Lightweight Rafa Garcia reveals losing a great amount of blood during his UFC Vegas 66 fight over the weekend.

UFC Vegas 66 saw one of the nastiest injuries in recent history. Lightweight Rafa Garcia suffered a deep gash (graphic) on his head from an elbow courtesy of opponent Hayisaer Maheshate, resulting in him bleeding profusely.

According to veteran Cub Swanson, who was in Garcia’s corner that night, the 28-year-old fighter suffered a cut artery. Garcia was immediately worked on by the UFC medical team and had to be given 15 stitches.

But that’s not all. Because of how deep the gash was, Garcia apparently lost an unheard-of amount of blood in the process.

“When they were stitching me up, Cub told me to sit down and just chill because you lost 20 percent of your blood, chill a little bit,” he said at the UFC post-show (H/T MMA Fighting).

More impressively, Garcia ended up victorious that night via unanimous decision. He now improves to a record of 14-3.

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All the action from the #JudoMasters

One of the year’s biggest Judo competitions takes place this week in Jerusalem, Israel. The 2022 World Judo Masters is an invite only tournament that features only the highest ranked judokas on the planet. The World Masters is also the only IJF competition that has no restriction on how many competitors can represent a given country.

The event will see 367 competitors compete for gold in 15 weight classes. The men’s tournament will include -60kg, -66kg, -73kg, -81kg, -90kg, -100kg and +100kg. The women’s side will include -48kg, -52kg, -57kg, -63kg, -70kg, -78kg and +78kg.

Among the number one seeds coming into the competition are reigning world champions Romane Dicko (France), Davlat Bobonov (Uzbekistan) and Tato Grigalashvili (Georgia).

More background for the event can be found on the IJF’s official website.

Here is your place for all the results and highlights as they happen.

RESULTS

DAY 1

MEN

-60kg

Quarterfinals

Seungbeom Jeon (KOR) vs. Cedric Revol (FRA)

Dilshot Khalmatov (UKR) vs. Tornike Tsjakadoea (NED)

Salih Yildiz (TUR) vs. Rodrigo Costa Lopes (POR)

Matan Kokolayev (ISR) vs. Magzhan Shamshadin (KAZ)

Artem Lesiuk (UKR) vs. Yam Wolczak (ISR)

Yeldos Smetov (KAZ) vs. Angelo Pantano (ITA)

Bauyrzhan Narbayev (KAZ) vs. Turan Bayramov (AZE)

Semifinals

Repechage

Bronze

Gold

-66kg

Quarterfinals

Martin Setz (GER) vs. Matteo Piras (ITA)

Willian Lima (BRA) vs. Walide Khyar (FRA)

Edmilson Pedro (ANG) vs. Strahinja Buncic (SRB)

Baruch Shmailov (ISR) vs. Kherlen Ganbold (MGL)

Nurali Emomali (TJK) vs. Reda Seddouki (FRA)

Albert Gaitero Martin (ESP) vs. Mukhriddin Tilovov (UZB)

Yashar Najafov (AZE) vs. Juan Hernandez (COL)

Baskhuu Yondonperenlei (MGL) vs. Eric Takabatake (BRA)

Elios Manzi (ITA) vs. Adrian Nieto Chinarro (ESP)

Orkhan Safarov (AZE) vs. Daikil Bouba (FRA)

Abderrahman Boushita (MAR) vs. Freddy Waizenegger (SUI)

Vazha Margvelashvili (GEO) vs. Maxime Gobert (FRA)

Juan Postigos (PER) vs. Sardor Nurillaev (UZB)

Bogdan Iadov (UKR) vs. Radu Izvoreanu (MDA)

Tal Flicker (ISR) vs. Gusman Kyrgyzbayev (KAZ)

Semifinals

Repechage

Bronze

Gold

WOMEN

-48kg

Mireira Lapuerta Comas (ESP) vs. Tamar Malca (ISR)

Abiba Abuzhakynova (KAZ) vs. Mary Dee Vargas Ley (CHI)

Chen-Hao Lin (TPE) vs. Ellen Salens (BEL)

Milica Nikolic (SRB) vs. Marusa Stangar (SLO)

Maria Celia Laborde (USA) vs. Baasankhu Bavuudorj (MGL)

Catarina Costa (POR) vs. Blandine Pont (FRA)

Leyla Aliyeva (AZE) vs. Laura Martinez Abelenda (ESP)

Narantsetseg Ganbaatar (MGL) vs. Amanda Lima (BRA)

Wakana Koga (JPN) vs. Zongying Guo (CHN)

Katharina Menz (GER) vs. Melanie Vieu (FRA)

Shira Rishony (ISR) vs. Katharina Tanzer (AUT)

Assunta Scutto (ITA) vs. Priscilla Morand (MRI)

Keisy Perafan (ARG) vs. Andrea Stojadinov (SRB)

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Repechage

Bronze

Gold

-52kg

Quarterfinals

Fabienne Kocher (SUI) vs. Yerin Jung (KOR)

Mascha Ballhaus (GER) vs. Charline Van Snick (BEL)

Larissa Pimenta (BRA) vs. Estralla Lopez Sheriff (ESP)

Joana Diogo (POR) vs. Katelyn Jarrell (USA)

Binta Ndiaye (SUI) vs. Annika Wurfel (GER)

Chlose Devictor (FRA) vs. Aleksandra Kaleta (POL)

Kelly Deguchi (CAN) vs. Ana Perez Box (ESP)

Angelica Delgado (USA) vs. Sita Kadamboeva (UZB)

Semifinals

Repechage

Bronze

Gold

-57kg

Quarterfinals

Chen-Ling Lien (TPE) vs. Maria Perisic (SRB)

Priscilla Gneto (FRA) vs. Ozlem Yildiz (TUR)

Lele Narine (GBR) vs. Jessica Lima (BRA)

Veronica Toniolo (ITA) vs. Ivelina Ilieva (BUL)

Julia Kowalczyk (POL) vs. Pleuni Cornelisse (NED)

