UFC Singapore: Five things we learned
UFC Singapore was a rare card as it presented some early-morning violence for the North American fanbase. Thankfully, UFC Singapore delivered exciting results that certainly kept the fans engaged. Let’s run through the memorable card and discuss the biggest lessons we learned.
Max Holloway prevails in an emotional bout
In the UFC Singapore main event, Max Holloway landed an overhand right that put Chan Sung Jung out cold. The knockout secured Holloway’s place at the top of the UFC featherweight contenders.
The fight itself ended up being a heater. Holloway and Jung exchanged punches for the entirety of the fight. For the most part, Holloway was winning those exchanges, but Jung was landing strikes and it was competitive. The major difference in this fight was the combination of precision and power for Holloway. “Blessed” had Jung hurt in the first and he landed a knockdown in the second. Ultimately, the knockout shot came in the third.
The most impressive aspect of this bout was outside of the fight itself. Holloway, a Hawaii native, came into this fight with a heavy heart due to the Hawaii wildfires. This was seen in every aspect of his performance. The former champion walked with the Hawaiin flag draped around his shoulders while Hawaiin music blasted on the speakers.
Holloway has tirelessly represented Hawaii throughout his career, but there was more on the line at UFC Singapore. It was amazing he set those emotions aside and handled business.
Chan Sung Jung retires as “The Korean Zombie”
At UFC Singapore, Chan Sung Jung announced his retirement from the sport of MMA. Despite going out on a loss, Jung retired in the most “Korean Zombie” way ever.
“The Korean Zombie” earned his nickname through his insane toughness, willingness to scrap, and countless wars. In the final bout of his career, he went out with those values at the forefront.
Let’s be frank, Jung was at a massive disadvantage in this fight. It was prime Holloway against a retirement-bound Jung. The odds were stacked against him. He did not fight like that, however.
Jung brought Holloway a fight. As mentioned, for the entire fight, Holloway and Jung exchanged shots. That happened because Jung was hunting Holloway. Despite getting dropped in round two, he fought relentlessly to get back into the fight which he accomplished. In the third round, Jung decided to bite down on his mouthpiece and throw until the fight was over. That’s right, he tested one of the best chins in UFC history. That did not lead him to victory, but it allowed him to go out like a warrior. At no point, did he shrivel up and quit.
After the bout, Jung was flat on his back receiving medical attention when Holloway approached to shake his hand. Jung did not look sad or distraught, instead, he lying with a smile on his face. As cold as it sounds, his post-fight reaction was symbolic of his kill-or-be-killed mentality.
Erin Blanchfield is tough as nails
At UFC Singapore, Erin Blanchfield and Taila Santos were fighting in a highly important women’s flyweight bout. The winner of the bout was putting themself in an outstanding position to fight for UFC gold. That ended up being Blanchfield as she won a competitive decision.
It took Blanchfield everything she had to get the victory. In the first round, she set an extremely high pace; however, that resulted in Santos landing a lot of solid shots. In round two, Blanchfield pulled ahead with her superior cardio and clinch control. In round three, Santos was dead tired and Blanchfield began to add strikes alongside her clinch work.
This was a great win for Blanchfield. I imagine there will be doubters. At some point, people will criticize Blanchfield for not landing takedowns against Santos. Those same people will fail to acknowledge that Santos is the toughest stylistic matchup for Blanchfield. That is because she is one of the few fighters capable of grappling with Blanchfield. Furthermore, Blanchfield has elite cardio and will excel in championship rounds. On the other hand, Santos would have been absurdly gassed in those rounds.
Regardless, Blanchfield proved that she is tough as nails and has elite cardio. After the first round, she made the right adjustments and capitalized on her cardio advantage. A lot of other fighters would have called it a day after a rough first round. Oh, and let’s not forget Blanchfield is only 24-years-old and will only improve as she approaches her prime. In all fairness, none of this should be a surprise as Blanchfield has already proved to be an elite fighter.
Giga Chikadze shakes the ring rust
At UFC Singapore, Giga Chikadze bounced back from a one-sided beating against Calvin Kattar while shaking off over a year-and-a-half of ring rust.
Chikadze outstruck Alex Caceres throughout three rounds to earn a decision victory. This was accomplished with polished fundamentals and better defense in comparison to Caceres’ wild style.
At 35-years-old, Chikadze could not afford another setback. The Georgian striker has solidified his spot in the top ten and kept his title aspirations alive.
Rinya Nakamura hasn’t fallen in love with his hands
At UFC Singapore, Rinya Nakamura earned a decision victory over Fernie Garcia. Nakamura, a highly promising prospect, dominated the bout with wrestling and nearly landed submission on several occasions.
This bout was very telling. In the past, Nakamura has put his wrestling on the wayside to hunt knockouts. That was not the case in this fight. Nakamura properly took advantage of Garcia’s grappling flaws. It is promising to see that he has not fallen in love with his hands and is willing to take the easiest route to victory.
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