open-menu

What the hell happened at UFC 240?!

MMA UFC Cat Zingano Megan Anderson Mike Perry
Sadowolf Jul 31, 2019 11:00AM

Greetings, fight fans! UFC 240 has wrapped up while it wasn't the most stacked card, it was pretty entertaining; certainly more so than what we were given the previous week. This event had a decidedly high amount of decisions as well, but the finishes were scattered enough that it was less noticeable, unlike the nine-straight fights that went to the scorecards last time out. Frankie Edgar was scrappy and game, but once again denied featherweight gold, and Felicia Spencer proved tougher than once thought in going the distance with Cris "Cyborg" Justino. It was all in all a pretty satisfying card, though that may have been enhanced in my eyes by the fact that for the first time in forever I picked a main card fight perfectly. That's always nice. So let's talk about what the hell happened!

Conor McGregor vs Michael Chandler Officially Announced For UFC 303, Will Take Place At Welterweight


The Main Card


Holloway is still the king, cruises past a resilient Edgar


Max Holloway (c) def. #4 Frankie Edgar by unanimous decision (50-45, 49-46, 48-47)


It was the result most of us expected, but I have to say it was a bit more competitive than I imagined, which bodes well for Edgar. That is, unless Holloway really did hold back to show that he could keep pace with Edgar for five rounds, as he somewhat off-puttingly declared in his octagon interview. It wasn't his most thrilling performance, and though at times it did appear he took his foot off the gas, I do have to give some credit to Edgar's persistence and composure in keeping Holloway from pouring it on as much as he normally does. As was expected, Holloway's size, height, and reach were important factors in the fight, as was his distance management. Because of his physical advantages he was able to slide out of the way of many of Edgar's punches and counter moving backwards with pinpoint jabs and occasional straight right hands. The jab was a considerable tool for Holloway, as he’s shown to have one of the best retreating jabs in the game. He thwarted Edgar's advances many a time just by popping it out the moment Edgar stepped forward, which visibly frustrated Edgar because he just couldn’t get to Holloway often enough. Another notable weapon was the uppercut, which he used to capitalize on the fact that Edgar often dips into combinations, most likely as way to mask level changes for takedowns.


Edgar started out well, though this isn't uncharted territory for Holloway opponents. The opening round is generally where he sits back and makes reads on his opponents, and he really never seems too concerned with jumping out in front early. He kept his output relatively low and let Edgar come to him, which is smart considering the fact that Edgar seems to draw from a finite pool of combinations for entering opponents' range. Something Edgar did do smartly was turn to leg kicks in an attempt to slow down Holloway's footwork; although it didn't do much in that regard, Holloway never checks them and his footwork is an important part of his game. Edgar also had success catching Holloway with right hands over the top, though they lacked the power to give Holloway any pause. It was a good round for Edgar, but it wouldn't be a sign of things to come because Holloway was just getting started.


From there the rest of the fight was mostly Holloway doing his thing. In round two Edgar started shooting more takedowns to which Holloway showed sterling defense and the wherewithal to make Edgar pay on the break with right hands. This was also where Holloway really started using his jab and going to the body to open up Edgar's defenses. In round three it was clear that Edgar was starting to get a bit frustrated with his inability to get into range, as he started to extend more on his punches and even tried a couple spinning attacks. He would land his only takedown of the fight after Holloway hurt him with, timing a double leg on a swarming Holloway, but they would make it back to their feet fairly quickly.

He got one!


Edgar started round four off well landing a few right hands and flashing some nice head movement (a bit of a rarity for him), but it wasn't long before Holloway went back to work and turned up the volume. He hurt Edgar with a right hand and put his foot on the gas, but Edgar immediately came forward and fired back before eating a nice spinning back kick to the body before the horn.

Excellent job of cutting Edgar off to lead him into that spinning back kick.

The final round was more of the same with Edgar being relatively competitive, but Holloway just landing more flush and with more volume up top while Edgar varied up his strikes more with leg kicks and body shots. Sensing he needed the finish, Edgar sidestepped a spinning back kick and took Holloway's back late in the round, but was unable to mount an offense.