Vera Zemanova (CZE) vs. Sevara Nishanbayeva (KAZ)

Mimi Huh (KOR) vs. Acelya Toprak (GBR)

Kaja Kajzer (SLO) vs. Mariah Holguin (USA)

Tsukasa Yoshida (JPN) vs. Mina Libeer (BEL)

Pauline Starke (GER) vs. Qi Cai (CHN)

Semifinals

Repechage

Bronze

Gold

DAY 2

MEN

-73kg

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Repechage

Bronze

Gold

-81kg

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Repechage

Bronze

Gold

WOMEN

-63kg

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Repechage

Bronze

Gold

-70kg

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Repechage

Bronze

Gold

DAY 3

MEN

-90kg

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Repechage

Bronze

Gold

-100kg

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Repechage

Bronze

Gold

+100kg

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Repechage

Bronze

Gold

WOMEN

-78kg

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Repechage

Bronze

Gold

+78kg

Quarterfinals

Semifinals

Repechage

Bronze

Gold

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Argentina won its third World Cup in a penalty shootout vs. France’s side. On Twitter, pro fighters reacted to the game.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup has its champions. After a thrilling game against France’s side, Argentina won its third title after a penalty shootout. In what could be Lionel Messi’s last try at the biggest soccer trophy in the world, finally putting his hands on the gold made it even more impactful for Argentinians and fans around the world. On Twitter, professional fighters reacted to the game.

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Check out all the fights announced over the past week in the UFC, Bellator and other promotions.

Fights on Tap is a weekly roundup of all the fights booked in the UFC, Bellator and other promotions.

We have one more event in 2022, and it should be a good one! Up next is the cross-promotional delight, RIZIN 40: RIZIN FF vs. Bellator MMA, which goes down on Sat., Dec. 31, at the Saitama Super Arena in Japan. Hopefully, your New Year’s Eve plans include some festive fisticuffs. Before the year ends, let’s look at what we have ahead of us on the upcoming schedule.

The UFC either announced or finalized 16 fights this week, and a former champion is set for her return.

Holly Holm wanted to fight in the first quarter of 2023, and she got her wish. The ‘Preacher’s Daughter’ will share the Octagon with Yana Kunitskaya at UFC San Antonio, the upcoming Fight Night event scheduled for March 25 at the AT&T Center.

The former UFC bantamweight champion has not fought since losing a split decision to Ketlen Vieira at UFC Vegas 55 in May. Her opponent, Kunitskaya, has spent time away from competition following her first-round TKO loss to Irene Aldana at UFC 264 last July.

UFC Fight Night — January 14

Javid Basharat vs. Mateus Mendonça — bantamweight
First rep. by Diego Ribas of Ag Fight

UFC 283 — January 21

Daniel Marcos vs. Saimon Oliveira — bantamweight
First rep. by Gino Alva of El Comercio Peru

UFC Fight Night — February 4

Derrick Lewis vs. Serghei Spivac — heavyweight
Lewis vs. Spivac was already finalized, but shifted from UFC Vegas 65 to UFC Vegas 68, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport Nederland

UFC 284 — February 11

Joel Álvarez vs. Zubaira Tukhugov — lightweight
First rep. by KOIMeneroMMA of Eurosport España

UFC Fight Night — February 18

Lina Länsberg vs. Mayra Bueno Silva — women’s bantamweight
First rep. by Diego Ribas Ag Fight

UFC Fight Night — February 25

Erick Gonzalez vs. Darrius Flowers — lightweight
First rep. by MMA Island
Andre Fili vs. Lucas Almeida — featherweight
First rep. by Marcel Dorff of Eurosport Nederland
André Muniz vs. Brendan Allen — middleweight
First rep. by Diego Ribas of Ag Fight
Augusto Sakai vs. Don’Tale Mayes — heavyweight
First rep. by Guilherme Cruz and Mike Heck of MMA Fighting

UFC 285 — March 4

Cody Garbrandt vs. Julio Arce — bantamweight
First rep. by Marcel Dorff of Eurosport Nederland

UFC Fight Night — March 11

Mario Bautista vs. Guido Cannetti — bantamweight
First rep. by MMA Island

UFC 286 — March 18

Marvin Vettori vs. Roman Dolidze — middleweight
First rep. by Brett Okamoto of ESPN
Joanne Wood vs. Luana Carolina — women’s flyweight
First rep. by Diego Ribas of Ag Fight

UFC San Antonio — March 25

Chidi Njokuani vs. Albert Duraev — middleweight
First rep. by Iridium Sports Agency
C.J. Vergara vs. Daniel Da Silva — flyweight
First rep. by Nolan King and Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie
Holly Holm vs. Yana Kunitskaya — women’s bantamweight
First rep. by Damon Martin and Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting

Announced Bellator fights:

Bellator 290 — February 4

Chris Gonzalez vs. Max Rohskopf — lightweight
First rep. by Amy Kaplan of Fansided
Jaylon Bates vs. Jornel Lugo — bantamweight
First rep. by Amy Kaplan of Fansided
Diana Avsaragova vs. Alejandra Lara — women’s flyweight
First rep. by Danny Segura of MMA Junkie

Announced Invicta FC fights:

Invicta FC 51 — January 18

Taneisha Tennant vs. Talita Bernardo — women’s bantamweight
Kristina Williams vs. Ketlen Souza — women’s flyweight
Serena DeJesus vs. Olga Rubin — women’s bantamweight
Claire Guthrie vs. Auttumn Norton — women’s bantamweight
Marisa Messer-Belenchia vs. Elisandra Ferreira — women’s atomweight
Katie Saull vs. Rayanne Amanda — women’s atomweight
Fatima Kline vs. Laura Gallardo — women’s strawweight
Tanya Nijjar vs. Sayury Canon — women’s strawweight

Announced Cage Warriors fights:

Cage Warriors 148 — December 31

Emrah Sonmez vs. Adam Meskini — featherweight
Hello Hernandez vs. Chasen Blair — welterweight

Announced KSW fights:

KSW 78 — January 21

Michał Materla vs. Kendall Grove — middleweight
First rep. by Tudor Leonte of Sherdog

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Win or learn, as they say.

