When the UFC made a trip back to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil for UFC 190, the star of the show was not a Brazilian fighter. In fact, the main attraction ended up silencing a Brazillian fighter in devastating fashion. Ronda Rousey vs. Bethe Correia was the standout fight of a card full of well past their prime fighters, as well as fighters without Wikipedia pages. At times it was a struggle to get through the card, but among the many lows, there were a few highs that made the night of fights worth it. Here are your winners and losers of UFC 190.
Winners
Ronda Rousey had only one way to win the fight in impressive fashion. Everyone knows that she has the ability to take anyone down and submit them. The only unpredictable thing that Rousey could have done is score the first clean knockout in UFC Women’s Bantamweight history. Not only did she win in impressive fashion, but you can guarantee that there were a ton of eyes on the fight as every mainstream sports outlet was covering the fight. Some people are confused by submissions and don’t understand the dominance of a judo throw or a nice armbar, but everyone knows what someone getting knocked out looks like. With the knockout, Rousey put herself at the absolute top of the MMA world and is now well entrenched in mainstream sports media. The big question is, what’s next for Rousey?
Patrick Cummins, as Joe Rogan said, looked like a stuck pig after receiving an up-kick to the face from Rafael Cavalcante early in the fight. That didn’t stop the two time Division I All-American from embracing the grind and finishing Feijao in the 3rd round. Cummins is now 4-1 in his last 5 fights, and has clearly established himself as a top 10 Light Heavyweight. Cummins did show in the fight that his hands are still not up to par with the rest of the division, but if he can continue to grind out wins while developing his hands on the side, we might have another dangerous fighter in the Light Heavyweight division.
Claudia Gadelha showed why she’s the #1 ranked strawweight and deserves a rematch against UFC Strawweight Champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Gadelha has the takedowns and the stand-up to give Joanna another run for her money, and her post fight call out just sealed the deal. Props to Jessica Aguilar, who came in to the UFC to fight one of the best fighters in her division. Aguilar put up a good fight, but Gadelha was just too much for her. Expect both women to stay at the top of the division for a very long time, along with Jedrzejczyk.
Losers
Everyone who does not live on the west coast and had to stay up past an ungodly hour. By midnight on the east coast the PPV still had three more fights to get through, one of them being a TUF Finale fight with two guys that barely anyone knows. A seven fight main card was absolutely ridiculous, and it’s crazy to think that people who bought this as their first PPV will want to order another. For those who live across the pond in Europe, you guys are use to this sort of thing, but I’m sure that staying up an extra hour longer than 4 a.m. didn’t feel that great either.
The Heavyweight division showed off its lack of depth at UFC 190. Even though both Stefan Struve and Antonio Silva came away with wins and are ranked in the Top 15, both fighters could have easily announced their retirements due to their health complications. The men they beat, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Soa Palelei, are now in a spot where they either consider retirement or fight a no-name heavyweight to get back into the win column. Each of the heavyweight fights showed little technique and showed that each fighter was a shell of their former self. When each punch thrown is met with a “he got rocked”, you know it’s time for these big men to hang up the gloves.
Neil Magny was riding a 7 fight winning streak coming into his fight with Damian Maia. A win for Magny would have legitimized his winning streak as his competition was less impressive than the length of the streak. Unfortunately for Magny, Maia dominated him for every second of the fight, finishing the fight in the second round with a rear-naked choke. Maia is the ultimate gate-keeper of the welterweight division. Welterweights like Magny who can’t stuff the takedown and avoid the submission will have a tough time climbing the ranks as long as Maia’s on guard.
Leandro Issa was looking to pull off a 3rd straight submission win, but ended up on the end of an embarrassing unanimous decision loss to Iuri Alcantara. Issa showed his world class grappling credentials off in the first round, but when the fight went to the feet, he was thoroughly outclassed by the well rounded Alcantara. The bantamweight division is full of absolutely incredible strikers who can also hang on the ground and avoid submissions. Issa won’t find himself in the UFC much longer if his striking continues to look as mediocre as it did tonight.
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