It was a clear victory for Holloway, but Edgar did hang tough in there. Halfway through the fight it appeared that he just sort of realized he was out of his depth, but at the same time he didn't give up; he was just at a loss for how to improve his situation. It's similar to what we saw from him in the second fight with Jose Aldo, where he just didn't have the answer (pun somewhat intended) to the puzzle and couldn't adjust well enough to change that. But as I mentioned in my preview of the fight, Edgar isn't a big adjustment maker; he has his go-to moves, and if they're not working he just keeps going to the well in hopes that his sheer persistence can garner success. His lack of head movement has and will continue to be a problem, as he general closes the distance in straight lines and only moves his head while standing more or less in place and often just creating a moving target rather than reacting to his opponent’s movements. It's a similar "illusion of good head movement" thing to what Irene Aldana does, albeit at a higher level.

He's made his style work for years, but I think they're amplified these days for one reason: he's too small at this point. He hasn't shrunk; if anything he seems to have gotten a bit more muscular. However, the division has grown considerably. He looked two weight classes beneath Holloway and Brian Ortega. I was so used to Edgar looking small at 155 lbs that I was surprised when he moved down to 145 lbs that he wasn't so much shorter or smaller than his foes. He looked smaller standing next to Holloway than he did next to almost all of his opponents up at lightweight! The next move for him should probably be a cut further down to bantamweight. I'm not sure how the cut is with him getting up there in age, but if he can make it without issue it's the only place there are fresh, viable fights for him. He just lost his fifth-consecutive title fight; it's doubtful he'll make his way to another one at featherweight. All that said, he’s still one of the all-time great lighter weight fighters in the sport.


As for Max, while he clearly looked subdued from his usual self, he still looked great out there. Whether he was stifling himself or not, his usual tools were there and they worked. He's just so comfortable in the cage and picks up on the nuances and tendencies of his opponents so quickly and effectively that he can turn out opponents like this where he plays it safe but still manages to turn in a good fight. If we're being honest, this was a very good fight by most measures, but we've been spoiled by his previous performances.

This tends to happen when you've been doing it since about this young.

Coming in I did question how he'd bounce back from the damage he took from Dustin Poirier, but then again Edgar wasn't exactly the guy to test his chin all that much. There's only one fight that makes sense for him right now, and that's against Alexander Volkanovski, who honestly should have been fighting here instead of Edgar. I still have to put Aldo at the top of my all-time list at featherweight, but Holloway is well on his way and a win over Volkanovski would only further cement that.



Cyborg turns away a shockingly tough Spencer


Cris "Cyborg" Justino def. Felicia Spencer by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)


Is it wrong that I wanted Cyborg to win this by knockout just to make a "Bye, Felicia" joke? Probably not any more wrong than the commentary during this fight overvaluing everything Spencer did to make it appear that Cyborg was having a really tough fight, when in reality she just beat up Spencer for 15 minutes. To her credit, Spencer is TOUGH.

I swear I didn't steal that opinion from Rogan.

It was pretty amazing how unfazed she seemed by strikes that discombobulate every other woman Cyborg hits. Outside of a nifty superman elbow early in the fight that sliced Cyborg's forehead and made her bleed her own blood for once, Spencer couldn't mount a ton of effective offense.

These leaping elbows were easily her best offense.

One area where she was successful was in the clinch, albeit purely in terms of neutralization. It's worth pointing out that for all the talk of how physically strong Cyborg is, she's been overpowered or neutralized in the clinch quite a bit. Daria Ibragimova and Holly Holm did it, and Spencer also just seemed to be able to hold her against the cage and stop her offense for extended periods.


Even still, Spencer basically just did a really good job of surviving in this fight. She was outlanded 122-to-38 in significant strikes (a career best for Cyborg), and the most impressive thing about her performance was the fact that she kept coming forward after getting blasted with punches to the head and knees to the body without appearing to be hurt badly, save for a point about halfway into the final round where Cyborg rocked her against the cage with a punching combination. Coming away from the fight I saw plenty of people voicing almost accusingly that Cyborg is declining, and I always think this is an amusing narrative because 1) She's been fighting for over 14 years...should age and wear not apply to her?, 2) Spencer was an undefeated fighter who had proven herself pretty strong and durable, and 3) Cyborg still beat her up handily. This isn't the first time I've said this (I believe following the Holm fight I expressed the same sentiment), but it really shows just how dominant a figure Cyborg is that her failing to destroy an opponent draws criticism and boosts the stock of her opponent. There are still people that think Holm won their fight, which is just asinine. Just because a fighter is doing better than you expected doesn't mean they're winning.

I mean, she still got walloped for the most part.


