Final night time (Sat., Jan. 11, 2025), Final Preventing Championship (UFC) returned house to UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC Vegas 101. The primary present of the 12 months didn’t precisely reinvent the wheel with next-level identify high quality. In truth, it was headlined by a rematch between Mackenzie Dern and Amanda Ribas that no one actually requested for. Thankfully, the fights themselves turned out to be fairly nice!
Let’s have a look again over at UFC Vegas 101’s finest performances and strategies:
Photograph by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC by way of Getty Pictures
Dern Earns Revenge
Mackenzie Dern has improved since 2019.
The advance can at instances be troublesome to note. Dern has misplaced a number of fights in current reminiscence, in any case, and most of the flaws she demonstrated in 2019 are nonetheless being taken benefit of. Simply because she stays an imperfect fighter doesn’t imply there hasn’t been progress although, and a revenge win over Amanda Ribas served as an ideal demonstration.
On the toes, Dern nonetheless strikes in straight traces and doesn’t have one of the best sense of distance. But this time round, she was capable of maintain her personal, utilizing surprisingly efficient low kicks and that at all times harmful overhand to maintain Ribas sincere. Her wrestling continues to be inconsistent, however that double leg within the first was fairly well-timed, and she or he wasn’t capable of take Ribas down in any respect within the first struggle.
Progress is progress.
Thankfully, it’s not her weak factors that make Dern a particular fighter. That might be her jiu-jitsu, which was on show twice when Ribas opted to take high place following clinch scrambles. The primary omoplata reversed her approach into high place, whereas the second armbar in the end completed the struggle.
Plain and easy, Dern can end anybody on the ground. It means she’s a novel type match up for the division’s elites and is at all times harmful, no matter how outmatched she could also be in different areas. At 31 years of age, there’s nonetheless an actual probability she fights for the belt earlier than her profession is up.
Photograph by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC by way of Getty Pictures
Ponzi Nonetheless Has That DOG In Him
Santiago Ponzinibbio isn’t at his finest. He’s slowed down through the years in a giant approach and is now not a high contender. Even so, the Argentinian’s fights are very a lot price watching, as a result of he nonetheless brings the motion each single time.
Carlston Harris was an important foil for “Gente Boa.” The whole lot about his sport and the way he throws punches is awkward, however he makes it work by being lengthy and highly effective. He spent many of the first spherical getting out-struck by Ponzinibbio solely to ground him with the ugliest proper hand you’ll ever see.
Ponzinibbio labored his approach again into the struggle within the second, profitable the technical kickboxing match as soon as extra. The bout heated up once more within the last body, as Ponzinibbio’s proper hand merely couldn’t miss. He threw every little thing into these punches, making an attempt to take off Harris’ head. The referee stepped in at an odd time, however Ponzinibbio definitely did sufficient harm to attain the knockout win.
Photograph by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC by way of Getty Pictures
KOTY!
I totally perceive we’re solely a dozen fights and one UFC occasion into 2025, however I’ve a sense we’ll bear in mind Cesar Almeida vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan when December rolls round. We do, in any case, recall Cheick Kongo knocking out Pat Barry approach again in 2011, and this struggle had a equally dramatic ending sequence.
Alhassan does nothing with out absolute energy. He lives and dies by the sword, and for a second, the momentum swung his approach. He floored the adorned kickboxer with a giant swing, and he adopted it up with some thunderous connections on the ground. When Almeida scrambling again to his toes, Alhassan stored swinging for the fences.
The issue is that Almeida has one thing like 50 skilled kickboxing matches and 30 knockout wins. He’s been rocked earlier than and is aware of how one can hearth again. On this case, he weaved an ideal left hook between Alhassan swings, placing his foe out chilly in a brutal reversal of fortunes.
Photograph by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC by way of Getty Pictures
Middleweights Deliver The Violence
Chris Curtis vs. Roman Kopylov was at all times going to be superior. Beforehand, most had been baffled the struggle was booked as something aside from the co-main occasion, positioned surprisingly far down the cardboard. These ideas had been instantly vindicated by the unbelievable conflict that simply passed off.
Kopylov is so quick. For a lot of the primary spherical, he was tuning up Curtis, stinging him with sharp jabs and deadening the lead leg with thudding low kicks. Curtis, nevertheless, did a greater job than in earlier fights chopping off the cage, and he started to search out his vary. Utilizing his lead hand to seize the collar tie, Curtis funneled uppercuts into the mush of his foe’s face then ripped the physique too. A pair minutes into the second, Curtis appeared firmly in management, pushing the tempo and touchdown exhausting punches on a bloodied opponent.
