Sooo ... About Last Night

Yesterday at 02:59 AM

Yesterday (Sat., Nov. 23, 2024), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) quested forth to Galaxy Arena in Macau, SRA, China for UFC Macau. Admittedly, this article should be titled "about yesterday morning" if we're being consistent about relative timezones, but that doesn't have quite the same ring, does it? UFC Macau, in addition to being the promotion's first visit back to China in half a decade, was one of the rare instances where US-based fight fans were forced to set their alarm to catch the fights (particularly if on the west coast). Fortunately, those who did pay that entrance price were rewarded with a ton of knockouts and highly entertaining event, top-to-bottom.

Let's take a look back over at UFC Macau's best performances and techniques:

No Mercy Breaks Down Figueiredo

It's so much fun to watch Petr Yan in his element. The former champion is such a technically gifted fighter; he's just doing cool stuff all the time. In this bout alone, there were brilliantly timed uppercuts, crafty close-range head kicks, tricky clinch throws, and slick scrambles on the mat.

It was a lot of offense for Figueiredo to manage, and cracks in his defenses opened up pretty early. In particular, that uppercut really disrupted the Brazilian's flow. Figueiredo's game plan was clearly to force the takedown and hunt for an early submission, but that's a tall order. Even Aljamain Sterling wasn't able to tap Figueiredo from the back mount after all, and "Daico" had a really difficult time getting his foe down in the first place.

The wrestling approach definitely fatigued Figueiredo, which made it easier for Yan to slip power punches around his guard. "No Mercy" subsequently was able to build up an early lead, which is unusual for him. Figueiredo switched up his attack in the second half of the fight, opting to wade forward and swing bombs. He still wasn't winning, but he at least managed to hurt Yan with his punches and give himself a chance — the man is seriously powerful, even at 37 years old and up a division.

As for Yan, he called for a rematch with Merab Dvaslishvili after the win. I'm not sure he showed anything that would produce a different result, but it's not the worst booking imaginable.

Xiaonan Yan Rebounds

Back at UFC 300, Xiaonan Yan took a serious beating at the hands of Zhang Weili. Even though she had some strong moments and showed incredible heart, it was reasonable to wonder how the 35-year-old talent would respond after taking so many hard shots.

After styling on Tabatha Ricci, it feels safe to say Yan ain't going anywhere. She shut down her opponent's wrestling and then picked her apart for three full rounds, landing a ton of right hands in the process. Ricci was thoroughly outclassed, unable to land more than a 15 significant strikes across 15 minutes.

WMMA's Pereira Goes Up In Smoke

The Wang Cong hype train was easy to board. Not only is she experienced in Sanda and professional kickboxing, but she already holds a win over Valentina Shevchenko! Add an explosive debut KO into the mix, and it's no wonder why fans were hoping she would inject some excitement in the largely stagnant Flyweight division.

Her undefeated run ended here, however, which is not to say she fought poorly. Cong actually won most of this contest, pressing her opponent and landing the heavier punches. Unfortuantely for Cong, Fernandez is a powerful striker herself with a jiu-jitsu black belt. She was able to change the tide with a heavy left hand counter that stunned Cong, and the Brazilian was able to quickly slide onto the back and force the strangle afterward.

There aren't a lot of women who could trade with Cong in the pocket, so this felt like proof that Fernandes is better than her previous UFC record (1-2). As for Cong, she's still an interesting talent, but there will be no "Poatan"-esque sprint to the title mix.

Two Road To UFC Champions Crowned

Barring a massive title reign in another organization or moving to the west outright, Road to UFC operates as one of the few ways Asian fighters can make their way onto the UFC roster. At UFC Macau, two finals match ups in the Flyweight and women's Strawweight division delivered the violence!

Having been exposed to her fighting just a single time now, it's really easy to be a fan of Shi Ming. The Strawweight winner is clearly undersized for the division — she makes Frankie Edgar look like Michel Pereira! Per the commentary, she's also a doctor by day, fighter by night and her parents are unaware of that second profession, which sounds like the setup for an anime protagonist.

In the fight itself, the action was back-and-forth. Ming clearly struggled with her opponent's size, and her corner implored her that she needed a KO in the third. As a 6-1 underdog, Ming DELIVERED, squatting low then exploding into a picture-perfect head kick for just her second career knockout win.

South Korea's Dong Hoon Choi didn't intend to be outdone in the Flyweight final. His bout versus Kiru Sahota only last a couple minutes, and Choi spent most of that time moving around and watching his opponent hit air. When he did engage, however, he made an immediate impact, flooring Sahota with a three-punch combination then quickly forcing the stoppage.

Additional Thoughts

• Muslim Salikhov defeats Song Kenan via first-round knockout (highlights): At 40 years of age, Salikhov remains the "King of Kungfu." The early exchanges were competitive, but Salikhov ended the bout in an instant with his signature spinning wheel kick, becoming the first fighter in UFC history to stop two opponents with the strike. It's his sixth spinning kick finish overall, and it felt very appropriate that Salikhov gave one more display of Wushu Sanda in China, where he spent much of his career competing.
• Zhang Minyang defeats Ozzy Diaz via first-round knockout (highlights): Mingyang might just be something special at 205-pounds. The prospect is a dynamite finisher, having added to his grand total of 18 wins and 18 first-round finishes. This match up only lasted a couple minutes, which was all it took for Minyang to time a beautiful intercept elbow and floor his Australian opponent. Now 2-0 inside the Octagon, it's time to get Minyang in the cage with a more well-known opponent.
• Xiao Long defeats Quang Le via third-round knockout (highlights): Unranked Bantamweights deliver more than most. This was a straight up SCRAP! Both men came motivated to pick up their first UFC victory, and Le started strong by landing the heavier shots early on. Long found his range in the second, however, and perhaps the advantage of youth — 26 years old vs. 33 years of age — helped him pull away big in the third. His punches were still carrying more snap, and he was able to put Le down hard with a 1-2 in the final frame.

For complete UFC Macau results and play-by-play, click here.