Fight Coverage
MONTHLY REPORT | APRIL 2025
Reflecting On The Outstanding Performances From Inside The Octagon Over The Previous Month
The opening third of the year is behind us (I know, right?) and over the first four months of 2025, the UFC has set things up like a great blockbuster.
We eased into the year with two events in January, before February and March brought a combined nine events where the excitement was ratcheted up, only for things to cool a little this past month, with three events spread out over the four Saturdays in April. As we stand on the precipice of May, we know a great deal about the ensemble that is going to be present throughout this three-act story, and we’ve had an inciting incident or two, but we all know the high points still await us in the future, along with some twists and turns, and perhaps an unexpected cameo or two in store for Acts II and III.
With the second act about to get underway this coming weekend in Des Moines, let’s take a minute to reflect on the standout performances from the final month of Act I inside the Octagon.
And the winners are…
Breakout Performance: Paddy Pimblett (UFC 314)
There shouldn't be any quibbling with this selection, and if there is, it’s for one of two reasons: either you were already all the way in on “Paddy the Baddy” or you’re perpetually out on the Liverpool lightweight, and no amount of success is going to change your mind about where he stands within the division.
For the majority of fans and observers, I would imagine, his blistering effort against Michael Chandler at UFC 314 in Miami was another (leans back in his seat, tilts head to the side) “Okay…” moment with the charismatic star, who continues to clear the goalposts with ease despite them constantly being moved.
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Pimblett’s bout with Chandler was supposed to be the next in a series of “where does he really stand?” tests for the popular Englishman, but instead, it was the kind of lopsided win where you can’t help but come away wondering how Pimblett would match up with the increasingly smaller collection of names stationed ahead of him in the lightweight rankings and getting a little giddy about the potential of seeing some of those matchups.
The 30-year-old Scouser has filled out and leveled up since arriving in the UFC, and this was his best performance to date — a confident, attacking win over a respected veteran who had previously only been beaten (in the UFC) by individuals that have held some piece of the lightweight title. Offer up all the “yeah, but…” explanations and excuses you want, just know that none of them would be put forth if the fight played out the exact same way, but for Chandler instead of Pimblett.
Part of what makes this sport fascinating to me is getting to routinely see these men and women challenging themselves and resetting our expectations and beliefs about them, and that has been exactly what the Next Generation MMA man has done over each of his last several fights.
At this point, I don’t understand how you can’t be at least a little curious to see just how far “Paddy the Baddy” can take things in the lightweight division, because I am itching to see what comes next.
Honorable Mentions: Pat Sabatini, Marco Tulio, Chase Hooper, Malcolm Wellmaker, Zhang Mingyang
Submission of the Month: Jean Silva taps out Bryce Mitchell (UFC 314)
Silva went into his featherweight clash with Mitchell in Miami looking to make a statement and prove a point, and the Fighting Nerds representative did both, further elevating his stock in the process.
The Brazilian was more aggressive and demonstrative throughout the week in South Beach and that carried over into the Octagon, as the 28-year-old fought with a confidence that leapt off the screen. From the jump, you could see he was completely unbothered by what Mitchell had to offer in return, and he almost reveled in marching him down. It was almost like Silva was so sure he was going to earn a victory that he was content to “play with his food” a little, attacking, but not necessarily wanting to find the finish early in the fight the way he had through several of his earlier appearances.
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But once they got a minute or so into the second round, Silva upped the intensity and went hunting, hurting Mitchell with a right hand that briefly put him on the deck before clamping onto the fight-ending ninja choke as the Arkansas native tried to wrestle up and find some safety. The choke was so tight that the second after Mitchell tapped, he drifted off to sleep, which means he likely came to with Silva staring down at him, barking like a dog.
Silva is an absolute menace and I mean that in the most appreciative and respectful way possible. He’s someone that not only welcomes chaos, but thrives in it, and to this point, has shown that he was more weapons at his disposal than anyone he’s faced to date. The victory catapulted him into the Top 15 and there isn’t a matchup you could make with any of the athletes positioned ahead of him in the divisional hierarchy that isn’t appealing to me.
