Welcome back to the Post-Fight report card, where I will be breaking down the results and assigning each fighter a letter grade for their performance.
Though the card suffered its fair share of late-notice cancellations, it still showed through in an entertaining event, headlined by Robert Whittaker and Kelvin Gastelum.
Before we get into the breakdown, let’s go through the grading criteria. There are four major factors for me, coming down to finishes, domination, level of opponent, and fight IQ, giving us some insight into how they will perform going forward.
| Robert Whittaker def. Kelvin Gastelum by Decision | (50-45 x3) |
| Robert Whittaker – B+ | Kelvin Gastelum – C- |
| Andrei Arlovski def. Chase Sherman by Decision | (29-28 x3) |
| Andrei Arlovski – C+ | Chase Sherman – C- |
| Jacob Malkoun def. Abdul Razak Alhassen by Decision | (30-27 x3) |
| Jacob Malkoun – B- | Abdul Razak Alhassen – D |
| Tracy Cortez def. Justine Kish by Decision | Split (29-28 x2, 28-29) |
| Tracy Cortez – C | Justine wish – C- |
| Luis Pena def. Alex Munoz by Decision | Split (29-28 x2, 28-29) |
| Luis Pena – C+ | Alex Munoz – C- |
| Alexandr Romanov def. Juan Espino by Decision | Technical Split (29-28 x2, 28-29) |
| Alexandr Romanov – B- | Juan Espino – C |
| Jessica Penne def. Lupita Godinez by Decision | Split (29-28 x2, 28-29) |
| Jessica Penne – C | Lupita Godinez – C- |
| Gerald Meerschaert def. Bartosz Fabinski by Submission | Power Guillotine (2:00 of Round 1) |
| Gerald Meerschaert – A | Bartosz Fabinski – F |
| Austin Hubbard def. Dakota Bush by Decision | (29-28 x3) |
| Austin Hubbard – B- | Dakota Bush – D+ |
| Tony Gravely def. Anthony Birchak by Knockout | Left Hook to G&P (1:31 of Round 2) |
| Tony Gravely – A- | Anthony Birchak – D |
There you have it. There are a few fights I would like to highlight from the card.
Though this card could pretty much be summed up as “UFC: Split Decision” with just two finishes in ten fights, we likely have the next Middleweight title challenger lined up. Since losing his title to Israel Adesanya, Robert Whittaker has won three straight, all by decision. This was another dominant performance, where Whittaker once again proved his sound defensive ability and versatile skillset. There’s really nowhere else to go for him, as he has been the #1 contender since losing the title.
The featured prelim between Romanov and Espino saw the rarely seen technical decision, which saw the fight go to the judges’ scorecards BEFORE the final bell due to an inadvertent groin strike where Romanov could not continue. The bout was fun and entertaining with Romanov’s wild nature and tense grappling transitions. Though the ending was anti-climactic, both fighters are ones to watch going forward.
next week, the octagon will travel to Jacksonville, Florida for UFC 261 and the return of a live audience. This colossal card is decked out with a championship triple header and will not be one to miss!
Categories: UFC Reviews
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