UFC Fight Night 81 Results: The Real Winners and Losers from Boston
It was billed as the best bantamweight fight in UFC history, and it lived up to the billing.
UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw stepped in to defend against former champion Dominick Cruz. It is a fight that has been a long time coming as Cruz battled injury after injury. Dillashaw stepped up in his absence to take control of the division, but the king took back his throne Sunday evening.
It wasn't easy. Cruz had to hang on as Dillashaw came on strong in the championship rounds, but two of the three judges saw it for The Dominator. Both men walked out of the cage bloodied, battered and heralded as the best of the best. They gave every bit of themselves for the fans and the championship gold.
Were you able to catch all the action following the NFL playoffs? If not, Bleacher Report has you covered. The 13-fight event delivered a variety of talking points that will shape a few division in 2016. Here is what you missed and the real winners and losers from UFC Fight Night 81 in Boston.
Full results of the fight card are featured on the final slide.
Winner: Dominick Cruz
1 of 9Comeback complete.
What a fight. What a performance. What a story.
The Dominator returned to take the belt he never lost back home. Credit where it's due—TJ Dillashaw was every bit his equal in this fight. It was a razor-close fight from any perspective.
Dominick Cruz looked like his old self inside the cage in the early rounds. Dillashaw had trouble landing flush, and Cruz was pinpointing his punches while effectively getting out of the way of danger. In the third round, he began to unleash a few more power punches as Dillashaw got flat-footed. But the complexion of the fight changed a bit in the fourth round.
Dillashaw landed a leg kick that visibly altered the fight and allowed him to start landing more offense. After the fight, Cruz would tell commentator Joe Rogan in the post-fight interview that he has a pre-existing injury with his foot, and that was the issue. There was a collective sigh of relief that it wasn't his knee again.
Just how close was the action? Media scores were almost split down the middle.
This title fight was everything it was billed to be, and Cruz's victory ends it with a feel-good comeback story. Who comes next? It could be nemesis Urijah Faber, but they may align him with Dillashaw. Other contenders waiting are Raphael Assuncao and Aljamain Sterling. The UFC has a solid list of options at 135—finally.
Losers: Anthony Pettis and Eddie Alvarez
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They are not losers because they had a boring fight. It was a fine fight. It wasn't overly exciting, but it wasn't a dumpster fire either. They are losers because neither man looked like a credible contender.
Let's start with the former champion. Anthony Pettis looked confused in parts of the fight, as if he wasn't sure what he wanted to accomplish. He tired, and Eddie Alvarez capitalized with late-round takedowns to clinch the decision on two of the three scorecards. After Rafael dos Anjos dominated him at UFC 185, Pettis needed to show something more to keep his spot as a top contender.
Alvarez stuck to a game plan. It wasn't exciting, and it didn't make him a clear-cut winner. It was a split decision, and the Boston crowd booed it heavily.
After Tony Ferguson's performance in December, you'd be hard-pressed not to give him a title shot over Alvarez. And considering the potential fervor of a Nate Diaz vs. Conor McGregor fight, everyone should be concerned about being jumped by the Stockton native. Oh, and there's a certain undefeated Russian who wanted the winner of the Pettis-Alvarez encounter too.
Pettis didn't look like a top contender, and Alvarez fought his way out of a title shot. No one walked out a winner in Boston. The lightweight division is currently very much in flux.
Loser: Travis Browne
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Travis Browne has gone from a fan-favorite, explosive heavyweight to one of the most controversial fighters in the UFC in short order.
What happened Sunday won't remedy anything.
Browne had his hand extended while defending an aggressive Matt Mitrione and poked him in the eye. It was unfortunate, but it's not totally uncommon in MMA. Mitrione continued on. Then it happened again. And even worse, Browne tried to capitalize on the eye poke when the referee didn't immediately step in.
Browne won the fight, but he was clearly a loser coming out of Boston. All you had to do was listen to the chorus of boos that were showered upon him when the official decision was read. The Bostonians in the crowd were not pleased with his performance.
If he had hoped to gain some fans or traction in the division, he failed on both counts.
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Winner: Matt Mitrione
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Matt Mitrione lost the fight to Travis Browne, but he won over a lot of fans.
The former Purdue Boilermaker suffered two egregious eye pokes in the contest, but insisted that the fight continue. And Browne never had so much as one point deducted for the infractions. Barely able to see, Mitrione eventually got clocked by Browne, which led to the series of events that ended the fight.
His courageousness aside, Mitrione didn't look too bad in the fight itself.
The above picture is just one of many showing the effects of the eye pokes.