Every time he’s stepped into the Octagon, Silva has made a statement, and this was just another dynamic victory for the surging featherweight threat.
Honorable Mentions: Dione Barbosa vs. Diana Belbita, Nora Cornolle def. Hailey Cowan, Jaqueline Amorim def. Polyana Viana
Knockout of the Month: Randy Brown flattens Nicolas Dalby (UFC Fight Night: Machado Garry vs. Prates)
So it seems like Randy Brown just enjoys starting each year inside the Octagon with a beautiful knockout that earns him recognition in this end-of-month series.
Last February, “Rudeboy” claimed this spot with a clean one-one-two that dropped Muslim Salikhov where he stood, and this year, the welterweight stalwart opened his 2025 campaign by becoming the first person to finish Nicolas Dalby.
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Even before we get to the knockout itself, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the sweeping right hand that completely rearranged Dalby’s nose in the first round. It was one of those shots that didn’t necessarily make you ooh and ahh watching at home, but as soon as Brown started jawing at Dalby, I knew there was something we were missing.
And then you saw that the Dane was sporting a “full Arlovski” and you understood why Brown was chirping at him. To his credit, Dalby dealt with it expertly and dropped his foe late in the first round, elevating the intrigue in the matchup, and both men were more than happy to simply plant their feet and bang it out once they came out of their respective corners to start the second.
With each man swinging hammers 90 seconds into the middle stanza, Brown connected with a right hand that instantly ended the fight and sent the 40-year-old veteran crashing to the canvas in a heap, face first. It was reminiscent of the finish of Max Holloway’s win over Justin Gaethje last April at UFC 300, and a reminder that Brown is a dangerous, experienced hand in the 170-pound ranks.
It should also make folks a little hesitant to sign up to be his first opponent next year, because history suggests you’re going to end up on the wrong side of a highlight reel knockout.
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Honorable Mentions: Tulio def. Tresean Gore, Michal Oleksiejczuk def. Sedriques Dumas, Dominick Reyes def. Nikita Krylov, Joselyne Edwards def. Chelsea Chandler, Timmy Cuambadef. Roberto Romero, Wellmaker def. Cameron Saaiman, Ikram Aliskerov def. Andre Muniz
Fight of the Month: Alexander Volkanovski def. Diego Lopes (UFC 314)
Championship fights always have an advantage in these types of situations because the stakes are greater and we’re often talking about two of the absolute best fighters in a given weight class.
The battle for the vacant featherweight title earns top honors this month not just because it was a compelling and competitive battle where both Volkanovski and Lopes had positive moments, but also because it feels like a fight that conveyed so many lessons and provided so many takeaways that awarding the prize to anything else would be a disservice to what this bout delivered.
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First and foremost, this was a great scrap; a 25-minute tussle between two of the best featherweights on the planet, where Volk showed he’s still got it, and Lopes made it clear that he’s not far off.
But that interplay is the second part of what made this such a terrific fight, because this was a wily former champion knowing how to conduct himself when the lights are brightest getting out ahead of a first-time title fight participant that looked just a little hesitant and taken aback by the moment when things first got underway. We talk all the time in sports about how teams or individual athletes usually have to come up short a time or two before they finally take that final step and become a champion, and it feels like this was that moment for the gifted Brazilian.
And lastly, it cranked up both interest in how things get mapped out within the division in the next 12-18 months, but also forces us to think long and hard about who sits atop the mountain as the greatest featherweight champion in UFC history.
Jose Aldo was the first and has the most successful title defenses (7) and logged a couple more in the WEC before the division migrated to the UFC, while Volkanovski is also a two-time champ with a win over Aldo, three wins over the man that held the belt between he and Aldo, Max Holloway, and five successful title defenses in total from his first reign.
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It’s not something we’re going to argue or dissect here, but it certainly became a more interesting conversation to have after this one.
Honorable Mentions: Chase Hooper def. Jim Miller, Brown def. Dalby, Ian Machado Garry def. Carlos Prates