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The UFC’s European shows are always quite low on hype and UFC Fight Night 145 – the promotion’s first show from the Czech Republic – was really flying under the radar thanks to its awkward position on the calendar, sandwiched between the UFC’s first show on the ESPN network and 2019’s biggest pay-per-view thus far in the form of UFC 235.
It was hard therefore for people to care about fights like Stefan Struve vs. Marcos Rogerio De Lima and Liz Carmouche vs. Lucie Pudilova, but in the end, the show wasn’t too bad at all. Sure, some of the fights were slower – Magomed Ankalaev vs. Klidson Abreu comes to mind – but there was a lot to like too, most notably the main event.
Here are the best and worst moments from UFC Fight Night 145: Blachowicz vs. Santos.
#1 Best: Santos closing in on a title shot – and it’s a good thing
Ever since his UFC debut back in 2013, Thiago ‘Marreta’ Santos has garnered a reputation as one of the most exciting, aggressive fighters to watch in the whole sport, and the proof is in his record – in 17 UFC fights prior to last night he’d gone the distance just 3 times. But he’d also garnered a reputation as a glass cannon, a fighter who was just as likely to fold under his opponent’s offense than put them away with his own.
Seemingly though, those self-destructive tendencies have vanished with his move to 205lbs. I feared for ‘Marreta’ against Jan Blachowicz due to the Pole’s crisp jab, ground skills but most notably his durability, as he’d never been KO’d or TKO’d in 30 professional fights. Well, that run ended violently last night as Santos took him out in a rush early in the third round.
It was hugely impressive, particularly because Santos didn’t actually come flying out the gates, and seemingly allowed Blachowicz to settle into a bit of a rhythm, working out exactly what he had to offer before actually taking the Pole out with a clean counter punch. If anything, it was Blachowicz who got too wild, and he paid the price.
Santos is now 3-0 at 205lbs and in a thin division filled with prospects and ageing stars, there’s an argument for giving him the next title shot – particularly as Anthony Smith, who Santos beat at 185lbs in 2018, is fighting for the title next week. Impressively, Jon Jones appears to be a fighting champion willing to take on all comers – and Santos could definitely be next. If he is, he deserves it, as he’s consistently been exciting to watch and has never been the type to quibble over opponents or money. In essence, he’s the kind of fighter the UFC needs.
#1 Worst: Was Pudilova robbed?
The Czech Republic isn’t really known for producing top MMA fighters and that was clear in the fact that Flyweight Lucie Pudilova – 1-1 in the UFC prior to last night with both of her fights on preliminary cards – was the lone Czech native competing on the UFC’s debut in the country. And it looked like a tough fight for her, too – she was faced with a longtime veteran and former title challenger in Liz Carmouche.
Pudilova did lose in the end, but watching the fight I’m not sure that she really deserved the loss. Carmouche clearly came out to grapple, looking to nullify Pudilova’s striking game, but in terms of actual offense, for me, Pudilova did more across the 15 minutes.
Using the unified rules and the 10-point must system, you’d have to give Carmouche the first round even though all she did was shove Pudilova into the fence ala an old-school Matt Lindland fight. The second round surely should’ve gone to Pudilova for her superior striking – even when she was taken down, she swept into top position and delivered far more damage than Carmouche did on the ground.
That should’ve meant the deciding round was the 3rd, and while Pudilova’s striking accuracy definitely wasn’t flawless, she was the one largely pushing the fight while it was on its feet, and when it hit the ground, while Carmouche tried a heel hook, it was Pudilova throwing elbows and she was the one who ended the fight on top.
It was a close fight for sure and wasn’t the biggest robbery of all time, but I definitely thought the Czech fighter deserved the nod here – and it would’ve made the crowd happier too.
#2 Best: Struve goes out with a bang?
Last week I published an article on UFC fighters who retired with a victory, and after last night it looks like towering Dutchman Stefan Struve has joined them, despite being just 31 years old. Struve wasn’t fully committal to the idea of retiring after his victory over Marcos Rogerio De Lima, but the fight was the final one on his UFC contract and he removed his gloves and definitely seemed open to it.
It wasn’t an easy win for Struve, either – dropped by an overhand right from ‘Pezao’ in the opening seconds of the fight, ‘Skyscraper’ was dominated for the entire first stanza. But the second round saw him come back to gain top position, and from there he took advantage of the Brazilian’s porous ground game to put him away with an arm triangle choke.
Assuming Struve does retire, you can understand why. Sure, 31 isn’t old, but he’s been around forever – a decade in the UFC alone with a professional career actually dating back to 2005. What’s more, he’s also taken 7 knockout losses over that career – probably a sign that enough is enough.
While he was never a true title contender, Struve was always a fun fighter to watch – win or lose – and his ilk will be missed in the Heavyweight division for sure. Hopefully, he can stay healthy in the upcoming years now his career is over.
#2 Worst: Khabilov and Prazeres see their streaks end with a whimper
Two fighters flying under the radar on the undercard of this show were Rustam Khabilov and Michel Prazeres. Both men were riding long winning streaks – Khabilov had won 6 in a row, Prazeres had won 8 – but neither had been really showcased by the UFC for some time due to a perceived dull fighting style.
Well, the likelihood is that neither man will be showcased by the UFC at any point in the near future, either. Both saw their winning streaks broken last night by fighters not exactly that notable; Prazeres was beaten by newcomer Ismail Naurdiev, who to be fair could go on to make some noise, while Khabilov lost to a resurgent Diego Ferreira, firmly out grappled by the Brazilian for 15 minutes.
It goes to show that winning simply isn’t enough in the UFC – streaks like Khabilov’s or Prazeres’ would usually put you into contention but these two were simply given tricky opponents on prelim cards over and over. You need to be exciting to really force your way onto the radar and the fate of Khabilov and Prazeres shows that. It’s sad especially for Khabilov, who looked awesome when he debuted back in 2012 and just hasn’t been able to follow up on that hype.
#3 Best: Petr Yan is for real
Russian Bantamweight Petr Yan had been perfect in his UFC career – icing Teruto Ishihara, Jin Soo Son and Douglas Silva de Andrade in the Octagon – but last night was by far his toughest test to date against former Flyweight title challenger John Dodson. But when the bright lights were on him, ‘No Mercy’ delivered in spades.
In what was perhaps the best fight of the night, Yan simply showed no respect for Dodson’s vaunted striking, walking him down to deliver big shots from the first round all the way until the final buzzer. Dodson certainly had his moments in this fight – most notably a second-round knockdown that arguably won him the round – but for the most part, it appeared that ‘The Magician’ was outclassed – something that we’ve rarely seen before.
During the pre-fight talk, announcer John Gooden mentioned that Yan had stated that he didn’t care about Dodson – he wants Dillashaw, Cruz, Moraes or Garbrandt – and judging on last night’s showing he might have a chance against any of those 4. Apparently, the Russian wants Jimmie Rivera next though, and that would be a hell of a fight.
Throw those names in with the on-form Aljamain Sterling and the always-dangerous Raphael Assuncao – as well as a huge wild card in the form of Flyweight champ Henry Cejudo – and 135lbs might be the most loaded division in the whole promotion. And after last night, there’s no doubt that Yan is for real and that he belongs in the conversation with those top fighters.
