The UFC continues to have an amazing ability to really find compelling matchups and platforms to elevate lesser-known regions during the last few years of their global expansion. This largely has held true for more and more of the European cards, with the increase in quality local and regional fighters we’ve seen since some of the older cards like UFC 75 back in 2007 in London. The confidence in the local market and the growth of infrastructure throughout the area have led to cards with a much different complexion.
Sure, UFC 75 was a good card on paper (especially in retrospect), but the amount of fighters from the region wasn’t the same then, and we’re truly spoiled now with how many great and exciting fighters we get for these events.
Adding to that, we had a card headlined by two decorated and long-tenured heavyweights putting on a great fight and not looking like they’ll be done for now. All in all, this was something of a sleeper that had decent action and talent to look out for. This is building to something, and the UFC’s European presence continues to be increasingly stable for the better.
Winners
Josh Barnett – The fascinating thing about Barnett isn’t even how long he’s been in the fight game, but how he’s evolved. I certainly don’t mean since his first UFC run or since his time in PRIDE, but from his time in Strikeforce. We saw him slim down and work some slick boxing against Roy Nelson in a bout that not many suspected would go the way it went. While alternating wins and losses in his UFC return he now stands at 3-2, and you could argue that the two losses could either be avenged or probably shouldn’t have happened at all with a slightly better degree of positional awareness. That’s not to take away from his opponents, that’s just the fight game. Barnett becomes relevant again in a division that lacks stability and shows himself to have more polish than ever with a suffocating top game, strikes from all positions, along with cleaner standup and movement than he’s shown before. Despite Arlovski’s recent losses, this was a great win for Barnett and could put him close to talks for a title shot not far from here.
Alexander Gustafsson – Taking that time off really did wonders. Off to a rocky start in round 1, Alexander came back big to shoot down any offense Blachowicz could set up while battering him on his way to a solid decision win. It’s too early to tell who he fights next and how soon, but a shot at a rematch against a returning Jon Jones is still possible, but if the timing’s right he could also get a rematch for the title against Daniel Cormier, or be a late replacement for either in whatever matchups get made.
Ryan Bader – Funny enough, for a fighter mostly known for being a top wrestler, Bader’s insistence in remaining upright for as long as possible and doing really, really well in that department is a testament to how good Bader has gotten and how the hard work put in to developing his striking has paid off. That walkoff knee made him look like a million bucks, and Latifi has only been stopped by two other opponents. Perhaps it might have seemed absurd for Bader to be close to a title shot, but with Jones out (and unfortunately, quite unreliable as of late), and the state of the top of the division, one more win and the right set of circumstances might very well get him that golden ticket he’s worked so hard for.
Ashlee Evans-Smith – Hot take: Ashlee Evans-Smith is likelier to get a title shot than Jessica Eye. That’s not a knock on Eye, she’s very talented. Her boxing game has gotten her far, but she struggles with grappling in ways that Evans-Smith doesn’t. Ashlee is being brought along at a decent pace and still has room to grow, but while her striking hasn’t been world-class, she mixes things up and has great top control when she leans in with her weight and leverage. Her next fight should tell us a lot about what her true ceiling is.
Peter Sobotta – That was fun. That was so, so much fun. Sobotta moves to 3-1 with a submission win as well as this event’s fight that was full of scrambles, fun exchanges and technical grappling with a lot of control and constant striking pressure. Sobotta’s still growing as a fighter, and if he keeps this up he won’t be relegated to fighting exclusively on European cards.
Nick Hein – Personally, this dude is must-watch for me now. Hein’s a bit frustrating to watch due to his reluctance to mix things up with his jab, but when the guy goes for broke, he’s simply fearless. Now 4-1 in the UFC, he’s now beaten an opponent at the lower-mid tier and is progressing well, but should continue to be brought along slowly. His body attacks and ability to thrive in dogfights are just great.
