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Last night (Sat., March 16, 2024), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC Vegas 88. Unless directly related to Tai Tuivasa or Marcin Tybura, this was nobody’s event of the year. Really, it was more of a come down from UFC 299. On the plus side, there was a healthy handful of fun fights and interesting finishes, so the card moved along at a good pace.

Let’s take a look back over at UFC Vegas 88’s best performances and techniques:

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Tybura Weathers The Storm

For about 90 seconds, it was clear why Tai Tuivasa was favored to win the main event. He bullied Marcin Tybura, shucking off his takedown attempts and landing hard low kicks and big shots upstairs. Immediately, the Polish veteran was bloodied and looking uncomfortable on his feet opposite the knockout artist.

When we speak about big punchers like “Bam Bam,” a common phrase is “It only takes one.” That’s true to an extent, but conversely, Tuivasa landed a lot more punches than Tybura did takedowns. In this case, however, that single takedown meant a whole lot more.

Tybura’s one well-timed double along the fence pretty much spelled game over for Tuivasa, who remains woefully inept on his back. Tuivasa floundered around on bottom, getting pummeled and unable to offer any defense other than holding onto a wrist whenever he could catch a punch. Tybura landed dozens and dozens of shots, then put his foe to sleep with a rear naked choke.

It looked easy for him.

Tuivasa is a fan favorite, a gamer, and a nasty striker. If he wants to consistently win fights in the Top 10, however, his ground game has to at least improve from abysmal to mediocre.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

No Contest?!?

Bryan Battle looked really sharp against Ange Loosa … for as long as the fight lasted.

Battle really dominated the first round. He hurt Loosa early with a counter punch, denied his attempts to wrestle — in fact, he reversed them briefly — and then maintained range really well. Loosa couldn’t hit him, and meanwhile, Battle was constantly touching him with probing straight punches and teeps. His eyes were really on point, as Battle was slipping shots and returning fire like a veteran.

Unfortunately, a collision of heads early in the second resulted in an eye poke as Battle shoved Loosa away. Loosa admitted to the referee and doctor that he couldn’t see, and the fight was called off. When the official “No Contest” decision was announced, a screaming and shoving match between Battle, Loosa, and a handful of officials occurred.

Hilariously, Michael Bisping proceeded to interview only Bryan Battle as if he were the official winner, and Battle absolutely roasted Loosa and labeled him a quitter. I don’t have strong opinions one way or another if that’s true, but I’ll say this: Battle won the crowd, and thus he won the fight.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Chiasson Makes A Statement

Macy Chiasson looked really good against Pannie Kianzad. The fight only went a few minutes, but on the feet, Chiasson landed some good shots before getting to the clinch and implementing her game. Her takedowns came smoothly, and once in top position, it didn’t take her long to take the back and attack the neck.

At No. 10 in the world, Chiasson isn’t in the immediate title mix, but she could be. Women’s Bantamweight is an empty division, and Chiasson certainly has the skills to contend. If she can continue to perform and consistently make the weight, she could really make an impact.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Bryan Barberena Has No Business At Middleweight

I don’t have any interest in breaking this one down, because it’s unnecessary. Barberena isn’t a Middleweight; he’s a Lightweight-turned-170-pounder who doesn’t feel like getting in shape and cutting weight anymore. Subsequently, Gerald Meerschaert was pretty easily able to outwrestle him, work his way to the back mount, and put his opponent to sleep.

The whole fight was EXTREMELY predictable. If Barberena wants to stick around the UFC beyond 2024, he has to go back to Welterweight.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

The Return Of Beast Boy

Mike Davis has consistently proven to be really good. Since his short-notice debut loss to Gilbert Burns way back in 2019, Davis hasn’t tasted defeat inside the cage. He’s won four straight now, finishing two of his opponents in the process. A bit of quick math demonstrates the issue, however: “Beast Boy” doesn’t fight very often, which makes it hard to climb the ranks.

