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The UFC was back at the Las Vegas APEX last night for another event. This time, the Fight Night on offer turned out to be pretty decent.
A pair of new title contenders were minted at UFC Fight Night: Gilbert Burns vs. Sean Brady, while some other fighters also scored big wins.
How well they'll follow up those big wins, only time will tell, but they should savor them for now.
Here are five takeaways from UFC Fight Night: Gilbert Burns vs. Sean Brady.
#5 What was with the betting lines on Isaac Dulgarian?
The preliminary fight between featherweights Isaac Dulgarian and Brendon Marotte last night felt like the kind of bout that would usually fly under the radar.
Both men were coming off losses in their last UFC bout, and although Dulgarian's defeat came with some controversy, it's not like either was considered a hot prospect.
Despite this, eyeballs were suddenly pointed at the bout when it was announced that somehow, Dulgarian had officially been made the biggest betting favorite in UFC history.
Quite why this would happen is anyone's guess. The prior record holder in that area was Bo Nickal prior to his fight with Val Woodburn. In that case, though, Woodburn had taken the fight on short notice and unlike Dulgarian, Nickal was - and is - widely considered a generational prospect.
In the end, anyone who bet on Dulgarian came out on top. 'The Midwest Choppa' dispatched Marotte with relative ease via a second round submission.
Given the somewhat shadowy history with the UFC and betting, though, it could be worth someone looking into the betting lines for this fight.
There's no suggestion that either Dulgarian or Marotte did anything wrong, of course, but a huge skew of this magnitude, particularly for no concrete reason, raises eyebrows.
#4 It's time to pay attention to Steve Garcia
From an excitement point of view, there were high hopes for the featherweight clash between Steve Garcia and Kyle Nelson last night.
After all, Garcia was riding a four-fight win streak with four knockouts, while Nelson had violently beaten Bill Algeo in his last bout.
In the end, the fight delivered the violence that everyone hoped for, and it was Garcia who walked away with his fifth knockout in a row.
His performance was an excellent one, culminating with a series of ruthless elbows from top position that forced the referee to step in and save Nelson.
To add to this, not only did 'Mean Machine' claim a $50k bonus for his efforts, but he'll also be handed 20% of Nelson's purse after 'The Monster' missed weight for the bout.
How high is Garcia's ceiling? While his five-fight knockout streak is impressive, it's safe to say he has yet to fight an elite-level foe.
That ought to change in his next bout. Anyone capable of dispatching five opponents in the octagon is at least worthy of a step up and, at worst, 'Mean Machine' could become a 145 pound version of Drew Dober.
At any rate, he's more than proven himself as a valuable member of the UFC roster, and will probably be showcased on the main card more regularly going forward.
#3 Matt Schnell has chosen the right time to walk away from MMA
Initially booked to fight Alessandro Costa, flyweight action hero Matt Schnell always had his back to the wall coming into last night's event.
With his last two fights ending with him knocked unconscious and only one of his last five bouts ending in victory, 'Danger' was - no pun intended - in danger of losing his UFC roster spot with a loss.
When Costa was sidelined midway through last week, though, Schnell's assignment changed dramatically. He was faced with Cody Durden, and due to the late notice, the fight was switched to a 135 pound bout instead.
Due to the late notice, many fans expected Schnell to come out on top. Instead, though, after a trademark first round brawl that saw both men land big shots, 'Danger' dived headfirst into a ninja choke in the second round and had to tap out.
The win was a big one for Durden, but what Schnell did in the fight's aftermath was more telling. The veteran took off his gloves, essentially announcing his retirement from MMA.
Assuming his decision holds, he's absolutely done the right thing. He's lost his last three fights and at 34 years old, isn't going to improve at this point. Why risk his health any further?
It's a decision that many other fighters in a similar position should learn from, and it ought to be applauded by both the fans and the promotion.
#2 Natalia Silva's big win means next weekend's UFC flyweight title fight needs a resolution
Last night's flyweight co-headliner pitted a hot prospect in Natalia Silva against a former titleholder in Jessica Andrade.
In the end, the prospect won out. Silva looked fantastic across all three rounds, completely outstriking 'Bate Estaca' and even dropping her on more than one occasion.
While the Brazilian didn't pick up a finish, she still sent a major message with this showing and should rightfully move into the top five at 125 pounds next week. After all, she's now won 12 fights in a row.
What does this mean for the division overall? It basically means that the queue for a title shot just got even longer. Not only is Silva hunting for a crack at the gold, but so are Manon Fiorot, Maycee Barber and Rose Namajunas, all of whom are riding lengthy win streaks.
With that considered, it's even more important that the flyweight title bout between Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko comes to a proper conclusion at Noche UFC 306 next weekend.
Another draw or controversial finish leading to a fourth bout between the two would completely bottleneck what should now be an exciting division. With any luck, flyweight can move on from the rivalry in a week's time.
#1 Sean Brady has improved hugely and is a genuine UFC welterweight title threat
The biggest test at last night's UFC event came for welterweight contender Sean Brady.
Ranked at No.8 in the world at 170 pounds, Brady was faced with former title challenger Gilbert Burns. Sure, 'Durinho' came into the fight ranked just two spots above the Philadelphia native, but that was beside the point.
The last time Brady had tried to step up in competition, he was shut down badly by Belal Muhammad. Therefore, the big question was whether he could change that this time around.
After five rounds, we got the answer. Not only did Brady win, but he did so in impressive fashion.
Sure, he didn't stop Burns, but he basically outfought him in all areas. Showing big improvements in his striking, he tagged 'Durinho' with combinations and slowed him down with low kicks, while also largely landing the better takedowns in the grapplning exchanges.
In many ways, while he didn't land the same kind of dramatic knockout, he did better against the Brazilian than Jack Della Maddalena did earlier this year.
With this win, there's no questions over where Brady belongs now. He's a legitimate title threat at 170 pounds and he needs another step up the ladder next time out.
Whether that's against a hardened veteran like Kamaru Usman or Colby Covington, or a fellow prospect like Maddalena shouldn't matter. After last night, the Philadelphia native should be one or two fights away from a title shot, max.
