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After last weekend’s epic UFC 262, UFC Vegas 27 was always going to fly under the radar. In the end, it was a show that featured some decent action but nothing earth-shattering.
Still, as with any UFC event, there were a handful of notable moments worth talking about. So with that in mind, here are the five most explosive moments from UFC Vegas 27: Rob Font vs. Cody Garbrandt.
#1 Carla Esparza earns a UFC title shot by smashing Yan Xiaonan
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By far the most impressive – and probably the most violent – showing at UFC Vegas 27 came from Carla Esparza in the co-main event.
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Up against Yan Xiaonan, who was unbeaten in the UFC coming into this event, Esparza produced arguably her best octagon showing since she defeated Rose Namajunas for the UFC strawweight title back in 2014.
The first round saw the Cookie Monster land more than one takedown and beat on Xiaonan from the top, cutting her open with punches and elbows.
In the second round, Esparza channelled her inner Matt Hughes by securing a mounted crucifix before destroying the Chinese fighter with more punches and elbows.
The finish was pretty awesome considering Xiaonan’s winning streak prior to the fight, and should set Esparza up for a shot at Namajunas in what should be an intriguing rematch.
#2 Bruno Silva sparks out Victor Rodriguez in beautiful fashion
While Carla Esparza’s finish was brutal, the most explosive knockout of the night came on the preliminary card courtesy of Bruno Silva.
The Bulldog wasted little time in hurting opponent Victor Rodriguez with a right hand seemingly to the ear, and from there, a seriously nasty finishing instinct kicked in.
Silva nailed Rodriguez with a knee, and then decked him with a right hand before sealing the deal with some quickfire punches on the mat.
Not only did the win net Silva an extra $50k, but it puts him on a two-fight winning streak in the UFC – meaning that he could well be a surprising dark horse to watch in the flyweight division.
#3 Ben Rothwell busts out his trademark choke again
If we’re being really frank, Ben Rothwell hasn’t been much fun to watch recently.
The UFC heavyweight veteran was involved in two of 2020’s worst fights, battling Ovince St. Preux and Marcin Tybura in a pair of slow-paced slop-fests.
And when newcomer Chris Barnett was matched with him as a replacement for Philipe Lins, it felt like we’d end up with a third bad showing from Big Ben.
However, after a slow first round, Rothwell turned up the heat on the UFC newcomer and managed to take him out in style.
A series of punches had Beast Boy hurt, and from there, Rothwell snapped him down and applied his trademark 10-finger guillotine to force a tapout.
It was the third time we’d seen Rothwell use the choke to force a submission in the UFC, and given his status as a well-paid veteran – an endangered species in the UFC these days – it may well have saved his career with the promotion.
#4 David Dvorak shows how you deal with a late replacement
The UFC flyweight division isn’t exactly chock-full of prospects right now, but one of the more intriguing fighters in the mix might be David Dvorak.
The Undertaker was 2-0 in the UFC going into last night’s show following impressive wins over Jordan Espinosa and Bruno Silva.
But last night was by far his best performance inside the octagon to date.
Dvorak was essentially put into a no-win situation of sorts. Initially pegged to fight Raulian Paiva, he was given late replacement Juancamilo Ronderos on one day’s notice after Paiva failed to make weight.
But the Undertaker simply didn’t play with his food, hurting Ronderos on the feet with some early strikes.
And when the two men scrambled, Dvorak quickly took advantage, spinning onto his opponent’s back and securing a one-armed rear naked choke to force him to tap.
This was Dvorak’s first UFC finish and it was a thing of beauty – so hopefully the UFC gives him a main card showcase next time out.
#5 Rob Font’s jab in general
Rob Font’s main event win over Cody Garbrandt didn’t come via an explosive knockout, which is why it’s at the bottom of this list and not the top.
But it would be unfair not to mention the ramrod jab that Font used to pick Garbrandt apart en route to a pretty clear-cut unanimous decision.
Was it as pretty to watch as a brutal overhand right, for instance? Absolutely not.
But it was probably just as painful for Garbrandt, who seemed to eat shot after shot throughout the fight. And while No Love’s chin held up this time around, when the fight ended it was quite clear which of the two men was the winner.
Font has had more explosive performances in the UFC before and will probably have them after this too, but for now, this – a win over a former UFC champion – stands as the high point of the Boston native’s career.
