Biggest Winners, Loser From UFC Vegas 82

UFC Vegas 82 went down last night (Sat., Nov. 17, 2023) inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada, featuring a Middleweight fight between Brendan Allen and Paul Craig, which resulted in a third-round submission win for Allen (highlights). In the co-main event, Michael Morales defeated Jake Matthews via unanimous decision.

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Biggest Winner: Brendan Allen

Coming into the event, I stated that Allen was one of the quietest contenders flying somewhat under the radar in the 185-pound division. But he made a loud and emphatic statement in his win over Craig to improve his impressive win streak to six, five which have come by way of rear-naked choke, including his last four. His latest win should shake up the Top 10, which will set him up for a higher-profile fight in his next outing. His submission win also earned him his fourth post-fight bonus award in six fights, making him must-see T.V. once he steps foot inside the cage. Allen is on a roll, and if he can keep doing his thing and stay hot, expect him to crack the Top 5 sooner, rather than later.

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Runner (s) Up: Michael Morales and Amanda Ribas

All Morales does is win, and he kept his undefeated record intact by improving his win streak to 16 in a row, which includes going 4-0 inside the Octagon since making his debut in early 2022. The Ecuadorian-born fighter has quickly put himself on the map, and another impressive win or two could help him crack the Top 15 for the first time in his career. As for Ribas, she got back into the win column with an impressive technical knockout (TKO) win over Luana Pinheiro, which was kick-started with an impressive spinning wheel kick in the third and final round (see it again here). If she can just be a bit more consistent with the wins instead of just alternating wins and losses like she has been over her last six fights, then she could start gaining some traction in the women’s Flyweight division, where she currently occupies the No 9 spot.

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Biggest Loser: Nick Aguirre

Aguirre looked like an all-time talent playing in the minor leagues, going 7-0 with a 100-percent finish right. But once he got to the big leagues he hasn’t been able to even swing the bat. That’s because “Slick” has gone 0-2 under the UFC banner, which includes his third-round submission loss to UFC newcomer, Payton Talbott, last night. The 27-year old will now go into his next fight inside the Octagon — assuming he gets another shot — with immense pressure on his shoulders to get into the winner’s circle for the first time with the promotion or risk getting cut so quickly into his UFC career.

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For complete UFC Vegas 82: “Allen vs. Craig” results and play-by-play, click HERE!