Chris Rini

Hey all, thanks for another great year of MMA Squared. I will prepare some year end best-of, worst-of cartoons as we cruise into the final weeks of 2022. Each year when BE prepares their budget I email the powers that be asking for more days of MMA Squared and in 2023 you’ll be seeing a couple more cartoons each month! Hell yeah. Thanks for watching and subscribing to my YouTube channel, buying my books through chrisrini.com or Patreon.com/ChrisRini I’m grateful for all the people who have supported my artwork, especially during a challenging year moving to a new country. Take care of yourself and I’ll talk to you Wednesday.

Chris

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All the best, most interesting and unquestionably coolest fights the UFC needs to book following their latest event in Las Vegas, NV.

UFC Vegas 66 didn’t really end on a thrilling note (or even start on a thrilling note), but there was a lot of quality on offer over the middle stretch of the card. In the main event Jared Cannonier kept his name in the hat among middleweight title challengers, while Arman Tsarukyan asserted his own right to a spot among the lightweight elite in the co-main. Drew Dober and Bobby Green put together a banger on the main card to steal the show overall.

So, is there any fight out there that could put Cannonier at the front of the contender’s race? Will someone in the lightweight top 5 step up and take on Tsarukyan so he can get his rematch with Islam Makhachev? And does Jalin Turner want that smoke from Drew dober?

To answer those questions—and a few other things—I’ll be using the classic Silva/Shelby fight booking methodology from the UFC of years past. That means pitting winners against winners, losers against losers, and similarly tenured talent up against one another. Hopefully, by following that model, a few of these bout ideas will actually make it off the page and into the Octagon. Now, let’s get to the fights!

JARED CANNONIER

It wasn’t a pretty win or a definitive showing from Jared Cannonier, but he did well to match Sean Strickland’s pace and output for 5 rounds and let his power play the difference between them. Not, perhaps, the kind of performance that is going to have the UFC clamoring to put Cannonier in another title fight, but with Alex Pereira sitting atop the division it keeps the ‘Killa Gorilla’ right in the hunt. It’s too bad Paulo Costa seems set on exiting the UFC, because I’d love to see Cannonier vs. Costa at some point. Instead, we’ve got a bout between Marvin Vettori and Roman Dolidze out on the horizon, seems like the winner of that would be primed for a high profile fight against someone like Cannonier. Jared Cannonier vs. the Vettori/Dolidze winner is a strong top-contender’s bout.

SEAN STRICKLAND

It’s something of a credit to Sean Strickland’s unflappability and consistency of form that this fight stayed as close as it did throughout. The power differential on display for much of the contest was stark, and the fact that both men landed in more or less equal measure in every round should have meant that Strickland got blown out of the water. Going punch for punch with a heavier hitter isn’t usually a great way to create success. But Strickland’s ability to see strikes incoming and roll with them meant that Cannonier rarely caught him clean above the waist. At that point, going one-for-one back and forth left the two in an incredibly close fight. Obviously, Strickland would have much preferred the win, but this at least leaves him well situated for more high-profile top 10 fights. That could mean bouts with Dricus du Plessis, Darren Till, or Derek Brunson. None of those fights feel really right, though. Nassourdine Imavov has an upcoming fight with Kelvin Gastelum, Strickland vs the winner of that seems like a sensible booking.

ARMAN TSARUKYAN

A remarkable, bullying performance from Arman Tsarukyan, who fought his way through every bit of Damir Ismagulov’s strong, technical takedown defense to get him to the mat and out-grapple him on the floor. It wasn’t always pretty, it wasn’t always thrilling, but it was a very effective display of skill and physicality. After the bout, Tsarukyan made it clear that he wants a top five opponent, and that he doesn’t feel he lost his bout against Mateusz Gamrot. I’ve got no problem with either statement, but it would honestly make a decent argument for just running the Gamrot fight back.

Still, with a whole bunch of fresh, fun possibilities it doesn’t seem all that interesting to re-hash a fight we’ve already seen. Would Justin Gaethje fight Tsarukyan? Or Michael Chandler? My bets would personally be on Rafael Fiziev or Beneil Dariush. Dariush especially has claimed that he’ll take on anyone & everyone to make his way to a belt. Arman Tsarukyan vs. Beneil Dariush is the kind of fight Tsarukyan deserves, even if Dariush likely deserves something bigger.

AMIR ALBAZI

This fight didn’t really start out the way many expected for Amir Albazi, a seemingly legit future top contender facing off against a UFC newcomer who didn’t even get signed off his DWCS win. Albazi was tentative early, admitting afterward that he was concerned about Costa’s power. But after his corner told him to step up his workrate, Albazi sat Costa down with a hard combination and started to really take over. Round 3 was more of the same, ending with a perfect uppercut that put the decisive finish on the bout that Albazi needed to keep his prospects as a top 10 fighter in place. I wouldn’t at all mind seeing him face off against Manel Kape, but I also hate pairing up dudes from the same card against each other. So how about Albazi against Matheus Nicolau? If he can win that fight, then Albazi is gonna be on the shortlist for a future title shot.

ALEX CACERES

From the jump, Julian Erosa didn’t look at all comfortable with the kind of fight that Alex Caceres was showing him. He kept his pressure light, opting to trade kicks in middle distance with ‘Bruce Leeroy’ rather than pressing him with aggressive combinations. It was a decision that ‘Juicy-J’ paid for badly, when Caceres found him stepping back out of the pocket with a perfectly placed headkick. It’s exactly the bounceback Caceres needed after the disappointment of his fight against Sodiq Yusuff, and it keeps him locked in right around the edges of the top 15. In fact, Jonathan Pearce just stole his spot in the rankings. Give Caceres a chance to steal it back. Pearce’s aggressive wrestle-grappling game seems like it’d be tough for Caceres to fight off, but striking exchanges could give Pearce serious trouble against someone with the length to match him at his preferred range. Caceres vs. Pearce seems like a good opportunity for both men to try and climb toward top-10 fights.

