UFC Vegas 91: Five Things We Learned
UFC Vegas 91 was not a great fight card. Still, we have fights to break down. The card featured a lot of young fighters, rising prospects, and fresh faces. That means the lessons from this card could be useful in future fights. Here are the five biggest lessons we learned from UFC Vegas 91.
Alex Perez gets in the win column
The UFC Vegas 91 main event featured a flyweight bout between Alex Perez and Matheus Nicolau. This victory broke a three-fight losing streak and put Perez in the win column for the first time since 2020.
This was a strong performance from Perez. Nicolau can be a tricky fighter because of his movement skills. That said, Perez managed to close the distance and initiate boxing exchanges. Ultimately, he got Nicolau backed up and landed a right hook that ended the fight.
Perez is undergoing a resurgence in 2024. At UFC Vegas 87, he returned from a two-year layoff and fought to a close decision against Muhammad Mokaev. Shortly later, he picks up a knockout victory. It has been great to see Perez return to the octagon and find success.
The Bogdan Guskov experience will be interesting
Bogdan Guskov is one of the most interesting fighters in the UFC. At UFC Vegas 91, he put that on full display as he picked up a knockout victory over Ryan Spann.
Spann dominated Guskov on the ground in the first round. That changed in round two when Guskov began to land shots on the feet and Spann began to tire. Eventually, Guskov landed an uppercut that ended the fight.
In the future, Guskov fights will be a unique experience. In most fights, he loses until he finds shots that swing the fight in his favor. On top of that, he fights with his hands down, but he is pretty accurate and has power. That is a unique archetype we rarely see.
Karine Silva wins a decision
At UFC Vegas 91, Karine Silva earned a decision victory against Ariane da Silva (formerly Lipski). In that win, Silva showed a lot of growth.
In theory, Silva should not win a decision. Typically, Silva is a lethal finisher that fades if she cannot land a finish. That did not happen in this fight. Instead, Silva wrested to get the fight to the ground and win rounds.
This is a massive step in the right direction. Previously, Silva’s ceiling had a serious cap on her potential. The physical attributes and finishing ability can only take her so far. That ceiling greatly rises when you add improved cardio and wrestling into the equation.
Jhonata Diniz can’t grapple
At UFC Vegas 91, Jhonata Diniz won his UFC debut as he knocked out Austen Lane. Unfortunately, he showed some serious issues.
Diniz is a 32-year-old former kickboxer. This fight showed some of that background. On the feet, he had power and landed some strong shots. That said, he is not as technical as you would expect from a former kickboxer.
The issue with Diniz is that he grapples like a kickboxing. In the first round, Lane landed a takedown and racked up a ton of control time. After Diniz’s Dana White’s Contender Series bout, I did not expect grappling flaws, but this performance was worse than expected. Diniz will have serious issues against anyone with competent grappling.
David Onama continues to improve
At UFC Vegas 91, David Onama took another step forward in the right direction as he picked up a decision win over Jonathan Pearce.
In previous outings, Onama started to make improvements and reach his potential. This fight continued that trend.
Onama was facing a tough stylistic clash against Pearce. The consistent grappling pace should have been tough for Onama to handle based on his previous cardio concerns. In reality, he managed his gas tank well, picked the right times to explode, and did not get overaggressive in striking exchanges. This allowed Onama to get to strong positions and outstrike Pearce. This was a mature performance that showed a lot of growth.
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