UFC Tampa’s Biggest Winners, Losers

Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

UFC Fight Night 161 went down last night (Sat., Oct. 12, 2019) live on ESPN+ from inside Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, featuring a women’s Strawweight title eliminator in which Joanna Jedrzejczyk returned to the win column in style, picking apart Michelle Waterson over the course of five rounds (highlights). In the co-main event, Cub Swanson was able to score his own victory against Kron Gracie, beating up the legend submission fighter in a fun 15-minute scrap (full recap here).

Biggest Winner: Joanna Jedrzejczyk

It may not come as a surprise that Joanna Jedrezjczyk is the night’s biggest winner after seemingly securing another title shot, but prior to fight night, a lot of people were counting Jedrezjczyk out as a contender. Jedrezjczyk had lost three of her four previous fights, and the weigh-in drama did not help her case. Still, it seemed like a disproportionately high number of people thought Jedrezjczyk’s best days were behind her, despite the fact that Jedrezjczyk had lost to no one but the absolute best.

Nobody told the Polish striker that she was washed up. Instead, Jedrezjczyk walked to the cage and dominated, same as the vast majority of her Strawweight fights. In fact, this victory actually reminded me of Jedrezjczyk’s early title wins over Jessica Penne and Carla Esparza. When those smaller grapplers were unable to score their takedowns, the larger “Boogey Woman” descended upon them in a flurry of violence. Like in those bouts, Jedrezjczyk quickly did a ton of damage thanks to her ridiculously high-volume kickboxing, leaving her foe a bloody mess early in the bout.

It’s a credit to Waterson’s toughness that the bout reached the final bell, but Jedrezjczyk’s victory was thorough, and it proved she’s still an elite talent at 115 lbs.

Runner Up: Cub Swanson

Both the main event and co-main event victors came into their slots after losing their most recent contests, which is not exactly a common occurrence. In Swanson’s case, the longtime Featherweight contender had lost four straight fights prior to his bout with Kron Gracie. His opposition may have been the cream of the crop, but dropping that many fights in a row is never a recipe for job security in the UFC.

Swanson entered as the underdog and very possibly would have been released with a loss. Luckily, we no longer have to consider that hypothetical, as Swanson pulverized an incredibly game opponent.

Early on, Swanson showcased all of his veteran savvy, sticking and moving and making the expert grappler miss. However, when Gracie just kept attacking and ignored the brutal shots that Swanson was landing, the type of footwork became too energy intensive. Swanson was forced to slow his feet and pull back on the power a bit, but he still managed to avoid all takedowns and do major damage.

Skill and grit all in one fight — that’s classic Cub Swanson.

Biggest Loser: James Vick

It really wasn’t that long ago that James Vick was riding a four-fight win streak with nine victories in ten trips to the Octagon. In August of 2018, Vick walked confidently towards the Octagon to meet Justin Gaethje in the main event, ready to stake his claim as an elite contender at 155 lbs. Obviously that didn’t work out, and everything since spiraled.

Vick found consistent success for five straight years and beat legitimately skilled opponents in that time. Where did it all go wrong for Vick? Worse still, why is Vick getting knocked out so brutally in these losses?

His loss to Nike Price last night marked his fourth straight defeat, and three of those were true knockouts — the type where the UFC broadcast interrupts itself to confirm that yes, Vick actually is still alive despite not moving for several minutes. His move to Welterweight does not look to be a solution, as Vick never appeared comfortable trading bombs with “The Hybrid.”

From the first bell, it just seemed like a matter of time until Vick hit the mat. Credit to Price for his volatile and unpredictable offense, but it might be time for Vick to consider retirement even if UFC does make him another offer.

Biggest Loser (runner up) : Michelle Waterson

Man, it hurts to list Michelle Waterson as a the second biggest loser of the night. She fought her heart out, trying until the final bell to find a way to defeat a fighter that was simply better (and bigger). Loss or no, it was an admirable, gutsy performance that deserves respect.

Yet — with the exception of Vick’s brain — Waterson lost more than anyone else last night. Prospects Kron Gracie and Mackenzie Dern suffered ugly losses, but they’re young and early in their careers. At this point, those defeats are minor setbacks, obstacles to be learned from. Waterson, sadly, is not a prospect. She’s 33 years old and a 12-year pro. She worked so hard to get to this main event, title-eliminator slot, but the opportunity was ripped from her grasp. It’s a devastating loss to her prospective chance of becoming champion, and the path to the title will only grow more challenging.

For complete UFC Fight Night 161 results and coverage click here.