UFC Vegas 78: Five things we learned
UFC Vegas 78 ended up being a fun night of fights with a handful of crazy results. The card saw a ton of finishes and impressive performances. Furthermore, we learned a few lessons about several fighters. Let’s discuss the five biggest lessons we learned from the event.
Vicente Luque is fighting more cautiously
In the main event of UFC Vegas 78, Vicente Luque returned to the octagon and earned a decision victory over Rafael dos Anjos. Luque was returning after suffering a brain hemorrhage over a year ago. It was great to see Luque put that injury in the rearview mirror and get back in the win column.
In Luque’s win over dos Anjos, he showed a different version of himself. In the past, Luque engaged in brawls and put his dangerous striking on his display. At UFC Vegas 78, he opted to use his size advantage to win position on the cage and limit the striking exchanges.
It will be interesting to see if this style will be a one-off for Luque or if he will continue to fight more cautiously. With his return from injury in the past, he may be more willing to open up in the future. At the same time, if you find a consistent path to victory, there is no reason to change your game plan.
Rafael dos Anjos is at a crossroad in his career
On the opposite side of the UFC Vegas 78 main event, Rafael dos Anjos came out on the wrong side of the decision. That loss has put dos Anjos at a crossroad in his career.
dos Anjos is a 38-year-old legend that does not really fit into the lightweight or welterweight division. At lightweight, he is forced to cut a lot of weight and struggles with the faster fighters. At welterweight, he is massively undersized and struggles with strength. In either case, he struggles to utilize his skill when he is outgunned in physical attributes.
To be clear, I do think dos Anjos can get wins at welterweight. The issue is that he has a relatively low ceiling. It is evident that he is not championship-caliber. If he can’t win a belt, what is next for him? That is not an easy question to answer.
Hakeem Dawodu falls short of expectations
At UFC Vegas 78, Hakeem Dawodu did not get the result he was hoping for as he lost a decision to Cub Swanson. In all fairness, the judges got the fight wrong and Dawodu should have got his hand raised. Still, Dawodu fell short of expectations as he should have handily beat Swanson.
Dawodu is an interesting fighter. If you look at his skills, he should be performing at a much higher level. On the feet, Dawodu has really solid striking and great cardio. In most fights, especially at the unranked level, Dawodu has the talent to impressively stack wins. Yet, we see him lose fights and fight to close decisions.
I really like Dawodu because of all the skills he shows, but it just feels like it has not clicked. It feels like he should be slightly better defensively and a little more active on the feet. Those small shortcomings have led to Dawodu consistently underperforming. At 32, it is reasonable to question if he will ever reach his potential.
Khalil Rountree’s streak of violence continues
At UFC Vegas 78, Khalil Rountree produced an impressive result with his violent striking. In the first round, Rountree landed a left hand that dropped Chris Daukaus. The fight was stopped shortly after as Rountree followed up with massive ground-and-pound shots.
Rountree has really come into a zone in his last four fights. In his four-fight win streak, he has had three violent finish victories. The only decision win came over Dustin Jacoby who looked great in his last fight.
Rountree’s win over Daukuas also put his patience and technicality on display. It is clear that he has continuously worked to improve his game and round out those skills.
One thing is for certain, if Rountree is fighting you should be watching. At a minimum, there is a reasonable chance that he violently finishes his opponent.
Iasmin Lucindo utilizes her grappling
At UFC Vegas 78, Iasmin Lucindo got an impressive submission victory over Polyana Viana. In the bout, she finally showcased her grappling upside.
Lucindo beat Viana in the grappling and striking. On the ground, she was able to avoid the submission from Viana while eventually advancing position and landing a submission of her own. Aside from getting taken down once, she looked really good. On the feet, she put her quick hands on display and hurt Viana with big shots.
I have been waiting to see Lucindo utilize her grappling at the UFC level. In Lucindo’s promotional debut at UFC San Diego, I was expecting her to grapple. This was because she found a lot of success grappling on the regional scene. Ultimately, in her debut, she proved to be UFC-caliber, but she did it with her striking. Again, in her second UFC bout, she showed she was an exciting striker. Finally, at UFC Vegas 78, proved she could grapple at the UFC level.
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