So where does Cyborg go from here? Bellator? Another fight with Nunes? I guess I'd be up for either. I'm interested in seeing how a rematch with Nunes goes and what adjustments she would make (i.e. DON'T BRAWL). I have to favor Nunes at this point, but I don't think that's as etched in stone as many do. Alternatively, a move to Bellator to fight their featherweight champion, Julia Budd, would also be interesting. Budd has developed into a pretty formidable featherweight whose game has really come together. Plus like Spencer she's a true featherweight, but is also quite the physical specimen. As for Spencer, well...I guess they should sign someone? She's not fighting Nunes, she already beat Megan Anderson, and she just lost to Cyborg. That's essentially the whole division. Should Holm move back up to fight her? Maybe Cat Zingano? Actually, Zingano does makes sense. Spencer's stock did go up for me after this fight; if she can get another win or two I'm actually very interested in seeing how a fight between her and Nunes would go. Although she's a bit of a sitting duck on the feet for Nunes, her kind of persistence is something that always gave Nunes fits in the past, and we simply don't know how Nunes handles it these days not just because she's gotten to be so good, but because she hasn't fought opponents who bring it to the table.



Neal avoids brawl, pounds out Price on the ground


Geoff Neal def. Niko Price by TKO via strikes (2:39, R2)

Robbed of finishing footage once again!


I feel a bit vindicated. I wasn't shy about voicing the opinion that I think Price gets by quite a bit on his power despite the fact that he's not the most technical or tactical fighter (despite what Rogan would have you believe), and while that usually leads to him knocking out fighters who are better on paper (and in practice up to that point), Neal showed off a full range of Price's limitations. He didn't do it the way I anticipated he would though; he got pretty bold in there. I expected Neal would be wary of Price's power and keep to opportunistic counters from the outside, but instead he was the first to come forward with quick, straight punches and showing a good bit of confidence in his hand speed. He even slammed Price to the mat to switch things up, but things took a turn when he blocked a high kick that still might have wobbled him, and a left from Price followed by a clash of heads dropped Neal to the mat. Price got on top trying to finish, but Neal tied him up and recovered well. Both fighters landed some good shots until Neal ducked under, picked up Price, and slammed him to the mat before jumping straight to his back and mounting him before the horn.

Anyone else get really excited when you see even the hint of a double KO possibility?

SO CLOSE.


In round two they turned up the heat even more, as Neal came forward and landed three hard straight lefts that had Price reeling for a split second before he came roaring back with hooks. Just then it appeared Neal remembered his corner imploring that he not get into a brawl just second earlier, and he quickly threw up his guard and backed away. It was a smart move, because this is exactly how people get knocked out by Price.

I got him I got him I-OOP, no I don't no I don't!!

The turning point came following Neal shooting a takedown and Price grabbing a guillotine, and then making the tactical error of practically DDTing him without having the choke fully secured. Neal escaped and passed to side control, but Price quickly regained half and then full guard. However, it was from there that Neal would start to land hard punches and elbows. Neal's corner yelled at him to pass guard, but I guess he saw something in sticking to full guard as the punches became more flush and he managed to posture up and land harder blows. Before long Price was hurting and not intelligently defending himself, prompting the referee to step in and wave it off.


Thus far Neal has looked fantastic in the UFC, and I think it's time he take on a top 15 guy. I would suggest the winner of Vicente Luque vs Mike Perry or Elizeu dos Santos vs Jingliang Li. Price seems like he's just going to be one of those roster guys that wins some and loses some based on his risky style. I think Curtis Millender or Michel Prazeres could be interesting fights for him.


Tsarukyan switches gears and outwrestles "OAM"


Arman Tsarukyan def. Olivier Aubin-Mercier by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Not Tsarukyan's best moment, but it's all I got.


Going into this fight I thought Tsarukyan had the clear advantage on the feet while Aubin-Mercier held a not as pronounced, but still palpable grappling edge. It turned out the striking battle was much more even, at least for as long as it lasted, and it was not Aubin-Mercier pushing the wrestling, but instead Tsarukyan. I imagined the story of the fight to be Tsarukyan using his striking and footwork to keep it standing, but he subverted my expectations by incessantly wrestling with Aubin-Mercier and actually getting the better of him there. It was far from wholesale dominance, as the tide did shift in Aubin-Mercier's favor in a good second round where he had Tsarukyan stunned when he countered a level change with a well-placed knee. However, the majority of the fight was still Tsarukyan doggedly looking for takedowns and just stifling everything Aubin-Mercier tried to do. He only managed two successful takedowns in eleven attempts, and both of those were in the opening stanza, but in when his takedowns were unsuccessful he managed to control the action in the clinch and stay busy with knees to the body and thighs.


