What mattered most at UFC on ESPN+ 22 in Sao Paulo? Here are a few post-fight musings …
* * * * *
1. Jan Blachowicz is good, but not the guy
No disrespect to Jan Blachowicz (25-8 MMA, 8-5 UFC), but it’s hard to imagine anyone who spent 30 minutes of their Saturday night watching that underwhelming split decision win over Ronaldo Souza in the main event is now clamoring to see the Polish fighter challenge Jon Jones for the light heavyweight title.
Not only did Blachowicz fail to produce the emphatic finish that fellow contenders Dominick Reyes and Corey Anderson delivered in their most recent wins, but he hardly had any memorable moments against “Jacare.” It was a grinding 25-minute affair, and not much happened that could serve as evidence he would stand a chance against Jones.
If Blachowicz ends up with a title shot – be it after this win or the next one – it will almost certainly be by default because there isn’t a more compelling matchup. It would be a huge moment for his career to reach that height, of course, but there’s no way that performance against Souza elevated the perception he can be champion while “Bones” is running the block.
2. ‘Jacare’ Souza’s conundrum
If there’s a concern about Blachowicz’s title chances coming off the win, then there has to be for Souza’s (26-8 MMA, 9-5 UFC) future prospects after the defeat, as well.
This is a tricky situation for Souza. Although disappointed in the result, it was obvious from his post-fight comments that Souza was proud of the way he performed against a top-ranked contender in his light heavyweight. Still, though, a loss is a loss.
For the first time in his career, Souza is on a two-fight losing skid. With his 40th birthday just around the corner, that’s not a place he wants to be. The move up to 205 pounds seemed like a good idea given the fact he’d essentially hit his ceiling as a middleweight, but now Souza has to make some decisions.
The topic of retirement hasn’t been foreign to Souza in the past. He’s still good enough to hang with elite fighters, but the question now is what are Souza’s goals, and how much work is he willing to put in to attain them?
Souza got a golden opportunity in his light heavyweight debut with the matchup against Blachowicz in his home country. It’s seems unlikely he’ll get another opportunity with so much upside, and it’s possible at that point Souza decides the juice is no longer worth the squeeze.
3. ‘Shogun’ Rua deserved that decision
It definitely wasn’t the most entertaining fight of his storied career, but after former UFC champ Mauricio Rua (26-11-1 MMA, 10-9-1 UFC) went three rounds with Paul Craig (12-4-1 MMA, 4-4-1 UFC), it felt as though he deserved to get his hand raised.
The only reason “Shogun” didn’t get that is because judge Guilherme Bravo scored the first round of the light heavyweight matchup as a 10-8 for Craig. Even under the latest version of the unified rules, interpreting that round as a 10-8 is a stretch. That’s what happened, though, and it’s why Rua vs. Craig ended in a split draw.
Granted, Rua has come out on the winning end of a couple questionable decisions in Brazil, so perhaps this was a slice of karma.
4. Speaking of ‘Shogun’ …
It’s hard to say where Rua goes from here. On paper, the MMA legend only has just one loss in his past six fights. That’s a strong record that should seemingly position him for a noteworthy fight at 205 pounds, but watching the actual bouts, it’s hard to agree that would be smart matchmaking. His only loss in this recent stretch against Anthony Smith proved that much.
After delaying retirement talks for what’s felt like the better part of a decade, Rua finally said prior to his fight with Craig that he promised his wife he only had one fight left in him after this one. The most hardcore of Rua supporters would probably agree that’s for the best, even though Rua hinted post-fight that he’s already coming with ideas on how to change her mind.
Assuming Rua sticks to his guns on his promise, however, he is in position to get a sendoff for the sport that few all-time greats get to enjoy. Despite talk of a rematch with Craig in Scotland, Rua’s retirement fight should take place on the UFC’s 2020 pay-per-view event in Brazil, and ideally he’d get an opponent where he has a decent shot of going out on a win. That’s the least he deserves.
5. Charles Oliveira deserves way better
Charles Oliveira (28-8 MMA, 16-8 UFC) is an interesting case. At 30, he’s already been in the UFC for nearly a decade and has had all kinds of experiences – both positive and negative – throughout that run.
Oliveira has undoubtedly faltered in some big spots throughout that time. He’s lost key fights to the likes of Donald Cerrone, Frankie Edgar, Max Holloway and Anthony Pettis, but right now it feels like “Do Bronx” has turned a corner.
If there’s any question that Oliveira is coming into his own, simply see the result of his fight with Jared Gordon. He not only won with strikes (for the second straight fight), but he did it in a mere 86 seconds against an opponent who, while unranked, is a tough guy.
At this point we can put it bluntly: Oliveira needs a big fight. It’s been nearly two years since his last slip-up against Felder, and he’s won and finished six consecutive fights since. Perhaps Oliveira is the guy who will get a marquee matchup and fall short again, but even if that’s the case, he deserves that opportunity.
6. Time for a break
We don’t need to speak kindly about this one: UFC on ESPN+ 22 was a drag of an event. The high points of the card definitely made no comparison to the low of frequently forgettable action, and last week’s UFC on ESPN+ 21 card in Moscow provided many of the same feelings.
At this point the rush of that incredible UFC 244 fight week feels ancient, which means it’s the perfect time for a break in the UFC schedule.
Saturday’s card in Sao Paulo wrapped a stretch of 11 consecutive weeks of UFC cards. It’s hard to stay enthusiastic when that much product is being pushed out, and the 21-day gap until the next event (which kicks off a loaded December lineup) is just what’s needed to hit the reset button
