UFC Vegas 50 Verdict Post-Fight Review
Alex Pereira goes to his first decision in MMA
As we mentioned in the preview article, there were a lot of people that overlooked Bruno Silva heading into his fight against Alex Pereira. Prior to fighting Pereira, Bruno had finished 7 consecutive fights by knockout. Silva showed grit against Pereira as he pushed forward in the first 2 rounds. Silva who’s a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu tried to take Pereira down several times but couldn’t keep him there. Pereira showed he was able to defend takedowns which was a question many had heading into this fight. It was in the 3rd round where Pereira found his rhythm and started to hurt Silva. The 3rd round was the most dominant round of the fight. With his 2nd UFC win behind him, it’s going to be interesting to see who he gets matched up against next. If Pereira keeps looking impressive, a blockbuster fight against Israel Adesanya is inevitable. Adesanya will get the opportunity to defeat the only fighter that’s finished him.
Drew Dober weathers the storm of Terrance McKinney
Exactly 14 days after finishing Farès Ziam, Terrance McKinney stepped in on short notice to fight Drew Dober. McKinney was riding a hot streak, finishing 5 consecutive opponents heading into this fight. It looked like McKinney was looking to make it 6 straight finishes, as he immediately stormed Dober as soon as the fight began. Dober absorbed a lot of damage to his face in the first 60 seconds of the fight. There were a few occasions where it looked like McKinney would finish Dober, but Dober kept composed and turned the fight around after blasting McKinney with a knee. Dober followed up with strikes and the referee waved the fight. With this win, Dober snapped a 2 fight losing streak.
Khalil Rountree looks vicious
When Khalil Rountree is on, he’s one of the most dangerous strikers in the division and that was on full display tonight. After a methodical 1st round, Rountree ramped up his aggression in the 2nd. He secured the TKO win just 25 seconds into the 2nd round. The finishing combination was vicious. Rountree landed a soccer kick to Karl Roberson’s chest while Roberson was grounded and tried to follow up with a stomp. When it comes to striking, Rountree's toolbox has more variety. After a performance like that, it’s going to be surprising if Rountree doesn’t end up in the top 15 of the division when the updated rankings appear.
Sodiq Yusuff gets back in the win column
Sodiq Yusuff competed in his first fight since losing to Arnold Allen in April of 2021. He defeated Alex Caceres by unanimous decision and snapped Caceres’ 5 fight winning streak. After a close 1st round on the Global Scorecard, Yusuff took over the fight. Yusuff called out Bryce Mitchell in his post-fight interview.
Possibly the end of Marlon Moraes’ career
Song Yadong earned the biggest win of his young career by finishing Marlon Moraes by knockout in the co-main event. The final blow was a flush uppercut that sent Moraes to the canvas. Heading into this fight, Moraes knew that this could be the end of the road for him in the UFC if he didn’t win. Marlon Moraes has now been finished by knockout in 4 consecutive fights. This is a big fall from grace for Moraes who competed for the UFC Bantamweight title against Henry Cejudo in June of 2019. Moraes took his gloves off after the fight signalling a possible retirement from the sport. On the flip side, Yadong has now won 8 fights in the UFC at the age of 24. He called out Dominick Cruz in his post-fight speech. This would be interesting as Yadong is a member of Team Alpha Male which has been a rival of Dominick Cruz for the past decade.
Magomed Ankalaev extends his winning streak
Magomed Ankalaev defeated Thiago Santos by unanimous decision to earn his 8th consecutive win in the UFC. This was the first time in Ankalaev’s 8 years professional career that he went the full 5 rounds. In his post-fight speech, Ankalaev stated that it was his goal to go the full 5 rounds against Santos to get a feel for the Championship rounds. It wasn’t the most action-packed fight, but it was an efficient performance for Ankalaev. With a win against Thiago Santos, it looks like the next opponent for Ankalaev would be Anthony Smith, Aleksander Rakic, or Jan Blachowicz.
