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Another UFC Fight Night has come and gone and another hype train has been derailed. Well, perhaps derailed is too strong of a word in relation to Joe Pyfer, but it can’t be denied that his ascension has been significantly slowed. Used to disposing of his opposition within the course of a round or two, Pyfer was unable to put Jack Hermansson away within his usual time frame. The prospect slowed beyond the second round and Hermansson managed to secure a comeback unanimous decision victory.
Even with the loss, most would agree it was an encouraging performance from Pyfer. While his activity slowed, he wasn’t simply looking to survive down the stretch. He was still able to threaten Hermansson with his power at times and wasn’t completely exhausted down the stretch as many others have been over the course of a five-round UFC fight. Thus, while Pyfer took his first L in the UFC, it hardly feels like it was a disappointing night for the up-and-comer.
But who were the real winners and losers of the event? Sure, 13 UFC fighters officially had their hand raised in victory, but that doesn’t always mean they are the true winners of the night. Same with those who didn’t get their hand raised. Just like not all wins are created equal, not all losses are either. I’ll give you the lowdown on who the biggest winners and losers of the event were. I’ll limit it to three in each category, doing my best to avoid having the same combatants of a contest in both categories. Let’s dig in!
UFC Fight Night Winners
Jack Hermansson
There were a LOT of prognosticators writing off Hermansson before this UFC fight. I could understand picking Pyfer, but saying Hermansson was washed? That never made sense to me. Hermansson went out and showed why he’s considered to be one of the more savvy members of the division. Though it was clear Pyfer was the more powerful athlete, Hermansson stayed the course, patiently chipping away early and ensuring his survival. As Pyfer slowed – in part from Hermansson’s chipping – the Swede took control down the stretch and reminded everyone why he had a number next to his name.
I don’t see anyone declaring Hermansson a rehabilitated contender with the win, but he did prove he’s deserving of his ranking at the very least. At 35, Hermansson is one of the senior members within the divisional rankings, meaning it’s likely the UFC will continue to throw up-and-comers at him rather than provide him an opportunity to climb the rankings. However, Hermansson was smart enough to make a callout of Nassourdine Imavov, that’s a UFC fight that makes sense and against someone ahead of him. Asking for what you want increases the chances of getting it. Thus, with the callout, I see Hermansson avoiding looking to preserve his number again.
Dan Ige
In general, the feeling is Ige’s ceiling is roughly the ten spot in the official UFC rankings. Every time it feels like we should solidify that thought, Ige tends to come out and either dominate his opponent or put them to sleep in short order. In this case, Ige one-shotted Fili with a devastating right hook that put the longtime veteran to sleep. Sure, there was a follow-up punch, but it was about as necessary as Dan Henderson’s flying punch on Michael Bisping. Fili was OUT and Ige was $50K richer.
While I still believe Ige’s ceiling is established, performances like that will give the UFC the inkling that maybe they want to give him another opportunity to breakthrough. That Ige has managed to equal out the amount of finishes he has in his UFC run to the amount of decisions he has helps too. Perhaps that sounds a bit goofy to mention, but he developed a reputation as a decision machine that he hasn’t fully been able to shake. Perhaps this KO will be enough to change that image. If he gets another crack at a top ten opponent, I think we’ll be able to say it has been.
Rodolfo Vieira
Vieira has maintained some backers, but the hype that surrounded him when he first entered the UFC has been absent since he lost to Anthony Hernandez a few years ago. Since that point, Vieira has turned into an actual MMA fighter as opposed to a supreme grappler looking to learn the other aspects of the sport. The fact Hernandez has turned into a hell of a UFC fighter doesn’t hurt either, but Vieira calmly picking apart Armen Petrosyan should be a signal that Vieira may very well be who we thought he was.
It would be one thing if it was just Vieira finding a submission at this UFC fight. It was the methodical method in which Vieira managed to take Petrosyan down time after time, all without expended a ridiculous amount of energy. That’s a far cry from the Vieira who gassed against Hernandez. And while his 34 years of age is a legit concern, Alex Pereira wasn’t a spring chicken when he entered the UFC either. Vieira’s finally figuring out how to get an MMA fight into his world with efficiency. That makes him a dark horse worth keeping an eye on… provided he continues to progress.
UFC Fight Night Losers
Trevin Giles
Giles’ loss to Carlos Prates may be the perfect encapsulation of his career. For the majority of the UFC fight, Giles looked like the best version of himself. He was working away on the legs of Prates for almost two rounds while landing the occasional hard punching combinations to the head. Given the oomph he had to those punches, it wouldn’t be a surprise if one of those shots eventually put Prates away. Instead, Prates baited Giles with a powerful left hand when Giles was expecting a knee, resulting in a one-punch KO.
I don’t know if this represents the end of the UFC road for Giles. As good as he looked, it’s hard to say he doesn’t belong. But he has a nasty habit of giving away UFC fights he is in firm control of while managing to eke out controversial victories that – at worst – could have gone either way. Given how long he’s been around, it’s easy to forget he’s still only 31, so the best version of himself may be yet to come. Despite that, the UFC may have seen enough of his frustrating ways. The guess here is he’ll hang on as the UFC will accept frustrating provided the entertainment value is there, but I’ve been wrong before.
Bruna Brasil
Brasil wasn’t embarrassed by any means in her loss to Loma Lookboonmee. She put on a measured performance that didn’t see her get suffer any serious damage or look silly. But she also decided to fight the exact kind of fight Lookboonmee likes for the first two rounds, essentially giving away the UFC fight to the smaller fighter. Perhaps Brasil was suckered in by her height and reach advantage, but her corner told her between the first and second rounds she was down after one. Why not make the adjustment she made in the third round at that point?
It’s unlikely Brasil needs to worry about being cut after this loss, but she hasn’t managed to live up to the hype she had entering the UFC last year. Granted, most have concluded the hype was overblown in the first place, but she’s been far too cautious for her own good. It’s well established Dana White has a soft spot for those willing to go out on their shield and that hasn’t been the case for Brasil. This fight was a furtherance of that narrative. The tools are there for Brasil; she just needs to develop the confidence.
Devin Clark
It needs to be said that Marcin Prachnio is better than he’s reputed to be. He’s won four of his last six and that includes a victory over current top ten light heavyweight Khalil Rountree. Plus, Prachnio was stylistically a bad matchup for Clark, something that should have been more obvious in retrospect. However, reputation matters. Clark was at least a two-to-one favorite over Prachnio and was unable to take a single round on the judges’ scorecards. That’s a terrible look for Clark, one that might end up putting him on the chopping block.
One of the things that hurts Clark is his long tenure within the UFC. Like any profitable business, the UFC is known for their penny pinching. Given Clark has lost five of his last seven fights and his long tenure means he has a high price tag given the level of competition he has been facing, that tenure could be coming to an end. The shallow nature of the light heavyweight division might be enough to save him, but I feel confident saying this is the thinnest the ice has been for Clark since joining the UFC in 2016.
