The best and worst from UFC Vegas 15: Smith vs. Clark

#2 Best: Baeza is the real deal

Miguel Baeza was impressive in his win over Takashi Sato

There was quite a bit of hype – at least from hardcore UFC fans – around last night’s co-main event due to the presence of Miguel Baeza. ‘Caramel Thunder’ had last been seen knocking out tough UFC veteran Matt Brown back in May – a win that took him to 2-0 in the UFC and 9-0 in MMA overall. It was one of the more impressive wins from a prospect in some time.

Last night he was faced with probably his toughest test to date in the form of Takashi Sato, a Japanese veteran who’d gone 2-1 in the UFC and looked like a pretty serious challenge. But Baeza basically blew him out of the water.

‘Caramel Thunder’ got the better of the early striking exchanges, and then, deciding he didn’t want to risk the win too much, took him down and submitted him moments later with a beautiful arm triangle choke.

We’d heard about Baeza’s grappling skills – he’s apparently a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu – but never seen them in the UFC until now. However, judging on last night he’s a fighter who can finish from all areas.

Basically, Baeza might be the prospect to watch in the UFC’s Welterweight division right now – if you already count Khamzat Chimaev as a contender of course – and I fully expect him to be in title contention by this time next year.

#2 Worst: Did Porter vs. Parisian really belong on a UFC main card?

Parker Porter's win over Josh Parisian was a curious choice for a UFC main card fight

Okay, so it’s worth stating that both Parker Porter and Josh Parisian performed to probably the best of their abilities last night. The two Heavyweights put on a hard-fought bout with both men throwing huge shots at one another throughout, and despite their size, they didn’t really slow their pace down too much.

In the end, Porter came out with his first UFC victory, ruining Parisian’s UFC debut. But despite the fight not being a disaster, it’s worth asking the question – did this fight really belong on the main card of a UFC event in 2020?

The honest answer is no. Neither man looked to be in the best shape, even if they didn’t gas out, and it wasn’t like they were demonstrating sharp striking skills like say, Mark Hunt once did. This was a crude brawl, simply put, and while it was watchable, it felt more like something you’d see on a regional card than at the sport’s highest level.

Basically, if Parisian and Porter were fighting in any other weight class, they probably wouldn’t have made it into the UFC. Despite being fun to watch at points, this fight showed that even at the UFC level, the Heavyweight division lags behind the rest when it comes to overall skill levels.

#3 Best: Su Mudaerji shows off his punching power

Su Mudaerji impressed in his first win in the UFC's Flyweight division

The most impressive finish last night came on the preliminary card, when China’s Su Mudaerji used his punching power to take out Malcolm Gordon in just 44 seconds. The win was Mudaerji’s first in the UFC as a Flyweight, and ended up being the second-fastest finish in the division’s history.

Gordon simply looked physically overmatched by ‘The Tibetan Eagle’, as Mudaerji opened up early with some heavy punches. And sensing that his opponent was hurt, he then followed up with some piston-like shots to drop Gordon face-first, ending his night early.

The win was Mudaerji’s first in the UFC at 125lbs, and after seeing how good his striking looked last night, it’s worth asking how far he can go up the rankings. Sure, his 2018 loss to Louis Smolka showed that he’s not the finished article, but a fighter possessing such raw power is always going to be dangerous.

And with the UFC’s Flyweight division not exactly being filled with top-level talent right now, I’d say ‘The Tibetan Eagle’ is a man to watch going into 2021.