It feels wrong to call today’s column “10 Things We Learned Last Night” seeing as the event in Auckland started the previous night here on the Canadian West Coast. Despite the slight variation in the titling, the layout remains the same.
Here’s a look at the key takeaways and talking points from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night doubleheader.
“Killer Cub” Keeps Rolling
Nearly a year on the shelf didn’t hinder Cub Swanson’s momentum, as the hottest fighter in the featherweight division outside of champion Jose Aldo earned his sixth consecutive victory, outworking Jeremy Stephens to collect a unanimous decision victory in the day’s final bout. With the win, the 30-year-old Palm Springs native positions himself at the top of the list of contenders in the 145-pound ranks.
As he’s done throughout his winning streak, Swanson found his rhythm and opened up more as the fight wore on. After a close first round, Stephens got the better of things in the second, landing a series of heavy overhand rights that stung Swanson. But the Team Jackson-Winkeljohn fighter turned it up down the stretch, hurting Stephens with kicks to the body in the third and fifth rounds while peppering the Alliance MMA representative with a steady stream of combinations and leg kick throughout the final 15 minutes.
At this point, it’s hard to argue against Swanson getting the next crack at the featherweight title, although everything depends on what happens at UFC 176 on August 2nd. During his run, Swanson has earned victories over Charles Oliveira, Dustin Poirier, Dennis Siver and now Stephens – the best collection of victories any contender in the division can boast. If Aldo retains his title, “Killer Cub” will get the opportunity to avenge his loss to the Brazilian standout and claim championship gold at the same time.
This was a fun, impressive performance from one of the most consistently entertaining fighters in the UFC.
Jeremy Stephens Deserves Credit
The final fight of Saturday’s doubleheader didn’t fall in his favour, but Jeremy Stephens showed that no part of his ascension in the featherweight ranks has been a fluke.
“Lil Heathen” hung tight and battled hard from start to finish against Swanson, stinging “Killer Cub” with a few big right hands that likely would have dropped most other fighters. Right through to the final bell, the former lightweight brawler was looking to land and capable of ending the bout.
Whether it is relocating to San Diego, growing up and getting older or a combination of factors, Stephens is a much more complete and dangerous fighter now and at 28-years-old, should continue to be a threat in the featherweight ranks for the foreseeable future. That’s not something many people expected when he dropped three straight at lightweight and sat with a 7-8 record in the UFC.
Nate Marquardt: Still as Frustrating as Ever
Calling Marquardt inconsistent doesn’t quite feel like enough. Inconsistent is reserved for guys that chase good showings with middling efforts, and the returning middleweight is actually a step beyond that.
In Saturday’s first main event, the 35-year-old Colorado native needed just just under five minutes to wrap up a submission win over James Te Huna. In the process, the former title challenger ended an ugly three-fight losing streak that had many wondering if he could survive another setback. What raises things from inconsistent to downright frustrating is that Marquardt is capable of turning in these types of performances, but they have been few and far between lately.
Prior to his losing streak, he looked like Ryu incarnate against Tyron Woodley, finishing off “The Chosen One” with a combination out of Street Fighter II to win the Strikeforce welterweight title. Then he laid an egg against Tarec Saffiedine, got dropped in an instant against Jake Ellenberger and suffered the same fate against Hector Lombard. Just when you think you’ve got him figure out, Marquardt moves back up in weight and turns in a slick performance like this.
Will his next appearance be equally impressive or will he stumble backwards and continue his frustrating run? Your guess is as good as mine at this point.
Chael Sonnen Tested Positive… Again
No, I’m not playing catch-up on two-week old information.
During Saturday night’s event in San Antonio, news broke that earlier in the month, prior to when his first positive test was announced and he subsequently retired, Sonnen flunked another drug test. This time, he had even more banned substances in his system, including HGH and EPO.
While some will say this is irrelevant given that Sonnen has already called it quits, the fact of the matter is that a very prominent figure in the UFC failed a second test for all kinds of substances and the news comes out two weeks after the organization looked to spin the news of the first failed test.
If there is a positive in this, it’s the further confirmation that out of competition random drug testing is incredibly effective. Hopefully it will be more commonplace going forward because it is best for everyone involved if fighters are competing on a level playing field and PEDs are largely erased from the sport.
