UFC Vegas 69: About Saturday’s Action

On-the-fly analysis of the what transpired on Saturday at UFC Vegas 69 and how it impacts the athletes and their respective divisions.

Erin Blanchfield is The Goods

Erin Blanchfield started her first UFC main event by happily standing in the center of the Octagon and slinging hands with Jessica Andrade, one of the most established and dangerous strikers in the female ranks. The New Jersey native landed some clean shots that clearly stung the Brazilian, and while she failed to get Andrade to the ground in the first, she showed immediately that she could hang with the perennial contender.

And in the second, she took things to another level.

Early in the frame, Blanchfield secure a body lock and used an outside trip to put Andrade on the canvas, instantly passing right into side control. When the former strawweight champion tried to work to her knees in order to stand, Blanchfield attacked the neck and climbed on her back, securing the rear-naked choke and the tap just 97 seconds into the round.

Blanchfield is now 5-0 in the UFC and should get the opportunity to face the winner of the upcoming title clash between Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso as she politely requested after the contest. There is no reason to have her face anyone else — she just smoked a former title challenger and Top 5 fighter, and there is nothing else that makes sense going forward.

As high as I’ve been on Blanchfield this whole time, even I didn’t see that effort coming. This was a jaw-dropping, eye-opening effort from an incredibly talented 23-year-old fighter who should challenge for gold next time out and is going to be a UFC champion at some point in the not too distant future.

Hear Me Out, Please

The heavyweight fight between Jamal Pogues and Josh Parisian didn’t need to be on the main card, but the UFC loves putting these kinds of fights as the third bout on these types of cards, and they’re just going to keep doing it, so all we can do is keep making jokes about it on the Preview Show.

But hear me out: I kind of liked this one, just because we got to get a first look at Pogues, who scored a unanimous decision win in his promotional debut.

I know that I’m a psychopath who thinks about these things with long-range lenses on, but if you want to give me a 27-year-old heavyweight that can wrestle, used to fight down a division, and has a little upside we can track over the next few years, I’m in — not in the way I would be for an absolute standout prospect or rising star that is undeniable, but enough to enjoy this debut showing and look forward to his next appearance.

And after a victory here, we should see him in another main card pairing against another member of “The Heavyweight Dozen” in five or six months at most.

What the Hell Was That?

Marcin Prachnio kicked the hell out of William Knight on Saturday, battering “Thicc Willie” with a non-stop barrage of attacks to different levels en route to a unanimous decision win.

I have no idea what the hell Knight was thinking in this one. It makes absolutely no sense to me that he came in there and turned in that kind of performance, especially given everything that was stacked against him coming into this one. He entered on a two-fight skid, and the first of those losses came in a fight he accepted on short notice and then missed weight for by a preposterous 12 pounds… and then he didn’t do anything even remotely effective against Prachnio.

He chirped about his shots not landing or bothering him. He motioned that he was annoyed with what was coming his way. But what he didn’t do was throw attacks, like at all, and I have no idea how that is even possible.

If you’re going to do the work to get through a camp and step in there, cut weight, and turn up on Fight Night, don’t you want to throw some punches and kicks? It’s like doing the shopping for a tremendous meal, prepping all the ingredients, cooking everything perfectly and then throwing it all in the garbage without eating a bite.

This is the most baffling performance I can remember in the last five years, at least, and I look forward to hearing what Knight has to say about it in the days to come.

All Hail Jim F’n Miller

Yeah, I should probably be writing about Alexander Hernandez, who turned a short-notice date into a very impressive win, but screw that — it’s my column, and I want to write about Jim Miller because they don’t make’em like the lightweight legend any more.

This was Miller’s 41st UFC appearance and while he landed on the wrong side of the scorecards, he ran level with Hernandez for the entirety of the contest, nearly finished in the final minute, and deserves props for continuing to be this guy despite being 39 years old, 41 fights into his UFC career, and 53 fights deep overall. At a time when his contemporaries are mostly retired or struggling to hang on, Miller remains a dangerous test for a fighter like Hernandez, who had struggled in recent outings, but looked sharp for the majority of this one.

The New Jersey native has done a great job of prolonging his career and continuing to compete, and after an effort like this, I’m even more confident that we’ll see him on the card at UFC 300 next summer. He fought at UFC 100 and UFC 200, so it’s only right that he make an appearance at the next centennial show as well, no matter how things shake out for him between now and then.

Preliminary Card Thoughts

Nazim Sadykhov and Evan Elder beat the hell out of each other for 10 minutes in the final preliminary card contest before a well-placed knee opened a gruesome cut over Elder’s right eye that forced the fight to be stopped less than a minute into the third round.

