UFC Fight Night 66 Results: The Real Winners and Losers
A lot of these recent international UFC cards, especially those tucked firmly in the shadowy crook of a far larger event, are going unnoticed by the MMA public.
UFC Fight Night 66, which aired Saturday morning from Manila in the Philippines exactly one week before the massive UFC 187 pay-per-view that will find new owners for not one but two UFC championship belts, appears to fall into that crevasse.
The numbers will ultimately show how interested people are, but on paper, this was a far more interesting card than your average obscurely located cable broadcast. It may not have deserved the wholesale write-off it received from a wide swath of the vocal hardcore fan set.
At the top, you have two fighters very much at the top of their games. Recent champion Frankie "The Answer" Edgar and perennial contender "The California Kid" Urijah Faber met at featherweight—a weight class not exactly a natural home for either—to determine what, exactly, we still have in these immensely popular but aging veterans. It could be title shot or a place on the novelty circuit.
There's more. Filipino-American Mark Munoz announced before his fight against Luke Barnatt that it will be his last, regardless of the outcome. And in the co-main event, Gegard Mousasi tried to take a big step forward against tough boxing specialist Costas Philippou.
Stories abounded across the 12-fight slate. And as usual, the final stat lines only reveal so much. Here are the real winners and losers from Manila.
As usual, for the literal-minded among us, full results appear on the final slide.
Winner: Frankie Edgar
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Hardcore fans slavered over this matchup. And well they should have. These are two well-rounded fighters and two of the best lighter-weight fighters in the brief history of the sport.
The fight didn't disappoint. Both men skittered in all directions like waterbugs over the surface of a pond. Edgar had an early edge with takedowns and a few straight kicks and punch combinations, while Faber lied back and waited for the big counter.
Each man adhered to his specialty in the cage, which has a lot to do with feinting and changing levels to misdirect his opponent. Both did that well, but it sort of canceled itself out. As a result, major offense was minimal, but that didn't mean the fight was boring. Far from it.
Ultimately, the fight unfolded in the way many close observers thought it might. While Faber clearly held a power edge, Edgar had the advantage in speed, and that means volume. He landed more often and more consistently throughout the bout and also hit more takedowns. Ground-and-pound also was a factor, at least during the short periods of time when Edgar could actually keep Faber on the mat.
We're always seeming to see the "best" Edgar every time he fights. It was no different this time. Just as fresh in Round 5 as he was at the opening horn, Edgar put on another clinic in outworking and outpointing an opponent.
This is a great feather in the legacy cap for Edgar. What's next? The winner between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor? The loser? Someone else? It's an interesting question. For now, at least we know The Answer.
Loser: Urijah Faber
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Faber fought well, but someone has to lose, and he was not the better man in the main event in Manila.
Edgar's game plan of putting his opponent on the constant defensive again worked to a T. Faber waited for counters and landed them with reasonable success and considerable power, but not at nearly the same level of output as Edgar did.
Faber is best when he's taking an opponent's back and scrambling on the ground. Edgar is simply too hard to take down. Faber fell victim to that on Saturday, and thus, with the exception of a fleeting guillotine attempt that clearly had Edgar worried before he escaped, The California Kid was never able to get that part of his game going.
Faber will have other opportunities. He probably has a future at featherweight or back down at bantamweight. But unfortunately, he doesn't appear to be championship-caliber in either division. It doesn't mean he can't or shouldn't get meaningful fights. But it does mean he's a loser Saturday.
Winner: Gegard Mousasi
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Gegard Mousasi knew what everyone else knew. While the fight was pretty close to even on the feet, he had a clear advantage over ex-boxer Costa Philippou when the fight hit the ground.
And right off the bat, that's where the fight went, and it's where the fight stayed.
Mousasi must be an unpleasant person to roll with—sticking to your body like glue, raining ground-and-pound, hunting for all manner of submissions and just grounding the point of whatever joint into whatever soft area of your body is closest.
Mousasi is still only 29 years old but has managed to amass a 37-5-2 pro record. Still, he had yet to notch what anyone could call a signature win in the UFC. That changed Saturday.
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Winner: Mark Munoz
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Mark Munoz announced two months ago that this would be his final MMA fight. And it makes sense. He had struggled to win inside the cage and maintain discipline outside of it. It wasn't hard to discern that his heart was no longer in the game, and when that's the case in this game, the equations no longer balance out.
It's unusual, unfortunately, that the opportunity to go out on your own terms does not always materialize for every MMA fighter. It materialized for Munoz. And on Saturday, he capitalized.
The Filipino Wrecking Machine, 37, wanted to fight in front of his fellow Filipinos and did just that. He came out strong early, landing big right hands as the crowd chanted "Mun-OZ! Mun-OZ!"
He faded in the middle of the fight before mounting one last attack in the final three minutes. He fired big combinations, punctuated always by the big right hand that got him six knockouts in his career. Though he couldn't notch No. 7 in his swan song, it did lead to his 14th victory. He'll retire with a respectable record of 14-6.
After the decision was read, a classy Barnatt lifted Munoz on his shoulders for a curtain call.