So Much Potential
Kelvin Gastelum is the best prospect in the UFC and it’s not even close. The 22-year-old former Ultimate Fighter winner rebounded from a rough first round to put it on Nico Musoke over the final 10 minutes to earn his third post-TUF win.
Oh, did I mention he’s only 22? Yeah… scary.
His striking continues to improve and look more fluid with each appearance and he’s game as can be. Some dudes that spent the first round getting handled on the canvas would get defensive, but “Mini Cain” got angry and turned the tables in the second and third.
It’s not all rainbows and unicorns though, as Gastelum missed weight for a second straight time prior to this fight. He’s not a massive dude, so it’s not a case of having to lose tons of weight to make the 170-pound limit – it’s a maturity, grown man, professional athlete thing and he’ll get it figured out.
Dude is all kinds of talented and probably cracks the welterweight Top 10 now… and he doesn’t turn 23 until the end of October.
Ugly and Effective
There’s nothing particularly pretty about Jared Rosholt’s approach inside the cage. He doesn’t have slick footwork and movement like Travis Browne, technical Muay Thai like Fabricio Werdum or clean, powerful boxing like Junior dos Santos.
What he does have is a strong understanding of what he does well and a seven-fight winning streak, thanks to a victory over Soa Palelei on Saturday.
Showing more of his hands and his All-American wrestling credentials, Rosholt earned his third consecutive decision win since arriving in the UFC. As one of the few heavyweights under the age of 30, the Oklahoma State alum has the potential to make an impact in the big boy ranks going forward.
“Do Bronx” Doing Work
A lot of people jumped off the Charles Oliveira bandwagon when the Brazilian dropped consecutive contests at lightweight and refused to get back on board when he moved to featherweight.
Expect a few people to be looking for spots now that the talented 24-year-old has put together a two-fight winning streak and become the first fighter to finish Japanese veteran Hatsu Hioki. He’s only ever lost to Top 10 fighters and at just 24-years-old, Oliveira already has a dozen UFC appearances under his belt.
It’s easy to bail out on fighters when they hit the skids, especially in a division like featherweight where new prospects and contenders emerge on the regular, but “Do Bronx” is still worth keeping tabs on and he proved it Saturday, attacking against a stout grappler, surviving some tight spots of his own, and ultimately locking up the submission win.
Prospect Watch I: Ray Borg
One of the cool positives of the UFC’s hectic schedule has been the arrival and emergence of several new, young talents and you can add Borg’s name to that list.
He debuted in the UFC on 15-days notice, dropping a split decision to Dustin Ortiz that many believed should have went the newcomer’s way. Saturday night, “The Tazmexican Devil” wrapped up his first UFC victory in impressive fashion, swiftly taking Shane Howell’s back and putting him to sleep with a rear-naked choke before the halfway point of the opening round.
Borg was a quality prospect prior to his arrival in the Octagon and solidified that here with a dominant victory in San Antonio. The 125-pound ranks are wide open and the 20-year-old New Mexico native is certainly someone that could climb the ladder quickly going forward.
Prospect Watch II: Jake Matthews
Depending how liberal you are in your judging, the TUF Nations contestant Matthews could have been up 20-16 on the scorecards heading into the third round against Dashon Johnson. Instead of coasting to the finish, “The Celtic Kid” wrapped up a triangle choke to earn his first UFC win.
The youngest fighter on the roster, Matthews is unbeaten as a pro, has tons of room to grow and an abundance of time to make steady improvement. Lightweight is loaded with talent, so there is no reason whatsoever to hustle him into the fray too quickly.
Given the opportunity to develop and be brought along slowly, the Australian prospect could blossom into a quality addition to the 155-pound ranks down the line.
Texas Gonna Texas
It seems like every time the UFC goes to Texas, something awkward happens and Saturday night was no different.
From Kerry Hatley’s hesitant stoppage of the Cody Gibson-Johnny Bedford fight to some questionable scorecards, the officials selected to preside over the festivities at the AT&T Center didn’t seem like they were up to the task of handling things on the biggest stage in the sport. Yes, judging and officiating are tough jobs, but if you can’t do it properly, don’t accept the assignment.
While the UFC has no say in selecting officials in cases like this, they do control where they hold events, and with events in Texas always producing a couple “What’s that now?” moments, taking a break from hosting events in the Lone Star State might make the commission put a little more energy into cultivating better, more consistent officials.
