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Last night’s UFC Fight Night event wasn’t filled with many fights that could impact title pictures. However, it looked to focus on clashes that were heavy in action – and in that sense, it delivered.
There were many big winners at UFC Fight Night: Jan Blachowicz vs. Aleksandar Rakic. All of them will be hopeful of advancing up the ladder in their respective divisions.
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Whether their wins last night put them directly into title contention is another thing entirely. However, it’s safe to say that for, now at least, the spotlight will shine on them.
On that note, here are the five biggest winners from UFC Fight Night: Jan Blachowicz vs. Aleksandar Rakic:
#5. Michael Johnson – defeated Alan Patrick in a UFC lightweight bout
Last night was a huge one for longtime lightweight contender Michael Johnson. His back was against the wall, probably more than any other fighter competing on the card.
A part of the UFC roster since 2010, Johnson hadn’t actually won a bout inside the octagon since October 2018. He hadn’t picked up a finish since his knockout of Dustin Poirier in September 2016. More to the point, since that last win, he’d lost four fights in a row.
Essentially, if he had failed to beat Alan Patrick last night, he’d likely have been cut from his contract. At his age – 35 – success in a promotion like Bellator may well have been difficult to come by. However, Johnson not only beat Patrick, he knocked him silly and looked excellent while doing so.
Sure, the win won’t elevate ‘The Menace’ into the title contending spot he filled after he knocked out Poirier. However, it will definitely keep him afloat for the time being. If he can pull out a couple more big wins, who knows where he can go?
If nothing else, though, he has turned the corner. While he somehow didn’t pick up a $50L bonus for his efforts, he should still be considered one of last night’s biggest winners.
#4. Katlyn Chookagian – defeated Amanda Ribas in a UFC flyweight bout
Given the exciting nature of Davey Grant’s bantamweight clash with Louis Smolka, it was surprising to see the flyweight bout between Katlyn Chookagian and Amanda Ribas given the $50K bonus for putting on the 'Fight of the Night'.
However, there’s no disputing that their clash was an excellent one. Both women exchanged heavy duty strikes throughout before Chookagian picked up a narrow split-decision victory.
Will the win move ‘Blonde Fighter’ into a title shot against current UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko? It’s unlikely. Sure, she’s on a four-fight win streak, but she was whitewashed by ‘The Bullet’ in their 2020 fight and hasn’t improved notably since then.
Nevertheless, it’s impossible to play down this win for her, simply because for once, it came in exciting fashion. Usually derided as one of the UFC’s duller fighters to watch, Chookagian produced the goods last night. While it was a closer fight than she is used to, it worked for her.
Will we see her switch styles now to become more reckless – as former welterweight contender Chris Lytle once did? Only time will tell, but this was an excellent performance from her.
#3. Manuel Torres – defeated Frank Camacho in a UFC lightweight bout
Practically every UFC event these days features at least one or two debutants looking to make a splash. Last night’s best one was undoubtedly Mexico’s Manuel Torres, who sparked out Frank Camacho in the first round.
The knockout was so good that it earned ‘El Loco’ a $50K bonus cheque. That should mean he’ll have plenty of hype behind him going into his next fight, whenever that might be.
Torres already had a total of 11 finishes before last night, with five coming via knockout and six via submission. That includes a TKO in his appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series.
However, Camacho was clearly his toughest test to date. Sure, nobody would mistake ‘The Crank’ as a UFC lightweight contender. However, in his previous octagon appearances, he’d displayed an iron chin, making him a tricky match for the newcomer.
Torres didn’t show that at all, though – waylaying his opponent with a series of brutal punches. He eventually ended his night with a nasty combination in just over three minutes.
It’s too early to tell, but right now, it looks like the future is bright for ‘El Loco’. Fans will now be excited to see him again, making him a huge winner on the night.
#2. Ryan Spann – defeated Ion Cutelaba in a UFC light heavyweight bout
The UFC’s light heavyweight division is in an interesting position right now. There are many contenders – both aging veterans and rising prospects – looking to climb to the top, and unlike when Jon Jones held the title there, champion Glover Teixeira feels somewhat vulnerable.
That means any fight between ranked fighters at 205lbs is fascinating to watch. So the fact that #13-ranked Ryan Spann was able to beat a dangerous foe in Ion Cutelaba in impressive fashion last night makes him one of the event’s biggest winners.
The fight was somewhat sloppy, with both men almost throwing too much into their strikes in an attempt to finish the other. However, when Cutelaba left his neck wide open, ‘Superman’ pounced and locked up a high-angle guillotine choke to force him to tap out.
The win was Spann’s sixth in the octagon. When you consider all of his tools – he’s a huge 205 lber with finishing ability both standing and on the ground – it’s difficult not to consider him a genuine title contender right now.
Is he good enough to deal with the likes of Magomed Ankalaev and Jiri Prochazka? It’s difficult to say, but this win erases the memory of his poor loss to Anthony Smith and put him in a fight with an opponent of that calibre – making him a big winner on the night.
#1. Jan Blachowicz – defeated Aleksandar Rakic in a UFC light heavyweight bout
His victory certainly didn’t come in the way he would’ve hoped, but it’s difficult not to consider Jan Blachowicz as last night’s biggest winner. Not only did he pick up his first win since losing the UFC light heavyweight title to Glover Teixeira, he beat one of the division’s most highly touted prospects too.
Did Blachowicz take out Aleksandar Rakic in a flurry of punches as he did to the likes of Luke Rockhold and Dominick Reyes? Well, no. The fight was one of those unfortunate ones that ended with an injury. Rakic’s left leg appeared to buckle when he attempted to throw a strike, leaving him unable to continue.
Nevertheless, it’d be difficult to say that Blachowicz’s work didn’t lead to the injury occurring. He threw a number of nasty low kicks to the legs of ‘The Rocket’, and it was probably the damage done to them that caused the Austrian’s knee to pop.
Given that Blachowicz is now 39, had he lost here, it would’ve been easy to imagine a scenario that would’ve seen him tumble down the rankings. However, given that he beat the #3 ranked fighter in the division, there’s every chance he could secure another title shot. That's particularly if Magomed Ankalaev fails to beat Anthony Smith impressively, or Jiri Prochazka takes out Teixeira in their upcoming clash.
It’s unlikely we’ll see the Polish fighter claim the gold again, but even climbing back into contention is huge for him, making him last night’s biggest winner.
