, she was definitely one of the event’s biggest winners.
#2 Jim Miller – defeated Jesse Butler in a UFC lightweight bout
By fighting at last night’s event, Jim Miller broke his own UFC record. Last night was his 43rd bout inside the octagon, moving him three ahead of his nearest competitor.
That record would all have been for nought had Miller lost to newcomer Jesse Butler, who replaced Jared Gordon on incredibly late notice last week.
However, Miller instead uncorked one of the most memorable finishes of his career. He landed two violent left hands that sparked Butler out instantly, allowing the veteran to walk away without needing to follow up.
This was a massive highlight-reel moment for Miller. While, the win won’t throw him back into title contention, the speed in which it happened should mean he can get back into action sooner rather than later.
There’s every chance Miller could even manage another two fights this year if things go his way, moving him onto 45 in total. That 50-fight mark is getting ever closer, and if the New Jersey native can keep fighting like this, he could even manage more fights than that.
Add in the $50k bonus he received, and overall, this was a fantastic night for him.
#1 Amir Albazi – defeated Kai Kara-France in a UFC flyweight bout
While he didn’t produce a finish, and in fact, may not have deserved the nod from the judges, it’s hard not to consider Amir Albazi as last night’s biggest winner.
‘The Prince’ ended up edging out Kai Kara-France via split decision, moving him to 17-1 in MMA with five of his wins coming inside the UFC. That should be enough to net him, at worst, a top contender’s fight in the flyweight division.
The win wasn’t without controversy. Albazi clearly dominated ‘Don’t Blink’ on the ground in the third round, coming close to finishing him with a rear naked choke.
He also pushed the pace in the first two rounds and arguably did enough to win at least one of them, despite Kara-France doing some good combination work.
However, the official stats showed that Kara-France outlanded him in significant strikes, bringing into question the judges chosen by the Nevada State Athletic Commission yet again.
Despite this, it wasn’t a robbery per say, and it’s hard not to view Albazi as an elite-level fighter now. Given that he could well end up competing for gold in the octagon as early as 2024, it’s fair to say that last night’s show belonged to him.