He still walked through Natan Levy! Levy is a pretty solid Lightweight, a rangy kickboxer with good grappling and athleticism. Davis closed the distance and floored him with his first right hand of the fight, nearly finishing the match immediately. Instead, Levy survived to the second, giving Davis a chance to show off his excellent wrestling and top grappling as well. Rather than hunt for the rear naked choke again, Davis managed to catch an arm triangle in transition between back mount and mount.

It’s another notch in a good win streak. Hopefully, Davis is back in the cage in 2024 and can really start to build on his success, because “Beast Boy” clearly has a lot of talent.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Additional Thoughts

• Jaqueline Amorim defeats Cory McKenna via first-round armbar (HIGHLIGHTS): Playing around on the ground with Amorim is a risky endeavor. The jiu-jitsu black belt actually jumped guard, almost immediately landing in a triangle choke. Referee goofiness aside, Amorim demonstrated her grappling expertise in transitioning with and around McKenna’s attempts to scramble free, eventually cranking the arm at a deeply unpleasant angle and forcing the submission.

Jafel Filho defeats Ode Osbourne via first-round rear naked chokes (HIGHLIGHTS): Filho pretty much ran through his opposition here. His grappling-based game plan was neither a secret nor a surprise, but Osbourne couldn’t do much to stop it. The Brazilian “Pastor” advanced towards the back mount quickly, mixing strikes and strangle attempts until finally the arm slipped under the neck late in the first. At 30 years of age, Filho has won two straight in the Octagon and looks to be one to watch moving forward!

Thiago Moises defeats Mitch Ramirez via third-round knockout (HIGHLIGHTS): Moises has no business in the cage with Contenders Series randoms. He’s a notch above that class, a former ranked Lightweight! Ramirez was filling in on short-notice, and it really showed. Moises nearly submitted him in the first from back mount, but then switched strategies when his low kicks began taking effect in the second. He attacked the lead leg relentlessly, scoring his first stoppage from strikes since 2018!

For complete UFC Vegas 88: “Tuivsasa vs. Tybura” results and play-by-play, click HERE!

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The UFC Vegas 88 post-fight press conference is the last piece of business to take care of after the action is over in the octagon, and we have the live video above at MMAFighting.com.

UFC officials will announce the winners of the “Fight of the Night” and the “Performance of the Night” bonuses, and winning fighters will meet the media after their fights.

The UFC Vegas 88 post-fight press conference takes place about 30 minutes after the main event ends, meaning it will start around 10 p.m. ET.

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Francis Ngannou isn’t done just yet.

‘The Predator’ returned to the squared circle on Friday, March 8, for a showdown with the WBC’s top-ranked heavyweight contender, Anthony Joshua. The bout emanated from Kingdom Arena, the same venue where Ngannou went 10 rounds with Tyson Fury, and nearly defeated ‘The Gypsy King’ in his critically acclaimed pro boxing debut.

Unfortunately, things would not go quite as well for Ngannou the second time around. The former UFC heavyweight champion was sat down by Joshua in back-to-back rounds before being blasted with a vicious right hand that sent Ngannou crashing to the canvas.

Many assumed that Francis Ngannou would head back to the world of mixed martial arts to make his long-awaited debut for the Professional Fighters League following the loss. However, ‘The Predator’ appears to have different plans. In a video on Ngannou’s YouTube channel, he reveals that a third boxing match could be next and admitted to feeling like boxing “owes” him something after his brutal defeat in the ‘Knockout Chaos’ headliner.

“What’s next for me? Maybe a third boxing match,” Ngannou said. “I feel like boxing owes me something now. I have to regain what boxing took out of me. I think my ego will not let me step back and let go of this without doing everything to reinstall and prove to the world that I am the man of this job. I can do it, you know. I slipped, but I didn’t fall. I stumbled, but I didn’t fall.

“I think if I go back, train, learn from it, and use it as an advantage and experience for my personal growth, I think it will not be a loss. I will be able to reverse it and make it a victory. A life victory. Not only a sports victory.”

Could We See Francis Ngannou vs. Deontay Wilder next?

We’re not sure if anyone is clamoring to see Francis Ngannou step back inside the boxing ring, but if he does, one of the names already being tossed around is Deontay Wilder. Holder of the WBC heavyweight title from 2015 to 2020, ‘The Bronze Bomber’ is considered to be one of the most dangerous punchers in the game, though he has struggled to find his way into the win column as of late.