DREW DOBER

This fight was all bad news for Drew Dober for more than a round. He kept trying to put pressure on Green, but would routinely find two punches coming back at him for every one he delivered. Green put a wobble in Dober’s legs early and bloodied his nose. But, it just wasn’t enough to deter the Nebraskan’s faith in his durability and willingness to push forward. The more he flurried and backed Green off, the more he started to land, until he hit a huge combo that sent ‘King’ crashing to the mats.

A great round 2 KO for the Elevation Fight Team talent, and he had a serious callout ready with it. Dober asked for a bout with Jalin Turner after the win. Will he get it? Seems like there are a lot of fights Turner could take that would be pretty reasonable for him right now. And I wouldn’t at all mind seeing Dober against Dan Hooker or Renato Moicano too. In fact, given Moicano’s last post-fight speech, I think that’s a fight I want more. Drew Dober vs. Renato Moicano would be a great battle of longtime UFC vets. The Turner fight’s not bad either if that’s what the UFC wants.

MICHAL OLEKSIEJCZUK

Another middleweight fight for Michal Oleksiejczuk, another crushing victory. Credit to Cody Brundage, he knew he couldn’t sit back on his heels and wait for Oleksiejczuk to come to him. But the moment he lost position on the mats, ‘Hussar’ started smashing and didn’t stop until the ref waved it off. After the bout, Oleksiejczuk called out Chris Curtis. There are other bouts I’d love to see him in, against men like Abdul Razak Alhassan or Brendan Allen or Roman Dolidze, but if Curtis would be willing to take the fight, then that’s a booking the UFC should definitely make. Curtis’ patient counter-punching craft against Oleksiejczuk’s size, power, and unchecked aggression. Curtis vs. Oleksiejczuk would be a car crash.

SAID NURMAGOMEDOV

Heading into this bout, I felt like it was very much a trap fight for Said Nurmagomedov. Saidyokub Kakhramonov is a relatively unknown newcomer to the UFC with a really high-octane wrestling attack. For most of two rounds, it looked like Nurmagomedov was headed to a hard loss. Fortunately for him, while Kakhramonov’s game is stifling it’s also very much one pace and one tempo. Eventually Nurmagomedov was able to jump on a submission that Kakhramonov just didn’t have the tools to get out of. A fantastic comeback for the Dagestani to keep his drive toward contendership alive. Bouts against Jack Shore, Adrian Yanez, or Chris Gutierrez would all be great. Gutierrez is a really crafty vet with his own dedicated kicking game. A battle of two highlight grabbing strikers seems like a fun time. Gutierrez vs. Nurmagomedov would be a good scrap.

MANEL KAPE

Large stretches of this fight saw Manel Kape more interested in showboating and clowning than generating significant offense, but whenever Kape chose to pull the trigger, he did serious damage. Whether it was a brutal kimura in round 1 or heavy punches in round 2, ‘Starboy’ is clearly an elite physical specimen, capable of electric offensive moments. A fight with Amir Albazi wouldn’t be a bad next option, but I’d love to see Kape take on Brandon Royval whenever Royval returns from injury. Kape vs. Royval seems like it’d be an absolute thriller once Royval is ready to fight again.

OTHER BOUTS: Damir Ismagulov vs. Mateusz Gamrot, Alessandro Costa vs. Carlos Mota, Julian Erosa vs. Gavin Tucker, Bobby Green vs. L’udovit Klein, Cody Brundage vs. Makhmud Muradov, Cory McKenna vs. Polyana Viana, Cheyanne Vlismas vs. Ariane Carnelossi, Matthew Semelsberger vs. Trevin Giles, Jake Matthews vs. Alex Morono, Saidyokub Kakhramonov vs. Victor Henry, Rafa Garcia vs. Jamie Mullarkey, Hayisaer Maheshate vs. Daniel Zellhuber, Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Jeremiah Wells, Bryan Battle vs. Gabriel Green, David Dvorak vs. Sumudaerji, Sergey Morozov vs. Aiemann Zahabi, Journey Newson vs. Trevin Jones

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Get a unique rundown of all the trophies that should have been handed out at UFC Vegas 66 with Dayne Fox’s Unofficial Awards.

UFC Vegas 66 was a solid event as a whole, featuring several solid high-level fights, even if it wrapped on something of a blah note. Jared Cannonier and Sean Strickland fought five competitive rounds with consistent action. Typically, that would sound like a solid fight. However, with very few dramatic swings and few major moments from either fighter, it failed to make for a memorable bout.

Both men maintained a similar pace, landing consistently through the contest. Cannonier landed the harder shots, but Strickland landed the cleaner shots. It was a very difficult fight to judge that left most observers agreeing there wasn’t a definitive winner. Ultimately, the judges went with Cannonier, getting the heavy hitter back on track following his loss this past summer for the middleweight title.

There was plenty of other action on the card that should have more than made up for the main event. Unfortunately, that’s rarely how it works. The headliners almost always overshadow everything else, every time. To try and fix that, we’ll cover the rest of the event here with my Unofficial Awards….

For a different perspective, click here. For an audio recap of the event, click here.

BIGGEST JUMP IN STOCK

Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC

This was a tricky spot to figure out. Arman Tsarukyan dominated a highly regarded opponent. Drew Dober turned out the lights on an opponent who has traditionally been very difficult to put to sleep. Manel Kape did what he wanted to a tough opponent. In the end, I had to go with Alex Caceres.

Sure, he didn’t beat someone who was on the level with any of those other aforementioned men. But it was a fight he wasn’t supposed to win and he did so in a manner that established he can end a fight in a flash. A closer look at Caceres’ record reveals that he’s won six of his last seven fights. ‘Bruce Leeroy’’s past inconsistencies may mean that there are some who will never give him the benefit of the doubt, but I think he’s earned more respect on his name.

BIGGEST FALL IN STOCK

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

The odds may have been tilted too much in his favor, but Jake Matthews was a rightful favorite over Matthew Semelsberger. Add that Matthews won a solid two-thirds of this fight, and it really seems he should have had his hand raised… at least provided he fought smart. Matthews didn’t fight an intelligent fight, though.

