UFC Vegas 92: Five Things We Learned

UFC Vegas 92: Five Things We Learned

UFC Vegas 92 was a decent night of fights. The card had a few entertaining scraps and impressive performances, but some fights were boring. To stay optimistic, we will focus on the strong performances. Here are five of the biggest lessons we learned from UFC Vegas 92.

Lerone Murphy is a legit ranked fighter

The UFC Vegas 92 main event was an important fight for Lerone Murphy. The 32-year-old elite prospect needed to take out Edson Barboza to begin climbing up the featherweight rankings. That is exactly what happened. Murphy put all his skills together and had the best performance of his career.

Murphy did exactly what needed to be done to defeat Barboza. On the feet, he pressured Barboza and limited his ability to kick. This allowed him to utilize his boxing to land a ton of big shots. Additionally, he did a good job defensively. Murphy managed the strikes coming back his way and checked several kicks. It was not a perfect defensive performance, but that is difficult to accomplish in a five-round featherweight fight.

Murphy deserves to be a ranked fighter in the featherweight division. I will never guarantee that someone climbs that division considering the talent level. What I will say is that Murphy has a chance to make a run up this division. At a minimum, he will be a problem for ranked opponents.

Khaos Williams has ridiculous power

At UFC Vegas 92, Khaos Williams put his ridiculous power on full display as he knocked out Carlston Harris in the first round.

It is not a secret that Williams has serious knockout power. At the same time, he has not logged a knockout since 2021. This fight was a good reminder that Williams can put opponents to sleep with one punch.

Adrian Yanez gets back on track

At UFC Vegas 92, Adrian Yanez knocked out Vinicius Salvador in the first round. The victory snapped a two-fight losing streak and put Yanez back on the right track.

This performance is a step in the right direction. Yanez showed a ton of serious potential before he dropped consecutive bouts. This most recent win felt like an opportunity to regain his confidence. It was good to see Yanez get a win while trusting his top weapons.

Yanez’s UFC Vegas 92 performance does not suggest he will be a future champion. Although, this a step he needed to take before he could fight top-tier bantamweights.

Angela Hill continues to get the job done

Angela Hill looked great at UFC Vegas 92. The veteran did everything she needed to get her hand raised against Luana Pinheiro.

Hill did a great job of avoiding damage in the opening round. Pinheiro does not have great cardio, but can be effective early in a fight. In turn, Hill needed to get to the second round without being beaten up or out-grappled. She accomplished that. Hill avoided big shots and defended Pinheiro’s judo throws. In the second round, she applied more pressure before landing a guillotine choke.

At 39, Hill is finding ways to win fights. The physical drop-off has yet to happen and she is fighting intelligently. That will continue to help her pick up wins.

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Oumar Sy impresses in his UFC debut

The biggest unknown at UFC Vegas 92 was a light heavyweight fight between Oumar Sy and Tuco Tokkos. The bout featured two UFC debutants which creates questions. Ultimately, Sy was the one who came out with positive answers as he landed a rear-naked choke in the first round.

I do not want to overreact to Sy’s debut, but he looked good. The grappling was impressive. In the light-heavyweight division, serious grapplers will always have potential. That is a skill set that can win fights in the division.

Sy will need to show a little more before he earns a serious prospect status. That said, his next fight will be worth watching.

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