UFC 306 OVERVIEW

This past Saturday saw the UFC host a pay-per-view event at the Sphere in
Las Vegas, NV. Although the UFC frequently hosts their fights in Vegas, they decided
to honor the spirit of the Mexican fighter with a myriad of intricate short videos in
one of the newest additions to the Strip. The recent numbered events have upset
many fans with their lackluster matchups, which was exacerbated with Conor
McGregor pulling out of UFC 303 with injury. The glooming question before the
event was whether the UFC would be able to turn it around and give their fans a
good show in a state-of-the-art venue. With the most inexpensive ticket reportedly
costing an individual around $650 USD, the event had to be better than just “good.”
Dana had been trying to hype up this fight card for quite a while now and it
had largely fallen on deaf ears, and for good reason. While the on-screen graphics
and the drone projected hologram of the fighters were no less than a modern
marvel, most of the actual fights were nothing to write home about.

There were 3 notable exceptions, none of which were either of the co-main events.
Daniel Zellhuber vs. Esteban Ribovics was a hard-fought split decision that
truly showcased each man’s technical skill, prowess, and chin. Neither man is
ranked in the lightweight division, but both seem like good prospects in an
incredibly stacked division. Not to mention Zellhuber’s ability to cut to 155 lbs at
6’3” is a feat in itself, just like Jalin Turner who is also in his same weight class.
The next exception was Manuel Torres vs. Ignacio Bahamondes, which
exhibited the Chilean Bahamondes’ punch power and boxing skill. Bahamondes has
finished his last two fights by KO and shares the same physical characteristics as a
Zellhuber or Turner. Unfortunately, he also has to fight in the same division, so he
may need a few more fights to get him up to a ranked contender spot. Lightweight
is such a deep division and is constantly attracting young talent to join its ranks,
and it may not be the simplest to climb.

The best and most notable fight from this $80 USD PPV, and again at least
$650 gate price, was Brian Ortega vs. Diego Lopes. Both men are real professionals
and deserve all the respect and love they get, as they leave all of themselves in the
octagon every time they fight. It baffled me how Brian Ortega was able to eat
Lopes’ punches and still fight back. Brian’s chin has been tested by the likes of Max
Holloway before, but I believe his career is still going strong because he fights
through adversity and has proven he can come out on top. Diego Lopes is one of, if
not the most, exciting fighters to watch in the UFC. He is a black belt in BJJ and even
coaches at the gym he attends, which is why he immediately went to go coach his
student and former UFC Women’s Flyweight Champion Alexa Grasso after clearing
the medical team post-fight. Lopes is quickly rising up the ranks that still has some
active all-time greats like Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski, and then there
is the current champ of the division and knock-out artist Ilia Topuria. I do not see
why Lopes cannot continue to succeed all the way through most of the
featherweight division before facing significant challenges.

Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko and Sean O’Malley vs. Merab
Dvalishvili were very similar fights. In both fights one fighter imposed their wrestling
abilities and shut down all offense from the other. Shevchenko definitely earned her
win based on control time and strikes on the feet and ground but not much damage
was done with these strikes. Although Merab was disrespectful to Sean throughout
the fight, I do not think that compensates for the lack of substance behind his
fights. He usually gets rocked at least once a fight, but it seems O’Malley respected
Merab’s takedown ability to the point he was barely throwing any strikes. I cannot
say Merab did not earn his victory in the same way I cannot say Shevchenko did not
earn her victory, they grinded their opponent down with dominant wrestling.

During Israel Adensanya’s title run there were many complaints that his
point-fighting style made boring fights where nothing happened, which is exactly
how I feel about this style of grappling. There are fun wrestlers to watch in the UFC
like Islam Makhachev and grapplers like Charles Oliveira who are constantly looking
for the submission and trap their opponent on the ground, but Merab is not that.
Merab is content with simply controlling his opponent while doing superficial
damage, and it took him all the way to the title so nobody can say much about it.
Overall, UFC 306 grossed a ridiculous amount of money on both PPV sales
and seat tickets, so the event could be considered a great success for the UFC.

I do not think the event was a great success for the more dedicated fans, as this could
have been a fight night if it weren’t for the two big fights at the top and those did
not entertain much either. New fights were announced including Michael Chandler
vs. Islam Makhachev and Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic was finally given an official date.
Hopefully upcoming cards will bring back some life into the UFC and get more loyal
fans excited.