Stars were out in force as the UFC returned to Miami for the penultimate pay-per-view card before UFC 300 on Saturday, April 13th. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, UFC legend Georges St.Pierre, and former US President Donald Trump were all in attendance.
Petr Yan vs. Song Yadong
Looking to get back to winning ways against the number seven ranked Yadong, it’s hard to believe that Petr Yan has lost four of his last five, although it’s worth noting most of the losses have come against either the current or former champion.
Yadong got the better of the opening round, securing a takedown towards the end of the round and being a little quicker to the punch during the stand-up exchanges.
Both men throw bombs in the second. Yadong gets the better of the first half of the round, but the Russian begins to find his stride after there is a short break in the action due to some loose tape on his glove. He gets a takedown thirty seconds before the end of the round.
Yadong has a nasty cut on his eye from an elbow he received while on the ground. It doesn’t seem to be affecting him too much in this final round, as he continues to throw a lot of strikes.A beautiful spinning heel kick from Yan lands on his opponent’s head, but Yadong manages to cushion the impact with a nice block. Another takedown from Yan, who really grew into the fight.
Petr Yan defeats Song Yadong by unanimous decision, 29-28 x3.
Gilbert Burns vs. Jack Della Maddalena
Jack Della Maddalena is on a 16-fight win streak which dates back to his second MMA fight in 2016. The man looking to break that streak, Gilbert Burns, is a four-time world Jiu-Jitsu champion and is ranked number 4 in the welterweight division.
Aside from Burns’s takedowns early and late in the round, the first round was a stand-up war. The takedowns might have been enough for the Brazilian to edge the round on the judges’ scorecards, but it was close.
Maddalena continues to mix up his striking exchanges well, but he’s vulnerable to being taken down, and Burns capitalizes on this. Maddalena then eats a huge right overhand from Burns like it’s nothing. A big right-hand counter wobbles Burns at the beginning of the third and Maddalena tries to capitalize. Later in the round, he lands a knee to the head and as Burns falls to the canvas, he unleashes with elbows before getting the stoppage.
Jack Della Maddalena wins via TKO.
Kevin Holland vs. Michael Page
He’s brought all of his personality with him from Bellator as ‘Venom’ Page pays homage to WWE legend, The Undertaker. Has the 10-time world kickboxing champion brought his KO skills with him, too? We’re about to find out.
Holland finds it hard to read Michael Page in round one as the Brit has his hands low and adopts a karate stance, standing side-on and bouncing on his toes. Page closes the distance extremely quickly and lands some nice shots in the first five minutes. Different fortunes in the second for Holland as he has great success on the ground, landing numerous elbows to the head of Page. Holland is then rocked with a right hand before he throws a clean elbow in response.
Holland has met his match when it comes to showboating, as Page shows gamesmanship in abundance in the final five minutes. First, he throws a one-two combo as Holland tries to shake his hand at the start of the round. Page began to dance at points in the round but continued to land meaningful strikes. Holland gets frustrated as he struggles to find a rhythm.
Michael Page wins via unanimous decision, 29-28 x3
Before the co-main event, Joanna Jędrzejczyk is announced as a 2024 Hall of Fame Inductee. She has the most strawweight title defenses in UFC history and is the first Polish title holder in the organization. Her induction into the Hall of Fame is certainly deserved, she’s one of the best female fighters of all time.
Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint-Denis
Not many would have expected this fight to happen a few months ago. Poirier, an ever-present at the top end of the rankings, fights the new kid on the block.
Poirier secured a guillotine early on but Saint-Denis escaped. The pace of the Frenchman is extreme. After a second guillotine attempt, Poirier looks out of breath and Saint-Denis looks to take advantage.
Early on in the second, Poirier rocks Saint-Denis and goes for the guillotine yet again. It backfires, and he ends up on his back for a moment before getting back to his feet.Poirier rocks Saint-Denis with an uppercut before delivering a knockout blow. Striking of the highest level. Great response following his defeat to Justin Gaethje.
Dustin Poirier wins via KO.
Sean O’Malley (C) vs. Marlon Vera
The bantamweight champion has only ever lost one MMA fight and that was against Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera back in August 2020. Will it be redemption for the champion or is Vera his kryptonite?
O’Malley works the body in the first round and looks comfortable. ‘Chito’ Vera doesn’t look overawed by the occasion at all. The champion asserts his dominance even more in the second round and displays slick boxing, landing multiple one-two combos.
Then, O’Malley lands a clean knee on Vera’s face, but he doesn’t even budge, which is remarkable. The sound when it connects can be heard on the broadcast such was the connection, but the challenger wasn’t fazed. Dominant display so far from the champion.
Vera ends the third round a lot better than he began, and he continues the momentum into the fourth as he has started pressing O’Malley a lot more, something he should have started doing a lot earlier. Assuming O’Malley won the first three rounds, Vera would need a stoppage if he is to be the new champion.
Vera’s corner tells him to empty his tank going into the final round – they know it’s slipping away from him. The final round is a slugfest as Vera throws everything he has, but the movement from O’Malley is too slick. He’s still weaving in and out like a boxer in the final five minutes. We go to the scorecards, but there’s only one winner – 186 to 90 significant strikes landed in favor of the champion.
Sean O’Malley wins 50-45 x2, 50-44.
In his post-fight interview, O’Malley tells Rogan that he wants to fight the featherweight champion, Ilia Topuria, in Spain. Failing that, he’s happy to defend his belt against Merab Dvalishvili.
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