At the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas approached towards the end of the well-promoted UFC 296 tournament, which, in terms of the content of the card, claimed to be the most high-profile event of the year. The Sport correspondent shares mixed emotions from the championship confrontations, the great success of the hope of Kazakhstan, the continued fall of that very “threat to Khabib” and other promising posters of the evening.
Rocky coped with Chaos At the final numbered tournament of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in 2023, Colby Covington started the “American Revolution.” The scandalous star re-read the history of the States and remembered how his ancestors got rid of British oppression.
So he promoted a title fight against Birmingham's Leon «Rocky» Edwards. The champion for Chaos (Covington's nickname — editor's note) became the one who took someone else's gold… And which must be returned by all means. First of all, through language, fortunately, trash talk brought the American a status that only a few have. Who else could get a title shot after going 2-2 in their last four fights and staying out of the Octagon for almost two years?
The rivalry reached a whole other level when Colby, dressed in a tailored suit, showed up at the press conference. George Washington, went on the attack and managed to get into his opponent’s head. He joked crudely about Edwards' late father, who was killed when the fighter was still a child («we'll go down to the seventh circle of hell and say hello to your dad there»).
After this, the champion threw a water bottle at Covington and then promised to finish off the challenger.
It's a shame the sparks ended there. In the cage, the opponents who hated each other “dry” the fight as best they could: Covington remembered the fight only in the end, and Edwards did not care about the promise to kill the American and simply kicked off the challenger’s right leg.
The champion, as befits the defending side, spent exactly as much effort as was required to achieve the result. The same can't be said about Colby, who is now 0-3 in the title game. What was the game plan of Donald Trump's favorite, who admonished the brawler before the fight? Where has the much-vaunted pace gone? And how is it that in the time that has passed since the meeting with Jorge Masvidal at the beginning of 2022, Chaos has turned into a slight disorder?
These are all questions Covington and his coaches will have to answer as soon as possible. Edwards, who defended his belt for the second time, is preparing for a new challenge:
Missed Chance for Gold Before Edwards' fight with Covington, his first title defense was carried out by another champion who seized power in the flyweight division, Alexandre Pantoja. The Brazilian took revenge with Brandon Royval and again turned out to be stronger than the American: the “flies” were busy for all 25 minutes, and (according to two judges) all five rounds remained with the favorite. Pantoja had an almost exemplary fight, he worked on the ground for 15 minutes, but in the fifth round he sat down and gave the fans hope for an upset. Unfortunately for Las Vegas, the challenger did not take advantage of this opportunity — the champion came to his senses and did not allow himself to be delayed.
The next opponent of the belt holder should be the winner of the February fight between ex-champion Brandon Moreno (he insured today's co-main event) and Amir Albazi. Also, the best in the pair Matheus Nicolau — Manel Cape may enter the race; this confrontation will take place in January.
The merciless nomad Shavkat “Nomad” Rakhmonov continues to destroy his opponents in the cage. It was difficult to imagine that 40-year-old Stephen Thompson would cause problems for the undefeated, and in the end the representative of Kazakhstan did not have any difficulties. He dragged the experienced American to the depths, punching in the standing position and déclassé on the ground, and after several attempts he finally tightened the “noose” around Thompson’s neck. Poor Stephen knocked a few seconds before the second break!
This guy's resume is terrifying: 18 wins, 18 by stoppage. Why not give a gift to your compatriots on Kazakhstan's Independence Day, which is celebrated on December 16? Shavkat has either a candidate's match ahead or, in the best case scenario, a title fight. width=»100%» height=»100%» allow=»autoplay; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture;» frameborder=»0″ allowfullscreen=»»>
Someone, calm down the legend! Years go by, and Tony Ferguson does not change. The once formidable American still accuses Khabib Nurmagomedov of cowardice, announces the birth of a new version of himself… And loses. El Cucuy came into the meeting with Paddy «Bad Boy» Pimblett on a six-game losing streak. Loyal fans were tired of believing in Tony's revival — the only hope was that the renowned MMA veteran would receive minimal damage.
Ferguson looked better today. With chants of «Tony! Tony! Tony!» he accepted trades with the prospect and made Paddy feel lost at first. But then there was a knockdown and a long beating on the ground, where the favorite of the stands was not saved by his trademark elbows or attempts to get a hold.
And if another failure of El Cucuy was expected, then the performance of the British star turned out to be even more disappointing. Pimblett won, he won hands down. But he was unable to finish off the “old man”, losing all his stamina by the third round. In general, in the top lightweight category, a Bad Guy with this form is in for a nightmare.
UFC 296 was not complete without Russia. Tagir Ulanbekov threw a great fight in the prelims, and Makhachev seconded him. The student of Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov shocked the American Cody Darden in the first round, and just before the break he almost ended up with a painful jaw. The owner of the cage held out, but was unable to turn the tide of the fight — in the second three-minute period, the Russian, having missed several blows, threw on a “backpack” and forced the American, who was on the verge of strangulation, to surrender. There is a 15th victory in the pros!
Afterwards, the triumphant supported Palestine and dedicated the success to the late coach.
What else was happening in Vegas?
- Former UFC champion Cody Garbrandt first time won by knockout in the summer of 2020. And it was cool! The American seemed to have left the dark streak in his career behind and won a second victory in a row, quickly sending compatriot Brian Kelleher face first into the floor;
- Josh Emmett suffered two losses in a row and seemed to say goodbye to his title ambitions. But the knockout of the eccentric Bryce Mitchell in the second minute of the fight turned out to be brutal! It’s too early to write off the American;
- Girls pleased the T-Mobile arena: Irene Aldana and Carol Rosa They organized a bloody battle, and Ariani Lipski caught Casey O'Neill with an elbow lever.
- An undefeated native of Dagestan, representing Bahrain, Shamil Gaziev made his UFC debut with an early victory. In the first fight of the show, Slovakian Martin Budaj was beaten, as if he did not want to be in the octagon that evening.
BONUSES
- Best fight: Aldana vs. Rosa;
- Best performance: Shamil Gaziev , Ariani Lipsky and Josh Emmett.
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