From the minute the lights dimmed and the familiar sound of the audio package introducing the first set of fighters to make their way to the Octagon rang through Ball Arena in Denver on Saturday night, it felt like something special was about to happen.
Evan Elder and Darrius Flowers, added to the event lineup earlier in the week, strode to the Octagon overflowing with excitement and came out of the gates showing zero regard for competing at altitude, attacking with full force from the jump, pushing a torrid pace through the opening five minutes. Less than two minutes into the second round, Elder found a submission, collected the tap, and the not-yet-packed house instantly transformed into a venue twice the size that was standing room only.
It was one of those nights an old head like me has come to appreciate even more than some of the marquee shows, simply because I’ve grown to love witnessing unheralded talents have their moments, and cards that people aren’t particularly excited about provide non-stop entertainment, and that was precisely what happened when the UFC returned to Denver.
This wasn’t a star-studded card even in its initial iteration, and changes altered the line-up right through fight week, when Elder and Flowers were added last minute to give the event an even dozen bouts.
There was one matchup between ranked opponents — the re-shuffled main event between Rose Namajunas and Tracy Cortez — and only one other competitor with a number next to their name slated to compete — Canadian flyweight Jasmine Jasudavicius — and yet the vibe throughout the week in Denver was one of excitement.
People that follow mixed martial arts closely understood that some of the low profile matchups on the card had the potential to be outstanding, and appreciated the opportunity to get additional looks at a collection of emerging talents that still have questions to answer inside the Octagon.
The Denver card wasn’t a going to create significant waves in the rankings whenever they next update, but if everything played out in the best possible way, UFC Denver had a chance to be a whole lot of fun and it was going to provide a great deal of clarity about where certain individuals stand in their respective weight classes.
And that’s exactly what happened.
In the main event, Namajunas showed flashes of vintage “Thug Rose,” dropping Cortez in the opening round before mixing in her wrestling on the way to her best showing since relocating to the flyweight division. At the same time, Cortez showed she’s closer to being a top-five fighter than someone destined to be reside in the lower third of the flyweight ranks for the majority of her career, stepping in on short notice, at altitude, and winning the final round in a gutsy performance that surely brought plenty of teachable moments.
The flyweight division was the main star of the show, as in addition to Namajunas cementing her status as a serious title threat, Jasudavicius provided a rough welcome to the big stage for Fatima Kline, handing the highly regarded prospect her first professional loss while continuing to show that she’s a developing talent in the 125-pound weight class.
A late arrival to the sport, the 35-year-old Niagara region standout continues to improve, leaning on her grit, physicality, and overall meanness to make life miserable from whomever she shares the Octagon with each time out. With a pair of victories already this year and four wins in her last five — she lost to Cortez last September at Noche UFC — Jasudavicius should garner a step up in competition next time out, or at the very least, be re-booked against her original opponent, ranked Brazilian Viviane Araujo.
Earlier in the evening, Luana Santos showed why many were eager to see her return to action over the weekend, as the Brazilian prospect rolled into the cage and rag-dolled Mariya Agapova, collecting a first-round submission win to secure her third consecutive UFC victory. While the “glass half empty” set will surely point to Agapova’s struggles on the ground as a means of diminishing what Santos did in Denver, the reality is that she could have been in there with someone with outstanding defensive grappling abilities and the outcome likely wouldn’t have been any different. That’s how dialled in she was all week and how good she looked on fight night.
Just 24 years old, Santos set up shop in Las Vegas ahead of this fight, and with the health issues that caused her significant weight miss and overall sluggish effort against Stephanie Egger behind her, the 8-1 fighter should absolutely be regarded as a person of interest in the flyweight ranks going forward.
The Olympics are just around the corner and much as those three flyweights turned in excellent performances, they honestly weren’t even podium finishes on the night, which tells you how quality the action inside the Octagon was on Saturday night.
The gold medalist in Denver was unquestionably Jean Silva, who ventured up to lightweight just two weeks after stopping Charles Jourdain at UFC 303 and earned a third-round stoppage win over divisional stalwart Drew Dober, leaving the all-action local favourite with a gnarly gash above his right eye.
A member of the Fighting Nerds team that has been steadily delivering strong performance in the UFC for the last couple years, the 27-year-old Silva is already 3-0 this year, with three finishes, and now sits on the doorstep of the rankings in both the featherweight and lightweight divisions. He’s wildly entertaining every time out, and if his win over Jourdain didn’t put people on notice, the way he performed in Denver most certainly did.
Montel Jackson collected the silver medal on Saturday, waltzing into his intriguing clash with Da’Mon Blackshear on a four-fight winning streak and extending it to five in rapid fashion, ending the fight in just 18 seconds. “Quik” has never been one to chase the spotlight or have much to say before or after his fights, but the Dana White’s Contender Series grad is now 8-2 in the UFC and a legitimate handful for anyone in the talent-rich bantamweight division.
It only feels fitting to declare the bronze medal position a tie between Julian Erosa and Charles Johnson because the veteran competitors delivered different, yet similar performances in order to leave Colorado with another win in hand.
Erosa took some early fire from featherweight prospect Christian Rodriguez, who entered the fight on a four-fight winning streak and having handed unbeaten prospects their first career losses in three consecutive outings. After weathering the early storm, Erosa made Rodriguez pay for briefly leaving his neck exposed in a late-round scramble, locking onto a guillotine choke that left Rodriguez panic-tapping in the closing seconds of the opening stanza.
Earlier in the evening, Johnson chased down Joshua Van in the early moments of the third round, wobbling him with a right hand before sending him crashing to the canvas with a long, precise uppercut to close out the prelims. It was the third win of the year for the 33-year-old St. Louis native, who has been one of the most active fighters on the roster since signing with the UFC, making nine appearances in three years.
Both men are perfect examples of what I call “ecosystem fighters,” established and dangerous talents that are crucial to their divisions and can be counted on to deliver an entertaining fight every time out, no matter the opponent or the result. Neither is likely to make a run at the title — Erosa turns 35 later this month and is on his third tour of duty in the UFC, while Johnson is 33 in a division where age plays an even more significant factor than in other weight classes — but they’re both vital figures in their divisions and the perfect guys to have around for these exact scenarios.
Add in a strong bounce-back effort from Gabriel Bonfim, who is still an intriguing young talent in the welterweight division, and the chaos that was Abdul Razak Alhassan and Cody Brundage in the main card opener and you end up with an event where 10 of the 12 fights delivered something worth talking about, and that feels important to talk about right now.
Far too often, we come away from events lamenting what we didn’t get or focusing on things to criticize, but UFC Denver felt like a reminder of how fun, entertaining, and meaningful each event can be if we stop fixating on things like where it’s taking place or how many competitors on the card have a Wikipedia page or not.
Silva, Bonfim, Johnson, Jasudavicius, and Santos all entered the weekend without one, and it had zero impact on their performance or how skilled and talented we know them to be. The dearth of ranked competitors on the card didn’t diminish the quality of the action or how enjoyable the overall night was either.
There is plenty to be critical about, but when things are good, we need to celebrate those as well, rather than just look for the next thing to be upset and outraged about at all times.
Rather than constantly taking a “everything is terrible” approach to every card that isn’t in front of a packed crowd and flush with familiar names, take a second to find the interesting elements the exist on every card and focus on those, because those are the things that are going to continue elevating this sport and these athletes.
And that’s how events like this past Saturday’s fight card in Denver can deliver copious amount of entertainment and serve as a reminder of so much that is great in this sport, even though very few people expect much from it in advance.
Hello, my name is Jack Sparrow. I'm a 50 year old self-employed Pirate from the Caribbean.
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