UFC Vegas 61: Five Things We Learned
UFC Vegas 61 was closed to the public and media as Mark Zuckerberg sat cage side to watch the event. In the main event, Yan Xiaonan was able to avoid the submission attempts of Mackenzie Dern and work her way to a unanimous decision win. Overall, UFC Vegas 61 had a handful of good fights and we learned about a handful of fighters. Here are five things we learned at UFC Vegas 61.
1. Yan Xiaonan Gets Back In The Win Column
Yan Xiaonan got back in the win column with an impressive win against Mackenzie Dern. Xiaonan desperately needed to get a win after dropping her last two bouts. This performance was quite a way to bounce back. She was miles ahead of Dern on the feet, but that was expected. In the grappling exchanges, Xiaonan did a great job defending Dern’s takedown attempts. In total, Dern went two for 11 on takedown attempts. Dern was able to into dominant positions on the ground in rounds two and five but in those positions, Xiaonan was able to defend submission attempts. Overall, Xiaonan fought the perfect fight to beat Dern and got back in the win column.
2. Mackenzie Dern Needs To Improve Her Wrestling
Mackenzie Dern is one of the best Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioners in the world. Dern can win just about any fight if it hits the mats. In her fight with Xiaonan, she nearly landed a handful of submissions. The issue in this fight was that Dern had a hard time getting the fight to the ground. As we previously established, Dern went two for 11 on takedown attempts. That is not sufficient enough for her fighting style. When Dern is able to land takedowns she can win rounds by working her BJJ from the top. This is a great combo. She can win rounds while hunting a finish and minimizing the damage that she absorbs. If Dern can level up her wrestling she will be a much more difficult fighter to beat.
3. Randy Brown Gained Some Experience
Randy Brown gained some quality experience at UFC Vegas 61. Brown found himself in a close fight with Francisco Trinaldo. Trinaldo is 44 years old, but he is also a tough fighter to beat. That is why he was 5-1 in his last six fights. In this bout, Brown managed to stay on the outside and consistently land strikes from the outside. His best tools were his jab and his teep kick. Brown’s most significant strike came in the first round when he landed a knockdown.
Brown is currently rising through the ranks of the welterweight division. He has now won his last four bouts, with wins over Trinaldo, Khaos Williams, Jared Gooden, and Alex Oliveira. At this point, he is very close to getting a fight against a ranked opponent. This fight with Trinaldo will be a positive experience to have before he breaks into the rankings.
4. Raoni Barcelos Still Has It
Heading into UFC Vegas 61, Raoni Barcelos lost his last two fights. In those fights, he did not seem to be in top form. At 35 years old, that can be quite concerning. In our UFC Vegas 61 preview, I questioned or not whether Barcelos would be able to return to top form. Against Trevin Jones, Barcelos looked to still be a tremendous fighter. Barcelos looked better than Jones in every aspect of the fight. His striking looked superior and he was able to out grapple Jones. On the ground, Barcelos landed ground-and-pound elbows that bloodied Jones badly. All in all, Barcelos worked his way to a dominant decision win that proved he is still capable of performing at an elite level.
5. Sodiq Yusuff Held Strong
Sodiq Yusuff was put in a bad position at UFC Vegas 61. Yusuff was originally supposed to fight Giga Chikadze at UFC Vegas 60, but Chikadze had to pull out with an injury. Instead of fighting Chikadze, the No. 8 ranked featherweight, Yusuff fought Don Shainis. Shainis was fighting on the regional scene and signed with the UFC to fight Yusuff on short notice. While Yusuff did not get the opportunity to fight a ranked opponent, he held strong. Yusuff quickly submitted Shainis in a fight that looked like a ranked UFC fighter against a regional-level fighter. Yusuff could have a letdown fight against Shainis, but he made sure to show up in top form.