"From the day when I was a kid and was watching cartoons, I was watching superheroes. I get to re-enact that every time I step in the cage," Munoz told broadcaster Jon Anik in the cage after the fight. "This is something I've dreamed about. I know I didn't accomplish what I wanted to accomplish in the cage, but I invested a lot in people's lives and impact lives in a positive way. ... I have a story to be able to give to kids and come back here to the Philippines and give my talents and gifts to you guys. ... I will cherish these memories for a lifetime."
Then he laid his gloves in the middle of the UFC Octagon for the final time.
Loser: Neil Magny
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Make it seven in a row for Neil Magny.
Against a big bruiser in Hyun Gyu Lim, Magny weathered the storm. In the second round, he made his move, clinching with Lim to neutralize Lim's punches and then dragging him to the ground. As it turned out, Lim was fairly helpless there. Magny achieved full mount in short order and then grabbed Lim's back. The ref called it off less than 90 seconds into the round.
Magny now is tied with Jose Aldo, Raphael Assuncao and Donald Cerrone for the longest active win streak in the UFC.
But all those guys are champs or close contenders. All except Magny. What gives?
Asked point blank who he'd like to fight next, Magny told broadcaster Jon Anik in the cage after the fight, "I'm waiting by the phone. Whoever [UFC matchmaker] Joe Silva tells me is a good fight, let's make it happen. Whoever."
I admire the humility and the company-manning, but it's time for Magny to demand a high-profile fight. Fighting often and winning often, he has shown he has the complete game and the cage smarts to give anyone a stiff test. For some reason, the UFC doesn't seem to want to move him up, and Magny seems ambivalent on it too.
Well, I'm not. Someone get this guy a big-time fight! I'm begging.
Winner: Yui Chul Nam
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Facing Filipino-American and The Ultimate Fighter veteran Philippe Nover, Korean Yui Chul Nam seemed to have the right game plan.
Though Nover took Nam down several times in the beginning of the fight, he had trouble keeping him there. As the fight wore on, Nam more often used his big-time strength to power out of bad positions, tag Nover in space and eventually work some ground-and-pound that elicited audible grunts from Nover on more than one occasion.
But when it went to the judges in Manila, they rendered a split decision for Nover.
Reaction on social media was swift. UFC President Dana White tweeted "Yui Chul Nam won that fight." MMAJunkie reporter John Morgan, who was live on the scene, observed on Twitter that "Yui Chul Nam sprinted past press row on his way back to the locker room. Don’t think that decision sat well with him."
We'll see what, if anything, happens as a result of this fight. At the least, it seems Nam will get another opportunity in the Octagon. And he also has the distinct pleasure of being a winner in my book. That and a dollar may get you a candy bar somewhere.
Winner: Li Jingliang
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Give it up for The Leech.
Against a favorite, the former The Ultimate Fighter finalist Dhiego Lima, Li Jingliang pinned Lima back against the fence, where he dropped him with a left hook and then laced his ground shots through an increasingly tightly turtled Lima to force the referee's hand.
This now runs the 27-year-old Chinese prospect to 9-3 overall and 2-1 in the UFC. Could this finally be the legitimate fighter from China that the company has been seeking? We'll see. As for Lima, his disappointing run in the Octagon could be near an end.
Winner: Roldan Sangcha-An
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If there was any justice in the world, Roldan Sangcha-An and Jon Delos Reyes would nab a performance bonus for their frenetic Fight Pass engagement.
As most fans were still pouring their morning OJ, Sangcha-An was scrambling in and out of danger with Delos Reyes, initiating and escaping from various compromising positions. It wasn't pretty, but it was wily.
In the second round, Sangcha-An appeared to land a short elbow in the clinch to slice open the flesh over Delos Reyes' eye and start the blood works streaming in earnest. He appeared to potentially have a big advantage. That is, until Sangcha-An's resilience reservoir finally gave out.
Delos Reyes floored him with a punch, eventually took his opponent's back, locked on a body triangle and then the rear-naked choke. Tap.
It was a terrific come-from-behind win for Delos Reyes and a great effort from both competitors. Sangcha-An is a winner in my book, if nothing else than for giving me a proper wake-up call.
UFC Fight Night 66 Complete Results
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Main Card
- Frankie Edgar def. Urijah Faber by unanimous decision
- Gegard Mousasi def. Costas Philippou by unanimous decision
- Mark Munoz def. Luke Barnatt by unanimous decision
- Neil Magny def. Hyun Gyu Lim by TKO, 1:24, Rd. 2
- Philippe Nover def. Yui Chul Nam by split decision
- Levan Makashvili def. Mark Eddiva by split decision
Preliminary Card
- Jon Tuck vs. Tae Hyun Bang by submission (rear-naked choke), 3:56, Rd. 1
- Kajan Johnson def. Zhang Lipeng by unanimous decision
- Li Jianliang def. Dhiego Lima by TKO, 1:25, Rd. 1
- Ning Guangyou def. Royston Wee by TKO, 4:59, Rd. 2
- Jon Delos Reyes def. Roldan Sangcha-An by submission (rear-naked choke), 3:13, Rd. 2
- Yao Zhikui def. Nolan Ticman by split decision
Scott Harris writes about MMA for Bleacher Report. For more stuff like this, follow Scott on Twitter.
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