UFC Long Island: 5 Things We Learned
UFC Long Island was on pace to be a great fight card before a Brian Ortega injury resulted in an anticlimactic ending and a TKO win for Yair Rodriguez. Despite that, the remainder of the card proved to be an existing one. Out of the 12 fights, eight ended by KO/TKO or submission. In those fights, there was a lot to be learned. Plus, we will see a major shift in the featherweight title picture. Here are five things we learned at UFC Long Island.
1. There is no clear number one contender at featherweight
In our UFC Long Island preview, I mentioned that this bout between Ortega and Rodriguez would have featherweight title implications. This fight did not live up to expectations, but it still affected the title picture. Previously, Rodriguez had an opportunity to earn a title shot with a win. Instead, he finds himself in a position to fight Josh Emmett in a number one contender’s bout. This is far from ideal, but if Rodriguez can defeat Emmett, he will earn a title shot. Obviously, this bout has not yet been booked, but after UFC Long Island it seems incredibly likely. If the UFC goes in any direction outside of Rodriguez and Emmett, then the title picture will be even less clear. Regardless, we learned that there is no clear number one featherweight contender. Plus, the champion, Alexander Volkanovski, may take a stab at winning lightweight gold. This would leave even more questions.
2. Amanda Lemos is a force
I was really impressed by Amanda Lemos’ performance against Michelle Waterson-Gomez. First off, she once again displayed her powerful striking. Most importantly, she was able to consistently land punches and kicks to the body. Her combination of accuracy and power was impressive. Furthermore, her ability to jump on the guillotine choke and find a finish when the opportunity was presented put an exclamation point on her performance. From what I saw, she seems like she will be a mainstay in the straw weight top ten as long as she is in her prime.
3. Matt Schnell will not quit
Matt Schnell looked to be moments from being knocked out by Sumudaerji. Sumudaerji repeatedly landed straights and elbows that continuously hurt Schnell. However, Schnell started to land some punches of his own. He then got a takedown and landed massive shots from mount. To end it, Schnell locked in a triangle choke and put Sumudaerji to sleep. The majority of the fighters on the UFC roster get finished if they are put in this position, but Schnell was able to come back and earn a victory. Needless to say, Schnell has no quit in him and that should help him as he begins to fight elite flyweight competition again.
4. Charles Jourdain is almost there
Charles Jourdain was on the wrong side of a decision against Shane Burgos. It was a close fight, but there is no room to call it a bad decision. However, Jourdain did fight well and landed relentlessly during the third round. From a skills standpoint, I saw a lot of positives from Jourdain. He is a great striker that throws from good angles, and he attacks the body well. Burgos was able to take advantage of Jourdain in the grappling department, but if Jourdain can fill some of the holes in that department, he will be able to beat some ranked opponents. Jourdain is not quite the caliber of a ranked fighter, but it is not far away.
5. Miesha Tate will not get another title shot
Out of all the fights at UFC Long Island, we may have learned the most in the bout between Lauren Murphy and Miesha Tate. From this, we learned that Tate is not quite good enough to beat premiere UFC competition. In this fight, she was outclassed by a better fighter. Plus, she showed some poor head movement that future opponents can take advantage of. After this loss to Murphy and her past loss to Ketlen Vieira, it is evident that Tate will not receive another UFC title shot. Now, Tate will be left to determine what is next in her career.
