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Last night (Sat., Oct. 19, 2024), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) remained inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC Vegas 99. The main card was actually a little stronger than usual, featuring a trio of bouts that involved at least one ranked fighter. Unfortunately, the entire fight card was a bit of slog with relatively few finishes throughout, but the promise of violence between Michel Pereira and Anthony Hernandez helped fight fans make it to the finish line.

Let’s take a look back over at UFC Vegas 99’s best performances and techniques:

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

A Mauling Win

Anthony Hernandez scored his sixth consecutive UFC victory last night, pummeling Michel Pereira for the bulk of five rounds before referee Herb Dean intervened with a last-second mercy stoppage. “Demolidor” has been viciously effective since moving to 185-pounds, but “Fluffy” treated him like each of his past opponents, forcing him into a relentless cycle of takedowns, transitions, and punishment.

Really, Pereira had almost no good moments after the first minute. There was a solid guillotine attempt and a decent knee — that’s it in 20-some minutes of combat after his early flurry. Hernandez was that dominant, setting multiple volume records over the course of five rounds. Honestly, this fight felt over midway through round two. “Fluffy” was just that zoned in and in control of his opponent.

Hopefully, it’s the kind of win that gets him a much deserved opportunity against a highly ranked foe. Maybe it’s too crazy of a jump, but I’d love to see him fight Nassourdine Imavov or Caio Borralho next. This type of win deserves to be rewarded!

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Cardio Is EVERYTHING!

Kyler Phillips is a great technical fighter. His movement is sublime, and he seems to time a head kick cleanly in just about every fight. His wrestling is rock solid, and he’s been doing jiu-jitsu since he was a child. Rob Font, comparatively, has a very bread-and-butter MMA game relying almost entirely on the 1-2 and clubbing close range punches.

Yet, Font won because at the end of the day, it’s all about pace.

Phillips won the first round easily, controlling probably four minutes from top position. When he returned to his feet, he was a little tired though, so Font pushed the pedal to the floor and landed some good shots. In early round two, Font also began to control the head of his opponent with his lead hand, a task made easier as Phillips slowed a bit.

Once Font gained his edge, the fight was no longer close. Phillips could no longer show off the lovely footwork, and he couldn’t wrestle effectively for more than moment. All the flash was gone or in slow motion, whereas Font’s straight punches continued at the same rate unabated.

It’s always fun to see a veteran upset the odds, but it feels like Phillips hasn’t fixed his pacing issues since they first became apparent in 2021. In a division like Bantamweight, that obvious of a flaw will never fly at the elite level.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Inner G Gets It Done

Charles Johnson vs. Sumudaerji was a great Flyweight fight.

The first round was a technical kickboxing affair, as Johnson pressed his foot to the gas in the face of Sumudaerji’s range and counters. He couldn’t drag the striker to the floor, however. Sumudaerji’s takedown defense looked much improved, but the striking was very competitive.

The second round was one of the year’s best. Just as momentum seemed to be slipping away from him, Johnson floored Sumudaerji with a flurry and nearly forced the finish. When the referee gave the Chinese Flyweight a chance to fight on, he nearly locked up a triangle choke! The attempt reversed Johnson onto bottom, causing a mad scramble that continued even on the fight with wild trades. Despite the knockdown, Sumudaerji rebounded well in the third as well, stuffing most of his opponents shots and landing cleanly.

The judges awarded Johnson the decision, his fourth victory of the year. “Inner G” is really coming into his own, and he certainly deserves a ranked opponent next.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

THERE WILL BE BLOOD!

Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda absolutely delivered the brutal grindfest that we all expected and hoped for.

For once, Elkins was not the first man to bleed. He landed a nice overhand early, combined it with a takedown, then scored with glancing elbows. Nothing seemed that severe, but Pineda emerged from the exchange with gigantic gashes over both eyes! There was still plenty fight left in “The Pit,” however, who used his guillotine choke to gain top position and slice up “The Damage” in kind.

By round two, both men were already battling fatigue after the chaotic start. In classic Elkins fashion, the wrestler continued to slug and drive for takedowns. Pineda went back to the guillotine, but Elkins showed off his masterful defense in escaping deep strangles repeatedly and using the transitions to establish top control.

It was a really fun fight between veterans, but Elkins clearly picked up the latter two rounds by out-hustling her peer and dropping some brutal elbows. Pineda announced his retirement after the defeat, and we’ll see if that sticks. If so, he was an incredibly consistent action fighter for a very long time and deserves his flowers.

