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Another UFC card has passed us by and with it comes a host of talking points and lessons.
The UFC Vegas 24 card had some memorable moments. In the prelims, Tony Gravely secured his first UFC finish in an exciting opening bout with Anthony Birchak, Gerald Meerschaert returned to the win column with yet another submission victory and Jessica Penne completed a heartwarming return to the cage with a hard-fought victory.
On the main card, Luis Pena rebounded with a win over Alex Munoz, Tracy Cortez established herself as a flyweight contender, Jacob Malkoun shut down Abdul Razak Alhassan and Robert Whittaker gave us another masterclass in the main event.
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The card showed all the hallmarks of being a good watch in the build-up and largely delivered. In action were prospects vying to make a name for themselves, contenders looking to make the next step up the rankings, and veterans showing they haven't lost a step.
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With that said, here are five things we learned from UFC Vegas 24.
#5 Andrei Arlovski still has gas in the tank
Andrei Arlovski's condition at 42-years-old is something to behold. Across a remarkable 53-fight career, the former UFC heavyweight champion boasts 31 wins, the latest of which came over Chase Sherman at UFC Vegas 24.
Arlovski's desire to compete is clear. After a defeat to Tom Apsinall stopped him winning a third consecutive fight, Arlovski was eager to walk to the octagon again as quickly as he could and get back into the win column. Arlovski did exactly that in the event's new co-main.
Against a man 11 years younger than him and on a four-fight winning streak, Arlovski looked as good as he ever has. He was perhaps slightly slow to get going but he grew into the fight and looked impressive on the feet.
Remarkably, Arlovski was the fresher fighter come the final round. Whilst Sherman looked labored and slow, Arlovski kept jumping around and looked just about as good as he did at the start of the bout.
In his post-fight interview, Arlovski said he hopes to keep fighting for a few more years. Judging by that fight, he has a lot left to give inside the UFC octagon.
#4 Tracy Cortez is a contender
Tracy Cortez has always been one of the most promising prospects in women's MMA. At UFC Vegas 24, she established herself as a legitimate contender in the flyweight division.
At the age of just 27, Cortez is highly regarded and showed exactly why against Justine Kish on Saturday night. Cortez secured a split decision win and extended her impressive winning streak to nine.
Cortez's win against Mariya Agapova on DWCS, her Invicta FC victories and her UFC career prior to this weekend had proven her immense grappling talent. Her takedowns and control on the ground against Kish will only have enhanced her reputation as a skilled wrestler.
But we also saw an intriguing side to Cortez on the feet and with her striking. Some brutal ground and pound shots in the opening round showed her power and she outstruck Kish across the fight, landing at over a 60% strike accuracy.
With her improved striking and clear-to-see talent on the ground, Cortez looks to have developed into a martial artist with all-round skills. It's clear she is a flyweight contender and a threat to the top names in the division.
#3 Inactivity still isn't an excuse!
I said it last week and I'll say it again this week. Inactivity isn't an excuse. Jarjis Danho showed it at UFC Vegas 23 and Jessica Penne showed it on Saturday night.
Against the aggressive Lupita Godinez, Penne grinded out a split decision victory in what was a grueling 15-minute bout. The 38-year-old's performance perhaps serves as a better indicator than last week's knockout of what can be done after a period of inactivity.
Last Saturday, Danho rendered Yorgan de Castro unconscious with a brutal punch. It was an emphatic way to return to action after four years away from the cage.
After trouble with USADA kept her sidelined for the same period as Danho, Jessica Penne showed she could go at a fast-pace for the full three rounds despite her lack of fight time in recent years.
Much of the discussion and debate in the aftermath of Conor McGregor’s defeat to Dustin Poirier in January was whether the Irishman’s inactivity was behind his lackluster performance. The defeat was his first knockout loss in MMA.
Perhaps an argument can still be made that against a world class opponent like Dustin Poirier, a long spell away from the cage can have an impact. But Danho and Penne have shown what is possible even after over four years between fights.
#2 Fighters shouldn't be allowed to touch their opponents at the UFC weigh-ins
UFC Vegas 24 couldn't have started in a worse way. A co-main filled with animosity and bad blood was called off just hours before Jeremy Stephens and Drakkar Klose were set to walk to the octagon.
The fight was set to be a war. Moving down to lightweight for the first time since 2012, Stephens aimed to rejuvenate his career on Saturday night after the worst run of form he’s experienced so far in his UFC tenure. The veteran hasn’t won in his last five fights.
Drakkar Klose, meanwhile, had been flying high up until he met the in-form Beneil Dariush inside the cage last March. He looked close to victory before an incredible comeback left him knocked out against the cage.
With so much at stake for both men and the intense confrontation we saw at the face-offs, this fight was set to be one of the most exciting on the card.
For Klose, it would have been disappointing to have months of training and preparation thrown out of the window because his opponent couldn't control himself during their face-off. It seems clear from Saturday's cancelation that fighters should be punished for touching their opponents at the weigh-ins.
It was disappointing not to see the pair throw hands on Saturday but hopefully we now have it to look forward to on another card soon. The matchup has to be rebooked as soon as Klose is ready to go.
#1 Robert Whittaker vs. Israel Adesanya 2 is the fight to make
Robert Whittaker is simply too good. At UFC Vegas 24, 'The Reaper' gave us another technical masterclass. Against a game and dangerous Kelvin Gastelum, the Australian was utterly dominant.
Having prepared for Paulo Costa, you'd have been forgiven for suggesting Whittaker might have had problems adjusting to a new opponent. But no, he looked as ready and prepared as he could. On the feet he was impressive and a touch quicker than Gastelum for the whole of the five-rounds.
For every strike Gastelum managed to land, Whittaker would throw two or three. He was a step ahead across the entire 25 minutes.
The biggest thing we learned from the UFC's latest card is that Robert Whittaker is the clear number one contender in the middleweight division.
Ever since losing the UFC middleweight title to Israel Adesanya, a rematch has felt inevitable. After three dominant wins over Darren Till, Jared Cannonier and now Gastelum, a blockbuster second meeting between Whittaker and 'The Last Stylebender' is most logical next step at 185-pounds.
