After a long hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, the UFC made its return with three events in eight days in Jacksonville, Florida. UFC 249, UFC on ESPN+ 29 and UFC on ESPN 8 each featured a host of eye-catching performances, but which fighter stood out as the star performer over the course of the eight days?
That’s the question we put to MMA Junkie’s Simon Head, Farah Hannoun and Dave Doyle as they sound off in the latest edition of Triple Take.
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Simon Head: Justin Gaethje reaching the pinnacle
Fans loved watching Justin Gaethje long before he got his hands on UFC gold, but his performance to win the UFC interim lightweight title at UFC 249 showed that he had evolved his game to go that extra yard and push him to within touching distance of a fight with champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Gaethje’s fan-friendly fighting style had already won him a legion of supporters, but it also put him in harm’s way more often than perhaps was sensible, and his back-to-back losses to Dustin Poirier and Eddie Alvarez – both in the later rounds – showed that there was still some refinement needed if “The Highlight” was to go all the way to the top.
His performance against Tony Ferguson proved that those refinements had been made, as Gaethje produced the best performance of his career to win the interim belt and book himself a future date with “The Eagle.”
I’ve felt for awhile that Gaethje had the best combination of skills to test Nurmagomedov and potentially even hand the Russian his first defeat, but I wasn’t sure if his gung-ho approach would count against him against the other top contenders. Now he has taken his game to a different level, beaten Ferguson and showed that he’s championship-ready, those doubts are now out of the window.
Gaethje is ready, and his upcoming clash with Khabib could turn out to be one of the fights of 2020.
Next page – Farah Hannoun: Henry Cejudo goes out on a high
Farah Hannoun: Henry Cejudo goes out strong
While many criticize Henry Cejudo’s choice of opponents, no one can deny his resume.
Cejudo wanted to add the consensus greatest bantamweight of all-time, Dominick Cruz, to his list. Despite the fact that Cruz was coming off a loss and a long layoff, he wasn’t that big a betting underdog. Many thought that with his smaller stature, Cejudo, a former flyweight, was going to struggle to touch Cruz, a former featherweight, but that wasn’t the case.
Early stoppage at UFC 249 or not, Cejudo became the first man ever to stop Cruz with strikes, which is undeniably a great feat. In some ways, he kind of had to do that considering that many didn’t think Cruz was the deserving contender and Cejudo passed the test with flying colors.
It’s not only the names he’s beaten, it’s how he’s done it, dethroning Demetrious Johnson and then scoring three straight stoppages over T.J. Dillashaw, Marlon Moraes and Cruz. Cruz is on an incredible run and despite the fact that he recently announced his retirement, I think the entire MMA community can agree that Cejudo still has a lot more to give and is only hitting his prime.
Next page – Dave Doyle: Glover Teixeira makes his statement
Dave Doyle: Glover Teixeira makes his statement
You know how it goes in this sport: A fighter who was once a main eventer drops off a bit, not to the point you want them to retire, just to the degree you assume their best days are behind them.
Then, somewhere in their late 30s and into their early 40s, they go on another run, the sort that indicates they’ve figured out how to make up for the fact they lost a half-step by applying the knowledge they’re learned along the way to work smarter, not harder, in the cage, and get better results.
And what we’ve seen from Glover Teixeira is a case study on how to get this done. Teixeira is six years removed from his loss to Jon Jones in a light heavyweight title challenge, and yet, after UFC on ESPN+ 29, he’s now back on the short list of title contenders at 205 pounds.
Teixeira hasn’t emptied his gas tank over the course of his four-fight win streak. He’s put on a master class in picking his spots. This tendency was on great display last Wednesday when he schooled recent title challenger Anthony Smith en route to a fifth-round TKO.
Part of the reason the beating ended up so one-sided in the late rounds is that Teixeira didn’t overcommit and thus make a mistake which would give Smith an opening to get back into the fight. That’s the type of wisdom you only get when you’ve been through as many wars as Teixeira.
And he does it all with a smile, which is extra welcome in this contentious day and age. I don’t know how much further Teixeira’s late-career win will carry, but let’s enjoy every moment of a joyful man’s resurgence while it lasts.
