UFC Vegas 59: Five Things We Learned
UFC Vegas 59 was not filled with a lot of big names or star power; however, it was filled with excitement. The judges were not needed, with all ten fights ending via finish. This was lead by Jamahal Hill who landed a fourth-round finish of Thiago Santos. We also saw several fighters looking to ascend through the rankings while other fighters looked to win The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) Season 30. Now, it is time to reflect on the lessons we learned at UFC Vegas 59.
1. Jamahal Hill Has Cemented Himself as an Elite Light Heavyweight
Jamahal Hill got the biggest win of his career at UFC Vegas 59. His fourth-round TKO against Thiago Santos puts him in the upper echelon of the light heavyweight division. In this fight, Hill showed a lot of positive traits that make him stand out in the division. Once again, Hill was able to control the large majority of the fight while things were standing. He did this by utilizing forward pressure, a good jab, and strong counter striking. When Santos attempted to get the fight to the ground, Hill defended takedowns well. Overall, Hill was able to apply his skills against his toughest opponent to date, thus legitimizing his ability to fight the best light heavyweights in the world.
2. Geoff Neal is Putting it All Together
Geoff Neal has always shown flashes of greatness as he worked his way into the welterweight rankings. When he reached the rankings, he faltered against Stephen Thompson and Neil Magny and his stock fell as a result. Soon after, he was able to get back on track with a win against Santiago Ponzinibbio. In his bout against Vicente Luque at UFC Vegas 59, he showed that he is putting his skills together and beginning to turn the corner. Neal was tremendous at landing power shots while staying technical and efficient. He was able to get out to an early lead by repeatedly landing his stinging left hand. In our preview of UFC Vegas 59, I mentioned that I had a lot of respect for the durability of Neal and Luque. Neal made Luque’s durability look suspect at best. That is not a slight at Luque, rather I was impressed that Neal was able to deal enough damage to get a finish. After that performance, I cannot help but think that Neal is starting to turn a corner and reach a new level.
3. Vicente Luque is Fading
When one fighter rises another has to fall. As I mentioned, Neal is rising, and it looks like Luque is beginning to fade. Luque looked tremendous during his four-fight win streak in 2020 and 2021. Since then, he has dropped two in a row to Belal Muhammed and Neal. In all honesty, neither fight was particularly close. In fairness, Luque has been in wars. It seems like the damage from these fights is beginning to catch up with him. While I think Luque is talented, he has begun to fall out of form.
4. Mohammed Usman is Lethal
Mohammed Usman tapped back into his power in the finale of TUF Season 30 at UFC Vegas 59. On the regional scene, Usman had five first-round knockouts. On TUF, he won his first two fights by decision. Against Zac Pauga, Usman was able to land a lead hook that won him the fight. It was good to see Usman find a knockout shot against Pauga. Finding a knockout blow against Pauga makes me believe that he can utilize that skill at a UFC level. I am not sure that I was confident he could do that before this fight. That ability makes Usman’s heavyweight potential far higher than it otherwise would be.
5. Juliana Miller Has Potential
The other TUF Season 30 winner was Juliana Miller, after she earned an impressive TKO victory against Brogan Walker at UFC Vegas 59. At 26 years old, Miller has the potential to string together a great UFC career. Off the jump, Miller displayed good grappling that consists of a solid combination of controlling position, attempting submissions, and throwing ground and pound. This is great to see at her age. To round out her game, she needs to improve her striking. These improvements have begun as she looked better on the feet against Miller than she did in her other TUF fights. Plus, at 5-foot-7 she has good size for the female flyweight division. Overall, Miller has a lot of potential that can result in a great UFC career.
