UFC 257 is in the books, and it saw two great performances that shook up the lightweight division. Dustin Poirier rematched Conor McGregor and he showed that we aren’t in 2014 anymore. After a patient first round, his leg kicks took effect and he eventually stopped the Irishman in the second round.
In the co-main event, Michael Chandler shined on his UFC debut. The former Bellator champion quickly knocked out Dan Hooker and instantly established himself as a top contender at 155 lbs.
Also putting in good wins on the event were Marina Rodriguez and Joanne Calderwood, who likely cementer her flyweight title shot.
Here’s a quick twitter thread with a brief recap and analysis of the event, that’s fitting for people’s social media era attention spans:
RODRIGUEZ TKOs RIBAS
PROS: That was a nice finish after being out grappled in the first round. Perfect straight right just face planted Ribas.
CONS: What was that hesitation stoppage from Herb Dean? https://t.co/oou5bFztXT
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) January 24, 2021
MURADOV TKOs SANCHEZ
PROS: Overhand right made him do the chicken dance! Then a flying knee and a flurry to end it. Wild third round finish!
CONS: There were slow moments earlier, but that was a nice TKO.
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) January 24, 2021
CALDERWOOD PICKS APART EYE
CONS: I’m glad judges didn’t reward that wall-n-stall.
PROS: Calderwood looked sharp, and just showed she was levels ahead striking from both distance and in the clinch. That front kick to the face was beautiful.https://t.co/rHTunWPTja
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) January 24, 2021
CHANDLER KOs HOOKER
PROS: WOW. We have a new UFC lightweight contender. Perfect debut for the former Bellator king. That backflip got me worried for a sec lol
CONS: Hooker seemed to worry too much about the takedown, didn’t establish his striking game, and paid for it early.
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) January 24, 2021
POIRIER TKOs MCGREGOR
PROS: Poirier was conservative early, invested in leg kicks, looked to test Conor’s heart. Nice counters to Conor’s straight too.
CONS: Conor blamed inactivity, but is that related to not defending leg kicks & quickly folding when things didn’t go his way?
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) January 24, 2021
UFC 257 OVERALL
PROS: LW looks great, so many possible match ups! The designs look a bit dated, but I like that UFC changed it up with those AR visuals
CONS: I selfishly hope Hooker wasn’t retiring. Also, maybe don’t blatantly root for one guy next time? https://t.co/rJ7wxh9FJd
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) January 24, 2021
And that’s about it. For more social media musings, follow me on twitter over at @antontabuena, and of course you should do that for Bloody Elbow’s official twitter account as well.
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