Merry Christmas Happy New Year + Weekly MMA Report
There were many great combats at the last UFC event of 2022 (UFC Vegas 66). Unfortunately, the main event ended in a very controversial split draw between Sean Strickland and Jared Cannonier. Jared won, but Strickland made more visible damage to Jared’s face. Judges scored 49-46 Cannonier x 2, and 49-46 Strickland, which makes it even weirder. This combat was a real technical five-round warfare.
Drew Dober and Bobby Green earned the Fight of the Night award after amazing toe-to-toe combat. Green was leading after round 1. Yet, Dober flattened him in the second round with a massive left hook, and both warriors earned the Fight of the Night awards.
Drew Dober ties Dustin Poirier for most knockouts in UFC lightweight history with eight 😤 #UFCVegas66 pic.twitter.com/8aiBBYreDC
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 18, 2022
Alex Caceres tricked Julian Erosa with a big left hook, then sent him to the floor with a powerful left hook for one of the greatest knockouts of 2022, which also led to the Performance of the Night award!
Another vicious knockout at #UFCVegas66 as Alex Caceres just headkicked Julian Erosa into the oblivionpic.twitter.com/zuhU4ucnIy
— Al Zullino (@phre) December 18, 2022
Michal Oleksiejczuk earned the second Performance of the Night award after an amazing reversal and ground-and-pound bombs that stopped Cody Brundage in the first round.
Michał Oleksiejczuk (🇵🇱) teaches Cody Brundage why wrist control isn't enough to save you from ground and pound. pic.twitter.com/e3R6lx8Zvx
— Miguel Class (@MigClass) December 18, 2022
Some entertaining match-ups are set, for example. Roman Dolidze will square off against Marvin Vettori at the UFC 286 event. This is the clash of the hardest worker at 185 against the most powerful BJJ and clinch game ever seen. Roman should have the advantage on the ground, but it’s almost impossible to finish Vettori, so this one will probably go to the judges’ scorecards!
Prediction: the fight goes the distance
Holly Holm and Yana Kunitskaya are returning after a long time, and the two are set to fight on March 25th, 2023! Holm is a former UFC bantamweight champion and a great striking cardio machine thanks to her everyday rope jumping sessions, while Kunitskaya is a new mom, she’s getting back inside the Octagon after giving birth to her first child. Let’s see whether the kid will motivate her or drain all of her energy!
Prediction: Holly Holm to win
There won’t be a UFC event for the next three weeks, so FitnessFighters wishes u Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! And no worries, the New Year’s Cage Warriors event will be very fun to watch next week, this break will not affect the fans of the fastest-growing sport on the planet!
[…] is no UFC until January 14th, but no worries, it is well known that Japan makes New Year’s Eve spectacles. […]