UFC 276 is in the books and it saw two titles get successfully defended with mostly one-sided decisions.
Alexander Volkanovski clearly took all five rounds, beating Max Holloway and putting an end to that rivalry that already lasted three years and 75 minutes of actual cage time. In the main event, Israel Adesanya had a relatively easy time against Jared Cannonier, as he controlled distance and kept him hesitant the entire time.
Stealing the show though, was Alex Pereira, who was clearly the biggest winner on the card. After Sean Strickland criticized his striking ability during the lead up, Pereira just quickly and completely destroyed him on their match. The former GLORY champ probably booked himself a lucrative title bout against Adesanya, who he already beat during their kickboxing days.
Below, we analyze the pros and cons of each of the key bouts, with a quick twitter thread that’s short and fitting for people’s social media era attention spans:
O’MALLEY EYE POKES MUNHOZ
PROS: I guess they were sportsmanlike about it, but…
CONS: That was very anticlimactic. Feeling out period was just starting and we didn’t get to see how O’Malley does with that step up. Eye injuries are serious too, so hopefully Munhoz is okay.
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) July 3, 2022
BARBERENA TKOs LAWLER
PROS: Fun while it lasted. Lawler looked good at moments, but Barberena drowned him with volume. Touched him up to get reactions and mixed in legit shots
CONS: It was fun but sad. Lawler is good at hiding it, but doesn’t react the same to big shots anymore
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) July 3, 2022
STRICKLAND KTFO’d BY PEREIRA
PROS: Strickland predictably tried to walk down, strike with a better striker and badly paid for it. Pereira got the biggest win tonight and gets Adesanya next!
CONS: That was clean, so unless you’re Strickland or part of that infowars market, none!
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) July 3, 2022
VOLKANOVSKI PICKS APART HOLLOWAY
CONS: Sad to see Max lose, but this is clearly Volkanovski’s era
PROS: 5-0 shutout. As great as Holloway is, Volkanovski keeps improving and proved he surpassed everyone else at 145. A move to 155 next is so intriguing. https://t.co/lhzefIg7Go
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) July 3, 2022
ADESANYA DECISIONS CANNONIER
CONS: Not really entertaining, but that was on Cannonier too
PROS: Izzy’s so sharp from distance, kept Cannonier frozen & uncomfortable with feints, counters. Even when Izzy let go of the gas, he still second guessed himself https://t.co/3WhHPem1ne
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) July 3, 2022
#UFC276 OVERALL
PROS: Despite uniform restrictions, Adesanya got creative with an Undertaker walkout. Pereira KOing Strickland was perfect, and Izzy rematch will be . Volk’s height vs tall LWs next?
CONS: Anticlimactic O’Malley eye poke. Vets like Lawler and Cerrone lost.
— Bloody Elbow (@BloodyElbow) July 3, 2022
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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