UFC Fight Night on ESPN Jan 19
UFC for the first time had a card on ESPN and it was an amazing night with a lot of upsets.
Henry Cejudo shook up the world for another time. In his fight with bantamweight TJ Dillashaw, Cejudo caught Dillashaw off balance and landed a good amount of hits that Dillashaw had no answer for. The referee had to rush in and stop the fight. Cejudo won the fight by TKO in 32 seconds and had successfully defended his title. Dillashaw of course thought that the referee jumped in too quick, but from the way he went down, there wasn’t much else the ref could do. This win got Cejudo the award for performance of the night.
This was an amazing start for the first UFC card on ESPN. And it went on, there were a total of 8 finishes in 13 fights and an good amount of strong performances.
Conner McGregor also had something to say about the event: “Unlucky T.J on your attempt at Champ. Respect for your weight cut. I have been there and it is not easy. Unlucky Henry on your attempt at fastest K.O in a UFC title fight. I have been there, and I still am. Congrats on the win. Yours truly, The O.G Champ Champ.”
Now of course not every upset was a good one. The ex NFL player Greg Hardy made his debut on the UFC against Allen Crowder as the Co-Main event. Greg actually came out swinging in the first round, but slowed down significantly afterwards as his stamina went down. Crowder on the other hand seemed to be gaining ground as he became more confident.
In the second round, Hardy tried to recapture the momentum and while in a clinch he kneed Crowder’s head. The issue with that was that Crowders knee was down on the canvas, and that means it’s a blatant foul.
The referee tackled Hardy, scolded him after which he disqualified the former NFL player. The audience followed suit and booed him. Hardy was banished from the NFL after domestic abuse charges and his unsavoury behaviour. This loss brings Hardy’s professional MMA record to 3-1, and his UFC record starts out as 0-1.
He had the following to say about the fight “I’m not a cheater. Go ask Tom Brady if I ever cheated all the times I sacked him. 30 years of life, never once have I cheated.”
Another amazing fight was Paige VanZant versus Rachael Ostovich. Paige won with an epic armbar which forced Rachael to submit. Paige hasn’t fought inside the Octagon since her January 2018 loss to Jessica-Rose Clark in her flyweight debut which was her second straight loss. But she made sure to stop the streak in a stunning fashion. VanZant is actually hoping for a quick turnaround and wants to find a spot on the ESPN card in Arizona in February.