Mitrione won the first round of the fight and had Browne in trouble. He continues to show his improvement in each and every fight. He is athletic, quick and powerful. He is a dangerous out for anyone in the UFC's heavyweight division. After the way this fight went down, and the fans he gained, I wouldn't be surprised if Mitrione ended up with another chance against a top-10 opponent.
Winner: Francisco Trinaldo
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Francisco Trinaldo entered the cage Sunday evening on an unexpected four-fight win streak, and now the tally can be extended by one.
The Brazilian looked better than Ross Pearson in nearly every facet of the game. Trinaldo was quicker and more powerful with his strikes. Pearson marched forward throughout the bout, but he never looked like a serious threat to finish the fight.
As MMA Junkie's Mike Bohn tweeted, the five-fight win streak is the third-longest in the lightweight division.
Trinaldo swutched up his techniques and continually scored en route to the win. He is an unlikely fighter to be talking about as 2016 gets started, but he has forced us into the conversation. Trinaldo has earned a top-15 level opponent with the victory.
Winner: Patrick Cote
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Patrick Cote came through with one of his most impressive performances against Ben Saunders, and now he may be bordering on the top 15. If you predicted that for 2016, you deserve some sort of prize.
His status in the division has perplexed Bloody Elbow's Mookie Alexander as well.
The Canadian didn't just beat Saunders up with strikes, but he also got to showcase his ground game. Cote nearly had an armbar in the first round, and when Saunders got out, he maintained top position. It was an impressive showing.
The longtime UFC veteran finally got over .500 in the UFC, and he exclaimed that fact in the post-fight interview with Joe Rogan. Get over the .500 hump and puts himself in position for big fights in 2016. That's a successful evening for The Predator.
Losers: Late Replacements
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This card had more late replacements than normal, and those late replacements didn't fare that well. I suppose that is to be expected.
Elvis Mutapcic fought well enough, but he was nearly swept on the scorecards. Only one judge gave him one round of the fight. Kyle Bochniak did better than Mutapcic, but he lost a unanimous decision too. Mehdi Baghdad was also on short notice for the event, and he tapped out to a rear-naked choke in one round.
Short-notice fights can often be one-sided beatdowns, but for the most part everyone came to fight and got to show a little something.
The upside to these fighters taking the fights on short notice is it gets their foot in the door of the UFC. It could be their only chance to reach the UFC, and they have to take it when offered. Each of the replacement fighters should have ensured themselves one more fight, and this time with a full training camp. They will get a chance to show everyone what they truly have in their next bouts.
Winner: Ilir Latifi
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Ilir Latifi is a darling of social media, and how can he not be when there are pictures like this? So when Latifi won in 30 seconds, you know the Twittersphere was beaming with pride. Fox Sports 1 even took the time to re-air the short fight on their preliminary fight broadcast.
What makes Latifi more of a winner in Boston is that the victory should establish him as a top-15 light heavyweight.
Latifi isn't going to be a title contender, but he brings in a unique set of skills that make him a very dangerous opponent. He can be a very valuable member of the UFC's light heavyweight division as a gatekeeper. Latifi will separate the contenders from the pretenders.
In a shallow division that needs all the help it can get, Latifi's 30 seconds of work shine brightly.
UFC on Fox 17 Full Card Results
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Main Card
- Dominick Cruz def. TJ Dillashaw by split decision (48-47, 46-49, 49-46)
- Eddie Alvarez def. Anthony Pettis by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
- Travis Browne def. Matt Mitrione by TKO, 4:09, Rd. 3
- Francisco Trinaldo def. Ross Pearson by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Preliminary Card
- Patrick Cote defeats Ben Saunders by TKO, 1:14, Rd. 2
- Ed Herman defeats Tim Boetsch by TKO, 1:39, Rd. 2
- Chris Wade defeats Mehdi Baghdad via submission (rear-naked choke), 4:30, Rd. 1
- Luke Sanders defeats Maximo Blanco via submission (rear-naked choke), 3:38, Rd. 1
- Paul Felder defeats Daron Cruickshank via submission (rear-naked choke), 3:56, Rd. 3
- Ilir Latifi defeats Sean O'Connell by KO, 0:30, Rd. 1
- Charles Rosa defeats Kyle Bochniak by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Rob Font defeats Joey Gomez by TKO, 4:13, Rd. 2
- Francimar Barroso defeats Elvis Mutapcic by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Nathan McCarter is a Featured Columnist for Bleacher Report MMA. You can follow him on Twitter for more MMA coverage.
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