The scorecards were even going into the final round, and the fight was essentially sealed for Tsarukyan when Aubin-Mercier tried an outside leg trip and ended up on the bottom. From there Tsarukyan was heavy on top, and although there was no significant offense he stayed busy enough to remain on top for the rest of the round and secure the victory. Tsarukyan remains a pretty bright young prospect, even if this was a bit of an odd performance; his wrestling proved serviceable but I didn't expect him to lean on it so much. On the feet his punches actually looked worse technically than they did last time out, but his kicks were pretty nice and he showed good leg dexterity. Still only 22, you figure he'll only get better and before long he could be a factor in the division. It was suggested that he fight Mairbek Taisumov next, which I like very much, so the winner of him vs Diego Ferreira should be a good one.


Aubin-Mercier has now lost three-straight, and it appears his ceiling is crystal clear. All three of his losses have come to better athletes who are more coordinated on the feet. The ability to blend phases remains an issue for him, but it's unfortunate that he's hit such hard luck because he's still a talented fighter and actually has some personality to boot. I think he should get a bit of a softball to bounce back against next; I'm just not sure who that is at this point.


Jotko grinds out Barriault in ugly fight


Krzysztof Jotko def. Marc-Andre Barriault by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)


The main card did not start out with a bang. I'm sure much of the blame for this will be placed on Jotko for slowing the action down with frequent takedown attempts and a ton of evasive footwork, but I have to give Barriault some attention there for simply not being good enough to stop him. Overall I just haven't been impressed with Barriault because he's essentially a lot of punching power, heart, and not a ton else. If you can avoid his power shots there's simply not much he can do to you. If he had more to his game than chasing his opponent down trying to get a knockout, he'd fare much better. His wrestling also held him back in this fight because even when he managed to get a takedown, his technique completely betrayed him when it came to finishing and establishing control. Late in round one he landed a high crotch slam, only to get sloppy trying to jump on Jotko's back and get quickly reversed. At the end of of round two he landed a nice double leg slam, but somehow rolled himself over after landing it and essentially pulling Jotko into mounting him. If there were more time in the round he could have been in real trouble.


Blunders aside, this was ultimately still a close fight. I thought Jotko won every round, but not by a large margin. Jotko was just the much busier fighter and did a bit better in the clinch where a lot of the fight took place. It wasn't a good showing by either man, but for Jotko it was a needed win. He's now back on track with two-straight victories and I think next he should take on the winner of Derrek Brunson vs Ian Heinisch. Barriault is off to an 0-2 start to his UFC career, and at this point should get someone that will indulge his brawling tendencies. For that I would suggest Bevon Lewis, which would probably be a "pink slip derby" affair.

Bright side: at least we got to see a little more of Jotko's SWEET DANCE MOVES.

Prelim Thoughts

Viviane Araujo def. #7 Alexis Davis by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

I favored Araujo here, but I also wondered if it could be too big of a jump in competition because even with age, wear, and tear, Davis a significant step above the Talita Bernardos of the division. Araujo’s style of heavy outside movement, shuffling, and stance-switching between long punches worked for the most part, though she did tire as the fight went on. The biggest factor in the fight was just that Davis lacked the speed, power, and athleticism to keep up. She’s a product of a bygone era where those factors weren’t so common among women in MMA, and pure technique could win the day more often than not. Nowadays being a slow, plodding fighter who lacks physical gifts just doesn’t go as far as it used to. By the third round Araujo was landing right hands at will, and although the strike totals evened out a lot more after the first rounds, it was clear who was scoring the better quality shots. Araujo does still have holes to fill up in her game, and for the most part Davis is still a good measuring stick for prospects in the division despite now having lost three straight.

Hakeem Dawodu def. Yoshinori Horie by TKO via head kick (4:09, R3)

The focus coming out of this fight seems to be more on Horie fighting like a Dollar Store version of Lyoto Machida than anything else, but Dawodu did look particularly impressive in solving the puzzle and eventually finishing him off late in the fight. Horie’s entire style seemed to be predicated on a ton of lateral movement interrupted by explosive, single power shots, and it really seemed to confuse and frustrate Dawodu in the first round.

