What mattered most at UFC on ESPN+ 26 in Auckland, New Zealand? Here are a few post-fight musings …
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1. Another close decision, but not a robbery
Oh hey, welcome back. It’s another Sunday following a UFC event, and once again here we are having a discussion about judging. Going back to Jon Jones’ win over Dominick Reyes at UFC 247, this is the second time in three weeks a main event decision has created heavy dissent.
This time it was Dan Hooker who was awarded the narrow nod, with the judges giving him the split decision over Paul Felder in a five-round classic. It was a brutal and bloody affair that garnered “Fight of the Night” honors, but there were many who cried “robbery!” in the aftermath of the lightweight headliner.
My scorecard had Felder winning 48-47 with him taking Rounds 2, 4 and 5, but a Hooker win is by no means outrageous. The fight was tightly contested, with multiple rounds being close to coin tosses. The fact all three judges had it scored differently is a reflection of the competitive nature of the contest, and regardless of which way it went, someone was going to be displeased.
I’ll reiterate again that Felder secured the win from my perspective, however, this decision was far from criminal. Leaving the fight to be decided by the judges leaves the door open for heartbreak, and after winning a close one over Edson Barboza at UFC 242 in September, Felder was on the tough end of it this time.
2. Don’t leave us now, Paul
As devastating and deflating as the loss may have been, I don’t foresee this as being the end of the line for Paul Felder. “The Irish Dragon” was emotional in the octagon post-fight, hinting that retirement could be on the horizon after this loss.
Felder’s team splashed cold water all over that, though. Both his head coach Duke Roufus and longtime manager Brian Butler told me post-fight that Felder is “not done,” and that emotions were simply running high. That makes sense, but it also would be understandable if Felder did choose to hang up the gloves.
Not only is Felder an elite lightweight, but he has a blossoming career as an analyst and broadcaster for the UFC. Shifting to that role full-time seems like a feasible exit plan from competition, it’s just on Felder to decide when he wants to make that jump permanently.
Eventually it will happen, but it shouldn’t be on the heels of this fight. Had Felder lost decisively the conversation would be different, but if anything he showed he belongs among the upper tier at 155 pounds, and it’d be a shame to see him walk away just when things are getting interesting.
3. Hooker is a savage
There stood Hooker, in the center of the octagon after being announced the winner by split decision. The hometown crowd was going crazy for him, but he had just been through a grueling 25-minute fight and appeared to have some sort of jaw injury that effected his speech and most certainly caused him to slow down in the latter rounds.
That’s a moment where Hooker should simply be relieved he’s no longer being attacked by another man. Fighting again should be the last thing on his mind, but what does Hooker choose to do in that moment? Call out Justin freaking Gaethje of all people.
It takes some serious guts to want to fight Gaethje, period. But to even think about enduring the type of battle it takes to share the octagon with “The Highlight” says a great deal about Hooker’s character and passion for fighting.
Will Hooker get his desired matchup? It remains to be seen. Either way, though, he deserves recognition for his moxie.
4. Brad Riddell out of his shell
With much of the attention for this event understandably on City Kickboxing fighters Hooker and Kai Kara-France, the third name to fight out of the gym who was on the card, Brad Riddell, was largely left out of the conversation.
He changed that on fight night.
Riddell roused the audience for 15 minutes with an exciting split decision win over a game opponent in Magomed Mustafaev. He’s 2-0 in the UFC with a win on home soil and a “Fight of the Night” bonus in his debut last year, which is a promising start.
The win was followed by a solid post-fight callout of Alexander Hernandez, and while he may not get that high of ranked opponent for his next one, Riddell is on the right track and has etched out a place as one to watch going forward.
5. Activity Angela wins again
Angela Hill became the first UFC fighter to pick up multiple victories this year when she stepped in on short notice to beat Loma Lookboonmee by unanimous decision.
Hill produced her pair of UFC wins just 28 days apart, also beating Hannah Cifers with a second-round TKO at UFC on ESPN+ 24 on Jan. 25. It’s been six fights overall in less than 11 months for “Overkill,” and she’s now formed a reputation for being the “anyone, anywhere, anytime” representative in the strawweight division.
It appears to be a helpful formula for her, too. Hill has had up and down results since the start of her MMA career, but she’s now on her best run to date with three consecutive wins. She’s not exactly doing it against the most high caliber opponents, however, and it’s unlikely this approach would be effective against the highest tier of fighters at 115 pounds.
Until she gets that type of matchup, though, this is a good way to gain fans and maintain frequently visibility in the sport.
