4 Positives & 4 Negatives From Noche UFC: Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko 2

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4 Positives & 4 Negatives From Noche UFC: Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko 2

On Saturday night, the mixed martial arts leader returned for its latest event, Noche UFC.

After a brief tour around the globe that took the Octagon to Singapore, the French capital, and Australia’s “Emerald City,” the UFC was back on home soil for a card at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Despite the return to familiar surroundings, though, there was still foreign flair last night, with the promotion celebrating Mexican Independence Day for the first time.

The South American nation had a vested interest in the Noche UFC headliner, which saw the country’s own Alexa Grasso attempt the first defense of her flyweight title in a rematch against all-time great Valentina Shevchenko.

Many more connected to Mexico were also in action, including 18-year-old prospect Raul Rosas Jr., Dana White’s Contender Series graduate Daniel Zellhuber, and strawweight contender Tracy Cortez.

With top 15 welterweights Kevin Holland and Jack Della Maddalena also colliding in a highly anticipated co-main event, the event looked likely to keep the organization’s momentum going after a memorable and shocking UFC 293 pay-per-view last weekend.

But did that come to fruition? Let’s find out with all the positives and negatives from Noche UFC.

Negative – Buffer… 

To clarify, I think Bruce Buffer has always been great, and remains great. And especially when a championship is on the line, the veteran voice of the Octagon certainly does his part in creating a big-fight feel.

But if there was ever an event to book Joe Martinez for, it was Noche UFC…

The promotion was celebrating Mexican Independence Day with an event that boasted Mexican flair throughout, from the intermission music to historical notes to footage of some of the nation’s best.

One piece of the puzzle was lost, however, thanks to the absence of the UFC’s resident Spanish-speaking announcer. Martinez frequently utilizes the language when announcing Mexican natives, and that would have certainly added to the occasion on Saturday.

Martinez was actually on the microphone under the DAZN banner, introducing the fighters at the Mercito Gesta vs. William Zepeda event in California. With that said, perhaps contractual commitments prevented Martinez being available for the UFC instead.

Either way, whether down to a UFC oversight or a scheduling conflict, Martinez was missed.

Image: Zuffa LLC

Negative – Boos To Start

You never want an event to open with a chorus of boos from an arena crowd. Although I personally would never do that whilst watching two humans literally fight in a cage (why boo something you wouldn’t do?), the first fight of Noche UFC wasn’t the card’s strongest moment.

In fact, it highlighted a prominent issue that currently exists on MMA’s biggest stage. Since the start of a lucrative broadcast deal with ESPN, the UFC has been hosting more and more events. And what do more cards mean? The need for more fighters. And what does that, coupled with the promotion’s preference for cheap entry-level contracts, mean? Newcomers who simply aren’t ready.

2023 has seen an influx of DWCS alums — unsurprising considering that the requirement to secure a contract has become ‘win’ rather than ‘win impressively’ — and debutants, many of whom have entered the Octagon as late-notice replacements. 

The latest in that bracket was Marnic Mann, who shared the Octagon with fellow first-time UFC fighter Josefine Knutsson. The latter is an example of a talented fighter who showed her contract worthiness on DWCS, yet didn’t get one (make that make sense). Nonetheless, with a spot opening up on September 16, the Swede eventually found her way to the roster.

Originally, she was set for a tough task against the highly touted and in-form Iasmin Lucindo. But when the Brazilian withdrew, the inexperienced Mann got the call, and to say she was emphatically outgunned in all areas would be an understatement. “The Sawed-Off Savage” peaked with her moniker, simply offering nothing during the fight itself en route to a lopsided unanimous decision loss.

Mann is simply far from UFC-ready, and the commentary teams’ remarks about her toughness served as the usual sign that a fighter has no business being in the cage with their opponent. 

And how about that 30-27 scorecard? If Knutsson’s dominance over Mann was not worth a single 10-8 round, then should I be left questioning everything I think I know about MMA? No, the person doing that should be judge Bryan Miner. 

But while that wasn’t a fair reflection of the Swedish prospect’s efforts, the scorecards shouldn’t have even been needed. Given how many levels above Mann she was, it was surprising to see her go the distance, and that was somewhat down to suspect fight IQ from “Little Thunder.”

So, to conclude, outmatched fighter gets expected beating, promising prospect doesn’t secure a finish that appeared to be on the cards for the best part of 14 minutes and 59 seconds, and one judge has a horror show.

Good start. 

Positive – Back In The Mix

A number of promising flyweights have recently broken free from their prospect tags and cemented themselves as contenders, most notably Erin Blanchfield and Manon Fiorot.

One woman who hasn’t followed them yet, however, is Tracy Cortez.

Despite rising to #14 in the 125-pound rankings, the former Invicta FC standout has struggled for consistent activity since joining the UFC, with her periods in-between fights being 11 months, six months, 13 months, and 16 months.

In her latest layoff, which marked her longest to date, Cortez suffered significant injury adversity. But having fought through difficult circumstances for much of her life, the 29-year-old entered the cage on Saturday night ready to do it once more.

Cortez accomplished her targeted statement-making return against a tough test in Jasmine Jasudavicius, who continued walking forward through a barrage of strikes across 15 minutes.

Ultimately, though, it was Cortez who got her hand raised after a strong performance in rounds one and three. And like that, the flyweight division boasts another contender to watch for moving forward.

Given the 125-pound headliner and the celebration of Mexico that underlined the night, the comeback and successful result came on perhaps the best possible card for Cortez.

Negative – Tognoni.

By God, I actually agree with Dominick Cruz…

I’ve often been critical of the former bantamweight champion’s commentary in this editorial, mostly due to a consistent spread of misinformation regarding the judging criteria and the facts around effective offense.

