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The UFC returned to the Las Vegas APEX last night. The Fight Night event on offer didn't have much hype but wasn't bad at all in the end.
UFC Fight Night: Jared Cannonier vs. Gregory Rodrigues featured some strong performances as well as some solid finishes up and down the card.
An event like this is always unlikely to be remembered too many months down the line, but for a throwaway card, it was watchable.
Here are five takeaways from UFC Fight Night: Jared Cannonier vs. Gregory Rodrigues.
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#5. In the UFC's thin heavyweight division, Valter Walker could be a contender
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The UFC's heavyweight division is arguably at a low point right now. Topped by a champion on the cusp of retirement in Jon Jones, the division does feature some talented fighters, but the top fifteen is also littered with journeymen and gatekeepers.
However, there are a couple of fighters out there who could provide a chink of light in the relative darkness. One such fighter might be Valter Walker.
The brother of light-heavyweight wildman Johnny Walker, 'The Clean Monster' came into his clash last night with No.15 ranked Don'Tale Mayes in the best shape of his career.
It didn't take him too long to succeed, either. He got Mayes down quickly, secured the top position, and then locked up a heel hook, forcing a tap out at just over the one-minute mark.
The win was Walker's second in the UFC and second via heel hook, too. Whether he's got the overall skills to reach the very top is still debatable, but for now, at least, this should be enough to move him into the top 15. In a painfully thin division, he could be a contender.
#4. Nazim Sadykhov might be a dark horse at 155 pounds
One of the most impressive performances last night came from lightweight Nazim Sadykhov. 'Black Wolf', an import to the Serra/Longo team from Azerbaijan, faced off with Ismael Bonfim looking for the third win of his UFC career.
It didn't take Sadykhov too long to get it. Despite being under fire for a lot of the first round, 'Black Wolf' hung tough and eventually landed the killer blow.
He caught Bonfim with a beautifully timed question mark kick, opening up a gash under his right eye that got worse after some follow-up strikes.
Once the first round ended, it was decided that the fight would end, primarily because there were doubts over whether Bonfim could see.
Sure, the end was anticlimactic, but Sadykhov still looked good, and improved his overall record to 10-1-1. With no losses on his record since 2018, 'Black Wolf' may well be a dark horse at 155 pounds. He's a fighter to keep a close eye on going forward.
#3. Edmen Shahbazyan still has potential and might've been pushed too hard early in his career
While the UFC prides itself on pitting the best against the best, this method can often do damage to a young fighter's career.
It's very easy for the promotion to push a young prospect hard off the back of a couple of flashy wins. After all, anyone could become the next Sean O'Malley, for instance, and if the fighter fails, the promotion can simply move on to the next prospect.
In that sense, it's arguable that Edmen Shahbazyan was pushed too hard, too early. 'The Golden Boy' was only 22 when he smashed veteran Brad Tavares to become one of the middleweight division's hottest fighters.
That win probably didn't make him ready for a proven, top-class opponent like Derek Brunson, though, and when he lost to Brunson, he probably shouldn't have been allowed to fight more top-10-ranked veterans.
There's no shame in losing to the likes of Nassourdine Imavov and Jack Hermansson, but those losses knocked Shahbazyan off course altogether and after going 2-2 in his last two fights, he could easily have washed out of the UFC.
However, last night saw him show flashes of that initial potential again. Faced with an overmatched opponent in Dylan Budka, 'The Golden Boy' blasted his way to a TKO win that earned him a bonus of $50k.
While he's been around for a long time now, Shahbazyan is still only 27, and his best years may still lie ahead of him. Therefore, he needs to be matched with more Bukda-level fighters for his next few fights. Maybe then he'll develop enough to live up to that early potential he showed.
#2. Calvin Kattar's time at the top of the UFC might be over
Last night's co-main event saw featherweight veteran Calvin Kattar battle with up-and-comer Youssef Zalal. Coming into the bout, many fans felt this was a chance for Kattar to get back on track.
'The Boston Finisher' had lost his last three fights in a row, and hadn't won since his January 2022 victory over Giga Chikadze.
While Zalal was riding a six-fight win streak, he just didn't seem like the type of fighter to be able to handle Kattar, if Kattar could recapture his best form.
Unfortunately, he simply couldn't. Zalal simply played matador, striking and moving around Kattar, who just couldn't really lay a glove on 'The Moroccan Devil'.
With no offense meant to Zalal, this felt a lot more like Kattar slowing down than Zalal suddenly leaping up a level, even if the win should land 'The Moroccan Devil' in the top 15.
Realistically, then, 'The Boston Finisher' might be just about done when it comes to being a genuine contender in the UFC. Whether he keeps on fighting or chooses to hang up his gloves is now a very fair question to ask.
#1. Jared Cannonier showed there's life in the old dog yet
While Calvin Kattar struggled and eventually lost his fight last night, another hardened UFC veteran in the form of Jared Cannonier proved that there's life in the old dog yet.
'The Killa Gorilla' came into his headline bout with Gregory Rodrigues off the back of two nasty losses. He took a beating from both Caio Borralho and Nassourdine Imavov, and there were very real questions about whether his durability was shot.
However, the 40-year-old proved his doubters wrong last night.
Cannonier took some heavy shots in the first round, suffering two big knockdowns from 'Robocop', who looked to be heading to a win.
However, the veteran hung tough, survived the stanza, and began to fight back. He wore Rodrigues down with pressure, all while managing to avoid the Brazilian's big shots, and soon, 'Robocop' began to tire.
The late part of the third round saw 'The Killa Gorilla' really turn the tide, decking his foe with an elbow. While he couldn't finish him there, he didn't let up in the fourth round - and destroyed Rodrigues with strikes, leading to a TKO stoppage.
Cannonier is clearly not capable of hanging with the very elite fighters at 185 pounds now, but based on this, he's still a very viable gatekeeper and will remain at the upper end of the rankings for some time.
More than anything else, he proved that at 40 years old, he's not ready to step away just yet.