Instead, Matthews opted to engage Semelsberger in the area where Semelsberger is most dangerous. Given that the Aussie has a more proven ground game, a ground-based attack seemed the most direct path to victory. But, he didn’t try making a serious attempt to go to the mat until the third round—after he was down two rounds and been knocked down three times. Barring some sort of Robbie Lawler-like late career evolution, it may be that Matthews is becoming his own worst enemy.

SAVED THEIR JOB(S)

It feels weird saying for any event (and especially a Fight Night), but there weren’t many jobs on the line, if any. It’s very possible the UFC wasn’t going to cut anyone from this event barring disastrous results. There may be one person I suspect won’t have a contract come 2023, but I’m not even confident in that case.

START TYPING A RESUME

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Journey Newson may not have consecutive losses, but he does have just one official UFC win in five attempts. Granted, he would have another if it wasn’t for a positive marijuana test, but his record is what it is. If he was a young prospect whose best days were ahead of him, I might not include him here. Given he’s 33 and doesn’t fight with the veteran savvy you’d expect of someone his age, he’s likely topped out. If bantamweight didn’t have so many prospects worth looking at, I might guess he’d be safe. As it is, I think this may be the end of his time in the Octagon.

BIGGEST WOW MOMENT

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Caceres has been around the UFC for a long time. He’s been in some hella fun fights, pulled off some fun upsets, and crapped the bed at several inopportune times. Basically, he’s done it all. All except secure the highlight reel KO. Now he has. He threw a right hand that left Julian Erosa leaning into a left high kick that put ‘Juicy-J’ to sleep. I’d be shocked if this KO doesn’t end up on Baba O’Riley.

MOST CONFUSING MOMENT

About halfway through the second round of the contest between Rafa Garcia and Maheshate, Garcia had his opponent pushed against the fence. Maheshate’s foot was out away from the cage, so Garcia started landing some heavy foot stomps. After the third one, referee Mark Smith rushed towards them, declaring Garcia can’t do that. Last time I checked, foot stomps were perfectly legal. Perhaps an explanation will come out over the next few days? I’m curious what reasoning Smith has to offer.

MOST GRITTY PERFORMANCE

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

It wasn’t the most exciting performance, but Garcia looked like he was a weight class or two smaller than his opposition. Maheshate did miss weight, but it didn’t fully explain why he appeared so much bigger in the Octagon. Despite the size disparity Garcia proved to be the bully in the cage, scoring several takedowns and controlling Maheshate for long stretches. Perhaps the most impressive part about it was he did so while leaking insane amounts of blood from his head for half the contest. It isn’t infrequent for fighters to be freaked out a bit by their blood pouring everywhere. The blood seemed to get to Maheshate more when he became drenched in it. Regardless, it showed impressive mental steel.

MOST DOMINANT PERFORMANCE

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

There were a couple of options to pick from here, but Rinat Fakhretdinov had to be my official choice. The Russian grinder was in control for almost the entirety of the contest, a few submission attempts from Bryan Battle being the only times when it looked like Fakhretdinov was threatened in any form. Even then, none of the submission attempts came anywhere close to being fully clamped on.

MOST IMPRESSIVE LOSS

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

There were a couple of excellent choices for this as well, with two contests where the loser of the fight was winning right up to the ultimate moment of their demise. The runner-up was Bobby Green, who was outlanding Drew Dober by more than a two-to-one margin before Dober landed a powerful left hand that sent the longtime veteran sprawling to the mat. Green looked like he was picking up right where he left off from when he dominated Nasrat Haqparast. 99% of the time that would totally be the most impressive loss.

In this case, however, it goes to Saidyokub Kakhramonov. The Uzbekistan native was putting on a completely dominant performance over Said Nurmagomedov, mauling the highly regarded bantamweight for close to every second of the contest. Nurmagomedov threatened with a guillotine in the opening round, which was the only time he had any serious control. At least that was the case up until he found the finish with a modified guillotine choke. Given Kakhramonov was fighting at a much higher level than what he had previously faced and appeared to be more than holding his own, he gets the award—not that he actually gives a damn.

MOST DISRESPECTED FIGHTER

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Does anyone really believe Arman Tsarukyan is going to get an opponent he’s happy with? Having lost a razor-thin contest to Mateusz Gamrot this summer, Tsarukyan rebounded with an emphatic win over the criminally underappreciated Damir Ismagulov in the co-main event. In his post-fight interview, Tsarukyan declared he didn’t actually lose to Gamrot and that he wants a fight with someone ahead of him. Unfortunately for him, the top of the lightweight division is full of fighters who have established a level of credibility that allows them to pick and chose who they are willing to fight and when.

While those who follow the sport religiously know how good Tsarukyan is—and that he can compete with anyone in the division—he still doesn’t have enough name value to do anything for the contenders above him. Thus, Tsarukyan is left being disrespected as it appears unlikely he’ll get a fight he truly wants. The hope here is that I’m wrong.

MOST MATURING PERFORMANCE

Photo by Louis Grasse/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

At 23, Cory McKenna can be forgiven if she makes the occasional foolish mistake. What typically isn’t forgiven is if a fighter strays from their bread and butter, something she did in her loss to Elise Reed. McKenna redeemed herself against Cheyanne Vlismas, adjusting her strategy after dropping the first round. McKenna still showed improvements in her boxing, but ultimately was coming up short in that department. The second round turned into a grind against the fence and the third was almost entirely on the mat. Vlismas struggled without space, clearing the way for McKenna to pick up the victory. If she can continue to develop her skillset, McKenna appears to have the know-how to develop into a strawweight of note down the road.

MOST IMPRESSIVE FLYWEIGHT

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

There appears to be light at the top of the flyweight division as Deiveson Figueiredo and Brandon Moreno settle their eternal rivalry. Thus, Amir Albazi and Manel Kape were given excellent opportunities to make a case why they might be the preferable choice for the UFC to push into the title picture. It’s hard to say definitively one way or the other which one submitted a stronger application. Albazi secured a highlight reel finish, but the fight was largely tepid up until that point.

