What mattered most at UFC 239 in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …
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1. Jorge Masvidal finally unearthed his full potential
The number of times I’ve watch Jorge Masvidal fight – even in a winning effort – over the years only to leave somewhat irked by him are too many to count. It was obvious there was a higher gear inside him, but either mentally or physically he didn’t shift to it.
Then Masvidal took a career-long layoff leading into 2019, and boy, did that ever change things.
Masvidal’s brutal finish of Darren Till in March was among the top nominees for best knockout of the year. It got pushed down the leaderboard with his ridiculous five-second flying knee finish of Ben Askren, however, and now 16 years into his career it feels like we are finally seeing his full potential.
That doesn’t just apply to in the octagon, either. “Gamebred” is showing the world what he’s all about as a person, too, and that’s a non-nonsense individual with zero mercy for his opponents, especially if they piss him off.
The days of feeling frustrated Masvidal was either not letting go in his fights or being unmotivated are seemingly a thing of the past. The “Street Jesus” version of him is the best we’ve seen, and that knockout of Askren was unlike any other in UFC history. Whether it leads to a title shot remains to be seen, but I definitely am already excited to see Masvidal fight another top welterweight.
2. Jon Jones’ ego almost cost him his belt
How fitting it would’ve been that on the night Jon Jones broke Anderson Silva’s record for longest unbeaten streak in UFC history, he almost let it slip away because of how he chose to conduct himself in the cage.
No, Jones wasn’t showboating or displaying extreme arrogance like Silva did prior to being knocked out to lose the UFC middleweight title to Chris Weidman six years ago, but it was his prideful approach of wanting to beat his opponent in a certain manner that nearly caused “Bones” to lose his light heavyweight belt to Thiago Santos.
It’s totally respectable that Jones likes to challenge himself by trying to beat his opponents where they are considered strongest, but that’s a dangerous game to play and it almost cost him dearly. He lost a scorecard for the first time, but luckily for Jones the other two judges saw it his way and he got the split nod.
Jones hardly even tried to take the path of least resistance with Santos. He chose to stand and strike for 25 minutes, and even with his foe operating on one leg, didn’t truly attempt to take the fight to the ground where he should’ve held a massive advantage. He got away with it on this night, but if Jones isn’t careful that approach could quickly lead to the end of his title reign.
3. Thiago Santos deserves all the respect, and a future rematch
UFC president Dana White said post-fight that anyone who scored the main event for Santos shouldn’t be judging fights anymore. That’s hilariously off base, because while I had it three rounds to two for Jones, there’s no denying that was an incredibly close fight.
Would the fight have been that close if Jones chose to wrestle more? Who knows, but Santos pushed who many consider to be the greatest of all time to his limit over five rounds.. He won over many new fans with a performance that would certainly lead to interest in a second fight in the future.
Santos’ top priority should be to get his knee healthy, but if he picks up a quality win or two then a second crack at UFC gold should very much be in the card. It will be fascinating to see how the learns and grows from the loss (which he handled with pure class, by the way), but it should give him all the confidence in the world knowing many spectators thought he won that fight, regardless or what his promoter says.
4. There’s no discussion when it comes to Amanda Nunes
Anyone not in agreement that Amanda Nunes is the greatest female fighter in MMA history are simply kidding themselves. That was true before she dismantled Holly Holm for a first-round knockout, and it’s definite after.
Nunes scratched off the final name on her checklist of former UFC champions she needs to defeat when she kicked Holm upside the head to hang on to her women’s bantamweight title, which sits comfortably on one shoulder while her featherweight scrap rests on the other.
Good luck to anyone trying to take either of those belts from her, because they’re going to need it. Nunes is well rounded in extremely dangerous in all areas, but perhaps most importantly of all she’s motivated. She refuses to rest on her laurels, and setting goals like trying to knock Holm out with her own signature technique are going to keep “The Lioness” sharp going forward.
5. Regards for Luke Rockhold
When Luke Rockhold is on his game he is among the best talents in the sport. The run he had to claiming the UFC middleweight title in 2015 was legitimately impressive, but at this point that time seems like a distant memory.
Of late the sight of Rockhold being knocked out in brutal fashion is all too common, and he took another brutal one courtesy of a heavy left hand from Jan Blachowicz that reportedly broke his jaw for a second time in his career.
A broken jaw is one of the worst injuries a fighter can sustain, and if it’s going to do one thing for Rockhold, that will be provide a heck of a lot of time to think about his life and career. After seemingly hitting the end of his rope at 185 pounds, Rockhold moved up to light heavyweight in hopes of putting a fresh coat of paint.
Blachowicz had other plans, though, and turned the lights off on Rockhold in the second round, prompting UFC boss White to push him toward retirement. Ultimately that’s a decision only Rockhold can make for himself, but when surveying his career options, he seems stuck. The opposition would only get bigger and better if he went forward at 205 pounds, and for someone who has suffered all five of his career losses by knockout, that’s a scary proposition.
For complete coverage of UFC 239, check out the UFC Results.
