Sooo ... About Last Night

Round Four was the memorable moment. After nearly getting guillotined in the third — the only real moment of trouble for “Funkmaster” in 25 minutes of combat — Sterling stormed out of the gate and genuinely surprised Zalal with his sudden outburst of strength and aggression. Zalal didn’t exactly wilt, but he gave up the subsequent takedown in a state of shell shock. With that moment of unprecedented explosion, Sterling wrapped up the win on the judges’ scorecards, allowing him to once again take his time in the fifth.

He won that round too, by the way.

Like in the Petr Yan rematch, Sterling demonstrated that he can play the game masterfully here. He’s so experienced against elite competition that he’s able to take a break or ramp up the intensity without paying the price. He’s a very cerebral fighter, able to make these decisions on the fly and reap the rewards.

I’d like to see him fight Jean Silva in a bona fide title eliminator next.

A Doomed Division

The two women’s Bantamweight fights did not inspire hope in the division’s future.

Dumont did not look like the next contender opposite Edwards. She’s known as a counter fighter, but Edwards gave her relatively few easy openings. As a result, Dumont didn’t do much of anything! After some early grappling exchanges, it was a low-volume kickboxing match in which neither woman really did much to capture the momentum. Edwards was a bit more active and pushed forward more, resulting in a unanimous decision victory.

Nobody is calling for a “La Pantera” title shot even after five straight wins.

Earlier on the “Prelims,” former title challenger Mayra Bueno Silva suffered her fifth consecutive loss to Michelle Montague in yet another uninspired performance. It’s hard to believe she was favored to win gold just two years ago! Montague was able to wrestle her way to victory, looking both very physically talented and very green in overall MMA skill. Montague’s kickboxing is scarily wooden, and one wonders if the 32-year-old up-and-comer can fix that issue in the years to come.

Either way, the divisional future is grim. What’s left after Amanda Nunes vs. Kayla Harrison is rebooked?

A Dangerous Debut

UFC matchmakers must have very high expectations for Adrian Luna Martinetti.

Why else match him with “Dangerous” Davey Grant? The Englishman may be 40 years old, but Grant has repeatedly proven himself a top-notch Bantamweight over the last five years. Aside from one robbery, he’s only lost to top prospects and rising contenders this decade. He’s far better than most of the division, and Martinetti found out the hard way.

Grant was surgical in chopping up the lead leg early on. Attacking inside and outside, Grant chopped away at the calf. He hid his calf kicks behind stance switches and linear leg kicks, punishing Martinetti’s boxing-style head movement. Just a few minutes into the fight, the Ecuadorian prospect’s lead leg was severely hampered, limiting his ability to build combinations.

Credit to Martinetti, he’s tough as they come. He continued to press through the kicks, though he walked into some wide overhand swings. He tried to adjust by attacking with elbows then was forced to fight Southpaw due to the low kicks. He did well to try to adjust his way to a comeback win, but Grant had too much experience and grit for him to pull it off.

Martinetti looks like a gifted prospect, but Grant in his debut was a step too far.

Additional Thoughts

• Ryan Spann defeats Marcus Buchecha via second-round knockout (highlights): Spann raised eyebrows a couple of days ago by showing up to weigh-ins at 264 pounds despite his former Light Heavyweight career. Fans wondered if too much weight gain would negatively affect his performance — nope! Spann looked really solid here, shucking off a lot of Buchecha’s takedown attempts and forcing him off the legs with that dangerous guillotine choke. He maintained a fairly high pace too, catching Buchecha off-guard with a lovely 3-2 combination midway through the second that landed with enough pop to send the Brazilian flying. Spann might have a Heavyweight ranking sooner than later!
• Jackson McVey defeats Sedriques Dumas via first-round d’arce choke (highlights): “The Moose” scored his first UFC win in style … against perhaps the worst fighter on the roster. After some early wrestling attempts, McVey stepped back while Dumas was still trapped on the fence. In nearly their first real exchange, McVey timed a Southpaw uppercut as Dumas ducked, flooring him. Dumas hung tough through some ground strikes, but he offered no real defense when McVey locked up the front choke finish.

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