UFC Fight Night 94 Results: Real Winners and Losers from Hidalgo
UFC headed deep into Texas for UFC Fight Night 94 on Saturday night. Hidalgo was the city of choice for a lightweight main event between Dustin Poirier and Michael Johnson.
Fast forward several hours and a couple of minutes and you'll notice Johnson getting his hand raised after a vicious KO.
There was indeed more than the main event to focus on. The co-main event put two of the up-and-coming contenders in the middleweight division against each other. Uriah Hall and Derek Brunson met in the center of the cage to decide who takes the next step.
A left hand to the jaw says it will be Brunson. There was some question regarding the stoppage. Was it too quick? Was it the right call? It's tough to say because Brunson sat Hall down cleanly and followed up quickly. In real time, it was a tough call to make. But referee Herb Dean made it, and Hall leaves Hidalgo as a loser by first-round TKO.
How did everything else shake out, and who exits Texas riding higher than before? We examine just that while also taking a look at those whose stock plummeted.
Here are the real winners and losers from Hidalgo.
Full results are featured on the final slide.
Winner: Michael Johnson
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Holy mackerel!
Michael Johnson cracked Dustin Poirier and put him down. Vicious. Violent. Victorious.
Johnson had not stepped back in the Octagon since a close decision loss to Nate Diaz in December 2015. Before that, he dropped a bout to Beneil Dariush. Although he remained at Top 10-ranked lightweight contender, this was a must-win fight.
The victory puts Johnson back toward the top of the division. His prior performance against Diaz and this stoppage make him a viable candidate for any top lightweight. He's a true contender and a threat to the gold.
That's the kind of performance he needed. Huge KO. He'll line his pockets with some extra cash after that finish.
Loser: Michael Johnson
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I don't need fighters to be bland Goody Two-Shoes, but showing a bit of class in the cage goes a long way. Conor McGregor is a prime example.
McGregor talks a lot of trash. He also backs it up. But after the fight, while he may celebrate toward the crowd, he'll show his fallen opponents some respect. Johnson didn't do that with Poirier. Instead, he went over to Poirier, who was still on the mat, and stood over him to yell a favorite expletive phrase.
Uncouth.
It's not becoming in the way that McGregor and others are when they speak and perform. This was unsportsmanlike and an overall bad look. It was a turnoff following a fantastic performance. It dampened the mood a bit.
Of course, such behavior can be beneficial. Ronda Rousey's unsportsmanlike showings against Miesha Tate actually boosted her comeuppance. Michael Bisping got away with doing something similar against Luke Rockhold, but he didn't stand over him.
Johnson's past plays a role in public perception as well.
The KO made his point. There wasn't a need for the extracurricular activity.
Winner: Derek Brunson
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In February, I wrote that Derek Brunson was the UFC's "secret" middleweight contender. Well, the secret is out.
Brunson came into the bout with four straight wins, and the last three were all TKO finishes. He had silently worked his way up the ladder.
Standing opposite him was Uriah Hall—a flashy, dynamic striker with all the physical gifts to be great.
Brunson floored him with a left hand on the jaw. After a few follow-up shots, referee Herb Dean pulled him off Hall.
There may be questions as to how quick the stoppage was, but in the grand scheme of things, it was not a terrible stoppage. Brunson put Hall down with a clean left hand. There have been far more egregious stoppages in MMA. This doesn't cross the threshold of being awful. It was a 50-50 call.
In the cage, Brunson called for his title shot. That will not happen unless there is an injury or two. Or three. There is a logjam at the top of the 185-pound division. Champion Michael Bisping is defending against Dan Henderson at UFC 204, and the next couple of contenders are all booked against each other in the coming months.
Where does that leave Brunson? As a key player for 2017. Sit back and relax. Things are going to pick up in the new year for the Jackson-Winkeljohn product.
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Winners: Evan Dunham and Rick Glenn
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Initially, this was just going to be gushing about Evan Dunham's performance. So let's start there.
Dunham entered on a three-fight win streak. Glenn was largely unknown to those outside of the MMA community and coming in on short notice. Dunham could have laid an egg or been uninspired. Instead, it appeared like he wanted to prove a point.
Dunham's stand-up and grappling were on point. More impressive was how he blended the two together early in the fight.
This performance should put him back into the hunt at 155 pounds. Four straight wins and one impressive performance.
Speaking of impressive—what about Glenn?
He took the fight on short notice and went up a weight class. He is generally a featherweight. He took a beating, but he was in it the entire fight. He could have tapped to a deep rear-naked choke or a D'Arce. Instead, he defended and continued onward.
In the third round, Glenn started telling Dunham to bring it. He did. They mixed it up in an exciting manner until the horn sounded. That is how you make an impression in your UFC debut. Even in a losing effort, Glenn showed he's the kind of fighter the fans want to see.
After a lackluster start to the main card, Dunham vs. Glenn got things on track before the co-main event.
Loser: Texas Commission
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I'll keep this brief. The Texas athletic commission is terrible.
There is a long history of its errors in dealing with MMA, but major promotions just keep coming back, thanks in large part to the swath of fight fans in the state. But the judges and referees are consistently awful.
At UFC Fight Night 94, the scorecard in the opening bout (Alejandro Perez vs. Albert Morales) made little sense. MMA journalist Adam Martin noted how ridiculous the scoring was from at least one judge.
Points were taken away; there were empty threats and warnings and contentious stoppages. If it were an aberration, it wouldn't even be notable. Instead, these are common threads in each and every Texas stop that the UFC and Bellator make to the state.
Tommy Toe Hold, an MMA cartoon character, makes light of the situation but doesn't feel too far off base.
