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 and nice submission would like to see him face Jamahal Hill next.

Beneil Dariush def. Carlos Diego Ferreira by decision

Dariush shot for a couple of takedowns in the first and get both, but Ferreira would counter with submission attempts both times and break free. The pair would exchange some strikes both having their moments, but Dariush probably got the better of it. Ferreira appeared to get hurt to the body and would sit guard in response. Once on his back, Ferreira would attack the legs. Dariush defended and would end up back on top until his opponent stood back up. In the second, Dariush shot three well-timed takedowns which would give him the round. In the third round, Dariush would be denied on a couple of takedown attempts early and get taken down off of a caught kick. Dariush would stand up off of a 50/50 entanglement and get a body lock on Ferreira. Dariush finished a takedown from the body lock and would win the rest of the round. 

Takeaway

Dariush extended his win streak to six in this one and looked very good. Dariush cemented his status as the darkhorse of the lightweight UFC's division with his win over Ferreira. This was a big test for Dariush as Ferreira was on a six-fight win streak and was coming off of a submission win over Anthony Pettis. Dariush showed a complete skillset in this fight that was highlighted by strong offensive wrestling. I would like to see him face Dan Hooker in his next fight and would like to see Ferreira face Gregor Gillespie next. 

Alexandre Pantoja def. Manel Kape by Decision

In the first Alexandre Pantoja would pursue aggressively throwing lots of right hands and landing some heavy rear leg kicks. Kape landed a cartwheel kick and ended up on his back towards the end of the round. Pantoja and Kape spent much of this round trading on the feet. Kape would get a couple takedowns towards the end of the second, from which Pantoja instantly got back up. Manel Kape did a very good job of using his feints and wrestling in the third. He used his feints to keep Pantoja moving backward and eating punches. Kape got two takedowns towards the end of this fight, but it wasn't enough to get him the win. 

What's Next 

Pantoja looked good in this fight and showed a nice kicking arsenal to go along with a quick overhand right. Pantoja also popped up immediately every time he was taken down, which was very impressive. I think he should face whoever ends up on the wrong side of the Joseph Benavidez vs. Askar Askarov bout. Manel Kape showed me a lot in the third round of this fight and I'd like to see him face Tyson Nam next. Even though he lost, the former Rizin FC world champion showed UFC top five potential tonight in my opinion.

Clay Guida Def. Michael Johnson by Decision 

In the first round of this one, Guida would land a right hand a partially land a head kick, before getting a takedown. Johnson stood back up pretty quickly and landed some combos towards the end. In the next one, Guida got a takedown early in this one and would spend much of the round wrestling with Johnson against the fence. Johnson attempted a single leg and was denied. Guida would shoot a double leg early in the third and finish. He would take Johnson's back when he tried to stand and attempt a choke that would fail because Guida couldn't get his hand behind his opponent's head. One year shy of forty years old, and Guida actually looked pretty good in this fight tonight. His chin held up and he showed a dominant wrestling attack. I'd like to see Guida face Arman Tsarukyan next. Johnson, a UFC fighter for over a decade is likely to be cut from the promotion as this is his fourth consecutive loss.

Cory Sandhagen Flying Knees Frankie Edgar 

Cory Sandhagen only needed about thirty seconds to end this one decisively. He landed a huge flying knee on Frankie Edgar that required no follow-up strikes at all. I would like to see Frankie retire after this devastating KO loss. Frankie Edgar is a legend of the sport. There's no reason for him to stick around and take damage while putting on relatively sub-par performances. As for Sandhagen, I would like to see him get a shot at the winner of the upcoming title bout between Aljamain Sterling and Petr Yan. Sandhagen blew my mind in this one, and there's no justifiable scenario where he gets passed over for the next title shot. A fight with Yan would be an insane striking matchup, whereas a fight with Aljo would be a great redemption story.

Alexander Volkov Stops Alistair Overeem 

Volkov dropped Overeem in the first round after hitting him with a check hook. Overeem turtled and covered up before getting back to his feet. In the second round, Overeem was badly stunned from the first and was taking heavy damage. The demolition man attempted a couple of takedowns but eventually succumbed to a couple of heavy right hands. The forty-year-old legend's best days are clearly behind him now, but it has been a pleasure watching his career. I am hopeful that he will retire following this bout and based off of his past statements, this is the likely outcome. As for Alexander Volkov, I thought he put on an amazingly dominant performance against Overeem and would like to see him face Derrick Lewis in a rematch of their first fight next. 

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