My top three performers
Off the back of a massively successful UFC300, which was always going to be a hard act to follow. It was understandable they chose it to be in Brazil to capitalise off that Latin passion, filled with homegrown Brazilian fighters.
Naturally, it was never going to hit the heights of UFC300, but the Brazilian crowd did their thing and despite not getting a finish in the co and main event, although both were great fights,
We had finishes in the three fights on the main card and two in the early preliminaries. Ultimately, this event will be remembered for showcasing current, returning, emerging and possibly potential/future stars.
Top Performer: Anthony Smith
This could be debatable, but based on the fact that I was one of those who thought Smith was finished, added to the fact that he was fighting a Brazilian in Rio, Brazil.
He waltzed into enemy territory, with a hostile partizan crowd against an undefeated fighter with the third-longest active win streak in the light heavyweight division.
Smith started the fight with some punishing leg kicks, which forced Vitor Petrino to go for the takedown. This allowed Smith to lock a viciously tight guillotine to end the fight in just 54 seconds.
Top Performer 2: Caio Borralho
Undefeated now in his six UFC fights. He had two wins on Dana’s Contenders series to get to the UFC. Against easily his toughest opponent to date, the experienced Paul Craig.
I was impressed with his takedown defence. Craig was zero for eight attempts. Borralho did his homework and did not engage with Craig pulling guard.
Instead, he kept it on the feet and showed some top striking in the first and the second rounds, ending the fight with a barrage of heavy punches and then a devastating left hook.
Top Performer 3: Jose Aldo
After being inducted into the Hall of Fame, you would expect him to ease down.
But he comes out of retirement to take on a young, hungry lion in Jonathan Martinez, who was unbeaten in his last six fights.
Coming in as the slight underdog, the king of Rio rolled back the years and looked as sharp as ever with slick, fast boxing to the head and body with knee combinations.
It was even more impressive that he pushed the pace in the third round, rocked Martinez, and then took him down to see out the fight for a dominant, unanimous points victory.
Honourable mentions:
Michel Pereira, being the consummate entertainer, did not disappoint. In just under a minute, he knocked Ihor Potieria down, executed a backflip to get on top, and then submitted him with a superb standing guillotine.
Mauricio Ruffy closed out the early prelims emphatically. In a UFC debut to remember, he showcased some unique skills, including an exquisite double leg scissor takedown, before pummeling Jamie Mullarkey with some devastating punches, kicks and knees to end the fight in the first round.
