Big Moments at Middleweight: What Went Down at UFC Vancouver?
Minutes ago, in the Great White North, the UFC Fight Night ended with a tremendous TKO finish on the stool by Brendan Allen. The ninth-ranked middleweight dominated surging contender Reiner de Ridder over four grueling rounds. That wasn’t all, however; the entirety of the main card was full of amazing moments from Canadian natives and fighters from abroad alike. What may have seemed like an underwhelming precursor to the incoming heavyweight clash next weekend ended up being one of the best fight nights of the year.
The main card kicked off with three spectacular firework shows. Kyle Nelson dominated Matt Frevola over three rounds after landing a humongous knockdown in the first. What many of the commentators said should’ve ended with a TKO at the end of the first ended up showcasing a masterclass in Nelson’s striking and power as he continued to walk down and punish Frevola. This was quickly followed by Charles Jourdain's swift finish of Davey Grant by guillotine submission just over three minutes into the fight. This was Jourdain’s second fight since moving down to Bantamweight, and both have been incredibly impressive. Featherweight was never meant for Jourdain, as he continues to dominate the harsh competition of the Bantamweight Division. His speed and striking were both on par with the top fifteen of the division, which seems more than likely to be where his next opponent is located. Shortly after Jourdain’s finish came another by way of knockout at the hands of Manon Fiorot. The former title challenger made short work of rising Canadian contender Jasmine Jasudavicius in her first comeback fight since losing to sitting champion Valentina Shevchenko. Less than a minute and a half into the fight, Fiorot landed a straight flush to the head of Jasudavicius that left her on wobbly legs. Fiorot capitalized and took her to the ground before flattening her out and finishing her with ground strikes.
The next two fights were shows of high-level striking that surprised both audience members and commentators alike. Marlon “Chito” Vera and Aiemann Zahabi went the full three rounds in what proved to be one of the best fights of the evening. A back-and-forth battle for fifteen minutes that left both men bloodied and bruised. Each fighter had a round on the judges’ score cards going into the third. Zahabi proved to have the cleaner, quicker combinations, while Chito made big moments for himself in the second that won him the round. The fight ended with a flurry of blows between the two in the center of the octagon, which ultimately swayed the judges in Zahabi's favor to capture the win. The co-main event between Kevin Holland and Mike Malott proved to be worthy of its position on the card. What started with an eyebrow-raising low blow to Holland ended up being a competitive, tactical war. Malott and Holland gave each other a lot to deal with, both on the feet and on the ground. The judo throws and trips from Malott seemed to be too much for Holland, and when the fight came back to the feet, Malott’s clean and crisp boxing ultimately overpowered Holland for the decision victory.
Finally, in the main event of the evening, Allen and de Ridder showcased their elite grappling to prove who deserves the next shot at middleweight gold. It seemed at first that de Ridder would make short work of Allen through the use of his snake-like jiujitsu, but this was not so. After outlasting de Ridder in the first round and fending off his chokes, Allen spent the next three rounds suffocating the higher-ranked competitor with his wrestling and ground strikes. In between each of the rounds following the first, de Ridder was slow to rise off the canvas. Exhausted and bleeding, the Danish fighter was left with no answers to Allen’s smothering style. Eventually, in the minute between the fourth and fifth rounds, de Ridder sat on the stool amongst his cornermen and quit. His team threw in the towel and decided he could no longer compete, giving Allen the win by TKO. On only a few weeks’ notice, Brendan Allen shows he can compete with the very best his division can offer. Who knows what’s next for this storied contender? Only time will tell.