Kape didn’t get the finish, but he came thisclose to doing so on two occasions. The first saw him bend David Dvorak’s arm out of shape with a kimura in the first round—where Dvorak was ultimately saved by the bell. The second saw Dvorak on wobbly legs with Kape landing heavy strikes.

Ultimately, I’m more willing to say Kape was more impressive, since Dvorak was a more proven opponent than Alessandro Costa. Regardless, both are very much in the picture. If either one can deliver impressive performances against proven opposition, they could end up fighting for a belt by the end of 2023. For the moment, I think Kape has a slight edge to be that guy.

BONUS NUMBERS

The FOTN went to Green and Dober, giving each of them six Performance Bonuses for their UFC careers. That would have tied them for the most Bonuses had Alex Caceres not picked up his seventh. Michal Oleksiejczuk picked up just the second Bonus of his UFC run. Ismagulov maintained the longest drought of anyone on the card, dating back to December of 2018. In terms of amount of contests, Olesiejczuk snapped his seven-fight streak without a Bonus. Now, Ismagulov and Garcia are tied with six fights each without a Bonus. Perhaps one of the most surprising number is Kape is still without a Bonus in his UFC run.

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‘Lionheart’ knows Till can still compete, he just needs a step down in competition to build himself up again. 

To regain his confidence, Anthony Smith says Darren Till should consider a step down in competition for his next UFC appearance.

Till suffered a third-round submission loss to Dricus Du Plessis in his return to the Octagon at UFC 282 this past Saturday. It was the third consecutive loss for the ‘Gorilla,’ who fell short against Derek Brunson and Robert Whittaker at UFC Vegas 36 and UFC Fight Island 3, respectively. Now 1-5 in his past six appearances at welterweight and middleweight, it appears as though Till faces a career crossroads.

In his post-fight comments, Till ruled out retirement, saying that he wants to fight next year. And if he does, Smith wants him against someone outside of the official UFC rankings.

“What does he do now? He’s got to, and he’s not gonna want to, but he’s gonna have to back way up, and he’s gonna have to give someone way down in the rankings an opportunity,” said Smith on the Believe You Me podcast. “Which he doesn’t want to do. He doesn’t want to do that because he wants to continue to climb, he wants to swing for the fences and get his spot back and look ahead.

“But I think the best case scenario for him is to drop way down and give one of these up-and-comers, these young guys, these unknowns, give them an opportunity to face a big-name guy that holds a decent spot in the rankings and hope that you can use that step down in competition as an opportunity to get your mojo back. The flip side of that is you drop one to one of those guys, you’ve got a big f—ing problem.”

Though Till is on a three-fight losing streak, UFC president Dana White believes his stock stayed the same, especially since he was involved in a ‘Fight of the Night’ awarded appearance against Du Plessis.

“I mean, that’s ‘Fight of the Night,’ I don’t think his stock drops at all,” said White at the post-fight press conference For UFC 282. “If he would have went out there and got destroyed in the first round like it looked like it was gonna happen, but he did the exact opposite. He weathered that storm, stayed out of submissions, then he comes back, and you think he’s gonna win the fight. I thought it was an awesome fight. That’s why it was ‘Fight of the Night,’ and I don’t think his stock dropped at all.”

Till is still ranked in the top-15; however, he fell from No. 10 to No. 15 following a recent update.

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The real winners and losers from UFC Vegas 66

The final UFC fight card of 2022 took place on Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. In the headlining bout of that event, UFC Vegas 66, Jared Cannonier bounced back from his July loss to then-UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya. Cannonier scored a split-decision win over Sean Strickland in that contest. With the setback, Strickland is on the first losing skid of his professional career. Strickland entered UFC Vegas 66 coming off a July knockout loss to Alex Pereira.

In the UFC Vegas 66 co-main event, Arman Tsarukyan showed that he deserves a fight against an elite lightweight. The 26-year-old handed his opponent, Damir Ismagulov, his first loss since 2015.

Also on the card, Alex Caceres and Michal Oleksiejczuk picked up $ 50,000 bonuses for their first-round knockout wins, while Drew Dober and Bobby Green delivered the “Fight of the Night.”

Read on for the full list of winners and losers from UFC Vegas 66, which streamed on ESPN+.

Winners:

Jared Cannonier: Before Jared Cannonier faced Sean Strickland in the main event of UFC Vegas 66, the UFC commentary team noted that Cannonier was aware that he needed to up his striking output. Cannonier did that, attempting 310 significant strikes and landing 141 in a split-decision win over Strickland. That increase in production was likely one of the reasons Cannonier got the nod over Strickland on the scorecards.

I’m not sure Cannonier’s win will put him in the conversation for a middleweight title shot, but he should, at the least, retain his No. 3 UFC ranking with his victory.

Arman Tsarukyan: Arman Tsarukyan has two losses during his UFC career. In his promotional debut, which took place in 2019, he dropped a decision in a “Fight of the Night” bonus-winning scrap to current UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev. Tsarukyan then went 5-0 before losing a decision to Mateusz Gamrot, who is the No. 7 fighter in the official flyweight rankings. On Saturday, Tsarukyan got back in the win column with a dominant win over the No. 12 ranked Damir Ismagulov.

Tsarukyan put together a technically sound performance in topping Ismagulov, using his cardio, wrestling and control to pick up the 30-27x 3 win.

Tsarukyan is not the biggest name in the lightweight division, but he deserves a fight against one of the big-name combatants at the top of the weight class in 2023.

Amir Albazi: Amir Albazi had two highly-ranked opponents drop out on him ahead of UFC Vegas 66. Albazi, the No. 8 ranked fighter in the official UFC flyweight rankings, saw Alex Perez (No. 6) and Brandon Royval (No. 4) drop out of a fight with him on Saturday’s card. Thanks to the overmatched Alessandro Costa, Albazi fought at UFC Vegas 66. Albazi picked up the win, which should set him up to face Perez, Royval or another fighter ranked higher than he is.

