What really mattered at UFC on ESPN+ 9? Here’s a thing or five…
1. Warning: Watch for surging ‘Cowboy’
For the first time since 2016, Donald Cerrone has himself a three-fight winning streak. Even better, that streak includes legit opponents in two different weight classes, and he’s looked good against all of them. He’s looked so good, in fact, that even the UFC’s matchmaking has changed. Instead of trying to use his broken old body as a stepping stone for young talent, now we’re seeing him matched up with other fun headbangers near the top of the division.
Old Cerrone was good, but Dad Cerrone (36-11 MMA, 23-8 UFC) is something else entirely.
So now we find ourselves back in a familiar position, wondering whether “Cowboy” Cerrone is UFC title material or just a fun guy to throw into a Fight Night main event. He insists it’s the former. If he doesn’t get a title shot next (or Conor McGregor), he’ll be “thoroughly disappointed.”
But then, the field at lightweight is so very crowded and the future so terribly uncertain. And you know it wouldn’t be the first time Cerrone ended up disappointed with how the UFC brass views him. Help us, Conor. You may be our only hope.
2. When he needed it most, Iaquinta couldn’t seem to find the next gear
The big problem for Al Iaquinta? Cerrone simply had more weapons and more ways to use them. What “Raging” Al had was the same thing he always does – that big right hand and a total disregard for his own face. That’s been good enough to beat a lot of UFC lightweights, but it won’t take down the top guys.
Clearly, Iaquinta (14-5-1 MMA, 9-4 UFC) has talent. He also has more toughness than he knows what to do with. If he had just a few more dimensions to his game, he’d be a serious problem. But this high up the rankings ladder, you need an answer for the guys who will still be standing there after a couple hard right hands. In Ottawa, Iaquinta couldn’t find it.
3. Brunson proves that he’s capable of learning another way to win
You know the last time Derek Brunson won a fight that went all three rounds? It was in 2014, when he beat Lorenz Larkin via unanimous decision. Then he reeled off four straight first-round knockouts, which may or may have convinced him that it was a good idea to go charging face-first at Robert Whittaker. (Spoiler: It was, in fact, a very bad idea.)
For an abundantly aggressive and not terribly patient fighter like Brunson (19-7 MMA, 10-5 UFC), Elias Theodorou presented an interesting test. Theodorou won’t stand there and brawl. He won’t stand there at all. If you want to get your hands on him, you have to go looking for him. If you get careless in the process, he can make you pay.
Brunson had to fight a smart fight, and he did. Now with his first win since 2017, he’ll have to prove he’s really changed if he wants to turn this into a streak.
4. A reminder of Harris’ potential for ferocity
It’s sometimes hard to know what to make of a quick TKO win over a fighter making his UFC debut. Did Sergey Spivak just freeze up on the big stage, or is Walt Harris (13-7 MMA, 6-6 UFC) really as dangerous as he looked when he was rocketing punches at Spivak’s head? I don’t completely know, but when you’re covered up against the cage with a big, scary guy like Harris throwing those hammers at you, maybe the difference isn’t so important.
5. If you’re going to talk the talk…
Juan Adams did a good job garnering headlines for himself on fight week, especially considering that his was a prelim bout that could have gone completely unnoticed. He talked down on Arjan Bhullar’s wrestling. He played up his hatred for Greg Hardy. He got our attention. Then he went out there and lost a unanimous decision in a fight that highlighted some of his weaknesses.
If you’re going to say all that stuff to get us to look your way, you’d better do something memorable while we’re watching. The bad news is, Adams (5-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) didn’t, so maybe all that hype work just went to benefit Bhullar in the end. The good news? Maybe a loss was all the UFC needed to see from Adams in order to be convinced that he’s a suitable next opponent for Hardy.
For complete coverage of UFC on ESPN+ 9, check out the UFC events section of the site.
