Last night (Sat., Sept. 7, 2024), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned home to UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, for UFC Vegas 97. Comparing Apex events to one another feels like a significant part of being a fight fan in 2024, and by those standards, this card was pretty solid! It’s a better night than average when both the main and co-main events are relevant and interesting fights. Gilbert Burns and Jessica Andrade played the role of experienced veterans, while their respective foils Sean Brady and Natalia Silva tried to shake up the status quo as up-and-coming talents.
Let’s take a look back over at UFC Vegas 97’s best performances and techniques:
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images A Win’s A Win, But …
Maybe this is a minority opinion, but I wasn’t overly impressed by Sean Brady’s unanimous decision win over Gilbert Burns.
There were noticeable improvements to be sure. Most obviously, Brady has never jabbed so well. He doubled and tripled up the strike, convincing Burns to cover up before capitalizing with shots around the guard or takedown attempts. In general, Brady’s in-and-out movement on the feet looked more fluid than in past fights.
That’s all well and good, but it’s hard not to feel like Burns looked old here. He barely threw anything and was largely defensive from the first bell onward. When Burns did attack, it was pretty much just the wide overhand right without any setup. Burns’ didn’t push much at all, and Brady kept most of his strikes light touches rather than full commitments. As such, it’s difficult for me to know if Brady’s cardio is seriously improved or if Burns just didn’t make him work very hard.
Whatever the case, it’s always a bit of a downer when there’s a 25-minute fight and both men leave the cage with clean faces. Either way, Brady climbs into the Top Five regardless of my opinion, and a big match up is surely next.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images A New Contender Emerges
Natalia Silva vs. Jessica Andrade was a lot of fun.
The dynamic of the fight was obvious: Andrade wanted to push forward and build combinations of powerful hooks from inside the pocket. Silva wanted to stay mobile and use her speed and range advantages to pick the former champion apart at distance, where her snappy punches and kicks were superior.
By and large, Silva got her wish. Andrade was able to get her licks in, but Silva landed way more quick punches and really chewed up Andrade as she tried to work inside. The close range side kicks were straight up awesome, and she even scored a perfect wheel kick straight to the chin of “Bate Estaca.”
At 27 years of age, Silva just scored the best win of his career to advance into the Flyweight Top Five. She seems ready for the best, so if the division ever gets moving again, a title eliminator next would be reasonable.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Garcia Keeps Building Momentum
How about Steve Garcia?!? The man started his UFC career with a 1-2 run, and he wasn’t exactly young. He seemed like any other Contenders Series product unlikely to receive a second UFC contract. Then, he beat Chase Hooper’s ass so badly that the prospect abandoned ship to Lightweight, and things started to change.
Last night, Garcia scored his fifth-straight knockout in the UFC against Kyle Nelson, a fellow veteran in the midst of an unexpected surge. Garcia had his back taken early, but as soon as he reversed his way into top position, “The Mean Machine” got running. He unleashed a genuinely nasty series of elbows, battering his opponent with an unending flurry of ground strikes. Nelson couldn’t get Garcia off him, and the damage accumulated quickly for a first-round stoppage.
Where’s Garcia’s ceiling? I have no idea. He’s already climbed much higher than most expected. Perhaps it’s time for a foe in the Top 15 next?
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images A Flyweight Brawl
Cody Durden vs. Matt Schnell was exactly the banger that most predicted.
For five full minutes, the two tried hard to knock out one another. Both threw in combination, standing in the pocket and extending rapid-fire shots. Schnell’s stand up technique was a bit cleaner, but Durden made up for that gap with raw aggression. It was a highly competitive round, one that saw both men land damaging blows in an entertaining trade.
Then, Schnell tried a double leg takedown early in the second, and it backfired horribly. He seemed surprised and stunned by just how fast Durden sprawled on his shot, leaving him vulnerable. The wrestler quickly wrapped up a front choke, and Schnell was forced to frantically tap after failing to spin his way free.
After the defeat, Schnell left his gloves in the cage to signal his retirement. If you haven’t see his victory opposite Su Mudaerji, do yourself a favor and look it up — it’s one of the best comebacks of the last decade. “Danger” was an action fighter to his core, and what else can we really ask of the fighters?
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Additional Thoughts
- Chris Padilla defeats Rongzhu via second-round doctor’s stoppage: The incredibly gnarly finish doesn’t exactly reflect the rest of the fight. For most of two rounds Rongzhu and Padilla took turns standing in front of each other, kicking calves, and swinging wide. Rongzhu’s physicality and power seemed to have built a small lead, but it was very tit-for-tat. When Padilla started circling off, however, Rongzhu chased him and ran directly into a perfectly timed counter elbow that landed directly to the eye. Moments later, Rongzhu’s eye was fully swollen shut, and the doctor was forced to intervene.
- Isaac Dulgarian defeats Brendon Marotte via second-round arm triangle choke (HIGHLIGHTS): The biggest UFC favorite in history looked the part. Dulgarian effortlessly dominated his opponent, landing immediate takedowns and climbing into mount right away. Marotte was rendered defensive the entire time, and he eventually was forced to submit to one of Dulgarian’s many arm triangle choke attempts.
- Jaqueline Amorim defeats Vanessa Demopoulos via first-round armbar (HIGHLIGHTS): It’s a lot of fun to watch Amorim grapple. The jiu-jitsu world champion transitions very smartly, forcing her opponent to accept one bad position or another, often while landing ground strikes along the way. She dragged down Demopoulos and advanced to mount quickly, wrapping up an armbar seconds later when her opponent tried to explode out of the bad position. There was a bit of controversy about whether or not Amorim grabbed the glove in the process, but the first-round finish will almost certainly stand. Consequently, Amorim has now won her last three UFC fights all via finish!
- Nathan Fletcher defeats Zygimantas Ramaska via second-round arm triangle choke (HIGHLIGHTS): It’s really difficult to win fights from bottom in modern MMA. This pair of Ultimate Fighter (TUF) veterans were looking to earn a spot on the UFC roster, but Ramaska’s takedown defense simply failed him. He was active from his back, but slowly Fletcher figured out his offensive submission game and was able to counter with ground strikes. Over time, Fletcher built his lead, advanced position, and wrapped up the strangle for a successful Featherweight debut.
For complete UFC Vegas 97 results, coverage, and highlights, click HERE.
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