What mattered most at UFC 244 in New York? Here are a few post-fight musings …
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1. 2019 was Jorge Masvidal’s year, and 2020 could be, too
I fail to see anyone who comes close to rivaling Jorge Masvidal as the 2019 “Fighter of the Year.” From his knockout of Darren Till in March to his record-setting knockout of Ben Askren in July to the TKO of Nate Diaz that led to winning the “BMF” title Saturday at UFC 244, it’s a fairytale-like stretch for Masvidal (35-13 MMA, 12-6 UFC).
Calling it a fairytale is no exaggeration, either. Masvidal has been around for more than 16 years as a professional fighter, and while he wasn’t a completely forgotten presence during all that time, it’s only within the past year that he’s evolved into one of the greatest stars in the sport.
2019 will go down as a career and life-changing stretch for Masvidal. Crazily enough, though, 2020 could be even bigger. Right now he’s the clear No. 1 contender in the welterweight division. If Colby Covington happens to beat Kamaru Usman to take that belt at UFC 245, the matchup of friends-turned-foes is one of the biggest fights the UFC can make.
A potential showdown with Conor McGregor has gained steam in the fallout of UFC 244, too, and that would obviously be huge for Masvidal. As would a rematch with Diaz.
If Masvidal can get any combination of those fights next year – and win – he will have the sport of MMA in the palm of his hand.
2. Nate Diaz’s rematch hopes
It might be only a minority opinion, but the result for Nate Diaz was something of a best-case scenario given how the fight was playing out. Diaz (20-12 MMA, 15-10 UFC) was down on the scorecards before the bout was stopped by the doctor after the third round, and it didn’t seem like he had an answer to turn things around.
Yes, Diaz said post-fight that he felt he was beginning to turn the tide on Masvidal going into the fourth round. However, he also admitted he entered the fight injured, and his confidence was hurt by an inability to do appropriate cardio training.
It’d be unfair to count Diaz out from rallying in any fight, no matter how bad it’s going for him. However, Masvidal was running downhill, and if Diaz was going to lose, at least now there’s a shadow of controversy around the outcome that’s allowed him to create a rematch narrative and declare that while the doctor stopped the fight, he was never truly beaten.
3. The stoppage was unfortunate but just
No, I’m not trying to gloss over the actual stoppage that led to Masvidal’s win over Diaz. It’s unfortunate it had to end that way, but those were indeed some nasty-looking cuts.
As I’m no doctor, it’s hard to know what it was the cageside physician from the New York State Athletic Commission actually saw to determine the fight needed to be stopped. What I do know, though, is that I was sitting no more than three feet from Diaz at the post-fight press conference, and even after getting stitched up, his face was a mess.
Do I believe the New York commission is overly cautious because it’s had some tragic occurrences with fighter health in its jurisdiction? Yes. But I also always err on the side of the athletes’ safety, and unfortunately that sometimes results in an anticlimactic finish.
4. Concern for Kelvin Gastelum?
Like many others, I was in the camp who believed Kelvin Gastelum (15-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) was going to give Darren Till (18-2-1 MMA, 6-2-1 UFC) an extremely rude introduction to the middleweight division. He seemed to have a major stylistic advantage, but when the fight played out in reality, he struggled to get off the effective offense he’s been known for.
It’s not as if Gastelum was beaten badly. One judge even gave him a winning scorecard. But fact is, he’s on a two-fight losing skid for the first time, and now it’s difficult not to take a harder look at all the damage he took against Israel Adesanya in their epic interim title bout at UFC 236 in April.
Did the punishment absorbed against Adesanya take something off Gastelum’s game that can’t be regained? Or was this just a flat night in comparison to almost all of his other performances at 185 pounds? These are questions that can only be answered with time, so there will certainly be a close eye on his next fight.
5. Kevin Lee yet to scratch the surface
I’ve been high on Kevin Lee (18-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) since the beginning. I’ll never forget being cageside when he choked Magomed Mustafaev unconscious in sickening fashion in one of his better performances to that point at UFC Fight Night 99 in Belfast three years ago. It was super impressive.
He left Gregor Gillespie (13-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) out on the mat in a similarly gruesome way, but this time it was the result of a devastating kick to the jaw that gave Lee his greatest career highlight to date. That thing was brutal, and it was also much needed for “The Motown Phenom.”
Lee has been through a lot in recent years. From the sudden death of his head coach, Robert Follis, to losing some tough fights to high level opponents, it hasn’t been an easy road. Lee’s journey already has given him many experiences, but he’s still only 27 and seems to have found a good fit with Firas Zahabi at Tristar Gym in Montreal.
Some people might get turned off by Lee’s personality. However, it’s hard to deny the talent. He hasn’t always been able to put it together at the right times, but perhaps this new chapter in Lee’s career is when he meets his full potential.
6. Edmen Shahbazyan is the future
Edmen Shahbazyan’s 72-second submission of Jack Marshman at UFC 239 in July had me very excited about the middleweight prospect. After seeing what he did in a first-round knockout of Brad Tavares, though, I am officially all in.
Shahbazyan (11-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) appears to have the complete package. He’s got a good head on his shoulders in terms of focus, has set big goals for himself, and seemingly has the fighting skills to back it up. The techniques he used to stop Tavares were nothing short of beautiful, and it seems there’s more where that came from.
At just 21, Shahbazyan has already laid out the goal to break Jon Jones’ record for youngest champion in UFC history. He has about 20 months to make it happen, and if he keeps leveling up in competition and winning like he has, it’s not unrealistic to think he could position himself to make it happen.
