Biggest Winners, Loser From UFC 295

UFC 295 went down last night (Sat., Nov. 11, 2023) inside famed Madison Square Garden in New York City which featured a Light Heavyweight title fight between Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira which saw “Poatan” knockout “Denisa” in round two to win the vacant strap (see it here). In the co-main event, Tom Aspinall iced Sergei Pavlovich in the very first round, knocking him out in a little over a minute to win the interim Heavyweight title (highlights), while Jessica Andrade took out Mackenzie Dern via technical knockout (TKO) in round two (video here).

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Biggest Winner: Tom Aspinall

Aspinall became just the third UFC champion from the United Kingdom, joining Michael Bisping and Leon Edwards on that prestigious list by knocking out Sergei Pavlovich in just 69 seconds of the very first round on two weeks notice. He is also now the first British UFC Heavyweight champion ever. Aspinall improves to 6-1 inside the Octagon after fulfilling his lifelong combat dream of winning UFC gold, and he has an even bigger fight waiting in the wings because he will face the winner of the title fight between division champion, Jon Jones, and Stipe Miocic, which is expected to take place sometime in 2024. And let’s not forget the fact that Aspinall accomplished his UFC goal a little over a year removed from tearing up his knee inside the Octagon, which is another reason why he gets the top nod this week.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Runner Up: Alex Pereira

In just 11 fights in mixed martial arts (MMA), Pereira has now won two UFC titles in two separate divisions, winning the vacant Light Heavyweight strap by knocking out Prochazka in round two of the main event of the evening. The stoppage, however, has come under scrutiny because many felt the stoppage was a bit premature, especially for a title fight. Nevertheless, Pereira now rules the 205-pound division just seven months after losing his Middleweight title to Israel Adesanya. Pereira’s star just keep getting brighter and he isn’t planning on slowing down anytime soon after becoming a two-division UFC champion in just two years with the promotion, which is unheard of.

---

Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images

Honorable Mention: Diego Lopes

After stumbling out of the gates in his UFC debut by losing a unanimous decision to Movsar Evloev, Lopes has turned it around by winning back-to-back fights via first-round stoppage. His latest conquest came last night after he knocked out Pat Sabatini in the very first round in “The Big Apple.” It was a dazzling performance for the Brazilian standout, who has quickly captured the attention of fight fans and future opponents alike. His technique is aggressive, smooth and entertaining and he has all the makings of becoming a potential star in the UFC’s Featherweight division. And since he opened up the main card with a bang, he can expect his stock to go up several points. His bank account sure did.

---

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

Biggest Loser: Mackenzie Dern

Coming into her fight against Jessica Andrade, Dern was looking to secure her first back-to-back win streak in three years after taking out Angela Hill in her previous fight in May. It was a fight that she looked good in, tagging Hill repeatedly, showing off her improved striking. But that striking was nowhere to be seen against Andrade. In fact, her technique was downright dreadful. A lot of her punches were sloppy, out of range and to be honest, looked very amateur-like. To make matters worse, her defense was just as bad because she constantly kept her chin up on exchanges and on the breaks, leading to her getting knocked down four times throughout the fight. Eventually Andrade was able to capitalize on the final knockdown in round two, forcing the ref to put an end to the punishment. It was a brutal defeat for the jiu-jitsu ace, and since she’s alternated wins and losses since 2021 her hopes of ever reaching a UFC title fight are drifting further and further way. In her defense, Dern admitted that she had a tough training camp due to her longtime gym closing down, so that could have very well played a big factor in her lackluster performance.

---

For complete UFC 295 results, coverage, and highlights click HERE.