The Real Winners and Losers from UFC on ESPN 53
Rose Namajunas had her back against the wall.
Once considered one of the greatest female fighters alive, the former UFC strawweight champ had lost two straight bouts. First, she surrendered the strawweight title to Carla Esparza in one of the worst title fights in recent memory. Then she moved up to flyweight in search of greener pastures, only to suffer a second straight decision loss at the hands of Manon Fiorot.
Namajunas was looking to get back on track in the flyweight main event of tonight's UFC on ESPN 53 card in Las Vegas, when she takes on Brazilian contender Amanda Ribas. While there's no question the 31-year-old "Thug" is still a world-class fighter, a third loss would have been disastrous for her career. Ribas, meanwhile, stands to score the biggest win of her UFC run at the expense of the former champ.
Before Namajunas and Ribas look to change their fortunes at flyweight, fans were treated to some heavyweight action in the co-main event, as Karl Williams took on Justin Tafa. Williams was originally set to fight Justin's brother Junior on the card, but switched Tafas after an injury-related shake-up.
The card also featured the latest appearance from former Ronda Rousey protege Edmen Shahbazyan, who is a tough 1-4 in his last five after an impressive 11-0 start to his career.
So without further ado, let's get into the Winners and Losers from Saturday's card.
Winner: Sticking With It
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Rose Namajunas has had an interesting couple of years.
Until early 2022, she was the UFC strawweight champion, and one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the promotion's female divisions. In her first fight of 2022, however, she lost a tedious decision to a fellow former champ in Carla Esparza, and rather than pursue an immediate rematch with her foil, disappeared for the rest of the year. Esparza went on to lose the belt to Zhang Weili, who Namajunas had already beaten twice, but still, "Thug" kept to the sidelines.
The former champ finally returned to action in September 2023, when she moved up to the flyweight division in search of a fresh start. Her first fight in the new weight class saw her matched up with top contender Manon Fiorot, and while she didn't lose terribly, she did suffer a clear decision loss that left many fans with the impression that she was too small for the weight class, and that she'd be better served to return to the strawweight division where she once held the title.
Namajunas ignored those fans, and at UFC on ESPN 53, partook in her second flyweight fight, this time against long-time contender Amanda Ribas of Brazil.
The former champ faced a bit of adversity mid-way through the five-round fight, but was soundly in control through the vast majority of the action, which ultimately earned her a unanimous decision win.
The win over Ribas, ranked No. 7 at flyweight, is not going to earn Namajunas a shot at the belt, especially with the likes of Valentina Shevchenko, Fiorot, and Erin Blanchfield all awaiting their opportunities. That being said, the win was proof that the former strawweight champ can indeed perform at 125 pounds — perhaps even well enough to earn herself a title fight.
Suddenly, her career is right back on track, and we've got to give her props for staying put at flyweight when pretty much everybody felt like it was the wrong division for her.
Loser: Leaving Your Mark
2 of 8The second bout of the UFC on ESPN 53 broadcast was as bizarre as they get.
The fight saw Brazilians Andre Lima and Igor Severino put their undefeated records on the line against one another in a compelling clash of flyweight prospects. As is often the case in the division, things got off to a fast start, and round one was fairly competitive. However, the fight spiralled out of control during a clinch exchange in round two.
Suddenly, Lima began gesturing the referee, and when the action was paused, there was clearly a bite mark on his bicep.
MMA has historically gone pretty easy on cheaters. Anyone who has been watching for more than a couple of months knows that you're generally allowed one or two eye pokes and groin shots before you're at risk of losing a point, let alone being disqualified.
Severino's foul was on another level entirely. It was unbelievably blatant, and it could not be blamed on an accident the way a lot of eye pokes and low blows can. Furthermore, any chance he had of getting away with it disappeared when we saw the bite mark on Lima's arm. A good orthodontist could have fitted Severino for a retainer and a set of braces with the impression he left in his opponent's skin.
Thankfully, the referee handled this situation appropriately, and disqualified Severino for his bizarre decision to chow down on Lima's arm. Severino was also cut from the UFC post-fight, according to Kevin Iole.
Winner: Recapturing the Magic
3 of 8There was a time when Edmen Shahbazyan was one of the hottest contenders in the middleweight division. Then-champion Israel Adesanya even named him as one of the most alluring challenges on the horizon.
Unfortunately for Shahbazyan and his team in Glendale, California — which included one Ronda Rousey — things fell apart very quickly when he reached the division's top 15.
First, his weak ground game was exposed by Derek Brunson. Then came losses to Jack Hermansson and Nassourdine Imavov, who also capitalized on the Californian's grappling weakness. Shahbazyan rebounded from those three loses with a second-round stoppage of Dalcha Lungiambula, only to suffer a submission loss to Anthony Hernandez in his next and most recent fight.
That brought the former contender to a brutal 1-4 in his last five, and put him in a very difficult position when he walked out to fight AJ Dobson on Saturday night. Another loss would have almost certainly meant his exit from the UFC, and with such poor results in his recent fights, it's hard to say if he even would have been picked up by smaller outfits like the PFL and BKFC.
Thankfully for Shahbazyan and his fans, things finally went according to plan on Saturday, as he snuffed Dobson with a left hook and follow-up punches in the final minute of round five. The win isn't going to push him into the Top 15, but it reminded the world why he was once so highly regarded at 185 pounds: When he's well prepared and focused, he can be absolutely vicious.
