The Real Winners and Losers from UFC Fight Night 184
Yes, UFC fans, there is life after Conor McGregor.
The Octagonal giant was in business for the first time since the Irishman's jarring pay-per-view loss on Fight Island in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 24, producing a 12-bout Fight Night card from its Apex facility in Las Vegas.
Brendan Fitzgerald, Dominick Cruz and Daniel Cormier shared the socially distanced announce tables on the ESPN+ broadcast, while Heidi Androl worked the rest of the room with backstage interviews and features.
Heavyweight elites Alistair Overeem and Alexander Volkov headlined the show, which began with prelims just after 5 p.m. ET and lasted through the end of the big men's duel at 10:57 p.m.
But trust us, it was the co-main that will be most talked about going forward.
B/R's combat sports team took in the card from start to finish and compiled a list of the night's real winners and losers alongside the the nuts and bolts results. Take a look at what we've come up with, and let us know what you think in the comments section.
Winner: Award Hunting
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Strategic. Precise. Terrifyingly violent.
All could be used to describe Cory Sandhagen's co-main event knockout of Frankie Edgar.
But none would do it justice.
The 28-year-old from Colorado delivered what's the highlight of the MMA year's first 37 days, laying out former champion Edgar with a jumping knee after a mere 28 seconds.
"Cory Sandhagen with a highlight for the ages," Fitzgerald squealed as the 39-year-old toppled stiffly to the canvas, propelling the victorious second-ranked bantamweight to the front of the line for a title shot.
It was his sixth win since 2018, second-most in the bantamweight division. It was also the second-fastest jumping knee KO in UFC history, trailing only Jorge Masvidal's blast-out of Ben Askren.
"I don't want to watch that happen to him," Sandhagen said coolly while watching a replay. "But better him than me. I'm a different monster."
A UFC fighter since 2007, Edgar arrived having split two fights since his most recent championship appearance against Max Holloway at UFC 240 in 2019. He was moving fluidly with both his hands and feet in the early going but was timed perfectly by Sandhagen as he delivered the kill shot.
Edgar laid motionless for several seconds after the impact but recovered and was on his feet for the official announcement.
"He knew that Frankie was looking to shoot, and he pulled him right into that knee," Cruz said. "It was absolutely perfect. That's all you can say. A walkaway jumping knee. It leaves you speechless when you see Frankie go limp like that."
Loser: The Last Run
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Alistair Overeem branded it his "last run" at a title.
A former champion in multiple promotions outside the UFC, the 40-year-old had won two straight and six of nine overall since a 2016 loss to Octagonal heavyweight kingpin Stipe Miocic at UFC 203.
He was ranked fifth in the big-man division heading into a main event collision with No. 6 contender Alexander Volkov on Saturday but exited a little further from fulfilling his career-closing dream.
That was courtesy of a career-best performance from the 6'7" Russian, who threw precise and punishing shots through and around Overeem's guard before finally registering a stoppage in Round 2.
"It's my time," Volkov said. "I'm coming to get the belt. I felt good on standup. I felt like I could finish him. I was waiting for a good punch."
He found them early and often against his older, slower foe, bloodying Overeem's nostrils and opening a gash on the bridge of his nose by the end of the opening round.
He wobbled his man again early in the second and then delivered the finale with a flicking right hand followed by a left hook that looped around the Dutchman's guard and sent him sprawling defenselessly to his knees.
Referee Jason Herzog instantly intervened at 2:06 of the second, lifting Volkov to 33-8 as a pro and awarding him his 22nd KO victory and 25th finish.
"If you are forced to stand at range with this young man, you are in a lot of trouble," Cormier said. "He does look like a future champion."
Winner: The Love of the Game
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Let's face it, Clay Guida and Michael Johnson aren't in line for title shots.
Neither of them is in the rankings at lightweight. In fact, both men had combined to win just three of their 10 fights since the end of 2017, including five losses inside the scheduled distances.
But while all those things are true, it doesn't at all mean they are not fun to watch.
Guida, a 39-year-old, and Johnson, five years younger, combined for one of Saturday's most comprehensively entertaining fights, featuring frenetic striking and competitive ground work across 15 minutes before Guida was awarded a unanimous decision.
All three judges scored it 30-27.
"Vintage Clay Guida—that's all you can say," Cruz said. "He did not steer away from anything he's ever done."
It was the first win since UFC 237 in May 2019 for the Illinois native, who picked up his 16th Octagonal win in 30 bouts since he debuted with promotion at UFC 64 in 2006.
He was able to rattle Johnson early with overhand right strikes and dominated when the fight went to the mat, including a prolonged sequence in the final round when he chased a submission with a rear-naked choke.
"That one we had to dig down deep for, but we got my hand raised finally," Guida said. "We were cracking each other. He hits like a truck. We said we were going to win this fight on the fence and on the ground, and we stuck to it."
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Loser: Reversing a Result
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Ever spend 15 minutes in a functioning washing machine?
If not, Diego Ferreira might be able to describe it for you.
The 36-year-old Brazilian lightweight was tossed, turned, spun and agitated for the better part of three rounds against second-time rival Beneil Dariush, coming out on the short end of a split decision in their three-rounder on Saturday night's main card.