Credit score to Kopylov, he stayed in it regardless of the harm and fatigue. Curtis does nice work in rolling photographs, however Kopylov’s left hand began discovering the mark extra typically and wobbling the sturdy “Motion Man.” The whole lot was up for grabs within the third, and Kopylov combined all of it up fairly effectively by hurting Curtis together with his left and stunning him with a takedown. He was probably on his solution to a unanimous choice nod (rounds one and three) when a excessive kick floored Curtis … and the referee saved a reasonably acutely aware Curtis with only a single second remaining whereas Kopylov was on the opposite aspect of the cage.
I don’t assume it’s a foul name essentially — I don’t assume it’s a superb one both! — nevertheless it compounds to being dangerous luck for “The Motion Man.” Curtis was fouled twice within the second, and Kopylov didn’t lose any factors, then the referee takes away any probability at profitable a call? Beneath a unique (higher?) referee, this might simply ended up a draw.
No matter that minor controversy, the underside line is that this struggle was probably the most entertaining of the night.
Photograph by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC by way of Getty Pictures
Punahele Reborn
Welterweight undoubtedly seems to be the right weight class for Punahele Soriano. At Middleweight, he felt like a really restricted fighter. He was athletic and quick for the division, and his Southpaw overhand was no joke … however that was it! In his first bout down at Welterweight final day trip, nevertheless, he confirmed off a extremely stable wrestling method in grounding Miguel Baeza for 3 rounds.
Final night time, Soriano confirmed that his knockout energy got here down a division too. Uros Medic is a NASTY striker, however Soriano was capable of time him circling with a large proper hook. It landed proper on the button, and Medic went out instantly.
Formidable punching energy and high quality wrestling is a confirmed mixture at Welterweight greater than another division. Now 2-0 at 170-pounds, Soriano would possibly simply be a standout prospect in his new class.
Photograph by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC by way of Getty Pictures
Further Ideas
Felipe Bunes defeats Jose Johnson by way of first-round armbar: It’s exhausting to have a lot sympathy when a 6’ tall Flyweight doesn’t make the 125-pound restrict. Duh! Johnson used his dimension to floor Bunes early, however he was a bit lazy together with his arm place. Subsequently, Bunes was capable of assault the arm greater than as soon as, wrapping up the limb and the tapout on his second try. The 35 12 months outdated has now received 9 fights by way of submission and got here by way of as a big underdog right here!
Marco Tullio defeats Ihor Potieria by way of first-round knockout: Potieria is just not a fortunate fighter. Contemporary off getting fouled always, the Ukrainian scrapper took a tough shot beneath the belt early on this struggle. Not lengthy after the restart, Tullio put Potieria on the ground with an enormous proper hand. Potieria was barely with it … simply acutely aware sufficient to outlive for second and get smashed by a collection of giant blows. “Duelist” has now misplaced three straight and missed weight right here, so this may very well be the top of his UFC stint.
Jacobe Smith defeats Preston Parsons by way of first-round knockout (highlights): It’s at all times enjoyable when a proficient collegiate wrestler makes the transition to MMA and begins gaining confidence in his fingers. Smith, a former OSU wrestler, made his UFC debut right here in opposition to Parsons, who has confirmed himself a scrappy striker in 5 earlier UFC bouts. This one didn’t final lengthy, nevertheless, as Smith fired a 1-2-3 straight down the pipe early. The ultimate hook clipped Parsons proper on the chin, folding him over his personal knee as he hit the ground exhausting. A observe up hammerfist or two sealed the deal, securing Smith his eighth knockout win in 10 fights. It’s nonetheless early, however “Cobe” seems like a Welterweight to look at!
Fatima Kline defeats Victoria Dudakova by way of second-round knockout (highlights): Kline picked up her first UFC win in good type right here. The 24-year-old prospect misplaced her UFC debut on short-notice and up a weight class versus Jasmine Jasudavicius, so this felt like a way more correct demonstration of her skills. In what was largely a wrestling battle, Kline wore down Dudakova to achieve high place and batter her for the second-round stoppage. Dudakova wasn’t a high-level check, however Kline stays an fascinating 115-pound prospect transferring ahead.
For full UFC Vegas 101 outcomes and play-by-play, click on right here.
