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#2. Andrei Arlovski – defeated Jake Collier in a UFC heavyweight bout
It wasn’t pretty at all – in fact, a number of online observers thought that he deserved to lose. However, the fact that Andrei Arlovski was able to outpoint Jake Collier last night to pick up his 23rd victory in the UFC – tying the promotion’s record in the process – means that it’s hard not to consider him one of last night’s big winners.
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Like the majority of his recent bouts, this fight saw Arlovski largely look to keep the fight standing, and while Collier caught him with more shots than the likes of Jared Vanderaa and Carlos Felipe were able to, ‘The Pitbull’ just about edged things in the eyes of the judges.
It wasn’t an exciting fight by any means, and in fact, it’s hard to really discuss it in too much detail due to the lack of really telling moments. Overall, it obviously won’t go down as one of Arlovski’s most memorable performances.
It’s hard not to respect any fighter who can pull off 23 wins in the world’s biggest MMA promotion, though, particularly one who’s been written off as many times as ‘The Pitbull’ has been. How much longer he can keep it up at the age of 43 is anyone’s guess, but Arlovski should definitely be considered a huge winner today.
#1. Marlon Vera – defeated Rob Font in a UFC bantamweight bout
Naturally, the biggest winner at last night’s event was Marlon Vera, who outpointed Rob Font in impressive fashion in the headline bout. Given that Font was ranked at No.5 in the bantamweight division prior to last night, it’s hard to imagine ‘Chito’ not surpassing him this week.
Essentially, Vera looked awesome throughout the five-round bout. Sure, he took more strikes than he dished out, but the power differential between him and Font was huge. When the fight was over, it was clear who’d come out on top.
Font’s face was a mess, looking like he’d been hit with a baseball bat, while Vera was somehow basically unmarked. In fact, the Ecuadorian looked like he could’ve easily fought another five rounds without a break.
Sure, ‘Chito’ didn’t pick up a finish, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying as he did knock Font down three times, after all. After this showing, it’s hard not to consider him a legitimate contender for the bantamweight title now.
Who should the Ecuadorian fight next? Thankfully, there are a number of great options, from Petr Yan to Cory Sandhagen, and basically any fight against one of the top fighters in the division would work now.
Either way, Vera is clearly a dangerous man at 135lbs, and fans should probably not count him out against anyone. Given his stunning rise, he was definitely last night’s biggest winner.
