What mattered most at UFC on ESPN+ 20 in Singapore? Here are a few post-fight musings …
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1. Ben Askren’s disastrous UFC run
Let’s be frank: This run in the UFC has not been kind to Ben Askren (19-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC). Outside of his mouth, he’s failed to live up to pretty much all the hype that was around him when he finally joined the promotion, and he’s only had a few successful moments through three UFC fights.
Askren’s submission loss to Demian Maia marked the time to put his brief UFC run under the microscope. He debuted in March with an undefeated record after 18 fights, and while he technically beat Robbie Lawler at UFC 235, he took a lot of punishment and was on the cusp of being finished before a wild reversal of fortune saw him get a submission win despite Lawler never tapping out.
There’s no need to rehash what happened with Jorge Masvidal after that. The five-second loop of Askren being stopped with the quickest knockout in UFC history has been endlessly replayed over the past three months, but everyone loses eventually, and it was acceptable for Askren to write off the outcome as him being caught with an unpredictable shot.
The loss to Maia will be much harder to digest, though. Askren was placed in what should’ve been a good stylistic matchup against another grappler, and while he had some moments, Maia had the more impactful performance, ending with him choking Askren out cold.
Is Askren officially a bust? It’s still too soon to say. There’s many positive and negative implications to his presence inside the octagon that can be discussed in more depth at a later date. His bank account has more cushion than it would’ve otherwise, but in terms of results only, it’s certain this isn’t what Askren envisioned for himself in the UFC.
2. Demian Maia still knows his role
Demian Maia (28-9 MMA, 22-9 UFC) added to what will go down as one of the most unique legacies in UFC history when he tapped out Askren to achieve his 22nd win inside the octagon, which is second all-time only to Donald Cerrone (23).
On top of being one of the kindest and most humble fighters in the sport, Maia had a level of self-awareness with his fighting career that few others possess. He implemented an intelligent gameplan of striking until Askren chose to take it down, where he would get himself outmaneuvered into a submission from the Brazilian.
After the fact, Maia made it very clear he understands where he stands. He just beat a top-10 opponent at welterweight, and afterward said he has two fights left on his contract that he intends to fulfill before retirement.
Maia didn’t say anything about trying to get another title shot or working his way up the pecking order. He instead called out Diego Sanchez, who has been challenging him for years. That’s a backward step in terms of rankings from Askren, but it’s a winnable fight for Maia and once again shows that he is picking his shots wisely down the home stretch of his career.
3. Michael Johnson hits .500
Nearly nine years and 22 fights into his UFC career, Michael Johnson (19-15 MMA, 11-11 UFC) now finds himself with an even octagon record in terms of wins and losses after dropping a majority decision to Stevie Ray in a fight “The Menace” clearly believes he should’ve won.
It was definitely a close one, but Johnson didn’t do enough to clearly convince the judges. The result is sometimes what happens when it’s not definitive. It’s got to be frustrating for Johnson, though, because it always feels like he comes up short of meeting his potential.
When he’s on his game, Johnson can be hell to deal with. His wins over Tony Ferguson, Dustin Poirier and Edson Barboza prove as much, but Johnson just can’t put those types of performances together with regularity, thus holding him back from where he wants to be in the sport.
At 33, Johnson conceivably still has the time to put all the pieces together and hit a stride on the back half of his career, like Robbie Lawler has done, for example. But this deep into things and with all evidence to the contrary, a course-correction happening now would come as a surprise.
4. Beneil Dariush is back
There was a time not that long ago when Beneil Dariush (17-4-1 MMA, 11-4-1 UFC) appeared to be trending toward title contention in the lightweight division. A three-fight winless skid, including a pair of brutal knockout losses, changed his narrative, though, and he’s been looking to climb out of that hole since.
Dariush made a big leap forward in that regard when he submitted Frank Camacho in just over two minutes to extend his winning streak to three fights. He’s beaten some solid fighters during this latest run, too, and now the conversation is turning back toward respecting Dariush as a potential top-15 fighter at 155 pounds.
There are going to be a lot of fighters who struggle with Dariush’s well-rounded game, especially if he shows up to the octagon on point. He’s only 30 and is extremely humble, and now he’s positioned himself for a notable fight. Well done.
5. Ciryl Gane gaining momentum
Mick Maynard appears to have uncovered another potential heavyweight gem with the signing of Ciryl Gane (5-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) who picked up his second UFC finish in as many promotional appearances with a historic submission of Don’Tale Mayes in their main card bout.
After carving Mayes up on the feet for more than two rounds, Gane got into a grappling exchange in the final minute of the fight. His killer instinct didn’t dissolve when off his feet, though, because he attacked with a heel hook that forced his opponent to tap out and keep his undefeated record in tact.
Gane trains out of the same gym in France that produced former heavyweight title challenger Francis Ngannou. He appears to have the base to eventually become a serious problem in the weight class.