This was a thoroughly entertaining battle for as long as it lasted, as these two lightweights flashed power, variety, resilience, and toughness, going shot-for-shot for two rounds. Each got hurt. Each worked all levels with punches and kicks and knees. Each hit a well-timed takedown. Each recovered well, wore shots well, and rolled with shots well. It was just a terrific fight from start to finish, even if that finish was a little abrupt and unexpected.

Folks generally grouse when fights are stopped by fouls or the doctor stepping in, but believe me when I tell you this was the right call: the cut over Elder’s eye was reminiscent of the axe wound Diego Sanchez was sporting in his lightweight title fight against BJ Penn, and as much as he wanted to continue, preventing further damage and greater punishment was the correct decision.

Mayra Bueno Silva is an emerging name to watch in the bantamweight division.

Saturday night, “Sheetara” earned her third straight win and second consecutive submission, making Lina Lansberg pay for wading back into her guard late in the second round by latching onto a kneebar and drawing out a tap. The Brazilian dominated nearly every moment of this contest, showing greater aggressiveness and assertiveness in taking the fight to the Swedish veteran right out of the chute and never backing off.

Now 3-0 since relocating to the bantamweight ranks, Bueno Silva awkwardly lobbied for a fight with Raquel Pennington following the victory, calling the streaking contender boring while correctly pointing out that she’s the only fighter in the division consistently finishing fights. It might be a bridge too far, but Bueno Silva should get a Top 10 opponent next time out after a performance like this one.

We talk all the time about the importance of tests and not overrated regional records (or underrating UFC vets) and Jamall Emmers illustrated why, bouncing Khusein Askhabov from the ranks of the unbeaten on Saturday’s prelims.

Emmers showed superior poise and overall skill throughout, distancing himself from the UFC newcomer as the fight progressed. While Emmers was just 1-2 in the UFC ahead of this contest, he’d faced good competition both in the Octagon and on his way there, and that showed, as Askhabov seemed woefully unprepared to deal with an opponent that was ready to fight him and didn’t fall down as soon as he was hit.

To be fair, Askhabov was coming off a nearly three-year layoff here, so that could certainly factor into things, and Emmers is a tough test for your UFC debut, but this is precisely why you put a guy like Askhabov in there with someone like Emmers in this spot because in one fight, we know where the former unbeaten fighter currently stands at featherweight, and we’re reminded that “Pretty Boy” is pretty good too.

Make it two-in-a-row for Philipe Lins since moving to light heavyweight, as the Brazilian ran through veteran Ovince Saint Preux on Saturday afternoon.

As Saint Preux threw a naked low kick, Lins countered with a left hand down the pipe that landed flush, hurting Saint Preux. Lins recognized it and worked to get him out of there, eventually dropping 42-fight veteran just 49 seconds into the contest. This was an absolute mauling from Lins, who earned a decision win over Marcin Prachnio in his first fight at 205 pounds last April, and the kind of effort that should earn him a step up in competition next time out.

It’s hard to forecast a 37-year-old veteran become a true force in the division, but Lins looked outstanding on Saturday, and should continue to be a fun new addition to the light heavyweight ranks going forward.

AJ Fletcher dropped hard-fought decisions to Matthew Semelsberger and Ange Loosa in his first two trips into the Octagon, but on Saturday, “The Ghost” celebrated his 26th birthday by collecting his first UFC win.

Fletcher took out Themba Gorimbo in the second round, hurting the newcomer with an elbow to the side of the head that prompted a desperation shot from Gorimbo, and when he dropped in, the Louisiana native clamped onto a no-arm guillotine choke. He floated into mount and forced the tap, getting himself back into the win column and securing his ninth finish in 10 career wins.

This was a much better, more patient effort from Fletcher, who was all gas, no breaks in his first two outings. He’s a strong athlete with good power and finishing instincts, and showed that on Saturday, getting himself moving in the right direction in the process.

Flyweight newcomer Clayton Carpenter made a splash in his promotional debut, submitting Juancamilo Ronderos in just over three minutes to open Saturday’s fight card.

The MMA Lab product showed durability and tenacity in securing a win and a contract on Dana White’s Contender Series last fall, and displayed solid skills on the ground in this one. He attacked a triangle from his back, transitioned to an armbar, and then scrambled into top position. From there, he quickly sunk his hooks when Ronderos gave up his back and sunk in the rear-naked choke.

Now 7-0 as a professional and showing genuine promise, Carpenter is someone to keep tabs on going forward in the 125-pound weight class, even if only for the Patrick Bateman vibes he gives off.