Horie's awkward style was effective early.

In the second round he started minding his defense a bit more and focusing on cutting Horie off as he circled the cage with intelligent pressure and kicks. After a hard right hand stunned Horie, Dawodu began turning the pressure to close out the round. The final round saw Dawodu begin taking advantage Horie constantly exposing his body when exiting exchanges by landing hard body kicks. Once he began bringing his defenses down Dawodu landed a flurry of punches to Horie’s head, stunning him against the fence. Horie managed to escape, but Dawodu didn’t let up and closed in on him once again with hard knees to the body and elbows in the clinch against the cage. A hurting Horie circled out to retreat, only to be met with another knee to the body followed by a head kick that dropped him. It was enough for the referee to call a halt to the contest, and although Horie still generally had his wits about him, the prolonged beating he was taking rendered the stoppage just. After playing it a little conservative in his last two fights after a disastrous debut, Dawodu really lived up to his “Mean” nickname here. I’ve seen Andre Fili floated around for him next, and I think it could be an excellent style matchup with the strides Fili has been making in his game.

Gavin Tucker def. Seungwoo Choi by submission via rear naked choke (3:17, R3)

I took a bit of a flyer on Choi here since he’s the bigger, longer, more dangerous fighter and Tucker was coming off a long layoff. It appears that in the nearly two years since Tucker last fought, he picked up a pretty effective wrestling game that he used to stifle Choi for the better part of three rounds before finishing him off with a rear-naked choke. Tucker was relentless with his takedowns, but in the brief periods the fight took place at distance he was also the more efficient striker. The fight got a bit more interesting when Tucker threw a knee to the head of a clearly downed Choi and was deducted a point, but it turned out it didn’t matter with the late finish. Though Tucker’s dogged wrestling was ultimately effective in neutralizing his opponent’s offense, Choi did generally display some solid defensive wrestling and the ability to consistently get back to his feet. It wasn’t a thriller of a fight, but I’d say it was still a solid return to the octagon for Tucker, who made good use of this time off to add layers to his game.

#4 Deiveson Figueiredo def. #3 Alexandre Pantoja by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Leading up to this fight there was a definitely air of incredulity about it not being on the main card; it would arguably determine who was the #2 contender in the flyweight division behind Joseph Benavidez, which you’d think deserved a bit of spotlight (it could have at least headlined the prelims). That opinion was only strengthened by the fantastic fight these two put on. It was a very close fight on paper, and although statistically it also appeared as such, it was crystal clear who the better fighter was that night. Figueiredo claimed after his loss to Jussier Formiga that he dealt with a lot of injuries that affected his performance, and in retrospect it’s hard not to believe him. It was hard to determine how much of that loss was due to Formiga’s abilities and how much Figueiredo just looked “off,” but if this performance was any indicator, the latter may have factored in more than once thought. From the outset, Figueiredo just looked really sharp with his head movement, distance management, and timing on his counters. He stalked forward in a wide stance with his power hand down and his lead hand extended, and it seemed every time Pantoja committed to anything, Figueiredo was ready with a hard right hand counter to the head or body. He definitely took his share of shots, but a great many of them he was able to roll with or be caught just on the end of them.

Figueiredo's counters and distance management were on point early.

Differences in athleticism played a pretty significant role in several matchups on the card, and this one was no exception, as Pantoja just seemed to have a hard time dealing with the speed and explosiveness of Figueiredo. It frustrated him more than it discouraged him though, and that often leads to entertaining fights. Even though battered and bloodied, he never stopped coming forward, willing to take shots to get inside and land his own.

Pantoja was a more than willing participant in the chaos. Still think flyweights are boring?

The problem there was that the power difference was as stark as the athletic one. At one point it was suspected that Figueiredo’s right hand may have been injured, and his switch to an elbow-heavy attack just made things worse for Pantoja, as he was carved up with slicing elbows on the feet and in the clinch for the latter half of the fight. Pantoja did have some success with takedowns, as his bread and butter is his grappling, but it was always fleeting because Figueiredo was just so adept at timing his explosions to get back to his feet, and his defense was on point. Figueiredo was more efficient and effective with his wrestling and top control, even briefly passing to mount in the final round. It was just a fantastic fight all around. Figueiredo firmly established that he’s one of the top guys at flyweight, and his next fight should either be a title shot after Benavidez receives one, or if they choose to screw Benavidez (I mean, it’s the UFC) they can try a #1 contender fight between these two, as Benavidez vs Figueiredo has been booked before and fell through. As for Pantoja, only one fight makes sense: Jussier Formiga. It makes so much sense I could’ve sworn it had already happened.

