Best and Worst from UFC on Fox 31: Lee vs. Iaquinta 2

After 7 years, the UFC’s time on the Fox network has come to an end, as last night’s show from Milwaukee – the 31st on ‘big’ Fox – was the final one on the channel as the promotion now readies itself for its move to ESPN in 2019.

The show wasn’t the heaviest in terms of name value, as it lacked a title fight at the top of the card and didn’t have many fights that would affect the rankings, but in execution, it turned out to be a ton of fun. We got a handful of truly great fights – including the main event – and a bunch of fun finishes too. It was an excellent way for the UFC to sign off on the Fox era.

Here are the best and worst moments from UFC on Fox 31: Lee vs. Iaquinta 2.

#1 Best: Iaquinta proves his worth

Can Iaquinta rise to the top of the ranks after last night's win?

Most observers, myself included, were favouring Kevin Lee to defeat Al Iaquinta in the main event and avenge his 2014 loss to ‘Ragin Al’. Some people were even suggesting that Iaquinta was overrated due to his decent showing against Khabib Nurmagomedov, and went as far as to believe that had he been as active as someone like Lee over the past few years, he would’ve picked up more losses.

Well, Iaquinta pretty much shut up all the doubters last night with his performance. Lee might’ve seen it as a controversial decision but I find it hard to agree with that viewpoint – I saw it as 48-47 for Iaquinta, with the Long Islander taking rounds 1, 4 and 5 quite clearly – and there’s an argument to be made now that this was the best win of Iaquinta’s career given Lee’s standing in the division beforehand.

Over 25 minutes Iaquinta showed that he’s one of the best strikers in the division, piecing Lee up more than vaunted kickboxers like Tony Ferguson and Edson Barboza were able to do, and he became one of the few fighters able to fend ‘The Motown Phenom’ off on the ground too.

Hopefully, the win means Iaquinta has his head properly in the game now; he’s been involved in too many silly spats with the UFC over recent years to really put a run to the top together, but if he can stay onside going into 2019 he could be a man to watch. Iaquinta vs. Gaethje, anyone? Or Iaquinta vs. Poirier? It shows how packed 155lbs is right now, and an active Iaquinta is a great addition to those ranks.

#1 Worst: Hooker too tough for his own good

Dan Hooker looked too tough for his own good against Edson Barboza

Since his move to 155lbs in 2017, Dan Hooker had been developing into one of my favourite fighters to watch. Always a reliable action fighter, ‘The Hangman’ had been putting together some fantastic wins that made him look like a man on a serious rise. Edson Barboza was his opponent last night and it looked like a perfect opportunity for Hooker to really step up and challenge himself at the elite level.

Well, it turned out that Hooker wasn’t quite good enough for that level just yet. There’s absolutely no shame in that – Barboza is a proven top ten, if not top five ranked fighter – and to be honest, for about a round and a half, it was fun to see Hooker do his impression of a Kiwi version of The Terminator and somehow walk through some insane offense from the Brazilian. But after that, it ceased to be entertaining.

Hooker simply took too much damage for his own good. Sure, he displayed some of the craziest toughness in UFC history and only went down after a ludicrous barrage to the body in the third round, but should the fight have gone that far? Hooker couldn’t even stand in his corner between the second and third rounds. Surely his corner could’ve seen that he was compromised?

And if not his corner, what about the referee, who’s supposed to be there to maintain fighter safety? Hooker wasn’t incapable of standing nor was he unconscious, but he did take a criminal beating that could severely damage his career going forward. The toughness he displayed might hurt him in the long run, and there were enough people around last night to make sure that wasn’t the case. The fact that they didn’t do so was disturbing.

#2 Best: The UFC goes out with a bang

The UFC's 7-year run on Fox is now over

The UFC isn’t always good at saying goodbye – witness how longtime announcer Mike Goldberg was cut free without a word of tribute at the end of 2016, for instance – and given they’re moving onto a rival network in ESPN, I didn’t expect them to make a big deal about leaving Fox last night. But they did, and well, it was pretty great.

We got a video package highlighting some of the great UFC moments that Fox has broadcast; from Junior Dos Santos’s title victory over Cain Velasquez on the first broadcast in 2011 to TJ Dillashaw’s shellacking of Renan Barao in 2015, and fighters like Daniel Cormier, Jimi Manuwa and Ricardo Lamas paid tribute to the network and how it had showcased them over the past 7 years.

And the fighters largely delivered too – a bunch of prelims that nobody really cared about going in lit up the Octagon, as fights like Joaquim Silva vs. Jared Gordon and Dan Ige vs. Jordan Griffin turned out to be absolute barnburners, arguably some of the best fights of 2018 in fact.

I won’t miss the shoddy pacing of these Fox shows, but overall I’d say the network has done a great job of showcasing the UFC over the last 7 years – I can’t believe it’s gone that quickly – and last night was a great tribute to them, so kudos to the UFC for that.

#2 Worst: Font vs. Pettis shows the UFC’s folly when it comes to Flyweight

Rob Font's win over the smaller Sergio Pettis showed why the UFC needs the Flyweight division

The worst-kept secret in MMA recently has been the fact that the UFC are planning to cut the Flyweight division at some point in 2019. Sure, a fight for the 125lbs title between TJ Dillashaw and Henry Cejudo is booked for January, but the word is that regardless of the winner, the division will say goodbye soon after, and the fact that so many 125lbers have been cut recently backs that up.

Sergio Pettis – a top-five ranked Flyweight – wasn’t cut, instead moving to 135lbs. Last night he faced Rob Font at his new weight, and essentially, the fight showed the folly of the UFC removing its smallest male division. Font – a solid fighter, but not an elite-level contender – bullied Pettis with his size and took a clear-cut unanimous decision. ‘The Phenom’ couldn’t really do a lot at all in terms of offense.

If Pettis can’t do a lot at 135lbs – a division he’s fought at before – what happens to elite 125lbers like Jussier Formiga who are even smaller? For the UFC to simply cut a division because they don’t deem it popular enough is ludicrous in my book, and considering they’re the biggest promotion in the sport, it’s a sad indictment of where MMA sits on the line of “sport” and “entertainment”. Hopefully, the UFC reconsider, because I think this a big mistake.

#3 Best: Oliveira does it again

Charles Oliveira is statistically the best submission artist in UFC history

Charles Oliveira isn’t a perfect fighter by any means – his defensive skills are lacking hugely to the point where he’s taken way too much damage for his own good over his 8-year UFC career – but offensively, he’s absolutely dynamic. Statistically speaking, coming into last night’s show he was the most successful submission artist of all time in the UFC, with 11 submissions to his name.

Well, he now has a 12th, as he dealt with Jim Miller – who submitted him back in 2010 in their first meeting – with absolute ease. A German suplex led to him taking Miller’s back, and from there the fight was over. ‘Do Bronx’ is essentially a man who you cannot allow to take your back, and Miller found that out the hard way.

Quite where Oliveira goes from here is anyone’s guess – people just don’t talk about him as an elite-level 155lber despite his submission skills and so I doubt a fight with Iaquinta, Lee, Gaethje or anyone like that is mooted. But perhaps it should be? After all, in terms of finishing skills, the Brazilian is up there with the best. Either way, considering he now holds the record for the most ‘Performance of the Night’ bonuses too, everyone should be looking forward to his next appearance in the Octagon.