UFC Vegas 7 could have been remembered as another card savaged by injuries and illness, only nine fights making it to the finish line. On paper, it looked bad. Frankie Edgar had the same number of fights as everyone else on the card sans his opponent, Pedro Munhoz. Name value wasn’t there, most fans didn’t care.
For those who did watch, it turned out to be a hell of a treat. There was the biggest upset in UFC history, at least according to certain betting odds. There were two comebacks that border on miraculous. Some may argue inconsistent refereeing played a part in those comebacks – and I’d agree with that sentiment – but let’s focus on the positive.
Speaking of positive, the main event between Edgar and Munhoz delivered. It was a tactical battle, both fighters making intelligent adjustments to swing the momentum in their favor for a brief while to keep the outcome from being obvious at any point. Though it seemed most of the internet favored Munhoz getting the W, it was the former lightweight champion who took a controversial split decision for a successful bantamweight debut and silence some of his critics declaring he’s no longer an elite fighter.
Look for Edgar to get a high profile fight moving forward as he still has more name value than just about anyone else in the division. Munhoz’s stock shouldn’t be hurt, but he needed the win if he wanted to be taken seriously as a contender. Now, he’s going to have to string together several wins in a row for him to get back to that point.
As for the rest of the card....
Main Card
- On paper, Mike Rodriguez and Marcin Prachnio may have been the most underwhelming co-main event in UFC history. The action wasn’t bad though. Prachnio tried to pick apart Rodriguez with kicks from the outside. It worked… until Rodriguez closed the distance, locked Prachnio in the clinch, and brutalized him with elbows and knees for a first round finish.
- Most expected Joe Solecki and Austin Hubbard to go the distance, but Solecki pulled out a textbook backpack RNC choke in the first round, becoming the first man to finish Hubbard in the UFC. Solecki may be one to watch.
- There’s an adage that states “Be careful what you wish for.” That applies perfectly to Agapova. She called out Shana Dobson, got her wish and proceeded to show Dobson no respect by blitzing her out of the gate. It was a bad idea as Dobson was still there after a few minutes and Agapova was gassed. A sweep from Dobson was the end for Agapova as the youngster lacked the energy to fight back, allowing Dobson to secure the historic upset.
- Y’all remember the epic one-round contest between Nick Diaz and Paul Daley? Dwight Grant and Daniel Rodriguez came close to replicating the ups and downs of that contest in roughly half the time. Grant nearly finished Rodriguez early with a combo and a barrage of punches. The ref allowed Rodriguez to continue and Rodriguez put Grant down twice himself before the ref stepped in for the second amazing comeback of the evening. It didn’t earn FOTN - Edgar-Munhoz did - but it no one would have argued if it did.
Preliminary Card
- Largely a battle of attrition, it was clear Amanda Lemos was the more powerful striker in the moments she was able to shake Mizuki Inoue off herself. Lemos hurt Inoue on a couple of exchanges and scored a couple of takedowns to negate Inoue’s clinch control. Not the most entertaining scrap, but a solid win for Lemos.
- Jordan Wright is hoping fight fans will remember him for his impressive UFC debut rather than his stint on DWCS. A spinning back kick to the head of Ike Villanueva led to a brutal beating in the clinch, Wright opening up a chasm above the eye of Villanueva. The doctor didn’t believe Villanueva could continue and Wright picked up an impressive win.
- If nothing else, Carlton Minus appears to be durable… and a nice dude. The biggest takeaway was Minus’ compliments towards his opponent Matthew Semelsberger in between rounds. Otherwise, it was a one-sided beating that… well, it happened.
- The event opener on paper was a massive mismatch. And yet, it proved why certain fight fans don’t want to miss anything. After Timur Valiev completely dominated Trevin Jones in the first round, coming thisclose to having the referee step in. Jones controversially survived the round and was able to floor Valiev with a massive right hand. A few punches later and Jones scored one of the most impressive comebacks and upsets in recent memory.