Dan Hardy and Jon Gooden – The commentary team did some great work for this event, but Dan Hardy in particular did some excellent analysis for most of these fights with interesting and informative points that really added context and detailed nuance to some of the exchanges. Commentary isn’t easy and very few people that do it get praise for it, but this deserves a bit of praise as this event had the team working well together without holding the viewers’ hands.
Taylor Lapilus had some flashes of brilliance with his striking in his fight against Leandro Issa, but seemed disappointed that he couldn’t seal the deal the way he wanted to. Jack Hermansson had a fun scrap with Scott Askham, even if it wasn’t the prettiest bout. Rustam Khabilov improves to 6-2 in the UFC, 20-3 overall with a very good win against the very durable Leandro Silva. Jessin Ayari got a great win at home against tough veteran Jim Wallhead, and things are looking good for the young talent.
Losers
Andrei Arlovski – Despite suffering his third loss in a row, one good win could turn this around for him and put him in a better place, but the glaring thing about this is Arlovski’s flaws become more and more exposed in his losses. His defensive lapses combined with his less-than-reliable chin, and his penchant for recklessness have led to some devastating losses. But this time around, it’s been more of an inability to deal with Barnett’s top game and being worn down by the pressure. Granted, Barnett’s the same man that submitted Dean Lister for the first time in forever, so that part isn’t that bad. Still, who’s to say that Cain Velasquez can’t do the same? How does he fare in a rematch against current champion Miocic? Andrei certainly isn’t done at all, but any hopes at another title run seem doomed for sure after this.
Jan Blachowicz – Another fighter that performed better than I expected, at least at first. He went for broke in the third and definitely had flashes of the guy that the UFC was impressed with from KSW. Still, the gap in both athleticism and overall rounded MMA was way too wide.
Ilir Latifi – Latifi deserves recognition for being gracious enough to allow Ryan Bader to win. Praise be to Ilir, Ilir is light. [Sobs uncontrollably into a bowl of oatmeal]
Jim Wallhead – I’ve been watching Wallhead fight since his days in BAMMA and Cage Warriors, but was worried about how he would fare in the UFC. Not sure what to make of his UFC debut other than the fact that he could have won that fight with another minute to go, but it is what it is. He stopped looking for a solution for his opponent’s jab late in the fight and never quite found a comfortably effective range. A tough split-decision loss to a very good young athlete is still something Wallhead can recover from, and he’s still got some fighters he can match up very well against.
Nicholas Dalby – A tough loss for the Danish talent, but he can at least hold his head up high after giving it everything he had. Losing to a fighter that was just that much more dominant on the ground has to hurt his confidence, though. He’s got some work to do, but still has a lot of upside.
Veronica Macedo – If you’re going to lose your debut in the UFC, you at least want to look the way Macedo did in that first round. Flashy kicks, great timing, good entries to create offensive opportunities and clever submission attempts in an effort that made it clear to her opponent that this wasn’t going to be a walk in the park. The bigger problem was going back to the well with the same set of tricks, and not having an answer for Evans-Smith’s top game and allowing herself to get stalked and walked down to the clinch that lead to the takedowns. Still only 21, this was a great replacement and we should see more of her soon with some improvement.
Tae Hyun Bang got the loss and showed he’s still a good fighter that can put on some fun fights, but he unfortunately drops to 2-3, which means he may get his walking papers here. Leandro Issa was impressive in his constant attempts at pressure and control with grappling, but he didn’t inflict enough damage and was flustered by the striking of Taylor Lapilus. Leandro Silva has shown athleticism and toughness to spare, but is now 3-3 with 1 no contest (the ill-fated non-submission against Drew Dober). He may get another shot, but that’s not something to bank on. Scott Askham puts on fun performances in the UFC, but they can’t all be fight of the night candidates. This was a decent performance by both, but Askham now drops to 2-3 and might be sent home as well.
Neither
Jarjis Danho and Christian Colombo fought to a draw in a tough bout with some back and forth action, but this doesn’t really move either fighter up or down the ladder.
Mightiest Daddy 
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