The Bigger Picture | UFC 314: Volkanovski vs Lopes

Lopes had looked excellent throughout his run, but the jump from beating Brian Ortega at UFC 306 and sharing the Octagon with Volkanovski is vast, and he seemed just a little unequipped to make that jump on Saturday night. It’s understandable, as it was Volkanovski’s 10th consecutive championship fight and Lopes’ first in the UFC, but that’s part of what differentiates the elite from the very good, and makes it clear how supremely talented guys like Topuria are, as well.

We talk all the time about how there are so many variables to consider in an MMA fight, and Saturday night’s main event feels like it was a great depiction of what we mean when we say that, and how all those pieces matter.

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What Now?

There are going to be folks that still want to question how good Paddy Pimblett is as a fighter, but I’m not going to be one of them.

There will be folks that want to “yeah, but…” his dominant win over Michael Chandler in Miami, pointing to the vanquished veteran’s age, record in the UFC, and approach as reasons why this win isn’t that big of a deal for the Liverpool lad and shouldn’t move him too far up the ladder in the lightweight ranks.

We’re going to get the same “this is the one where Paddy stumbles” narrative heading into the next matchup, regardless of who it’s against, and we’ll probably get people saying, “yeah, but…” after it should Pimblett emerge victorious again.

But me, I’m just gonna say that Pimblett has continued to improve and impress each time out, and rather than find ways to tear him down and diminish his success, I’m just going to continue to enjoy the show.

Hit the music!

Can’t Help But Be Happy for Dominick Reyes

Like many people, I am of the opinion that on February 8, 2020, Dominick Reyes did enough to defeat Jon Jones and win the UFC light heavyweight title. It was close, but the challenger did enough in my eyes, and it was gut-wrenching to watch him walk out of the Octagon without the title it felt like he had earned around his waist.

This sport is unforgiving and very seldom do competitors find a way to steer out of the kind of downward spiral Reyes was stuck in. If they do, it’s rare that they return to the heights they had previously reached, because — in his case — he went more than four years without a win, took some pretty nasty knocks along the way, and was reaching his mid-30s.

But here he is, more than five years removed from that fateful night in Las Vegas, riding a three-fight finishing streak, making a second case for title contention.

Who doesn’t love a feel-good story?

Quick Hitters

Yair Rodriguez looked exceptional in registering a unanimous decision win over the debuting Patricio Pitbull, fighting with both urgency and poise while maintaining his pace and output over the full 15 minutes. It was, in my opinion, the best overall outing of his UFC career, and while I don’t know if it was enough to merit a championship opportunity at Noche UFC in Guadalajara, it definitely put the former interim champ on the short list of potential options to face the once and current king later this year.

Jean Silva continues to impress each time out, and his effort against Bryce Mitchell on Saturday should have everyone in the division paying close attention to his next couple moves. The Fighting Nerds representative marched down Mitchell with the kind of confidence and swagger that can throw anyone off their game, and he has the arsenal of offensive skills to back up that approach, as he’s shown while building a 5-0 mark with five stoppages to begin his UFC career.

He may not crack the Top 10 when the rankings update, but if I were someone in the 4-11 range right now, I might consider putting my phone on Do Not Disturb and sending the UFC matchmakers to voicemail when they call, because I’m not sure I want to be the person standing opposite the streaking 28-year-old next.

Dan Ige showed on Saturday night why everyone that understands this sport is about so much more than just wins and losses has the utmost respect for him. His win over Sean Woodson halted a two-fight skid, which is always important, but illustrated that Ige and his ilk are often too harshly judged or too frequently under-appreciated simply because they land on the wrong side of things against stiff competition.

Breaking into the rankings and staying there is difficult, especially in a division as loaded as featherweight, and Ige has continued to do that, and will forever have my respect and appreciation for not only what he does, but the way he carries himself, as well.

The only stoppage I had any issue with on Saturday night was Erosa’s win over Darren Elkins, which could have been halted sooner, in my opinion. But the rest, including Michal Oleksiejczuk’s win over Sedriques Dumas and Ige’s win over Woodson, were good stoppages to me.

We want these officials to find that “Goldilocks Moment” every time, in every instance, and it’s just expecting too much. When a fight goes longer than we feel it should, we’re critical. When it’s halted even a little prematurely, we’re critical, and when they nail it, we focus all our attention on the victorious athlete and say nothing about the stoppage.

I know that is part of the job and the way these things work, but Dumas was simply laying there taking unanswered blows, even if many were being blocked, and if one of our chief concerns is always fighter safety (and it should be), then taking a dozen or more shots without a real, meaningful response merits a stoppage.

Could Woodson have gotten a little more time to show he was still in the fight? Sure, but he also could have responded better, shown more in the time referee Andrew Glenn did give him in order to ensure he had the chance to fight on.

While criticism and sharing opinions on what transpires inside the Octagon is part of the job for the broadcast team and media, as well as something fans love to do, it just feels to me like we’re constantly trying to hold these officials to unrealistic standards of excellence, and need to ease back just a little.

But that’s just me.

And with that, I’m out.

See you again after UFC 315.