UFC 316: 3 things we learned that went under the radar

Yahoo

2 days ago

Merab Dvalishvili and Kayla Harrison proved their bantamweight supremacy over worthy opposition this past weekend to close the bill at UFC 316 in Newark, New Jersey. A card that did not look as promising — to a casual viewer — bloomed in the Garden State and gave us plenty to think about.
Harrison's second-round submission of Juliana Peña was so dominant that it flipped "The Venezuelan Vixen's" fighting words into prayers for future success. The victory set up a fight for the ages, as the GOAT of women's MMA, Amanda Nunes, has now set her sights on a title bout against Harrison two years after supposedly laying her gloves down for good — and just weeks before her induction into the UFC Hall of Fame.
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From one GOAT announcing her return, another may have established his position in history. Who is beating Dvalishvili after he dusted a rebranded Sean O'Malley in the third round? Any questions about their first fight were soundly put to bed, as a healthy, refocused O'Malley could not replicate what his "Suga" alter ego did in September and at least make it to the final buzzer against "The Machine."
No smoking, no social media, no flashy hair colors, no signature "Superstar" walkout? "No problem," said the Georgian. Dvalishvili is getting better with each fight — and that's terrifying. From an entertaining decision over Umar Nurmagomedov to his nasty north-south choke on O'Malley, it's all done with a smile on his face. It's hard to believe that worthy contender Cory Sandhagen and the rest of the bantamweight division could impose the slightest threat to the current champion.
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But Saturday's card at Prudential Center was much more than the pay-per-view lineup. From the prelims to the headliners, there were plenty of reasons to annotate this event. Here are three things we learned from UFC 316 that went under the radar.
The future is bright for Asian fighters in the UFC
Joshua Van knocked out Bruno Silva in their flyweight bout at UFC 316 in New Jersey (Elsa/Getty Images)
(Elsa via Getty Images)
There must be something in the water in Asia that is producing a future generation of stars in the biggest stage of MMA. Not to say all Asian fighters are dominating the UFC, but UFC 316 was a great showcase of what's coming from the world's largest continent.
Setting the table was Korea's Yoo Joo-sang, who took on Indonesia's Jeka Saragih in a featherweight bout on Saturday's undercard. In his UFC debut, "Zombie Jr." announced his arrival with fireworks, producing a beautiful knockout in just 28 seconds. Luring his opponent into the fence, Yoo landed a left hook, found Saragih's chin and sent him falling into the canvas face-first to move to 9-0 as a pro.
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That theme of sharp striking immediately carried over to Wang Cong, who picked apart Ariane da Silva in the next bout after da Silva missed weight by seven pounds for their women's flyweight contest. The Chinese striker chopped at da Silva's left calf and used her crisp boxing to cruise toward a unanimous decision with 30-27s across the board.
Piecing up a durable opponent was also key for Joshua Van, who at 23 years old is proving to be the one of hottest prospects in the flyweight division. Born in Hakha, Myanmar, the Burmese-American sensation scored his fourth straight win by stopping Bruno Silva inside three rounds in the prelims headliner.
While Silva had his moments in the fight, Van shook off any errors and picked up where he left off with his striking, landing 149 of 241 strikes and holding Silva to 77-of-150 before scoring a third-round stoppage. Not even near his fighting prime, Van is now 14-2 and 7-1 in the UFC.
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Asian talents are no strangers to the world of MMA. However, Saturday's display showed why the sun continues to rise in the east and beam into the sport. With Zhang Weili ahead of the pack and the likes of Song Yadong, Kai Asakura, Tatsuro Taira and Yan Xiaonan all in the picture — the possibilities are endless.
The UFC debut curse lives on
Mario Bautista defeated Patchy Mix at UFC 316 in Newark, New Jersey (Elsa/Getty Images)
(Elsa via Getty Images)
How many parlays were busted by underdog Mario Bautista's incredible performance over UFC debutant Patchy Mix in their bantamweight meeting?
It was no surprise that Las Vegas had Mix favored to come out victorious. After all, this was a much-hyped Bellator champion going up against the No. 10 fighter in the UFC's 135-pound rankings. Nonetheless, Bautista showed the key difference between the UFC and everybody else as Mix appeared to melt under the bright lights of the Octagon— further solidifying the UFC debut curse.
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Bautista put on a "Welcome to the League" masterclass and showed Mix he was not going to cakewalk his way into the ranks. The fight remained standing for 15 minutes, with both men throwing nearly the same amount of strikes; Bautista landed 173-of-302, while Mix landed 122-of-304.
In what was one of the most anticipated UFC debuts in recent years, Mix's feet looked like concrete blocks standing on quicksand. On the other hand, Bautista took the chip on his shoulder and dipped it in the mix to show the level differences.
Kayla Harrison excluded, several big names have been shut down in their UFC debuts after making the jump from other promotions as of late. Mix joins fellow Bellator champion Patricio Pitbull, who lost to Yair Rodriguez in April, and former RIZIN champion Asakura, who was gifted a title shot in his debut and got submitted by Alexandre Pantoja in the second round. However, this theme dates all the way back to the UFC's DVD era.
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Remember Mauricio Rua's UFC debut in 2007? "Shogun" was one of the biggest stars in Pride FC but got stunningly submitted by "The Ultimate Fighter" winner Forrest Griffin in his first UFC fight.
Bautista made a statement for himself and showed his worthiness of that coveted UFC ranking. It's a movie we've seen before and continues to get remade.
Don't skip leg day
MarQuel Mederos used leg kicks to defeat Mark Choinski at UFC 316 (Michelle Farsi/Zuffa LLC)
(Michelle Farsi via Getty Images)
If you don't know by now, lower-body attacks continue to prove their effectiveness in the Octagon. Saturday's event was no exception as the leg and calf kicks were on full display early into the card.
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The use of leg attacks in Newark would make the likes of Jose Aldo, Edson Barbosa and hip-hop legends A Tribe Called Quest proud. It started with the very first fight in the evening as MarQuel Mederos rocked Mark Choinski's foundation en route to a decisive victory on the cards.
Mederos landed 32 leg strikes, mostly targeting Choinski's calf — and it paid off exceptionally. The leg attacks resulted in three knockdowns in the second round as Choinski was heavily compromised and forced to switch stances.
Three fights later, Wang forced da Silva to protect her left leg instead of focusing on her upper-body attacks by landing 40 of 43 leg strikes throughout their 15-minute bout. The early onslaught on da Silva's legs allowed "The Joker" to beat her body and head up as she struggled to retreat with her wheels locked.
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Wang landed 75 strikes to the head and 28 to the body while chopping at da Silva's calf. In the second round, one of the leg kicks dropped da Silva and nearly led to a finish. Although the Brazilian found some momentum late in the fight, her inability to attack from the leg kicks early on put her two rounds down as Wang secured the decision.
While viewers mostly opt for headhunting affairs, there's few things more brutal than a masterful leg-chopping performance. The leg kick is one of the most effective and used weapons in the sport, yet it still feels underrated and under-appreciated. Take note. And if you don't know, now you know.