What mattered most at UFC on ESPN 11 in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …
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1. Curtis Blaydes says he’s ‘the heel’
Curtis Blaydes is taking a curious approach to his career right now. No one is going to sit here and argue his unanimous decision win over Alexander Volkov was the most exciting of fights, and Blaydes is under no illusions that was the case.
Blaydes said afterward he’s accepted his role as “the heel.” That’s an interesting label to put on himself, mainly because it’s not entirely true. From a professional wrestling context, the heel is someone who intentionally tries to be disliked by fans. Blaydes might be relishing the hate, but he also can’t operate any other way.
It would be a massive disservice for Blaydes to ignore his biggest strength as the superior grappler whenever he can. His previous fight with Junior Dos Santos showed Blaydes can handle himself standing if needed, and while he did show some moment of vulnerability against Volkov standing, he was able to go to his grappling basically whenever he wanted.
Blaydes has made it clear he’s going to use this same approach no matter the opponent or stakes. That might carry him into some additional obstacles as he tries to claim the UFC heavyweight title, but Blaydes seems to recognize he can only be denied for so long.
2. Dana White chops down Blaydes
UFC president Dana White pulled off another classic job of anti-promoting one of his top athletes when he decided to stoke the flame of discontent around Blaydes’ performance.
Instead of offering praise for Blaydes after putting on a record-setting effort of 14 takedowns landed in a heavyweight fight, White decided to go the other direction and tear Blaydes down. He cited Blaydes pre-fight comments on fighter pay, hopes of getting a title shot and lack of conditioning as reasons he probably won’t be fighting for a UFC belt in the near future.
It’s hardly off brand for White to take this approach, and although he will get an abundance of support for not using a filter for his comments, it’s hardly beneficial for anyone involved.
At 29, Blaydes is the youngest fighter in the top 10 of the UFC heavyweight rankings. Unless a situation arises where the promotion parts ways with him, Blaydes isn’t going anywhere. He’s made it clear he doesn’t intend on altering his strategy, so it would seemingly be in White’s best interest to find a way to embrace what Blaydes has to offer.
3. Josh Emmett’s win comes with a setback
There’s a lot Josh Emmett should be happy about coming out of his unanimous decision win over Shane Burgos. He extended his winning streak to three fights, showed he can go three rounds at a ridiculous pace and overcome tough moments, and picked up an extra $50,000 for a “Fight of the Night” contest that fits into the “Fight of the Year” discussion.
Unfortunately, the knee injury that Emmett suffered in the early moments of the bout, which was highlighted through 15 minutes, appears to be something serious. Emmett said he thinks he may have suffered a torn ACL, which, if confirmed, would keep him out of action for several months.
That’s a tough blow for Emmett, because at 35, he’s already had to take roughly two of the past three years off due to various injuries. For someone who has amassed a ridiculous 10 knockdowns over his past six fights, it would truly be a shame if Emmett’s story is written as someone who couldn’t meet his full potential because his body continuously betrayed him.
4. Jim Miller hitting his stride
Jim Miller’s record-tying 35th UFC appearance was arguably one of his best. He imposed his will on Roosevelt Roberts en route to a verbal submission win by armbar, and now the veteran has been triumphant in three of his past four bouts.
Miller has been around the UFC for more than a decade, and he’s certainly had his ups and downs. A four-fight losing skid from 2017-2018 was aligned with a difficult battle against Lyme disease, and even Miller admitted he thought it might spell the end of his career.
According to Miller, he now has the condition much more under control and is feeling strong. It’s shown in his recent performances, with his only loss during this current stretch coming against Charles Oliveira, which is nothing to be ashamed of.
Is Miller, at 36, going to turn this momentum into something real in terms of title contention? There’s good reason to doubt that. However, he’s crafted out a nice legacy with all his fights and high position on the promotion’s all-time wins list. He has the opportunity to continue adding to that, which is a special thing when it seemed a few year ago it wouldn’t be the case.
5. Robert Drysdale fails Max Rohskopf
Robert Drysdale is deserving of some heat for his utter failure to properly serve Max Rohskopf in his role as chief cornerman. What happened in the moments leading up to Rohskopf’s loss to Austin Hubbard was pretty disgraceful, and it could have led to something far worse than what it was.
After taking the lightweight fight on five days’ notice, Rohskopf didn’t have much for Hubbard. The momentum was sternly in Hubbard’s favor after two rounds, and Rohskopf’s body language didn’t provide much confidence. He looked physically defeated, then he returned to the corner before the third round and made it clear he was mentally beaten, too.
Rohskopf asked Drysdale multiple times to stop the fight. Drysdale attempted to motivate his athlete, which is a reasonable move to start, but then it became evident there was nothing he could say to change Rohskopf’s mind. Rohskopf told his coach to “call it” nine times. The fight should have instantly been waved off, but Drysdale still wouldn’t do it.
Thank goodness for referee Mark Smith, who realized Rohskopf was toast. It was called off the second Rohskopf said he couldn’t go, which is how it should’ve been. Drysdale seemed perfectly content with allowing Rohskopf to go back out and take more damage, and that’s seriously wrong. He didn’t appear to have any regrets after the fact, either, and that only makes the Nevada Athletic Commission’s plan to investigate the corner work even more appreciated.
