Career Altering Fights at UFC 281

By modern day standards, UFC 281 was one very special event! With seven first round knockouts, two new champions crowned and some outcomes that could define future career paths, it will take some very special match-making to emulate UFC 281!

The athletes of today a more well-rounded than those of the previous generations, so when a kickboxer becomes the UFC champ in only his fourth UFC fight, that is something truly special. What makes it even more special is that his name is Alex Pereira and he beat the number two ranked pound-4-pound (P4P) fighter, in what many regarded as a relative repeat of their second fight. The third encounter of the Pereira-Adesanya rivalry, lasted longer than their second encounter but with almost exactly the same script; Pereira was rocked early by Adesanya, albeit with a punch possibly after the hooter, only for Pereira to rally back and force the referee stoppage late in the 5^th round.  The loss means that Adesanya tumbles to 6^th on the P4P rankings while the new champ enters the rankings in 8^th position. One wonders if the UFC will book an immediate rematch – based on the longevity of the Adesanya reign – or will Pereira meet any of the host of previously defeated contenders?

The UFC women’s strawweight division became the most Yo-Yo division in the organization when Weili Zhang defeated the self-styled “best wrestler” in the division with some great takedown defense, slick transitions and a ruthless submission.  In the eight years since the division was first introcuced in 2014, the strap has changed hands eight times between five different women; Carla Esparza (2014-2015) / Joanna Jędrzejczyk (2015-2017) / Rose Namajunas (2017-2019) / Jessica Andrade (2019) / Weili Zhang (2019-2021) / Rose Namajunas (2021-2022) / Carla Esparza (2022) / Weili Zhang (2022).

In what many regarded as the Fans’ Title Fight, Dustin Poirier proved the well known fact that diamonds are harder than iron!  Despite being rocked in the 1^st round and being dominated on the ground in round two and a clear fish-hook that was missed by the ref, it was a comeback performance in round three that again showed the quality and evolution of Poirier. The loss sees Michael Chandler slip to 1-4 since joining the UFC, abeit that he has fought some certified “killers” and every above him in the rankings with the exception of Beneil Dariush and the Champ Islam Makhachev. The loss, more than likely means that Chandler will need to fight down in order to improve his record and re-establish him as a legit contender.

Chris Gutierrez stopped Frankie Edgar with a perfectly timed knee up the middle to solidify his name in the UFC Bantamweight division as he entered the divisions Top 15. Not the way we ever want to see a legend of the sport go out, especially in front of his family – but this is the fight game. All the best for Edgar as he leaves the sport with a superb record of 23-11-1. He will be remembered most fondly by this writer for his tenacious and aggressive forward fighting style and the rivalries with Gray Maynard and BJ Penn.

In the build-up to the event and the opening bout at UFC 281 main card, Claudio Puelles said that after the event, everyone would know his name. Yes, we do! We know him as the fighter who seems to have taken his record, of being the only fighter with 3 knee-bar finishes in the UFC, too much to heart because all he attempted was leg attacks!  Great to see a very comfortable and composed Dan Hooker finish him with a body-kick.

Looking at the UFC 281 Prelims;

Renato Moicano made fighting look simple with an uncomplicated win over Brad Riddell. If the fight was not entertaining enough, his post fight interview certainly was – the stuff casuals love and absolutely thrive on! Moicano’s win moves him into the top 15 of the UFC’s Lightweight division.

Ryan Spann hit the “light switch” of former title challenger Dom Reyes. Is this the last time we see Reyes who was looking to come back after a 18 month layoff and has now suffered three vicious endings in his last four losses. The win ses Spann jump into the top 10 of the Light Heavyweight division.

The Meatball Molly McCann came to a sudden stop when, at 23yrs old, Erin Blanchfield showed how good the next generation are becoming by submitting McCann in a dominant 1^st round demolition. The win moves Blanchfeild to 4-0 since joing the UFC and she moves up into the Flyweight Top 10.

Andre Petroski showed improved gas-tank management from previous fights with a dominant wrestling display against Wellington Turman. A possible wrestler-vs-wrestler could see him face the “hyped-up” Bo Nickel if his post-fight callout landed on the right ears.