UFC Vegas 73 at the Apex provided some major highlights. Some fighters stood out and some floundered under the pressure. Some of the biggest winners of the night were already discussed, and here we will go over major takeaways we learned from the event.
Cuts Incoming
Before the card even started, the purpose behind some of these matchups was obvious. Specifically on the prelims, matchups were made between lower-level fighters to see who will keep their UFC job. It sounds harsh but that was likely the reality. In a business like the UFC, losing multiple fights in a row at the lower end of the roster is usually a call for walking papers. Some of the fighters on the possible cut list include Takashi Sato, Victoria Leonardo, Nick Fiore, and Orion Cosce. It remains to be seen what the future holds for these fighters but we give them nothing but respect and well wishes for their futures.
The Next Big Prospect
Natalia Silva is really her. After a surprising debut win against Jasmine Jasudavicius, Silva has reeled off two straight impressive finish wins. Her striking has been deadly and her grappling defense has held up very nicely. Her level of competition hasn’t been the greatest, but the UFC is slowly building her up the rankings. Impressive finishes are hard to come by in this division and when they happen, people take notice. Silva is very young, very skilled, and very marketable. These are all signs of a future superstar in the making.
Making the Right Moves
How often do we see fighters make desperate moves in weight classes to revitalize their careers? It hardly ever works out, but moving weight classes at the right time can pay dividends. This was the case Saturday for both Chase Hooper and Joaquin Buckley. Both men are young enough into their careers to make these moves and they both seemingly chose correctly. Hooper looked much stronger and filled out at 155 pounds and gave a great account of himself. He himself stated how much better he feels at Lightweight and has much more potential in this class. Joaquin Buckley did the opposite in moving down from 185 to 170. Buckley was always smaller at Middleweight and fits in much better at Welterweight. His power carried over and he should be a much stronger guy facing men similar in size. Changing weight classes can be a bad sign, but was a home run for both of these men.
Old Dogs, New Tricks
Losing streaks are not always a death wish for UFC careers. Look no further than Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Diego Ferreira for proof. Both fighters were presumably washed and done for in the UFC after long losing streaks. At UFC Vegas 73, they both delivered great performances and are now trending upwards again. KK put on a clinic with her hands and looked like the lethal striker she was in her prime. Even at 37 years of age, Kowalkiewicz is showing plenty left in her tank. Ferreira needed a win here after a long layoff and three straight losses. Ferreira was in a close fight but looked closer and closer to landing a big shot. The big shot did come and knocked Michael Johnson out cold. Ferreira is 38 years old but still has tons to offer in the UFC.
Leveled Up Dern
Mackenzie Dern was an absolute savage in her matchup with Angela Hill. We all expected Dern to have the grappling edge, but she came out with improved striking and wrestling as well. Angela Hill is as tough as they come but was forced to be defensive for 99.9% of this fight just to survive. Dern’s hands looked powerful along with her wrestling and ground control. The pace was insane yet Dern had no issue going the full 25 minutes. This version of Mackenzie Dern is scary for the rest of the women in the division, and if she keeps levelling up… look out. Fans will be wondering who her next opponent will be, but no matter who it is, Dern is becoming a problem.
What was your major takeaways from UFC Vegas 73?
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