"Anybody who watched that can take notes," Cruz said. "What a fun fight to learn from."
Indeed, the two jiu-jitsu black belts picked up where they left off after a three-rounder won unanimously by Dariush at UFC 179 in 2014. They went blow for blow while on their feet, but the margin this time around was on the ground, where Ferreira frequently found himself after Dariush's career-best five takedowns.
Ferreira came in ranked 10th at lightweight compared to his foe's No. 13 position, but the lower-ranked man landed 60 strikes to Ferreira's 45 and had better than six minutes of ground control time.
Two judges gave Dariush a 29-28 edge on the scorecards, while one had Ferreira up by the same count.
"[Ferreira] never breaks," Dariush said. "He never gives up. He just kept attacking. I come to kill or die in there, and I enjoy that kind of fight."
Winner: Visceral Violence
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If you like visual evidence with your violence, Saturday was your night.
Winners and losers alike showed all the signs of having been in a fight, leaving blood on the canvas and visceral images of damage—including a gruesome injury that prompted a TKO stoppage.
Late-notice replacement Justin Jaynes was on the wrong end of the latter situation, where recurring strikes to the face left him with a sickeningly swollen left eye against 160-pound catchweight foe Devonte Smith.
Karol Rosa was a clear winner over Joselyne Edwards at bantamweight but was forced to endure the final round and a half with a cut on the left side of her mouth that left a ghastly red mosaic for the night.
Later, light heavyweight Mike Rodriguez flopped like a startled fish moments after he had been put to sleep via rear-naked choke against Danilo Marques in the second round of their matchup.
The aforementioned Jaynes took his bout with Smith after Alex da Silva fell out with a pre-fight injury, and he landed several blows in the first round before scoring a takedown at the outset of the second. Smith reversed the position and was able to pelt his man with repeated shots up top, leaving Jaynes down an eye when he was finally able to get back to his feet.
Referee Keith Peterson immediately stepped in and called for the cage-side doctor, who recommended a wave-off that made Smith's win official, in spite of Jaynes' protests, at 3:38.
"We don't want to lose our eyes in there," Cruz said. "That's a good stoppage."
Loser: Fairytale Endings
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Molly McCann was the night's undisputed backstory champion.
The 30-year-old English flyweight was fighting on the birthday of her late father and arrived in Las Vegas intending to honor him by defeating Brazilian foe Lara Procopio.
"I said, 'Well, I'm going to give him the best f--king birthday present ever,'" McCann told Zac Pacleb of UFC.com. She continued:
"When the chips are down, and I'm getting my head punched in, I'm getting nearly choked out, or I'm getting choked out, or I'm getting my orbital bone smashed to bits or I'm getting my nose broken with knees to the face, I don't stop because of him, and I know how hard he fought for each day, and I'm going to fight harder. Fighters draw from pain, and he always wanted to see me fight [in Las Vegas], so I have to do it for him."
Problem was, Procopio wasn't down with the emotional ending.
Instead, she was able to control matters with a smothering, grappling attack, scoring all of the fight's seven takedowns and racking up more than nine minutes of control time on the way to a unanimous decision.
The judges scored it 29-28, 29-27 and 30-27, and McCann clapped as the winner was announced.
Upon departing the cage, McCann left her gloves in the center of the canvas, often a non-verbal signal that a fighter is retiring. She tweeted to the contrary later, however, saying, "I left the gloves in the cage for my dad. There's still fight in this old dog yet."
Winner: Producing a Successful Sequel
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If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
Or, in Ode Osbourne's case, trying just once more is plenty.
The 29-year-old Jamaican, submitted in less than three minutes in his UFC debut last year, returned to even his Octagonal ledger with an even more sudden first-round TKO of featherweight rival Jerome Rivera.
Osbourne was pressing the action as Rivera attempted a looping left kick to the head, but the strike didn't land directly, and Osbourne was able to step in with a straight left hand that dropped his opponent straight to his back. Five rat-a-tat-tat ground strikes followed and prompted a wave-off from Chris Tognoni.
"As soon as I connected, I saw his eyes," Osbourne said. "I knew I just had to walk him down a little bit and be patient and wait for him to do something stupid. He should have never thrown that kick."
UFC Fight Night 184 Full Card Results
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Main Card
Alexander Volkov def. Alistair Overeem by TKO (punches), 2:06, Round 2.
Cory Sandhagen def. Frankie Edgar by KO (knee), 0:28, Round 1.
Clay Guida def. Michael Johnson by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Alexandre Pantoja def. Manel Kape by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
Beneil Dariush def. Diego Ferreira by split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29).
Danilo Marques def. Mike Rodriguez by submission (rear-naked choke), 4:52, Round 2.
Preliminary Card
Devonte Smith def. Justin Jaynes by TKO (doctor stoppage), 3:38, Round 2.
Karol Rosa def. Joselyne Edwards by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27).
Lara Procopio def. Molly McCann by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-27, 29-28).
Seungwoo Choi def. Youssef Zalal by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28).
Timur Valiev def. Martin Day by unanimous decision (30-26, 30-25, 30-25).
Ode Osbourne def. Jerome Rivera by TKO (punches), 0:26, Round 1.
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