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The UFC visited London last night for a big Fight Night show. In the end, the home fans were left disappointed following the result of the headliner.
UFC Fight Night: Leon Edwards vs. Sean Brady featured some fun fights and finishes, and definitely threw up some talking points.
So with plenty to break down, this event will likely leave ramifications for some time. Here are five takeaways from UFC Fight Night: Leon Edwards vs. Sean Brady.
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#5. Shauna Bannon's comeback was one of the best in recent UFC history
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Coming into last night's UFC event, few fans would've been paying much attention to the preliminary bout between strawweights Shauna Bannon and Puja Tomar.
Fans who did skip the clash, though, missed out on one of the best comebacks in recent UFC history. It's likely that this will join bouts like Pat Barry vs. Cheick Kongo and Donald Cerrone vs. Melvin Guillard on all-time highlight reels.
After a bit of a forgettable first round, the fight suddenly burst into life in the second. Tomar folded Bannon with a beautiful left high kick, the shot landing to the side of the head and neck of the Irish fighter.
'Mama B' looked done, particularly when Tomar then pounced and smashed her with some accurate hammer fists. Remarkably, though, Bannon survived, and got her wits back quickly.
With Tomar dropping down into her guard, 'Mama B' threw her legs up for a triangle choke, and then somehow switched to an armbar. Tomar tried to work her way free, but only found herself in more difficulty, and moments later, had to tap out.
Sure, there's an argument that 'The Cyclone' probably snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Realistically, she should've demanded Bannon stand rather than go to the ground with her.
Regardless, though, this was a classic comeback, and one that will hopefully earn more viewers on highlight reels than it did last night.
#4. Molly McCann did the right thing by retiring following her loss
Popular strawweight Molly McCann was always in a very tricky situation going into her bout with Alexia Thainara last night.
'Meatball' had lost three of her previous four clashes, and probably needed to win to stay afloat in the UFC.
However, despite Thainara being a late-notice opponent, the Brazilian looked very talented when she fought on 'Dana White's Contender Series' and was clearly not going to be a pushover.
Indeed, 'Burguesinha' basically ran right through McCann, eventually submitting her in the first round of a one-sided bout. It was a painful loss for 'Meatball', who was never in the fight.
Afterwards, though, the native of Liverpool made a very smart decision. She chose to hang her gloves up rather than attempt to cling onto her UFC career or attempt to rebuild on the regional circuit.
McCann is a hugely popular fighter who has done nothing but good for the sport of MMA in the UK, but it was clear last night that she's probably not up to the UFC level anymore.
By retiring, though, there's a chance that the promotion will keep her on in an ambassadorial role, and that would be perfect for her. Unlike most fighters, then, 'Meatball' has seen the writing on the wall and made the right decision. For this, she should be commended.
#3. Kevin Holland needs to stay at 170 pounds to continue to progress
While they didn't receive any kind of bonus award for their work, it's arguable that the best fight on offer last night was the welterweight bout between Gunnar Nelson and Kevin Holland.
The bout was a back-and-forth one, with Nelson landing a number of takedowns and coming close with an arm triangle choke in the third round.
For the most part, though, Holland was able to stay one step ahead. Despite being on the bottom for lengthy stretches, 'The Trailblazer' still did more damage from underneath. He also had Nelson trapped in an oma plata at one point, and dropped him with a one-two in the first round too.
The win righted the ship for Holland, who'd lost his last two fights, but hopefully also taught him a valuable lesson - that he's better off at 170 pounds.
At 185 pounds, Holland pulled off a five-fight win streak and moved into low-end contention in 2020, but he admitted himself last night that he's just not physically strong enough to deal with large grapplers there.
That wasn't the case last night. Nelson looked huge and muscular, and still couldn't get a lot done against Holland. Whether Holland can get back into the rankings at welterweight remains to be seen, but this is definitely a better weight for him.
#2. Carlos Ulberg didn't get a finish, but he might've earned a title shot
Last night's co-headliner between Carlos Ulberg and Jan Blachowicz might've been more of a tactical battle than an explosive one, but in the end, Ulberg got the win he was looking for.
'Black Jag' basically won the fight thanks to his superior speed. Both men used low kicks and combinations to land their shots, but UIberg was able to catch Blachowicz almost every time he stepped in with cleaner counter-shots.
Sure, he never came close to scoring a finish, but given Blachowicz's well-renowned chin, this was nothing to be ashamed of.
In the end, the stats showed that Ulberg outlanded Blachowicz, though not by many shots, and clearly earned his win.
The big question now is whether Ulberg will receive a UFC title shot. He's got the best win streak in the division - eight fights in a row - and has shown that he's capable of violent finishes.
However, given that a rematch between Magomed Ankalaev and Alex Pereira is likely to be next, Ulberg may need to wait.
Whether that means he takes a fight in the meantime remains to be seen, but this win should at least move him ahead of the likes of Jamahal Hill in the queue. Right now, he's definitely the most interesting fresh contender in the division.
#1. Sean Brady is a title contender - but he might be stuck in a logjam
The most impressive performance last night, by far, came from Sean Brady. Seen by most observers as an underdog in the headline bout against former welterweight champ Leon Edwards, Brady came through, big time.
The Philadelphia native absolutely dominated 'Rocky' from start to finish, whitewashing him like nobody had ever done in the UFC before.
Brady got the better of the stand-up exchanges, took Edwards down with ease, bullied him on the ground and after coming close with a kimura, finally submitted him in the fourth with a mounted guillotine.
Given that Brady dealt with Edwards more impressively than current champ Belal Muhammad did, the win ought to bump him to the top of the rankings. Realistically, he probably deserves a title shot.
Unfortunately, he's also likely to hit a logjam. Muhammad is set to defend against Jack Della Maddalena at UFC 315 in May.
While Brady could make a case for facing the winner, it's likely that he will still be behind Shavkat Rakhmonov in the queue, particularly as he lost to Muhammad previously.
One more win, though, would make him impossible to deny - and based on what he did last night, it seems unlikely that anyone else is capable of stopping him.
