Following a memorable night of championship upsets at UFC 185, few looked forward to this weekend's UFC Fight Night: Maia vs. LaFlare event with much anticipation. It was arguably the weakest UFC card of the year to date, and offered a main event that brought little in terms of marketability.
However, as has traditionally been the case with Brazilian shows, the UFC's latest venture to Rio de Janeiro produced a streak of entertaining fights and spectacular finishes, which partially made up for the lack of star power on the card. Apart from some atrocious officiating, it was a fun event given the circumstances.
Winners
Demian Maia did what he does best for the better part of five rounds, as he dominated LaFlare with his superior grappling acumen. The Brazilian kept LaFlare on his back for the majority of the fight and was efficient in both his ground and pound and overall pressure. It was an entirely lopsided affair - one that gave Maia consecutive wins for the first time in two years. However, Maia did end the fight in questionable fashion, as he appeared gassed and pulled guard numerously just to lay on his back. The fight ended with referee John McCarthy deducting a point to Maia's antics, which is not the final image you want fans to have of your fight.
Erick Silva picked up consecutive wins in the octagon for the first time since he joined the UFC roster when he defeated Koscheck via first round submission in the evening's co-main event. While his win did come against a veteran long past his prime, it still happens to be the biggest name that the Brazilian has ever beaten in the UFC, which stands as an achievement. It will be interesting to see if he can parlay this win into some sort of gradual climb up the ranks.
Amanda Nunes handed Baszler one of her worst beatings in recent memory when she dominated her for the entire two-minute duration of the fight. After landing punishing blows and repeatedly stuffing the takedown attempts, Nunes put an end to the fight with a leg kick and punches. Following her disappointing loss to Cat Zigano in her last outing at UFC 178, this was a fantastic rebound for the Brazilian. She will now look to continue her gradual climb up the bantamweight ranks.
Gilbert Burns looked terrible for two rounds in his main card fight but managed to pull off an incredible come-from-behind submission win against Oliveira. The overwhelming favourite was close to disappointing many eager bettors but proved in the end that you can never count out a Jiu Jitsu black belt as good as he is. However, he was outclassed for the first two rounds and will need to make serious adjustments, as it is safe to say that he cannot rely on his grappling acumen to save him every time.
Alex Oliveira came in as a significant underdog against Burns but proved to be a legitimate talent when he dominated the experienced Brazilian for the better part of the first two rounds before finally surrendering to one of Burns' numerous submission attempts near the end of the fight. While he lost the fight, he left Rio de Janeiro as a winner who proved that he belongs in the UFC.
Godofredo Pepey picked up his third straight win inside the octagon when he defeated Andre Fili via triangle choke in the first round of their main card bout on Saturday night. He continues to grow in confidence with each outing and it is evident in his consistently exciting performances. He will likely get a step up in competition in his next outing.
Kevin Souza deserves a spot in the winner's column based solely on his ferocious highlight reel finish of Katsunori Kikuno. It was a one-shot KO for the ages that dropped Kikuno like a sack of potatoes and secured a post-fight bonus for Souza. The fight lasted a total of 91 seconds and extends the Brazilian's record to 3-0 in the UFC. Following a split decision win in his opening fight, Souza has compiled a Fight of the Night and performance bonus in his following two fights in the octagon, which bodes well for his future with the promotion.
Losers
Referee Eduardo Herdy really took MMA reffing to a new low on Saturday night with a pair of spectacularly terrible calls during the preliminary portion of the fight card. The first incident took place on the Fight Pass prelims, where Herdy entirely ignored Jorge Oliveira's numerous taps to a rear-naked choke, so much so that Oliveira nearly passed out before the referee finally took it upon himself to do his job. The second incident took place when Leandro Silva attempted a guillotine choke against Drew Dober and was awarded the victory by Herdy even though Dober never looked close to tapping. In fact, the submission didn't even look as though it was tight at all, particularly from half guard.
Ryan LaFlare came to Brazil, asked for a chance to prove himself, and got dominated by the local favourite for the entirely of the 25-minute contest. Apart from a slight burst in the final round, LaFlare was simply unable to handle Maia's pressure, even though the Brazilian was gassed badly by the final round. It was a disappointing performance and a wasted opportunity in a UFC main event.
Josh Koscheck may have gotten an extra payday without putting in the effort for an entirely new training camp, but it came at the price of another loss on his record, as well as a missing tooth. He completes his UFC contract on a five-fight losing streak that dates back over three year and should take that as a sign that he needs to call an end to his career before it begins to impact his health. While some expect him to join with Bellator if the UFC opts not to resign him, a better decision would be to call an end to an impressive career.
Shayna Baszler continues to look worse with each octagon outing and it has become extremely difficult to witness her rapid collapse. She has not been the same fighter since her submission loss to Alexis Davis over two years ago and it is hard to envision it getting any better from here. In her latest fight, Baszler was desperately lunging forward for halfhearted takedowns that she knew she would never complete, and eventually fell to Nunes' powerful leg kick and punches. She looked lethargic and like a fighter who lacked confidence and a clear path to victory.
Other Notes
Fredy Serrano was another one of the fighters who earned a spectacularly violent KO win on the preliminary portion of the fight card, but his is not one that warrants a spot in the winner column. While the knockout punch was a clean uppercut with remarkable force for a flyweight, Serrano landed a second punch on his unconscious victim immediately thereafter, which was uncomfortable to watch in slow motion replay. Given that he was clearly aware that his opponent had collapsed unconscious, it was an unnecessary punch that he clearly felt no remorse in landing. While it is the referee's job to protect the fighter, one should use their best judgment when it comes to landing damaging shots to an unconscious opponent.