Fight Coverage
Monthly Report: April 2024
Look Back At Some Of The Best Performances That Happened In The Octagon During The Month Of April
Months where there are only three events usually present some challenges when it comes to selecting the winners in each of the monthly categories, either because of small samples when it comes to thrilling bouts, slick submissions, or stellar knockouts, but we didn’t have those problems in April thanks to UFC 300.
The promotion’s tricentennial in the middle of the month exceeded expectations and provided clear selections for this latest edition of the Monthly Report.
UFC 300 REWIND: Prelim Results | Main Card Results
With all due respect to those that competed on the cards before and after the UFC’s landmark event in Las Vegas, the magnitude of that show certainly played a part in selecting this month’s standouts, as each of the victorious athletes discussed below garnered key wins that will help shape their respective divisions as we head towards the second half of the year.
Here’s a look at who is taking home “Best of the Month” honors for April 2024.
Breakout Performance: Kayla Harrison
Harrison’s debut inside the Octagon was a major talking point heading into UFC 300, with questions about her ability to make weight remaining at the fore until she turned up on Fight Week looking shredded.
After she stepped on the scale and made weight on Friday morning, the only query that remained unanswered was how she would look opposite former champion Holly Holm, and the two-time Olympian answered that one in resounding fashion, as well.
While Holm deftly rolled through the first hip toss from Harrison early in the fight, the standout judoka eventually got the fight to the canvas and into top position, and from there, it was clear the promotional newcomer was a different kind of problem than the division has previously seen.
WATCH: Harrison's Post-Fight Interview
Where Ronda Rousey was quick to collect arms, Harrison was more than happy to mash home heavy elbows in order to soften up Holm, returning to present her with the same untenable dilemma in the second round as she did in the first: either you stay where you are and take these heavy shots or you give up your back and I take your neck; you choose.
Holm opted for the latter, Harrison obliged, and the newcomer took home a dominant second-round stoppage win in her promotional debut, affirming her standing as a legitimate championship threat right out of the chute.
She stated her intentions are to be UFC bantamweight champion before the end of the year, and after a near-flawless showing in her first foray into the famed Octagon, Harrison should absolutely get the opportunity to make that dream a reality sooner, rather than later.
Honorable Mentions: Jean Matsumoto, Cesar Almeida, Nora Cornolle, Uros Medic, Bogdan Guskov
Submission of the Month: Deiveson Figueiredo submits Cody Garbrandt (UFC 300)
There wasn’t anything that blew up the internet about this finish from the former flyweight champion in the opening bout of the April pay-per-view extravaganza, but it did affirm a trend we saw from Figueiredo in his divisional debut that seems to signal a new approach for the talented Brazilian.
Most anticipated that Figueiredo would look to bang it out with the former champion Garbrandt, eager to test his chin. Instead, much like he did in his debut win over Rob Font in December, Figueiredo opted to wrestle more, throwing just 15 strikes in a measured opening frame while getting rebuffed on his lone takedown attempt. But he stayed after it and got Garbrandt to the canvas in the second and never allowed him back to his feet, eventually working around to his back where he sunk in the fight-ending rear-naked choke.
Because he was a powerhouse that threw every shot with vicious intentions throughout his time in the flyweight division, the expectation was that Figueiredo would do the same after moving up, but that hasn’t been the case and it has allowed him to showcase another weapon in his arsenal that arguably makes him even more dangerous in his new surroundings.
ORDER UFC 301: PANTOJA VS ERCEG
At flyweight, the Brazilian could out-power opponents, confident that landing a single crushing blow could shift momentum in his favor or open the door to a finish. At bantamweight, he has clearly understood the competition is bigger and stronger, and opted to mix up his approach, and so far, it’s proven successful.
Figueiredo is now 2-0 in the 135-pound ranks and positioned at No. 6 in the rankings. A clash with a Top 5 opponent (Petr Yan?) seems destined to be what comes next, and if he wins that one as well, “Deus Da Guerra” will find himself in title contention in the 135-pound weight class before his first year in the division is over.