As for Elkins, he’s quietly won three of four at 40 years of age. He may not be at his peak anymore, but the inner dog is still thriving.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Additional Thoughts

• Joselyne Edwards defeats Tamires Vidal via third-round rear naked choke: Aside from missing weight for the third time, Edwards looked good here! The Panamanian talent is accustomed to foes trying to relentlessly wrestle here, but she was allowed to strike here. Consequently, her jab and distance striking were on point, and she beat up Vidal for large portions of the fight. When Vidal really tried to force the grappling issue in the third, Edwards was able to jump the back and score the finish just before the bell. On the whole, Edwards COULD be an interesting Bantamweight prospect (of which there are few). Her kickboxing game and power definitely stand out. Unfortunately, her inability to make weight and historically poor grappling continue to hold her back, even if last night was a solid bounce back.
• Austen Lane defeats Robelis Despaigne via unanimous decision: After starting his UFC career 0-2 (1) with two brutal knockout defeats, Lane deserves props for not getting murdered by his gigantic opponent here. He effectively wore out and wrestled the Cuban knockout artist, avoiding trading with Despaigne until his foe was dead tired. Speaking of, Despaigne really needs a lot of time at a real MMA camp if he’s to make use of his physical assets and knockout power against anyone even half-decent.

For complete UFC Vegas 99 results and play-by-play, click HERE!

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Anthony Hernandez became the first man to finish Michel Pereira in the UFC with a dominant fifth-round TKO finish in the main event of UFC Vegas 99 on Saturday night.

Hernandez, who has won six fights in a row, had trouble taking Pereira down early in the opening round, but Pereira had no answer for his pace and wrestling once he found the right timing. He dismantled the flashy Brazilian striker with more than 100 significant strikes landed and called for a shot at the elite of the UFC middleweight division.

“Just what I expected, I had no nerves all week,” Hernandez said after the win. “Like I’ve been telling you guys, I’m ready for my belt, I’m out of my own way. Just give me what it f*cking takes. Dana [White], you’ve always given me tough-ass fights, give me someone who’s going to give me a title shot. I’m f*cking ready, I’ll prove it to you.”

Pereira had good moments in the opening round, landing a nice kick to the body and defending Hernandez’s first eight takedown attempts, but once the 31-year-old American finally got Pereira on the ground, he began to implement his strategy with perfection.

Pereira had no answer to Hernandez’s offense in the championship rounds, barely firing any attacks in rounds three and four. Pereira’s cornerman asked the Brazilian to land at least one knee in the final five minutes, and “Demolidor” did just that, only to open the door for Hernandez to again land a well-timed takedown. Once on the ground, “Fluffy” rained down punches until referee Herb Dean mercifully called the TKO stoppage.

Asked for who he wants next inside the octagon after snapping Pereira’s eight-fight winning streak, Hernandez has no name in mind for the call-out.

“I don’t even follow the roster that close, so I couldn’t f*cking tell you who’s in front of me,” Hernandez said. “But I know that I’m ready and I’m sharp and I’m ready for f*cking anyone.”

Click here for the complete UFC Vegas 99 results.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Jon Jones paid attention to Francis Ngannou’s return to MMA — and he was impressed.

Ngannou headlined PFL’s Battle of the Giants pay-per-view card on Saturday in Saudi Arabia, facing Renan Ferreira. The former UFC heavyweight champ disposed of Ferreira in the first round with absolutely brutal ground and pound that left his opponent unconscious on the canvas.

Jones went on Twitter and put Ngannou, and his performance over.

“What an amazing job Francis did tonight, displayed a complete MMA game,” Jones wrote. “Great kicks, great takedowns. It feels good to see him shine. Wow congratulations Champ, I see you.”

Ngannou and Jones were linked to a potential fight for years before the former made the decision to leave the UFC and vacate the title. Jones would fight former interim champ Ciryl Gane for the vacant belt at UFC 285 in March 2023 and picked up a quick submission to win his second divisional title.

“The Predator” competed in MMA for the first time in nearly three years after taking a pair of boxing matches against Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, suffering losses in both contests.

Jones will now defend against Stipe Miocic in the main event of UFC 309 next month at Madison Square Garden.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Anthony Hernandez earned the biggest win of his career and another $ 50,000 to boot.

Hernandez dominated Michel Pereira in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 99 card at the UFC APEX en route to a fifth-round TKO win. Pereira landed a big flurry early on, but for the next 20-plus minutes, it was “Fluffy” wearing Pereira down with relentless pressure, battering and bloodying the exciting standup fighter throughout the contest.

The just-turned 31-year-old earned the lone Performance of the Night bonus for his outstanding showing.

The UFC did award a Fight of the Night, and to the surprise of very few, it went to the featherweight clash between Darren Elkins and Daniel Pineda. Elkins won a unanimous decision, and his first career Fight of the Night bonus, while Pineda announced his retirement in defeat. It was the second time Pineda earned the award in his UFC career. Both fighters go home with an extra $ 50,000.

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“I see you”
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