Winners
Cris Cyborg – There’s something that’s become more and more disturbing with each Cyborg fight since joining Invicta, and it’s the fact that she’s still fighting similarly-sized opponents with a degree of experience that isn’t really comparable to hers, or on her skill level. This leads to people assuming that these factors, along with her superior athleticism, will guarantee her a win. The problem here is that even though we expect her to run through opponents, the manner in which she does it becomes increasingly greater (excluding Leslie Smith) and more devastating with each outing.
She was the biggest name on this card and gave the home crowd a hell of a show, but whether or not that translates to being the draw the UFC would like her to be has yet to be seen. Still, she beat a legit kickboxer/Muay Thai specialist, even if Lansberg’s game hasn’t translated as well to MMA. She made the weight after initial concerns earlier this week, recovered from the cut, and totally dominated with strikes in a manner we haven’t seen in the UFC since Joanna Champion mauled Jessica Penne. Also, her image has been largely rehabilitated with the UFC promotional machine showing her a lot of love. That alone shows she’s got a lot of worth to them, and it might just pay off big if things stay like this. Let’s just hope they drop the ridiculous pretenses of having her fight at 140 for no real reason.
Renan Barao – Welcome back, Mr Pegado. Renan just snapped a two-fight losing skid, and despite not looking as impressive as he had at 135, he still got a much-needed win and showed he’s not done. He’s only barely on the list, though. I can’t confidently say I’d match him against anyone in the top ten right now. Still, for now, it is what it is.
Eric Spicely – That had to feel great. To work on the ground from one spot to the next with a beautiful transition that led from an armbar attempt to a back take, Spicely moves to 1-1 and shows he deserves to be in the UFC. He fought smart, kept calm and pulled a rabbit out of a hat to make the most of what was there to snag a savvy submission win.
Godofredo Castro – Pepey continues to be an absolute wildman, and it’s amazing to watch when it pays off. He’s now 5-4 in the UFC and shows that he’s usually going to get ahead when he’s pushing the pace and surprising his opponents with unorthodox strikes and piranha instincts when it comes to clamping on a submission.
Vicente Luque – The Blackzilian moves up to 3-1 in the UFC, losing his UFC debut against Michael Graves and won three straight against the likes of Hayder Hassan, Alvaro Herrera and Hector Urbina – all of them finishes. Slow but steady, he’s raising his stock and making improvements while earning a deal of respect in the process.
Erick Silva – Silva snaps a two-fight losing streak in a crazy fight that got him Fight of the Night honors, even if the final sequence was a bit sloppy. That’s more of a testament to his opponent’s skill than his liabilities, and it’s still bittersweet. This was a highly touted talent that was thought to have championship potential, and instead he hit his ceiling pretty hard any time he fights a top-level fighter like Jon Fitch or Matt Brown, or just fighters that can find his “off“ button like Stun Gun Kim or Nordine Taleb. Perhaps he gets another set of opponents from the middle of the pack.
Michel Prazeres’ UFC record improves to 5-3, beating a very tough opponent and a fighter that’s a tremendous threat on the ground (note: I had previously written that he was 4-3, corrected for accuracy). Rani Yahya is now on a four-fight win streak in a fight that may not have been the most dynamic, but had a lot of interesting technical details in the grappling department. Jussier Da Silva bounces back from his loss to former title challenger Henry Cejudo last year with a win over a very good wrestler that is very difficult to control and outwork. Alan Patrick muscled his way to some takedowns, but played it smart and controlled the pace to get his UFC record to 4-1 with two consecutive wins. Gregor Gillespie opened the card in a fight that wasn’t pretty, but showed a lot of grit, decent cardio and the ability to deal with a taller fighter while exhibiting a more complete game than his opponent. This keeps the Ring of Combat product undefeated.
Losers
Antonio Silva – Not-so-fun fact: Going all the way to the Strikeforce heavyweight GP, Bigfoot is currently 3-8-1 (1 draw). Here’s an even worse fact: every single loss was a KO/TKO. The only loss where he wasn’t separated from consciousness was – rather inexplicably – the no-contest to Mark Hunt in their first fight in 2013 (which is also still listed as a draw on Hunt’s record). He should have retired after the Arlovski KO. Failing that, the Frank Mir KO. This is disgusting, and his relatives and friends need to give him a dose of realistic expectations he clearly doesn’t seem to be getting. Sure, he was looking pretty good in a lot of those exchanges. That shouldn’t be used as encouragement. Shut it down, game over.