Alex Caceres: Alex Caceres scored his first striking knockout win since 2010 with a beautiful head kick that caught Julian Erosa with his defenses down. The knockout got the 34-year-old back in the win column after a March loss to Sodiq Yusuff ended his career-high five-fight winning streak.

Caceres knockout was a glimpse at how balance, technique and fight IQ can combine to bring a fight to an abrupt end.

Drew Dober: Drew Dober has two things in his favor, a strong chin and powerful hands. He used both of those in scoring a nasty knockout over Bobby Green, who touched up DOber via his speed. The win gave Dober a 3-0 UFC record in 2022 with three knockout victories.

The second-round knockout tied Dober with Dustin Poirier for the most knockouts in UFC lightweight history with eight.

Michal Oleksiejczuk: Cody Brundage scored an early takedown on Michal Oleksiejczuk, but Oleksiejczuk refused to accept the position (with the help of at least one fence grab). A scramble allowed Oleksiejczuk to take top position. From there, Brundage’s inability to keep his opponent in tight cost him, as Oleksiejczuk scored with heavy strikes, bringing the fight to a close in the first round.

The win gave the former light heavyweight two straight first round knockout wins at middleweight.

Cory McKenna: Any fighter who gets matched up against Cory McKenna needs to practice her takedown defense and drill stand ups. The 23-year-old is a strong wrestler and she is still developing. However, McKenna is not competing in the deepest division, so she needs to pick up her striking game.

Matthew Semelsberger: Matthew Semelsberger used his power to score three knockdowns and get the win over Jake Matthews. The 30-year-old Semelsberger is a limited combatant in that he relies on the aforementioned power, but as long as he gets matched up against defensively suspect opponents, he will have success.

Said Nurmagomedov: Said Nurmagomedov had a rough day at the office for most of his bantamweight bout against Saidyokub Kakhramonov, but his awareness and fight IQ allowed him to find the opening he needed to score a guillotine choke in the second stanza.

Nurmagomedov is now on a four-fight winning streak.

Rafa Garcia: Rafa Garcia overcame a height, reach and weight disadvantage to pick up a decision win over Maheshate at UFC Vegas 66. Maheshate checked in 2.5 pounds heavy for the lightweight scrap.

Garcia lost a not insignificant amount of blood during the contest, where he limited his opponent to a 16 percent landing rate in significant strikes.

Rinat Fakhretdinov: Two fights into his UFC career, Rinat Fakhretdinov has 12 takedowns and 27:11 in control time. The UFC commentary team mentioned the matchmakers will struggle to get this man more fights. I don’t doubt that for one second.

Manel Kape: After being out of the octagon for more than a year, Manel Kape returned to action at UFC Vegas 66. While the former Rizin bantamweight champ did not get a third straight first-round knockout win, he showed that despite his absence, he deserved to keep his No. 12 spot in the official UFC flyweight rankings while he was away. Kape will likely jump into the top 10 of the division following his dominant win over David Dvorak, who entered Saturday as the No. 9 ranked UFC 125-pounder.

Kape is — rightfully — known for his striking, which effectively put Dvorak on the deck in Round 2 and kept Dvorak backtracking for most of the fight, but what Kape showed in this bout was he also has some ground skills. The kimura he applied at the end of the first round looked close to injuring Dvorak and/or forcing a tap.

Keith Peterson: Referee Keith Peterson called the doctor in to check on David Dvorak’s left arm after it appeared that Manel Kape had done some damage to that limb with a nasty kimura at the end of their flyweight fight.

Many fans, media and pundits question when and why referees bring doctors into the cage, but the ref’s function is safety. With that, Peterson calling for an examination on Dvorak was the right move to make.

Sergey Morozov: Sergey Morozov used forward pressure and a jab to set up his takedowns against Journey Newson. That approach served him well in gaining a 30-27×3 win over Journey Newson.

Morozov went 6 for 13 on his takedown attempts and racked up close to seven minutes of control time in earning his decision victory. With the win in the UFC Vegas 66 curtain jerker, Morozov is on his first winning streak since he signed with the UFC in 2020 after winning and defending the M-1 Global bantamweight crown in 2019.

Paul Felder: Paul Felder did his best to show that he had read the scoring criteria for an MMA fight. However, try as he might, Felder did not make up for the confidence and wrongness of his partner, Dominick Cruz, when interpreting that criteria.

Losers:

Sean Strickland: Sean Strickland has the best striking defense percentage in UFC middleweight history. He also has one of the highest striking differentials in the history of the UFC’s 185-pound weight class. However, he doesn’t throw his punches with a lot of power and he doesn’t fight with much aggression. His inability to land his strikes with force and his reluctance to push forward will always hurt him in fights where his opponents connect with more authority. That’s what happened at UFC Vegas 66.

UFC: It should be a surprise when a ranked UFC fighter calls for a fight-night bonus because they are facing a hardship, but it happens often enough that it’s no longer a shock. What makes it worse is that the UFC is not the least embarrassed that it has fighters like Amir Albazi, asking for some extra scratch because their car broke down during fight week. The UFC has a shameful pay structure and revenue split.

Bobby Green: At 36, Bobby Green still has a great deal of speed. However, as Drew Dober showed, he can be pushed to the fence and knocked out. I understand that Green is an entertainment-first fighter and that will keep him on the UFC roster for some time, but as he ages, Green might consider using some striking defense.

Saidyokub Kakhramonov: Pressure, control and activity were the name of Saidyokub Kakhramonov’s game in his matchup with Said Nurmagomedov.

I’m not sure if Kakhramonov laid out the blueprint on how to beat Nurmagomedov because the pace he set seems as if it might be unsustainable over three full rounds and because Nurmagomedov submitted him in the second stanza.

Bryan Battle: Bryan Battle took a big chance in accepting a fight against Rinat Fakhretdinovon on short notice. Battle deserves props for accepting the matchup, which ended his three-fight UFC winning streak.

