Another pay-per-view in the books for the UFC. As the dust settles on the event, we thought we’d take a look at the biggest losers from UFC 288.
This is by no means an opportunity to kick a fighter while they’re down. However, we feel it’s important to set the landscape after the event and the implications a result can have.
Not every loss in the UFC is a disaster. We’ve seen plenty of fighters face adversity early in their careers and still go on to achieve great things. With that being said here are our UFC 288 biggest losers.
Joseph Holmes
Opening the show was a middleweight clash pitting Joseph Holmes against Brazil’s Claudio Ribeiro. A good start for Holmes saw him control most of the opening minutes. However, this early dominance wouldn’t last long.
As the second half of round one would commence Ribeiro would take over and was in complete control. Surviving the first Holmes still didn’t look all there as he entered round two. Ribeiro knew this and continued as he left off. The Brazilians secured the finish midway through round two with a knee leading to ground and pound forcing the referee to step in.
This sees Holmes in a difficult spot. While showing talent at times in the UFC, Holmes just fought out the last fight on his four-fight contract. During these four fights, Holmes has gone 1-3. Losing to some good fighters, his only UFC win came against Alen Amedovski who is no longer with the company after losing all four bouts in the octagon.
This is likely the last time we see Holmes in the UFC, at least for now.
Devin Clark
A mainstay of the UFC since 2016. Clark has had his fair share of ups and downs inside the cage since his debut almost seven years ago. Unfortunately for the ‘Brown Bear’ UFC 288 will go down as another down in his career.
Entering the bout against Kennedy Nzechukwu, many would have given Clark the advantage in the grappling department. However, the bout wouldn’t play out like this. As Clark attempted a takedown along the fence midway through the second. Nzechukwu would lock up a guillotine and choke Clark unconscious.
This makes Clark 2-4 in his last six inside the octagon. Looking at Devin’s record it always seems every time he takes a step forward, he takes one step back in his next fight. Clearly talented, Clark can’t continue to face losses if he wants to get into the light heavyweight elite.
Kron Gracie
Returning to action after a long layoff, many fans were excited to see the return of Kron Gracie. Taking on Charles Jourdain, the path to victory should have been clear for all to see. Gracie, a name synonymous with BJJ, the game plan for Kron was set.
Once the fight started it was obvious Gracie only had one way to win. Get the fight to the mat. One dimensional offence, Gracie, was beaten in every element of the striking and his only attempt to get the fight to the mat was pulling guard, over and over.
When the fight did get to the canvas, Jourdain’s defence held firm limiting Gracie to little to no offence. Two losses in a row, and two one-sided losses at that. The star power Gracie had through his first few UFC wins has quickly dissipated. Next time fans see Gracie on the bill, they will be hoping for some evolution.
Who are your UFC 288 biggest losers?
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
