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Last night’s UFC Fight Night event didn’t feature many ranked fighters, but it was a decently entertaining show overall.
UFC Fight Night: Jessica Andrade vs. Erin Blanchfield saw some fighters pick up big wins and advance their cause in their various divisions – even if some of them weren’t too highly ranked coming in.
Whether these fighters now go on to have real success remains to be seen, but it’s safe to say that their wins last night should put them on the right path.
Here are the five biggest winners from UFC Fight Night: Jessica Andrade vs. Erin Blanchfield.
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#5. Nazim Sadykhov and Evan Elder – fought in a UFC lightweight bout
The ‘Fight of the Night’ award at last night’s UFC event quite rightfully went to Nazim Sadykhov and Evan Elder.
The two lightweights went to war from the off in their bout, which sat at the top of the prelim card, and while few fans would’ve been excited about them going in, that will surely have changed now.
Despite coming in with an octagon loss to his name, it was actually Nick Diaz protégé Elder who seemed to be the sharper fighter in the early going. He scored a big knockdown of his foe in the opening round, bloodying his mouth.
Sadykhov came roaring back, though, and the two men continued to exchange huge shots until the third round. The finish came there, but because it came as a result of a doctor’s stoppage when Elder suffered a nasty cut, he didn’t feel like a loser per say.
Overall, this was a fantastic fight that nobody was really expecting, and with both men being $50k richer and with more exposure to their name, it’s safe to say that they should both be considered big winners.
#4. AJ Fletcher – defeated Themba Gorimbo in a UFC welterweight bout
Probably because it came so early on in the show, AJ Fletcher’s win over UFC debutant Themba Gorimbo ended up largely flying under the radar. Despite coming via a slick guillotine choke, it didn’t even earn Fletcher a bonus award.
Regardless of this, though, it’s impossible not to consider ‘The Ghost’ one of the biggest winners from last night’s event.
That’s because he not only saved his career with the promotion thanks to his win, but it also came on his 26th birthday.
Prior to last night, Fletcher looked like the type of fighter who wouldn’t last in the UFC all that long.
After being picked up by the promotion following a flying knee win on Dana White’s Contender Series, he failed to produce that kind of explosive power in two decision losses to unheralded foes.
However, faced with the unbeaten Gorimbo last night, ‘The Ghost’ fought marvelously, dominating his foe in all areas before finishing him with a tight guillotine in the second round.
While it didn’t make him $50k richer, the win will definitely mean Fletcher gets another fight in the octagon – and that means he got the ideal birthday present.
#3. Alexander Hernandez – defeated Jim Miller in a UFC lightweight bout
When he debuted in the UFC back in 2018 by knocking out Beneil Dariush, Alexander Hernandez looked like the lightweight division’s next breakout star. However, since then, it hasn’t been plain sailing for him.
Prior to last night, ‘The Great Ape’ had won a further four fights in the octagon, but he’d also lost five and was coming into his clash with Jim Miller on a two-bout skid. Had he lost last night, he could well have lost his spot on the roster.
However, Hernandez ended up just about edging out the veteran over three rounds, surviving some sticky moments to just about get off enough offense to earn the nod.
Sure, Miller isn’t as dangerous as he was during his prime, but he’s still more than capable of winning fights, meaning that ‘The Great Ape’ should be highly pleased with his victory.
At the age of 30, Hernandez still has some time to develop, but he’s probably just about hitting his athletic prime now.
Based on this showing, he’s not quite ready to be a contender, but everyone knows he’s got the base to become that – so it’ll be interesting to see if he can improve again in his next bout.
#2. Mayra Bueno Silva – defeated Lina Lansberg in a UFC bantamweight bout
There were only four ranked fighters competing on last night’s UFC event, and so two of them picked up big wins to climb the ladder further.
While she didn’t quite get as much exposure as she might’ve done had her fight been on the main card, it’s definitely fair to label Mayra Bueno Silva as one of the biggest winners of the night.
The Brazilian used a picture-perfect kneebar to submit Lina Lansberg, and there’s a chance that she might climb up from her #14 spot into the top ten after it.
Interestingly, Silva has never lost in the octagon at 135lbs, and has an underrated record of 5-2-1 overall. When you consider that Lansberg had never lost via submission before, the fact that Silva was able to tap her after dominating her only becomes more impressive.
Will the Brazilian be rewarded with a bout against someone like Raquel Pennington or Miesha Tate next, as she called for after the fight?
The UFC may as well run with it, particularly as there’s a dearth of contenders for bantamweight champ Amanda Nunes right now. If they do, then Silva can expect far more exposure than she got last night.
#1. Erin Blanchfield – defeated Jessica Andrade in a UFC flyweight bout
There’s absolutely no doubt that the biggest winner last night was Erin Blanchfield. ‘Cold Blooded’ fought brilliantly in her first-ever UFC headliner, submitting former strawweight champion Jessica Andrade in the second round.
Sure, ‘Bate Estaca’ was taking the fight on late notice, meaning that Blanchfield’s win over her comes with a slight caveat, but it was still impressive to see.
Blanchfield not only dominated Andrade on the ground before tapping her out, she also more than held her own on the feet with a dangerous and powerful striker. ‘Cold Blooded’ landed heavy strikes to back her Brazilian foe up, and showed a strong chin to absorb some shots in turn.
After the fight, Blanchfield called for a clash with the winner of the upcoming flyweight title bout between Valentina Shevchenko and Alexa Grasso, and with five straight wins to her name, it’d be hard to deny her that shot.
Could we have seen the next UFC flyweight champion in action last night, then? Obviously, Shevchenko is a pound-for-pound great, but Taila Santos proved she isn’t invulnerable in her last fight.
With that considered, Blanchfield – who seems to be getting better with each fight – seems to have as good a chance of unseating her as anyone. Put simply, last night’s win was monumental for her.