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Loser: Returning the Favor
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Back in February, Australian heavyweight Justin Tafa was set to fight Brazilian finisher Marcos Rogerio De Lima. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury at the eleventh hour, and was forced out of the fight, only to be replaced by his brother, Junior Tafa, who went on to suffer a second-round TKO loss to the Brazilian.
Junior was set to rebound from that loss in Vegas, having been matched up with Karl Williams on Saturday's main card. However, when he was forced out of the bout, his brother Justin returned February's favor by stepping in against Williams. Regrettably, he also lost, suffering a unanimous decision loss.
The two brothers stepping in to replace each other in back-to-back months made for some great headlines and social media conversation, but unfortunately, the results show that this is not a wise strategy for them.
From here on out, the Tafa bros should probably refrain from fighting unless they've had a full camp dedicated to a specific opponent.
Loser: Proving You Belong
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The UFC on ESPN 53 undercard featured appearances from two members of the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter, which pitted UFC veterans against prospects. Both fighters to compete on Saturday were members of the veteran camp: Cody Gibson and Kurt Holobaugh.
Unfortunately the night didn't go well for either of them.
Gibson was up first. He was looking to rebound from a decision loss to Brad Katona in the bantamweight tournament finals, taking on dangerous striker Brett Johns. He had his moments in the fight, but ultimately suffered a wide decision loss after three rounds, falling to 0-2 in his latest UFC run.
Holobaugh took the stage two fights later, taking on Trey Ogden at lightweight, but didn't fair any better than Gibson, losing a unanimous decision to fall to 1-1 since rejoining the UFC.
During their time on TUF, Gibson and Holobaugh both proved that they're still serviceable fighters. However, Saturday's card in Vegas was their chance to prove they belong on the promotion's crowded roster, and after losing decisions to two fighters who have been quite inconsistent themselves, it's fair to say they both failed.
They might get one last chance to justify their spots on the roster, but this is an unforgiving sport, and if you're failing to win fights in the back half of your 30s, you usually get your walking papers.
Winner: Dad Strength
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Featherweight veteran Julian Erosa entered his UFC on ESPN 53 undercard fight with Ricardo Ramos with back-to-back first-round losses behind him. He also became a father just eight days before the card.
Suffice it to say that there was probably a lot on his mind as he walked to the Octagon.
Things got off to a rocky start for the 34-year-old. He was hurt by Ramos early in the first round, and looked like he was on his way to a third consecutive first round loss, which also would have meant he returned home to his wife and baby without his win bonus.
However, in a remarkable display of grit, Erosa surged back from that spell of adversity to submit his foe with a guillotine choke before the first round was over, and was quick to attribute his gutsy comeback to his wife and newborn son.
"Shout out to my wife," he told commentator Paul Felder. "She just gave birth to my son eight days ago."
"It gave me more motivation than ever," he said. "I really wanted to fight before my baby came, but I'm glad it turned out the way it did because it gave me so much motivation."
Loser: Family Ties
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Kamaru Usman is considered one of the greatest welterweights of all time, and for the last year or so, his brother Mohammed has looked like he could make a real impact in the heavyweight division.
Following a loss to Brandon Sayles in the PFL cage, Mohammed joined the Ultimate Fighter, and after a pair of decision wins on the show, won the tournament and a UFC contract with a decision defeat of Zac Pauga. From there, the good times continued for Kamaru's big little brother. In his second UFC bout, he defeated Junior Tafa by decision, and in his third, he beat Jake Collier, also by decision. It would have been great to see him score some knockouts — particularly given that he's a heavyweight — but after three straight wins in the Octagon, there was no question he was heading right for the division's Top 15.
Unfortunately, "The Motor" stalled out in the opening bout of the UFC on ESPN 53 card, losing a decision to unbeaten prospect Mick Parkin. It was not a particularly decisive or violent defeat, but it exposed the younger Usman as a fighter who still needs a lot of work, and has trouble making adjustments mid-fight.
That's a bit concerning, given that he is already 34. Maybe he will evolve from prospect to contender over the course of his next few fights, but at this point, it seems unlikely he'll be adding any UFC gold to the family trophy case.
UFC on ESPN 53 Complete Results
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Main Card | 10:00 pm ET
Rose Namajunas def. Amanda Ribas via UD (49-46, 49-46, 48-47)
Karl Williams def. Justin Tafa via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
Edmen Shahbazyan def. AJ Dobson via KO (ground and pound) - 4:33 of round one
Payton Talbott def. Cameron Saaiman via TKO (ground and pound) - 0:21 of round two
Youssef Zalal def. Billy Quarantillo via sub (rear-naked choke) - 1:50 of round two
Fernando Padilla def. Luis Pajuelo via sub (D'Arce choke) - 2:45 of round one
Preliminary Card | 7:00 pm ET
Trey Ogden def. Kurt Holobaugh via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Julian Erosa def. Ricardo Ramos via sub (guillotine choke) - 2:15 of round one
Miles Johns def. Cody Gibson via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Jarno Errens def. Steven Nguyen via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Darya Zheleznyakova def. Montserrat Rendon via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Andre Lima def. Igor Severino via disqualification (biting) - 2:52 of round 2
Mick Parkin def. Mohammed Usman via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
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