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The UFC visited Denver for its latest Fight Night last night. For some reason, events in Denver always deliver, and this was no exception. UFC Fight Night: Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez treated the fans to, for the most part, a bunch of exciting fights and finishes, with plenty to enjoy.
With several talking points, then, this was a show well worth watching in the end.
Here are five takeaways from UFC Fight Night: Rose Namajunas vs. Tracy Cortez.
#5. Julian Erosa should have a job for life with the UFC
It'd be easy to focus on one of the night's more controversial moments here - the No Contest between Abdul Razak Alhassan and Cody Brundage. However, a much more positive talking point came one fight later.
That fight saw featherweight veteran Julian Erosa score a mild upset over Christian Rodriguez, finishing him in the first round with a beautiful guillotine choke.
The win moved 'Juicy J' to a largely unimpressive 8-7 in the octagon, but that isn't the point here. Unlike some more successful fighters, Erosa probably has a job for life with the UFC.
That's because he's one of the most wild fighters to ever set foot into the octagon. Every time he fights, he seems to be able to draw his opponent into a crazy battle, and that was no exception last night, as he forced Rodriguez into a firefight before submitting him.
Will 'Juicy J' ever be a title contender? Probably not, but with so many cards to fill these days, Erosa is always an easy pick for a main card showcase as he guarantees action. And really, that's what the UFC is all about, is it not?
#4. Montel Jackson might be a dark horse at 135 pounds
The bantamweight tilt between Montel Jackson and Da'Mon Blackshear was a curious choice for a prelim fight last night. Jackson had quietly built a four-fight win streak, while Blackshear had plenty of hype on him as a prospect last year.
In the end, the lack of spotlight didn't matter, as the fight ended in just 18 seconds and unsurprisingly, netted the winner, Jackson, a $50k bonus.
It was a remarkable showing from 'Quik', who lived up to his nickname with a truly scary showing. As Blackshear came forward, Jackson waylaid him with a rapid-fire one-two and then finished him on the ground.
Now unbeaten since 2020 and with five wins in a row, it's hard to overlook Jackson at this stage. The UFC will hopefully give him a push up the card next time and match him with a top fifteen-ranked opponent because he's earned the opportunity.
#3. Did the judges make the wrong call in the co-headliner?
The most forgettable bout on offer on last night's main card was, strangely, the co-headliner between Santiago Ponzinibbio and Muslim Salikhov.
The welterweight veterans were placed into that spot with the hope that they'd produce a wild brawl, but that wasn't the case in the end. Instead, the big talking point sat around the judges' call that Salikhov had earned a win.
The first round clearly belonged to Ponzinibbio. The striking exchanges throughout were largely even, but the Argentine punctuated his work with a late knockdown.
The second, meanwhile, saw Salikhov stun 'Gente Boa' with a left hand and do some good work on the ground, clearly earning him a 10-9.
That left the result down to the third round, and again, while the striking was even, Ponzinibbio controlled the latter stages with his grappling and an eventual takedown.
The judges, however, strangely went the other way, with two of them awarding the scorecards to 'The King of Kung-Fu', netting him a split decision win.
Does the result matter in the long run? Not really, as both of these fighters are near the end of their careers, but it was more proof that the judges used by the UFC can still be very spotty.
#2. Jean Silva channels his inner Khamzat Chimaev for a big win
Back in 2020, Khamzat Chimaev went from being a total unknown to one of the hottest prospects in the UFC by winning two fights in just ten days.
Last night saw Brazil's Jean Silva channel his inner Chimaev by claiming his second victory in 14 days. More to the point, though, 'Lord' didn't defeat just anyone last night. He dispatched Drew Dober, one of the toughest lightweights in the game.
The fight was a truly wild one, just as you'd expect from Dober. He took the fight to Silva, who was more than happy to oblige with huge strikes in return. Both men ended up bloodied and battered, but it was 'Lord' who'd done the most damage.
Not only did he come close to finishing Dober in the second round with a spinning elbow, but he left him badly cut over the right eyebrow with some slashing strikes earlier on, too.
When another opened the cruel cut further in the third, referee Herb Dean had no choice but to call off the fight. Dober essentially looked like he'd been hit by a machete.
The win has put Silva on a three-fight win streak in the octagon and an eleven-fight run overall, and now, the only question is whether he's better at 145 pounds or 155 pounds.
Either way, though, he's suddenly become a man to watch very closely wherever he fights. The hype, as they say, is real.
#1. Can Rose Namajunas' more economical style lead her to the UFC flyweight title?
While her performance wasn't all that exciting and didn't feature a finish, Rose Namajunas still fought impressively in last night's headliner. The former strawweight champ outpointed late replacement Tracy Cortez over five rounds, using her boxing skills to outclass her throughout.
She did drop the highly-touted wrestler in the first round, but that was about as good as it got in terms of a potential finish. Regardless, the win moved her to two victories in a row at 125 pounds, putting her in an interesting spot.
On one hand, she's one of the UFC's biggest female stars, and so a winning run like this might be enough to move her in line for a shot at the winner of the upcoming Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko title bout.
On the other hand, though, she got to her level of popularity by being exciting as well as effective, and that wild style appears to be largely gone at this stage.
In that sense, it'd probably be better for her to fight one more time before a title shot - perhaps against Maycee Barber, who was supposed to fight her last night.
Overall, though, 'Thug Rose' is a contender at her new weight, and to see her competing for the title in the near future would not be a surprise at all.
