UFC Vegas 83: Five Things We Learned
The final UFC Fight Night of 2023 is in the book. The card was not the most eventful night of fighting, but some important results must be discussed. Here are the five biggest lessons we learned from the event.
Song Yadong moves up the bantamweight rankings:
At UFC Vegas 83, Song Yadong added another win to his resume and earned a move up the rankings. The victory was dominant as he won every round against Chris Gutierrez.
Yadong showed some positives throughout this fight. On the feet, he was the more aggressive and effective fighter, which resulted in a knockdown in Round 4. In addition, he landed takedowns and racked up control time. For the most part, he did not did take much damage throughout the process either.
This was not the statement that Song was hoping for. An impressive finish would have made a statement for the young up-and-comer. Nonetheless, winning is the most important factor.
Khalil Rountree gets the biggest win of his career:
At UFC Vegas 83, Khalil Rountree added to his streak of violence while getting the biggest win of his career. The rising lightweight made a statement as he knocked out former title contender Anthony Smith.
It is not a secret that Smith is no longer in his prime; however, Rountree deserves credit for handling business appropriately. Rountree was the cleaner striker and landed a ton of big counters. Those big shots accumulated before Rountree landed one final shot that ended the fight.
This win was exactly what Rountree needed in his career. In recent outings, he has looked great. Now, he has a big name on his resume and he managed to add to his highlight reel, which should help Rountree get another big name in his next outing.
Nasrat Haqparast flexes his boxing:
At UFC Vegas 83, Nasrat Haqparast put his boxing on display en route to a first-round knockout over Jamie Mullarkey.
Haqparast has always used his boxing to find success in the UFC. In that regard, this was nothing new. Although, Haqparast is not known for his power. In his UFC career, he now has two knockout victories.
Haqparast deserves recognition for one of the best performances of his career. Plus, this win is his third consecutive victory.
Tim Elliott gets back on track:
Tim Elliott got back in the win column at UFC Vegas 83. The 36-year-old used his grappling to land a first-round submission over Sumudaerji.
The game plan was clear for Elliott. Sumudaerji is a dangerous striker with grappling flaws. Elliott took full advantage of that. He looked to land takedowns early and completely dominated once he got Sumudaerji to the ground.
Elliott needed this win. At 36, he can not afford to stack losses. That is less of a worry after getting a first-round finish.
Andre Muniz has improved cardio:
At UFC Vegas 83, Andre Muniz showed some serious improvement on his way to a decision win over Jung Yong Park. The most notable improvement was his cardio.
Muniz has struggled with his cardio recently, which led to consecutive losses to Brendan Allen and Paul Craig. In this fight, he showed up to have a much bigger gas tank. Muniz grappled at a heavy pace throughout the fight and did not break, an impressive feat considering Park is a durable opponent with respectable cardio.
I will not go as far as to say Muniz has good cardio. I still have concerns, but he showed improvements. Let’s see if he can take another stride in his next fight.
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