Something has to change. Fans are looking for consistency, but Texas offers up only consistent mistakes.
Losers: Roan Carneiro and Kenny Robertson
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To say that the fight between Roan Carneiro and Kenny Robertson was uneventful would be to overstate the excitement it generated. The actual result? Carneiro picked up the victory via split decision.
Both men have proved to be exciting inside the Octagon. For whatever reason, their matchup produced a complete bore.
At the four-hour mark of the event, the two started their bout. Around a half-hour later, it was over. The horn blew mercifully.
If the fight had even been moderately exciting, they would not be losers. We know what to expect from them, but after an underwhelming performance in Hidalgo, there is now no buzz for whatever comes next for either fighter.
No one will take note of them. It's unfortunate but true. This showing did more harm than good. It was forgettable and didn't help either man take a step forward in the welterweight division.
Winner: Randy Brown
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Randy Brown made his way into the UFC from the Lookin' for a Fight program. After he started 1-1 in the Octagon, his back was up against the cage a bit.
And it wasn't an easy scrap Saturday. Erick Montano came to fight.
Montano was arguably winning the fight after two rounds. The third round started and ended quickly. Just 18 seconds into the action, Brown cinched up a guillotine and forced the tap.
Brown is not a winner just for getting his hand raised. He is a winner because he used his time on the mic during the post-fight interview for a smart callout of Bryan Barberena, who is most known for defeating Sage Northcutt.
Too many fighters fail to call out specific opponents or ones have little chance to fight in the immediate future. Brown's callout makes sense and should be booked. He showed good awareness.
Loser: Fight Fans
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It's great to have options, but sometimes fight fans get the short end of the stick.
The show began at 7 p.m. ET. The main event didn't begin until 12:30 a.m. ET. You can do the math.
Dealing with television obligations and so forth is complicated, but the UFC and Fox have to do better by the fans. They have to design a new structure that expedites these smaller Fight Night events. Nearly six hours, eight if you add in the pre- and post-fight shows, is ridiculous.
It's especially ridiculous for big sporting weekends. If you watched all the UFC, then you missed quite a bit of other exciting action in other sports.
I don't have a concrete answer, but the fans lost out by dealing with the extended time associated with this fight card.
Winner: Belal Muhammad
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Belal Muhammad made his UFC debut on short notice against Alan Jouban in July, but it was in a losing effort. However, the fight was closely contested and exciting. It made him a fresh face to watch in the UFC.
In his first full-camp UFC fight on Saturday, Muhammad looked acclimated to the Octagon. He had little issue in taking care of the awkward and lengthy Augusto Montano.
It took until the third round, but Muhammad got the TKO finish.
It's difficult to label him as a prospect at 28 years old, but he has skills that make him a tough out for most in the welterweight division. If he continues his development, perhaps he can make a nice run up the 170-pound ranks, but projecting that in the deep waters of the weight class is too difficult. Just be satisfied the UFC has yet another quality welterweight who brings the action.
Everyone should look forward to his next matchup.
Loser: Sam Sicilia
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The last time we saw Sam Sicilia was in November 2015 when Doo Ho Choi corked him. Sicilia looked a bit better in his return on Saturday, but he was still finished.
Gabriel Benitez was touching him from outside throughout the first two rounds. Sicilia got in shots of his own but not enough to be a real big threat. Benitez fought a smart fight. In the third, a guillotine put Sicilia to sleep.
Suffering back-to-back finishes that put him to sleep, in different ways, doesn't bode well for his long-term UFC future. However, the UFC probably won't be cut him following this fight. He's too exciting. Yet after back-to-back losses, he will likely be fighting for his future whenever he steps back inside the cage.
Sicilia has a 5-6 overall UFC record. That's not great.
A win would have put him over .500 and made a statement. It went the opposite direction. If you have stock in Sicilia, it's time to unload it.
Winner: Chas Skelly
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Securing a submission win in just 19 seconds tends to make you a winner inside the Octagon.
Chas Skelly was coming off a loss to Darren Elkins in March and promptly took care of business in Hidalgo. Maximo Blanco never had a chance.
Skelly secured the D'Arce choke and put him to sleep. He didn't even have the courtesy to read him a bedtime story or tuck him in. It was slightly rude. But such is life as a combat sports athlete. Skelly, during the in-cage interview, stated his interest in a rematch with Elkins.
That fight might only be appealing to him, especially coming off the heels of that blistering performance.
There would be more to say if the fight had gone longer than 19 seconds. But it didn't. Skelly returned in prime form. That's how you collect a bonus check.
UFC Fight Night 94 Full Card Results
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Main Card
- Michael Johnson def. Dustin Poirier by KO at 1:35 of the first round
- Derek Brunson def. Uriah Hall by TKO at 1:41 of the first round
- Evan Dunham def. Rick Glenn by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Roan Carneiro def. Kenny Robertson split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
- Islam Makhachev def. Chris Wade by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Chas Skelly def. Maximo Blanco via submission (D'Arce choke) at 0:19 of the first round
Preliminary Card
- Gabriel Benitez def. Sam Sicilia via submission (guillotine choke) at 1:20 of the second round
- Belal Muhammad def. Augusto Montano by TKO at 4:19 of the third round
- Antonio Carlos Junior def. Leonardo Augusto Guimaraes via submission (rear-naked choke) at 4:46 of the third round
- Jose Alberto Quinonez def. Joey Gomez by unanimous decision (29-28, 30-27, 30-27)
- Randy Brown def. Erick Montano via submission (anaconda choke) at 0:18 of the third round
- Alejandro Perez vs. Albert Morales went to a majority draw (29-27, 28-28, 28-28)
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