The one-sided loss should provide the 28-year-old Battle with a list of things he needs to work on to succeed in the UFC. Battle’s next fight against a skilled wrestler with a heavy top game will let us know if he learned anything from his defeat at UFC Vegas 66.

David Dvorak: David Dvorak showed a lot of toughness and flexibility in not tapping to the kimura Manel Kape applied on him at the end of the first round of their flyweight bout. What Dvorak didn’t have was an answer for Kape’s striking arsenal.

Dvorak opened his UFC career on a 3-0 run, but he went 0-2 with the promotion in 2022 and is now on the first losing skid of his 15 professional career.

Journey Newson: Journey Newson’s striking is not bad, but his ability to stop takedowns and get back to his feet is severely lacking. That cost him in a big way at UFC Vegas 66.

Dominick Cruz: I’ll give Dominick Cruz credit for being confident. Even when he is way off the mark and talking nonsense, he delivers his hogwash with complete sincerity and conviction. Such was the case during the UFC Vegas 66 broadcast when he did his best to convince all who were viewing that a cut might steal a round— or a fight — for the combatant who delivered the blow that caused the cut.

For example, after Maheshate opened a gash on the side of Rafa Garcia’s head in the second round of their prelim bout, Cruz said, “What do we know about damage? That wins a lot of these fights. Damage is scored. That’s how they score the fight, not necessarily who looks like they’re winning by scorecards, per se. That damage is gonna be huge on the scorecards in this fight.”

Alas, that cut was meaningless on the scorecards because, despite the visual of Garcia bleeding all over the octagon for the final 3:30 of that round, he won the round and swept his opponent on the scorecards with three 30-27 nods. And you know why? Because Garcia had the more effective striking in that round, which is the first criterion by which the judges score an MMA fight.

It’s frustrating when the commentary team — and a former UFC champion — misrepresents the scoring, but it happens — a lot.

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Zane Simon & Dayne Fox are here to breakdown this Saturday’s, December 17th, UFC Vegas 66: ‘Cannonier vs. Strickland’ Fight Night event. The guys will have hot takes, possible next fights, as well as reactions to the overall event.

Bloody Elbow fight expert, Zane Simon & fellow analyst Dayne Fox recorded for you on Saturday, December 17th, 2022, with a breakdown of the the last UFC event of 2022; UFC Vegas 66: ‘Cannonier vs Strickland’ — a now 13-bout Fight Night event which took place from the Apex Facility in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The guys have hot takes, possible next fights, as well as reactions to the overall event in the player above, or they can be caught on our Bloody Elbow Presents YouTube Channel or any platform in our BE Presents Podcast Network.

For all the results, reactions and a plethora of details about the main card, and plenty of tidbits about all the prelims, be sure to hit play on the show to hear what our fight experts have to say!

June M. Williams

“Forty-eight weeks ago, Charles Rosa and TJ Brown made the walk to the Octagon as the first pair of fighters to compete in the UFC in 2022.

Saturday night, Jared Cannonier and Sean Strickland wrapped up the year as the final tandem to step inside the cage, closing out a momentous, surprising, and electric year of action in the UFC.

It was one final standout card at the UFC APEX before breaking for the holidays and getting prepared for what should be an incredible year in 2023.

Here’s a look at what transpired…” h/t: UFC.com

Overall, this now 13-bout card saw two exciting first round finishes, four thrilling KO/TKO’s, one sweet sub, and seven hard-fought decisions. Rounding things out, our fighters who were awarded for putting forth BONUS efforts included — POTN: Alex Caceres, & Michal Oleksiejczuk. FOTN: Drew Dober vs. Bobby Green.

Here’s a look at the UFC Vegas 66: ‘Cannonier vs Strickland’ fight card, updated records & full results from the event —

Official UFC Vegas 66 Scorecards

MAIN CARD | 7/4PM ETPT
13. Jared Cannonier (16-6) DEF. Sean Strickland (25-5) — via split decision (49-46, 46-49, 49-46)

12. Arman Tsarukyan (19-3) DEF. Damir Ismagulov (24-2) — via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

11. Amir Albazi (16-1) DEF. Alessandro Costa (12-3) — via KO (uppercut) at 2:13 of Round 3

10. Alex Caceres (20-13) DEF. Julian Erosa (28-10) — via TKO (left high kick) at 3:04 of Round 1

9. Drew Dober (26-11) DEF. Bobby Green (29-14) — via KO (left hand) at 2:45 of Round 2

8. Michal Oleksiejczuk (18-5) DEF. Cody Brundage (8-3)— via TKO (strikes) at 3:16 of Round 1

PRELIMS
7. Cory McKenna (8-2) DEF. Cheyanne Vlismas (7-3) — via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

6. Matthew Semelsberger (11-4) DEF. Jake Matthews (18-6) — via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

5. Said Nurmagomedov (17-2) DEF. Saidyokub Kakhramonov (10-3) — via submission (modified guillotine choke) at 3:50 of Round 2

4. Rafa Garcia (15-3) DEF. Hayisaer Maheshate (9-2) — via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

3. Rinat Fakhretdinov (21-2) DEF. Bryan Battle (8-2) — via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-25, 30-27)

2. Manel Kape (18-6) DEF. David Dvořák (20-5) — via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

1. Sergey Morozov (19-5) DEF. Journey Newson (10-4) — via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Be sure to follow Zane – @TheZaneSimon & Dayne – @TheDayneFox; and follow @BloodyElbow on twitter as well, for all the latest in MMA happenings.

If you enjoy our wide variety of shows, give us a shout out in the comments here on Bloody Elbow, and give us a “like”, share & subscribe on your BE Presents Podcast platform of choice: SoundCloud, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, OverCast, Player FM, & Amazon Music – For previous episodes, check out our playlists on any of our BE Presents channels.

Join us again for another episode of the ‘6th Round’ next year! Zane will be back with his usual co-hort, Eddie, with hot takes, possible next fights and reactions for the overall event when we review UFC Vegas 67: ‘Imavov vs. Gastelum’ Fight Night on Saturday, January 14, 2023!

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