UFC Vegas 116, The Morning After: Old Dogs Save Dreadful Card

All told, there were only two finishes in 13 total fights.

The silver lining of the card came in the form of Davey Grant and Raoni Barcelos, two older Bantamweight veterans still kicking ass in a young man’s sport and division. Grant is 40 years old, while Barcelos turns 39 next Friday, and the duo both won competitive, entertaining clashes in consecutive performances.

“Dangerous” Grant picked up the cleaner win of the two. Opposite debuting hotshot prospect Adrian Luna Martinetti, Grant went to war with the vigor of a much fresher fighter. Martinetti pressed forward relentlessly from the first bell, intent on never taking a backward step, and Grant happily met him in the center of the Octagon.

Grant’s style is one of a kind. Set up by his relentless attack of the calf, Grant whips punches like fastballs and jumps between stances to load up even heavier swings. He broke down the lead leg of Martinetti until the up-and-comer was forced into his secondary stance, landed some cracking punches over the top, and generally out-volumed a skilled boxer a decade his junior. Prior to last night, Martinetti hadn’t lost a fight since September 2017!

Grant’s $100k “Fight of the Night” bonus was well-earned. He’s quietly established himself as one of the most consistently exciting fighters of the 2020s, which is mind-boggling considering his resurgence took place at the age of 35 and beyond.

Immediately prior to Grant vs. Martinetti, Barcelos finally fought his way back into the rankings at the expense of Montel Jackson. Taller, longer and much faster, Jackson nearly knocked out Barcelos in the opening exchange. He smashed up the Brazilian’s eye and landed about 30 heavy punches in the opening couple minutes, forcing Barcelos to dig his way out of a deep hole.

With an enthusiasm and commitment that belied his age, Barcelos worked back into the fight. He chain wrestled brilliantly, combining constant throw and trip attempts to eventually drag Jackson to the floor. Any time he managed to pin down “Quik,” he would advance position and attack the neck. He took plenty more hard straight punches in the process, but it was incredibly satisfying to watch Barcelos grind away to earn the split-decision win.

Is it a good thing that the primary highlight of a 13-fight UFC event was a pair of Bantamweights born in the mid ‘80s? Probably not. Still, if you’re checking in on Sunday morning wondering what to go back and watch, Grant and Barcelos’ victories should be at the top of the pile.

For complete UFC Vegas 116 results and play-by-play, click here.