After absorbing back-to-back losses against Tyson Fury, Wilder bounced back with a first-round knockout of Robert Helenius. Sadly, he followed up the quick finish with a lackluster performance against Joseph Parker in December 2023, losing via unanimous decision to the 35-3 fighter.

With both men coming off losses, it could be a perfect pairing. And if not, Francis Ngannou still has 2023 PFL heavyweight tournament winner Renan Ferreira eagerly waiting to welcome him to the Smart Cage.

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Four fighters earned “Performance of the Night” bonuses for their wins at UFC Vegas 88 on Saturday.

The event took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and was headlined by a heavyweight bout between ninth-ranked Tai Tuivasa and tenth-ranked Marcin Tybura.  Tybura was among the four fighters that took home an extra $ 50,000.  The others included women’s strawweight Jaquelin Amorim, flyweight Jafel Filho, and women’s bantamweight Macy Chiasson.

Performance Of The Night: Jaqueline Amorim

With the extensive jiu jitsu background that Jaqueline Amorim has, it was only a matter of time until she locked up her first UFC submission.  The strawweight prospect went right to work against Cory McKenna – transitioning through a few submission attempts before finding the armbar early in the first round. Amorim’s submission was the fourth fasted in women’s strawweight history and it showcased just how talented Amorim is on the canvas.

Performance Of The Night: Jafel Filho

For the second fight in a row, Jafel Filho has put the flyweight division on notice. Filho nearly submitted rising contender Muhammad Mokaev in his debut and then he succeeded in submitting Daniel Barez in his sophomore UFC appearance. At UFC Fight Night: Tuivasa vs Tybura he went back to the well against veteran Ode’ Osbourne. Filho timed a shot and got Osbourne to the canvas. After that he just waited for Osbourne to make a mistake before sinking in a rear naked choke and forcing the tap. At this rate Filho will make himself one of the names to watch at 125-pounds.

Performance Of The Night: Macy Chiasson

Welcome back Macy Chiasson! The bantamweight contender was away from the Octagon for a year and half and came back with a vengeance. Chiasson faced a familiar foe in Pannie Kianzad as the two fought almost six years ago on The Ultimate Fighter, with Chiasson winning by submission. It was the same result at UFC Fight Night: Tuivasa vs Tybura. Chiasson took Kianzad to the floor and found the rear naked choke to get the win. It was an important win for Chiasson who is right back on track.

Performance Of The Night: Marcin Tybura

A heavyweight main event usually is a signal of banger fight and for as long as it lasted, that’s exactly what Tai Tuivasa vs Marcin Tybura was.Tuivasa came out of the gate swinging, clipping Tybura with an elbow that opened up a cut on his head, but the Polish contender didn’t flinch. Tybura worked for a takedown and then started pouring strikes down on Tuivasa. When Tuivasa made an attempt to get out of danger Tybura jumped on his neck and finished the fight. It was the perfect bounce back performance for Tybura and keeps him right in the mix at the top tier of the heavyweight division.

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MMA: Mixed Martial Arts

Tai Tuivasa’s losing streak has been extended to four fights after Marcin Tybura made relatively quick work of the powerful knockout artist in the main event of Saturday’s UFC Vegas 88 event.

In an event that had very few stakes, is the story more about Tybura’s impressive win, or Tuivasa getting stopped yet again?

Following Saturday’s fight card at the UFC APEX, MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck, Eric Jackman, and Alexander K. Lee react to the event, Tybura’s submission victory, and what things could look like for both fighters moving forward.

Additionally, they discuss the near skirmish following the Bryan Battle vs. Ange Loosa co-main event ending in a no-contest, who the MVP of the event was, who took home the bonuses, Christian Rodriguez getting the split nod over Isaac Dulgarian, Gerald Meerschaert’s submission win adding to his impressive middleweight résumé, and more.

Catch the UFC Vegas 88 post-fight show above. An audio-only version of the show can be found below and on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and Stitcher.

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