Gillian Robertson def. Sarah Frota by TKO via strikes (4:13, R2)

Robertson has been on a roll as of late in winning four of her five UFC fights, all via finish. This particular one marked her first stoppage due to strikes. This was a bit tougher of a fight for her on paper than I think a lot of people considered because Frota got onto people’s radars with a brutal knockout the Contender Series, but is a black belt in jiu jitsu who typically finished fights via submission, while Robertson is pretty much a pure grappler. Robertson wasted no time in securing a takedown, and Frota showed her pedigree immediately by locking her down and controlling her posture while landing some solid hammerfists from her back. She would eventually lock in a somewhat tight reverse triangle choke, but the intensive grappling turned out to be her undoing as she exhausted herself working for the submission. Robertson just bided her time before capitalizing with hard elbows the cut Frota over her left eye. Come round two another easy takedown came for Robertson and she was able to pass guard much easier, eventually making her way to mount where she poured on punches and elbows on a helpless Frota until the referee had seen enough. Robertson has looked pretty solid in the UFC thus far and it’s time for her to try to break into the top 15. A fight with the current #15 ranked fighter Xionan Yan would be a good test of her ability to implement her game against a fighter dedicated to using her footwork to keep the fight at range.

But also, Frota’s tattoos though…

Accurate.

Erik Koch def. Kyle Stewart by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

I guess “Phoenix” is a fitting new nickname for Koch, as certainly he’s not only no longer a “new breed” of fighter, but he’s fallen and risen more times than most fighters, both in terms of his success in the cage and his weight, as he’s now plying his trade at welterweight after stints at featherweight and lightweight. He looked okay at his new weight for the most part, and contrary to his usual distance striking style he implemented a ton of grueling clinch work and takedowns into this fight. It wasn’t a very thrilling affair, but Koch needed the win and although he did seem to slow down fast, he ended the fight strong with some good top control and elbows from mount. Who knows if this means Koch is “back,” or what that would even mean in his case since his UFC career really never got too high off the ground (he evened out to 5-5 in the promotion with this win) and his ill-fated title shot against Aldo was just as much a product of his WEC tenure as his 2-0 start in the UFC. Either way, he says he feels great in the division (though like way too many fighters who move up these days he gassed himself out quickly by wrestling a lot), so let’s see how welterweight works out for him and hopefully he can stay healthy.

That does it for UFC 240! It was a pretty solid card to make up for the somewhat lackluster event from last week, and though it wasn’t one of Holloway’s best efforts, it’s always nice to watch him work.

I do have to voice some disappointment though: what's up with Joe Rogan these days? He's been noticeably worse these days on commentary and often just seems to be going through the motions. At times it seems like they're just hitting buttons on a Rogan soundboard to generate generic phrases. Throughout the event he frequently gave too much credit to fighters who were losing (notably Spencer, which almost smells of UFC politics), heavily weighted strikes that didn't land flush, had a weird preoccupation with leg kicks where he seemed to prioritize them over everything else that landed, and I swear to god if I have to hear that Max Holloway is the greatest featherweight of all time one more time I'm going to blow a gasket. Did the truck just tell him to repeat that over and over again? At one point he said Holloway was the "consensus" greatest featherweight of all time; from what I've seen most people still give that distinction to Jose Aldo. Hell, Holloway himself said right after this fight; and it's not the first time, as he corrected the same statement from Rogan following his previous win as well.


Get on the ball, Rogan. It’s clear that he doesn’t follow the sport as closely as he used to, and although I can sympathize because he’s a very busy man, I think it’s reasonable to expect him to do his due diligence when calling events, especially with his reduced UFC schedule. I want some quality commentary on the bigger cards, and it's becoming clear that without another color commentator like Daniel Cormier or Dominick Cruz in the booth with him, the whole call suffers. But hey, I still love Rogan; he has his blunders in the booth, but he’s still a great personality and an awesome person, and does things like this!

She’s definitely on in years at this juncture, but now maybe we can finally stop being robbed of Miriam Nakamoto’s awesome muay Thai. And with that, sado out!

Get exclusive pro wrestling content on Fightful Select, our premium news service! Click here to learn more.