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UFC 273 was an entertaining night for the promotion and their fans.
Despite the lack of finishes on the main card, every fight lived up to the hype.
Ahead of the event, there were many questions and all were answered on the night.
Reigning featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski extended his title reign after a dominant win over Chan Sung Jung. The Australian imposed his will on ‘The Korean Zombie’ and was a step ahead in every exchange.
The co-main event was the clear Fight of the Night between Khamzat Chimaev and former title challenger Gilbert Burns.
‘Borz’ proved he is a legitimate contender, defeating the No.2 ranked welterweight.
He has now set himself up for a title eliminator and will surely take Burns’ spot in the rankings. With that said, this list will look at five takeaways from UFC 273.
#5. Herb Dean protects 'The Korean Zombie' from himself at UFC 273
Herb Dean should be commended for stopping the main event at UFC 273 the way he did.
In the main event, featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski defended his title against Chan Sung Jung. It was a completely one-sided bout, with Jung absorbing many significant strikes.
It looked like ‘The Korean Zombie’ was a step behind the champion and he wasn’t able to find consistency.
He caught ‘The Great’ with a few uppercuts, but the Australian bounced right back and continued his onslaught of strikes. Following the second round, it became more noticeable that Jung received a lot of damage.
Volkanovski continued his dominance in the third round and dropped Jung on more than one occasion. Prior to the fourth round, ‘The Korean Zombie’ informed both the cageside doctor and Dean that he wanted to continue.
After ‘The Great’ landed multiple combinations, Dean immediately stepped in and stopped the fight. It was the correct decision as he stopped Jung from taking any further damage.
#4. Mackenzie Dern is back in the UFC strawweight title picture
Mackenzie Dern is back in the title picture in the strawweight division after UFC 273.
She fought a tough and durable fighter in Tecia Torres, who had never been finished in the octagon.
In the leadup to the bout, Dern was committed to changing that and wanted to be the first to submit Torres.
She almost achieved that as she had applied numerous submissions throughout the fight. She had a kimura and then later a leg-lock, but to Torres’ credit, she didn’t submit.
‘The Tiny Tornado’s' resilience was a great test for Dern as she was forced to mix up her striking and grappling. It was an impressive performance by both women and made for an entertaining bout.
Dern was awarded the split-decision after the judges scored the bout 29-28, 29-28, and 28-29. She is back in the title picture and sets herself up for a bout with a top-5 opponent.
#3. UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling silences the doubters
After a neck injury kept him out of action for a year, UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling returned to the octagon.
He won the bantamweight championship in controversial fashion last year, when then champion Petr Yan was disqualified for an illegal knee. Despite being the new champion, many considered interim champion Yan the favorite heading into the rematch.
If ‘Funk Master’ didn’t have a chip on his shoulder already, he did after seeing the betting odds for the co-main event. It’s no secret that ‘No Mercy’s' path to victory was his striking, especially considering Sterling is referred to as “the human backpack” for his jiu-jitsu.
The champion put his grappling on full display in Florida He had Yan’s back and was in a favorable position on the ground. Even though he was unable to finish ‘No Mercy,’ he made it very difficult for him to fight back. It was a statement win for Sterling as he unified the bantamweight championships.
#2. Alexander Volkanovski is still king of the UFC featherweight division
Alexander Volkanovski proved he is still king of the UFC featherweight division after his fourth-round TKO win over Chan Sung Jung. He earned a Performance of the Night bonus and rightfully so. Volkanovski looked incredible and showcased why he is among the top pound-for-pound fighters in MMA.
After his dominant win over Jung, it will be interesting to see what the promotion has planned for Volkanovski. During his post-fight press conference, he spoke about wanting to see the featherweight contenders in the division step up. ‘The Great’ didn’t rule anything out when discussing his future plans.
He said: “I think we’re in a good position to move up, maybe see what happens in this lightweight division title fight and maybe move up. Because again, I’m showing I’m levels ahead in this division.”
Volkanovski mentioned that he’d like to fight three times this year and said he’d even be open to moving to lightweight. Regardless if he remains at featherweight or moves to lightweight, his next fight will definitely be an interesting one.
#1. Khamzat Chimaev is a legitimate welterweight contender
Khamzat Chimaev proved that he’s a legitimate contender in the UFC welterweight division on Saturday night. He defeated No.2 ranked welterweight and former title challenger Gilbert Burns by unanimous decision.
‘Borz’ was the No.11 heading into the fight, so he’ll undoubtedly climb to the top-5 after his win over ‘Durinho.’
The fight began with Chimaev using his size advantage to drag Burns on the ground. He followed that up by landing elbows and strikes that opened up a cut to ‘Durinho’s head. Burns regrouped and dropped Chimaev with heavy strikes, but he was able to defend himself.
It was a spectacular fight that had the crowd on the edge of their seats. There’s no doubt that ‘Borz’ is in the title picture. He defeated the toughest opponent of his career thus far and even faced adversity for the first time in his career.
