Athletistic/MMA. Last weekend, the UFC held its first event in Texas in 2023.

Bantamweight fighter Corey Sandhagen took on powerful puncher Marlon “Chito” Vera.

Meanwhile, in the co-main event, there was a clash between former teammates Holly Holm and Yana Santos (Kunitskaya).

A lot happened at UFC on ESPN 43, and this list features five of the biggest events of the night.

#5 Maisie Barber Enters UFC Women’s Top 10 Flyweight

Ahead of her scheduled fight with Andrea Lee last Saturday, Maisie Barber suffered her final loss to new flyweight champion Alexa Grasso.

Prior to the fight, Lee was ranked 11th in the women’s flyweight division and Barber was ranked 13th.

The pair had an intense fight in which the 24-year-old barber won by split decision. Thanks to this victory, Barber immediately climbs 3 lines in the standings, ahead of Vivienne Araujo, her rival Lee, and Casey O’Neill.

#4 Holly Holm went back in time

Holly Holm, a former UFC women’s bantamweight champion, is one of the promotion’s oldest active fighters. At 42 this year, she struggled to recapture the magic of her dominant knockout title against the legendary Ronda Rousey.

Prior to a recent UFC trip to Texas, she lost to Kathleen Vieira. Over the years, Holm has become a hand-to-hand combatant who tackles her enemies against the fence. Last Saturday she met Yana Santos (Kunitskaya) and looked much better than in recent years.

She showed off her signature move and step back, and showed improvement in the fight with a dominating unanimous decision win.

No. 3. Marlon Vera’s UFC title dreams come to an end

Three years ago, Sean O’Malley called himself a future world champion, and his declaration came after feeling defeated by Vera. Since then, Sean has won 4 fights in a row and moved up to No. His UFC title campaign is over, at least for now.

Vera’s opponent, Corey Sandhagen, knocked him out with a higher performance, breaking his rhythm, introducing takedowns and taking the fight to the ground.

No. 2. Corey Sandhagen challenged Merab Dvalishvili

After losing in the first round to reigning bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling, Corey Sandhagen was looking to rebuild his image. He fought against former champions TJ Dillashaw and Petr Yan, but lost both times, although many thought he deserved to defeat Dillashaw.

Although best known as a hitter, The Sandman has made it his mission to prove how far he’s come in the fight by frequently taking Marlon Vera to the mat.

He beat his opponent with elbows and fists en route to a landslide victory despite a referee somehow scoring the fight in Vera’s favor.

After the victory, the “Sandman” challenged, but not Sean O’Malley, as many might think, but immediately the first number in the division, Merab Dvalishvili.

No. 1. Donald Cerrone will be inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame

Some UFC fighters have had the misfortune of never winning a title despite their best efforts. Donald Cerrone is one such mixed martial artist.

However, “Cowboy” still managed to maintain a reputation as one of the most exciting fighters the promotion has ever seen. During his heyday he was very active.

He fought regularly four times a year. In 2011, Cerrone fought five times. He was an interesting offensive kickboxer and an underrated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu that set him for the record for most UFC wins in history.

Thus, through his efforts, “Cowboy” was honored on-air by UFC on ESPN 43 as a member of the Hall of Fame that year.

<!–
Подпишитесь на Athletistic:

Telegram
VK
News
Google News
–>
@sportru