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This past weekend will go down as one of the most significant in UFC and MMA history. Several records were broken last weekend, and new champions were crowned. Also, tragedy struck the world of MMA, and we take a look at all the news from the major MMA organizations around the world in the past week.
Yang Jian Bing of ONE FC passes away
Weight cuts have always been one of the hardest aspects while getting ready for a fight. Numerous competitors in the past faced issues due to improper weight cuts, which not only throw a fighter off his game going into the cage, but the health issues surrounding weight cuts have been one of the most debated topics in the sport.
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The science behind cutting weight is crucial for all the fighters involved in the sport to understand, and sometimes, with the intent of dropping the last few remaining pounds, the fighters find themselves in sticky situations.
However, during ONE FC’s Spirit of Champions PPV, Yang Jian Bing, a 21-year-old MMA fighter was scheduled to fight Geje Eustaquio in Philippines in the flyweight division. However, their bout was scrapped after Bing collapsed before the weigh – ins trying to make weight, and was rushed to the hospital.
It was reported that Bing collapsed due to severe dehydration, leading to heat stroke. Unfortunately, Bing passed away on Friday, as the entire MMA community mourned the loss of a promising fighter.
Brandon Vera becomes the ONE FC Heavyweight champion
Former WEC and UFC fighter, Brandon Vera fought on last week’s ONE FC card, as he faced ONE FC heavyweight, Paul Cheng in the main event for the inaugural ONE Heavyweight title. Vera didn’t take much time to show that he still was one of the most feared heavyweights in the world of MMA, stopping Cheng in just 26 seconds of the very first round.
Vera successfully dodged a combination by Cheng, and with Cheng overextending with his left, Vera connected with a left hook of his own, and as Cheng steadied himself, Vera connected with a vicious side kick, forcing the referee to stop the fight and give the victory to Brandon Vera via knockout.
Frankie Edgar becomes the new number contender
Moving onto UFC’s mega weekend, there were three events in three days, with “Thug” Rose Namajunas derailing the Paige VanZant hype train during UFC Fight Night 80. Chad Mendes took on Frankie Edgar during TUF Finale the next evening, with the winner being next in line to challenge for the UFC featherweight title.
What looked like an even contest turned to be lop sided, with Frankie dropping Chad with a right – left hook combination in the very first round. This cements Frankie Edgar’s claim as the next challenger for the featherweight title, with him potentially facing the winner of Conor McGregor – Jose Aldo fight the next night.
Conor McGregor runs through Jose Aldo
McGregor – Aldo was arguably the most hyped and promoted fight in UFC history, with Aldo being the only featherweight champion in UFC’s history. Aldo went into UFC 194 as the favorite to walk out with the unified title, while Conor had earlier predicted a first round finish.
The fans didn’t have to wait long to see who won between the two, as Conor stunned the world by dropping Aldo in just 13 seconds, breaking Ronda Rousey’s record for the fastest title fight in the UFC.
McGregor had earlier predicted that Aldo would overextend, and he’d catch him with a left hook, and that’s exactly what happened. With Conor uncharacteristically staying back, Aldo tried to be the aggressor, as he walked into Conor’s devastating left hook.
Conor followed it up with a couple of hammer fists before ‘Big’ John McCarthy stepped in and stopped the fight.
UFC 194 breaks several records
It turned out to be a great weekend for the fans as well as the UFC executives, as UFC 194 broke several records. The PPV is expected to break the one million PPV buys mark, and the event set a record attendance at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, with over 16,500 people present for the monumental fight.
The event also brought in the largest gate for an MMA event in the United States, with the event generating over 10 million dollars. Conor broke several personal records as well, breaking the most earnings per second record, previously held by Ronda Rousey.
With Conor McGregor’s win, two scenarios are available for the Irishman – either facing Frankie Edgar with the featherweight title on the line, or dropping the featherweight title and moving up to lightweight, to face the winner of Dos Anjos – Donald Cerrone.
