Issue 169
August 2018
EDDIE ALVAREZ VS. DUSTIN POIRIER
UFC 211
Despite it ending in controversial fashion deep into the second round, the action that preceded the now infamous illegal knees mean that this bout is right up there in terms of action. With another five minutes of brawling, there’s every chance we might not have needed four other contenders. Both Alvarez and Poirier have been known for all-action battles throughout their storied careers, and this one really started to heat up when Poirier rocked his opponent in the second round. Alvarez came alive, as is often the case, and swung forn the fences, returning the hurt on “The Diamond” just as he looked set to fall. The No Contest verdict means it’s likely it will happen again, which is a win for the fans.
ROBERT WHITTAKER VS. YOEL ROMERO
UFC 213
When Australia’s Robert Whittaker met Cuba’s Yoel Romero, both were riding significant win streaks (seven and eight bouts respectively), and both were finishing top calibre opposition. With the interim middleweight title on the line, it was always going to be a battle of epic proportions. There were swings in momentum, with Romero starting well and Whittaker taking over in the latter rounds, heavy shots from both men, and technical acumen. It delivered on the finer points for the purist, and had enough blood and guts in there to keep the casual fan on the edge of their seat. Ultimately it was the Aussie who got the nod after 25-minutes of war.
JUSTIN GAETHJE VS. MICHAEL JOHNSON
TUF 25 Finale
From the opening bell until the last knee of the fight in the dying seconds of round two, Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje and Michael “The Menace” Johnson threw as much leather with as much force as humanly possible at one another, until it was time for one man to fall over. It sounds simple, but it was glorious in typical Gaethje style – a style that he was bringing to the UFC for the first time. Johnson was glad to engage in the rock-em, sock-em trade-off , and had his opponent on wobbly legs several times with vicious punches. “The Highlight” absorbed it and came back, eventually kneeing his way to victory at 4:48 of the second, putting an end to an instant classic.
AUNG LA N SANG VS. VITALY BIGDASH
ONE Championship: Light Of A Nation
The rematch between Myanmar’s Aung La N Sang and Russia’s Vitaly Bigdash at ONE: Light of a Nation was always going to be hotly contested. Their first encounter was a five-round thriller which the Russian prevailed in, but this time his USA-based opponent was fighting in front of the passionate fans in Yangon. Channeling the energy from the fans in his homeland, “The Burmese Python” dropped Bigdash early and came close to a finish in the first, but his prolonged efforts tired him out and allowed Bigdash to come back into the fight in the latter rounds. It wouldn’t be enough for victory, and the scores were levelled at 1-1.
EDDIE ALVAREZ VS. JUSTIN GAETHJE
UFC 218
Justin Gaethje and Eddie Alvarez both get their second nomination in the Fight of the Year category, which should come as a surprise to nobody with the two most consistently exciting lightweights going head to head at UFC 218. Both bring similar properties to the table: heavy hands, solid chins, and one gear that that simply has a big ‘F’ for ‘Forwards at all costs’ on it. Uppercuts, thudding leg kicks, body shots – this fight had it all, and Alvarez put an exclamation mark on the three-round war with a pinpoint knee for the KO after 14 gruelling minutes.