Roy Nelson – Despite his win, he acted like an absolute child in the end. Much like Fabricio Werdum kicking Edmond Tarverdyan, this was totally unnecessary. We can’t overstate how unprofessional it is for a fighter to hit anyone after a fight is over, especially an official. And for what? Because he was concerned for his opponent’s well-being? That’s either dishonest or just a poor reason for this sort of anger. The gesture afterwards was less of a problem, but seeing as he’s historically been at odds with Dana White in the past and perceived by many to be persona non grata on occasion, this puts him on extra thin ice. Plus, he’s 10-8 in his UFC run, and hasn’t really been looking too improved in his overall game. His losses to Alistair Overeem, Mark Hunt and Derrick Lewis in particular are some that show a degree of stagnation. He’s going to face disciplinary action, and it’ll get worse because he’s not a guy to take things lying down.
Lina Lansberg – Coming into the UFC to make your debut with the most feared woman on the planet has to be a daunting task, and Lina handled it like a pro. I still insist she was intimidated at the weigh-ins on Friday, and didn’t offer much in the way of offense after the first half of the first round, turtling up and just trying to not get hurt any worse while trying to clinch and land knees. The weirdest thing is wondering what happens from here. There’s no 140lb division, so we can’t gauge any divisional consequences, and we don’t know if she drops to 135. Despite her accomplishments prior to the UFC, there was nothing she could do to beat such a superior fighter.
Thiago Santos – More than the fact that he lost to the second biggest underdog on the card, Santos’ flaws in his grappling were on full display. His previous loss is more forgivable since it was against Gegard Mousasi, but this one far less so. He’s got some work to do, and with two straight losses it will be interesting to see how he bounces back.
Mike De La Torre – It appears Mike might get cut after this. He’s currently 2-3-1 (a loss that was overturned when opponent Brian Ortega tested positive for drostanolone). He couldn’t keep up with the initial pace for a bit, caught up, yet succumbed to the unpredictable striking of a scrappier fighter, ending in a slick submission. He might be gone.
Dustin Ortiz – Ortiz now stands at 4-3 in his UFC run, with two consecutive losses to superior grapplers. He’s not in any danger of getting cut, but he’s certainly not breaking through past a certain level of fighter. He’s very capable and an asset to the division, being very a very tough out for anyone he fights, but he’s also got some revisions to make and parts of his game to expand. All in all, it’s not the worst loss, but it’s not doing him any favors.
Hector Urbina – Another fighter that might get cut after this event, Urbina is currently 0-2 in the UFC with his previous fight being a decision loss to Bartosz Fabinski. That was a brutal way to go out.
Paul Felder – This one’s really tough, because I personally really like the guy. He now ends up at 4-3, but it’s heartbreaking to see someone lose due to a doctor stoppage like that when they’re still competitive and able to otherwise still turn things around. This loss won’t hurt him much, but I just hope it doesn’t slow down his momentum.
Phillipe Nover – Most expected to see Nover lose this fight, since he’s not really the sort of fighter that beats Barao due to his movement and timing. Now he’s 1-2 upon returning to the UFC, and it doesn’t seem likely for him to get another fight.
Steven Ray – Now at 3-1 in the UFC, the biggest problem with this loss is how it exposed his takedown defense and his deficiencies on the ground when it comes to submissions, getting up or creating a significant amount of space to improve position. This was probably the strongest and biggest opponent he’s faced in the UFC thus far, though. His spot is safe, and he’s still fun to watch. Still, future opponents are going to target this and work from there.
Glaico Franca – After winning his UFC debut against Fernando Bruno by submission last year, Franca is now 1-2 in the UFC. Here’s hoping he gets another chance, because he’s been fun to watch for most of exchanges in his fights. Still, his last bout against James Vick was perhaps too much too soon, and this fight had some good moments for him. Still, it’s not likely he stay around after this.
Neither
Luan Chagas – Now, seeing as he got fight of the night for his performance against Erick Silva and Silva’s in the winner’s list, he now has a draw and a loss in his first two UFC fights. A fight like this puts him in a good place, but that goodwill doesn’t run too deep for too long. He doesn’t move up or down when it comes to the big picture.
Michinori Tanaka – A fighter that ends up at 2-2, with all fights – wins and losses included – being decisions. He’s durable, an underrated MMA grappler and very clever. His striking is still a problem and he can’t seem to get a finish when he’s pulling ahead. Another tough challenge in his division, he sticks around for now with no major repercussions.
Gilbert Burns – Durinho remains at 4-2 in the UFC with three submission wins. He doesn’t seem like he’s able to capitalize on some of the guys that he can’t take down as easily, and while he didn’t fight poorly still has some defensive gaps that need to be cleaned up. Still, this isn’t a loss that affects him much as far as divisional relevance in concerned.
Mightiest Daddy 
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