What mattered most at UFC on ESPN 10 in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …
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1. Calvillo capitalizes on her opportunity
Cynthia Calvillo took a major leap forward with her main event victory over Jessica Eye. The unanimous decision win wasn’t the most thrilling or memorable performance but, in the grand scheme of things, it was a pretty special moment in her career.
Not only did Calvillo move up from strawweight to an unfamiliar flyweight division, but she drew the No. 1-ranked contender (according to the UFC’s official rankings) in Eye, who missed weight. It also happened to be booked on less than three weeks’ notice, and in a headlining spot, meaning potentially uncharted waters for Calvillo.
She had to face those waters because the fight went all five rounds. She slowed a touch in the latter stages, but given she’d never been there before, and did not have a proper camp, it’s more than excusable. The upside is she’s experienced it, though, and if another five-round fight or title opportunity comes her way, she’ll be much more confident going in.
Calvillo now catapults into a prime position in her new division, and the opportunities ahead already look radically better than what was on her plate six months ago.
2. Vettori lets it all out
Marvin Vettori had months of pent-up aggression that he unleashed on Karl Roberson in the form of a first-round submission. It’s hard to recall many fighters who were as keen to compete as Vettori after he suffered multiple postponements going back to the canceled UFC event in London on March 21.
He finally got in there with Roberson, who became something of a rival in the build-up to this fight. He put that beef to rest in definitive fashion, but it seemed more important to Vettori that he deliver a dominant performance that showed he’s worthy of better opponents.
Vettori wants a top-15 name at middleweight next, and he should probably get it. To this day, he’s still given champion Israel Adesanya arguably his toughest fight in the UFC, and he badly wants a rematch. There are still several difficult hurdles in his way before that can happen, but the win over Roberson sets him in the right direction.
3. Fili for the top 15? Not yet
Andre Fili believes he has been cut short of his full due for his UFC career. He wants a place in the rankings at featherweight, and feels he’s should be there, especially after beating highly regarded prospect Charles Jourdain.
To his credit, Fili has fought some of the best in the division during his six-plus years with the promotion. He’s given them plenty to handle, too, with his past three defeats against Sodiq Yusuff, Michael Johnson and Calvin Kattar being either competitive decisions or Fili having a strong argument for a win.
Therein lies the problem for Fili. He’s putting his fate in the hands of the judges far more often than he should if he wants to vault into title contention, and it almost bit him in the butt again against Jourdain. If he really wants to join that upper echelon, he needs to find a way to create further separation for those scoring the fights. And he admitted as much afterward.
4. Avila makes waves
With Amanda Nunes ruling the women’s bantamweight and featherweight divisions with an iron fist, the emergence of new names is desperately needed. After plowing through Gina Mazany by TKO in a mere 22 seconds, perhaps Julia Avila could serve as a glimmer of hope.
Avila went at Mazany and had her in trouble right away. It was all offense until she got the finish, and now she’s picked up five of eight career wins by stoppage. In an incredibly thin division like women’s bantamweight, that’s more than enough to get people excited.
But is Avila actually any sort of threat to Nunes? It’s too soon to tell. Mazany, with no disrespect intended, is not the best barometer of someone’s ceiling. Avila does have some notable wins on her record such as Nicco Montano and Marion Reneau, but that was when both ladies were in pre-UFC form.
Avila said she’s aware she needs more time and experience to build up to her championship goal. She’s already 32, though, and is a slightly undersized 5-foot-4. She’s made it work so far, and for all our sakes, let’s hope she can continue to grow into a potentially viable and competitive opponent for Nunes.
5. A moment for Cifers
Pour one out for your girl Hannah Cifers for her efforts over the past 14 days. Her record shows a pair of first-round submission losses, the first against MacKenzie Dern on May 30, then another to Mariya Agapova on Saturday. However, it should be acknowledged as more than that.
The softly spoken Cifers took on a massive strawweight in Dern and was fearless in every position before eventually being caught in a fight-ending submission. She then turned around on short notice and moved up a weight class to fight Agapova, who is a former bantamweight, in the women’s flyweight division.
It wasn’t hard to see the outcome against Agapova after the first exchange. Cifers stood no chance, but she didn’t fight like it. She did her best to make something happen against a bigger and more skilled opponent, but then got crushed with a head kick and got caught in a choke.
Cifers may now be on a three-fight skid overall, but she announced being rewarded with a new four-fight UFC contract just moments after her loss. It doesn’t mean she’ll get all four of those fights in, as the UFC could cut her if more losses stack up, but for now, the promotion appears appreciative of her service.