But when it comes to breaking down the actual action, not many do it better than “The Dominator.” Also, when it comes to being open with his criticism, plenty pull more punches than Cruz does. Although that’s not always warranted or a positive, he did a fine job of holding referee Chris Tognoni to account.

The veteran official has long been one of the more shaky referees seen inside the Octagon, be it through questionable stoppages or odd handling of fouls. At Noche UFC, he added another calamitous error to his résumé by halting the fight between Edgar Cháirez and Daniel Lacerda while the former attacked a standing anaconda choke.

Cruz and Daniel Cormier correctly called the likelihood of a refereeing mistake ahead of time, with Tognoni immediately looking unsure about Lacerda’s status. And when the Brazilian’s arm went limp, the official jumped in without even checking the limb, much to the confusion and frustration of Lacerda. Thankfully, the commission did right by the initially defeated fighter by ruling the bout a no contest.

But where does Tognoni’s error and apparent lack of grappling knowledge leave the two athletes? Without the possibility of a win bonus and with a wasted camp. The commission’s failure to correctly train its officials remains a concern, and the lack of accountability remains a mystery.

Perhaps Tognoni’s time would have been better spent on the mats rather than learning the rules of Power Slap…

Positive – Loopy In Las Vegas

Some fighters are just endlessly fun to watch. Lupita Godinez is “some fighters.”

UFC card placement is often a point of discussion, largely with criticism directed at the promotion. But placing the adored Mexican in the featured preliminary spot was perfect. What better way to convince viewers to tune in to the main card than some knockdowns, slams, an arm-bending submission, and a fight-ending choke?

Godinez provided all of the above at Noche UFC by laying a beating on Elise Reed. The one-way traffic began in round one, when Loopy looped a looping (lol) left hook that found a home on her American counterpart’s chin, sending her sprawling across the cage canvas.

From there, the 30-year-old’s dominance continued on the ground, where she locked in a tight and gruesome armbar. Somehow, someway, Reed survived. Unfortunately, her fortunes didn’t change with the additional time she bagged.

In round two, Godinez followed up a brutal onslaught of strikes against the fence with a beautiful slam — the kind that gets you up off your seat screaming, “Holy sh*t!” And the Mexican wasn’t about to let another favorable position on the ground go to waste, with a rear-naked choke securing the tap.

For most, she may have already been there. But if she’s not on your list of ‘fighters whose bouts aren’t to be missed’, it’s time to add Godinez.

Positive – Back On Track

After signing with the UFC and recording his first Octagon victory with record-breaking youth on his side, Raul Rosas Jr. wasn’t short on confidence. In fact, he had more of it than Charles Oliveira has submissions…

But at UFC 287 this past April, he was handed somewhat of a wake-up call by fellow bantamweight prospect Christian Rodriguez. That wake-up call, as it turns out, may have created a whole new beast.

On the Noche UFC main card, Rosas Jr. completely mauled Terrence Mitchell, stopping him via TKO in under a minute. The finish came by way of a relentless onslaught of ground-and-pound strikes, but the notable offense came much earlier.

35 seconds in, the Mexican-American countered with a vicious straight left that caught Mitchell on the chin and stiffened him up. While he attempted to recover, the writing was on the wall.

Given where he places his ability and potential, this is the kind of fight that “El Niño Problema” needs to be winning. But did that expectation include a sub-one minute knockout? Absolutely not.

Very impressive from one of the sport’s rising stars.

Positive – High Stakes, High Level

In terms of the action, Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko’s championship headliner provided the perfect conclusion to Noche UFC.

After an event that had already included memorable knockouts and submissions, the pair of elite flyweights battled it out in a five-round barnburner with UFC gold on the line.

As was the case with their first contest back in March, the Mexican champion and the Kyrgyzstani legend fought in an extremely close and competitive battle that included an abundance of twists and turns.

From Grasso’s second-round knockdown to Shevchenko’s ground transitions, all the way around to the former’s reversals on the mat, the Noche UFC main event was an utterly enthralling watch.

It’s just a shame that the quality of the fight isn’t the main talking point post-fight…

Image: Stephen R. Sylvanie/USA TODAY Sports

Negative – What?

We were so close to escaping an event without a horrendous, result-altering judging error…

Given how tight the Noche UFC headliner was, there was always going to be a debate. I can see justification for 48-47 either way, and history has taught us that both sides of that 50/50 would have calling robbery had they been on the losing end.

But that conversation hasn’t been needed owing to the work (if we can call it that?) of one Mike Bell. Despite being one of the more solid judges who is rarely involved in controversy, his scorecard was beyond baffling.

There was nothing out of the ordinary until round five, when he awarded Grasso a 10-8. Now, like many, I gave the Mexican the fifth frame. But before her back take and subsequent strikes on the ground, she’d essentially been jabbed in the face for over half the round.

To suggest that Grasso’s late work was enough for a 10-8 is frankly laughable, and I genuinely can’t even begin to imagine what went through Bell’s head. The only explanation I see is that Bell was attempting to reverse a verdict from a previous stanza that he perceived to have been a mistake, or simply didn’t believe that a Shevchenko win was the right call.

Either way, answers are needed.

Overall, I think Grasso departing Las Vegas with the flyweight gold still in her possession is a fair result. But, given that Shevchenko would be back on the throne had judge Bell scored the final round correctly, “Bullet” can certainly feel hard done by, and an element of unfinished business still remains.

https://www.mmanews.com/features/4-positives-4-negatives-noche-ufc-alexa-grasso-valentina-shevchenko-2

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