UFC Fight Night Volkov vs. Overeem Takeaways

UFC Fight Night Takeaways: Volkov vs. Overeem Danilo Marques Submits Mike Rodriguez  Early on in the first round of this bout, Marques would secure a single-leg takedown. Rodriguez got to the fence and would stand. Marques went for another single leg and got it. Rodriguez would stand again and quickly be taken down again with an outside trip. Rodriguez would stand towards the end of the round and land a nice right elbow in the clinch. In the second, Marques would secure a single leg and run the pipe to finish before passing to side control. Marques took mount when Rodriguez retreated to the fence to stand. Rodriguez exposed his back to stand and Marques used the opportunity to put his hooks in and break him down. Once Rodriguez was broken down to the mat, Marques body triangled and attacked the choke. Marques tried to finish the choke with the hand on the head. He would switch to a gable grip and strangle Rodriguez unconscious. I was impressed with Marques' positionally sound BJJ a
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UFC 257 Takeaways: Conor McGregor vs Rafael Dos Anjos Next?

 



UFC 257 Delivers in Stunning Fashion

Last night's Fight Island 8 main card shocked fans of sanctioned violence all around the world. Four of the five fights on the main card ended by knockout. Marina Rodriguez scored a huge knockout win over -350 favorite Amanda Ribas in the second round. The next fight would see Makhmud Muradov extend his winning streak to fourteen with a third-round stoppage victory over Andrew Sanchez. Joanne Calderwood would defeat Jessica Eye by decision, as I predicted in my preview article. Michael Chandler shocked UFC fans around the world when he upset Dan Hooker by way of stunning knockout in the first round. By far, the most shocking moment of the night came when Dustin Poirer shocked the world and avenged his loss to Conor McGregor. Poirer did so by way of second-round knockout. 

Marina Rodriguez Upsets Amanda Ribas 

Marina Rodriguez earned a performance of the night bonus for her KO upset of Amanda Ribas. In the first round of the bout, Ribas was able to connect herself to her opponent early and land a takedown. She was not able to do much damage from the top because Marina Rodriguez did a good job of using her guard to avoid punches until the round ended. In the second round, Rodriguez hit Ribas with an accurate and powerful right cross that dropped her to the ground. Rodriguez would land some ground and pound before Herb Dean got close to the action. The fight appeared to be stopped and Rodriguez walked away to celebrate. Herb Dean indicated that he did not intervene and that the fight was still happening. Rodriguez landed a huge right elbow in the clinch, landed a couple of right hand punches, and the fight was called. Marina Rodriguez was hugely impressive in this fight and I would like to see her face Yan Xiaonan Next. As for Ribas, Angela Hill would be an interesting matchup. 

Makhmud Muaradov vs. Andrew Sanchez

Makhmud Muradov extended his winning streak to fourteen when he stopped Andrew Sanchez in the final round of their fight last night. Andrew Sanchez walked through some hard shots in this fight and that alone was impressive, but the story of this fight is his opponent. Muradov did a great job of using head movement to make his opponent miss and using his footwork to control the distance. He made good use of quick in and out footwork to land shots quickly and exit the pocket before his opponent could hit him. Muradov also showed good wrestling in this fight as his opponent had an extensive wrestling background and was never close to finishing a takedown in this bout. Muradov got the finish in this one when Sanchez threw a jab and Muradov pulled his hand down, clearing a path for a right hand that stunned Sanchez. Muradov then hit his opponent with some knees and a flurry of punches to end it. I would like to see Muradov fight Edmen Shabazyan next and expect to see big things from him in the future. 

Joanne Calderwood vs. Jessica Eye

Joanne Calderwood defeated Jessica Eye by way of decision. I'm not surprised I actually wrote a preview of this one and picked Jojo to win. The fight itself played out as predicted, being a stand-up affair. Calderwood's many tools and superior striking skills carried her to victory over Jessica Eye in this three rounder. I think Maycee Barber would be a good next fight for Jessica Eye. She has lost two in a row and Maycee Barber is a young up and comer. Barber is coming off of her first career loss, and this fight seems like a good opportunity for her to prove herself against a veteran of the UFC. As for Jojo, I think a rematch against Jennifer Maia is a good next fight. Maia defeated Calderwood by armbar in their last fight and is coming off of a loss to the division's champion, Valentina Schevchenko. This fight would give Calderwood a chance to avenge her loss and get her shot at Schevchenko back. 

Michael Chandler vs. Dan Hooker

For years people have been saying Michael Chandler would not fare well against UFC competition. Last night, he silenced them all emphatically. The former Bellator lightweight champ brutally knocked out Dan Hooker last night and made a huge impression on UFC fans in the process. Chandler aggressively pursued his opponent from the beginning of the bout. He would back him to the fence, throw a right cross to the body, and come up with a left hook high that dropped Hooker. Chandler finished with ground and pound and made a major statement. I would like to see Michael Chandler face Justin Gaethje next. It's an interesting matchup between two dangerous strikers who have extensive wrestling backgrounds. This one would very likely be an obscenely violent affair. Speaking of obscenely violent, I would like to see Hooker take on Tony Ferguson in his next bout.

Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor

Dustin Poirier shocked the world last night when he stopped Conor McGregor in the second round. In the first round of the fight, Poirier landed a takedown, but Conor was able to get his back to the fence and stand up. They would stay tied up against the fence for most of the first round, then exchange some kicks and punches towards the end. Conor was effectively landing the jab and Poirier was landing calf kicks to good effect himself. In the second round, Dustin Poirier stunned McGregor after backing him against the cage and getting the better of an exchange of punches. Poirier would land a huge right hook on Conor to knock him down and finish with a couple of shots against the cage before the fight was called. After avenging his first-round loss to Conor McGregor in epic fashion, Poirier would seem to be guaranteed a title shot in his next fight. Poirier said he believed Charles Oliviera to be the most deserving opponent. I think this would be a great fight for the UFC lightweight title as well. As for Conor McGregor, I would like to see him fight Dan Hooker or Rafael Dos Anjos.

Takeaway 

The main card of Fight Island 8 was full of surprises and was action-packed from start to finish. It started off with Marina Rodriguez knocking out Amanda Ribas in spectacular fashion to complete a huge upset. Next, Makhmud Muradov extended his winning streak to an insane fourteen in a row. Joanne Calderwood got back on track after losing to Jennifer Maia and Michael Chandler made an emphatic statement with his first-round KO over Dan Hooker. Chandler made it known that he was a force to be reckoned with in the 155 lb division while proving he wasn't just another can crusher from a different organization. The most shocking moment of the evening came when Dustin Poirier, who had been seeking vengeance against Conor McGregor for over six years got what he was after. Poirier stopped McGregor in brutal fashion after stunning him and landing a massive right hook to stop the fight. Poirier's brilliant performance capped off the night and basically guaranteed him a title shot.
















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