Honorable Mentions: Matsumoto vs. Dan Argueta, Harrison vs. Holm, Chris Padilla vs. James Llontop
Knockout of the Month: Max Holloway floors Justin Gaethje (UFC 300)
Every other fight this month could have ended with a knockout and this still would have garnered top honors here; that’s how emphatic, cinematic, and visceral Holloway’s last-second knockout over Gaethje was at UFC 300.
Max Holloway Knocks Out Justin Gaethje, Wins BMF Belt | UFC 300
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Max Holloway Knocks Out Justin Gaethje, Wins BMF Belt | UFC 300
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The bout was already a statement effort from the Hawaiian superstar, who controlled things for the majority of the contest, utilizing the long range weapons that carried him to the top of the featherweight division and put him in position to fight for the BMF title, while dipping back into the early arsenal for the spinning back kick that shattered Gaethje’s nose at the end of the first.
But Holloway is never one to rest on a lead or avoid the fray, so he continued attacking, and when the 10-second clacker sounded, he signaled for Gaethje to meet him in the center of the Octagon the same way he beckoned Ricardo Lamas forward at UFC 199 several years earlier, and the two let loose their hands, swinging heavy hammers much to the delight of the audience at T-Mobile Arena and those watching at home.
With the seconds ticking off the clock, Holloway put a right hand on Gaethje’s chin that snapped it sideways in a flash and sent the lightweight standout to the canvas face first. The blow was so unexpected and final that veteran referee Marc Goddard — the gold standard of officiating — let out an audible gasp when Holloway connected and Gaethje crashed into the mat.
WATCH: Holloway's Post-Fight Interview
Don’t worry, Marc — most of us were far less reserved than you in the moment, and for several moments afterwards.
Holloway’s place amongst the best of his generation was already cemented thanks to his lengthy run of success in the 145-pound weight class, but this performance and this finish made it indisputable, and leaves “Blessed” with a bunch of options heading into the second half of the year.
And having options is always a good thing in this sport.
Honorable Mentions: Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Christos Giagos, Almeida vs. Dylan Budka, Cornolle vs. Melissa Mullins, Alex Pereira vs. Jamahal Hill, Jiri Prochazka vs. Aleksandar Rakic, Diego Lopes vs. Sodiq Yusuff, Renato Moicano vs. Jalin Turner, Medic vs. Tim Means, Jhonata Diniz vs. Austen Lane, Guskov vs. Ryan Spann, Alex Perez vs. Matheus Nicolau
Fight of the Month: Zhang Weili vs Yan Xiaonan (UFC 300)
The record books show this one as a pretty clear cut unanimous decision win for Zhang as she retained her strawweight title in her historic clash with Yan, but anyone that watched it will forever know it was anything but straightforward or uneventful.
In my post-event Bigger Picture column, I called this bout “A Fight in Four Parts” because that’s really how things played out.
UFC 301 FREE FIGHTS: Pantoja vs Moreno 2 | Erceg vs Schnell
Yan started well, but ended the first round on the brink of being choked unconscious, with Zhang maintaining her dominance throughout the second, which all three judges scored 10-8 in her favor. But fatigue set in and Yan rallied back in the third, seemingly grabbing all the momentum for herself and sending us to the championship rounds uncertain how things would resolve themselves.
In the fourth and fifth, Zhang showed her championship mettle, securing the takedowns she needed in order to keep her compatriot and challenger pinned to the canvas, unable to escape while she landed blows, hunted for submissions, and generally controlled things to wrap up the win.
This was a much more competitive, much more gutsy effort than the scorecards suggest and the kind of bout that will surely bolster the confidence of championship hopefuls in the 115-pound ranks that believe they discovered ways to attack the two-time, reigning, defending champion.
Honorable Mentions: Jose Mariscal vs. Morgan Charrière, Holloway vs. Gaethje, Bobby Green vs. Jim Miller
UFC 300: Pereira vs Hill took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 13, 2024. See the final Prelim and Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC Fight Pass!
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