Sooo ... About Last Night

Photo by Al Powers/Zuffa LLC

Last night (Sat., Aug. 10, 2024), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned home to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC Vegas 95. It was quite possibly the least anticipated event of the year. The main event featured a rematch that nobody really asked for, and half of the card either pulled out or missed weight in the final days. All told, 20 athletes still showed up to put it all on the line, which was always guarantee at least a couple interesting moments ... but not much more than that, if we’re being honest.

Let’s take a look back over at UFC Vegas 95’s best performances and techniques:

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Spivac Scores Revenge

Serghei Spivac avenged his 2020 loss to Marcin Tybura in quality fashion. It didn’t last very long, but the Moldovan “Polar Bear” still managed to show off improved hand speed, quality wrestling, and excellent jiu-jitsu in just about half a round. We have never seen Tybura submitted in his professional career, let alone submitted with the classic armbar from full guard.

It’s a quality feather in Spivac’s cap, proof of his improvement and potential alike. At 29 years of age, Spivac isn’t the flashiest Heavyweight prospect, but he might still be able to achieve elite calibre if he continues improving. At the very least, he’s looking at a long career of submitting Heavyweights who cannot grapple at all (Tybura does not fall into that category), which is not a bad way to make a living.

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Mariscal Overwhelms Jackson

The co-main event between Chepe Mariscal vs. Damon Jackson was expected to be a highlight, and the duo delivered. Right away, the pace was chaotic, as both grapplers chased takedowns and reversals.

Mariscal’s Judo background proved the difference, allowing him to score a few slick throws when the clinch work threatened to stall out. Additionally, Mariscal separated himself by landing damaging shots in close quarters. Whenever he briefly gained a control position or even just stopped a Jackson shot, Mariscal was bonking his opponent on the nose with surprisingly stiff arm punches.

Those strikes and the rapid pace really wore Jackson down over time. What began as a competitive scrap turned into an utter beatdown at the end of the second. Jackson caught a small second wind in the third and saw the final bell, but Mariscal’s undefeated UFC run continued nevertheless.

He just needs to make weight next time.

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A Tale Of Two BANGER Rounds

Toshiomi Kazama vs. Charalampos Grigoriou was unexpectedly awesome.

Japan’s “Silent Finisher” entered this bout in must-win territory, having lost his first two UFC fights. He started really strong, immediately — and I mean immediately! — getting his wrestling going. On the floor, he showed off his slick transitional grappling, changing positions and attacking submissions at an impressive rate.

Grigoriou was also looking for his first UFC win, and he recognized the first round didn’t go so well. “The Ferocious” New Yorker lived up to his nickname, surging forward with wild swings and flooring Kazama. The beating didn’t stop there, as a barely conscious Kazama absorbed a dozen hard elbows while on the floor.

Kazama wasn’t really there, but somehow, he managed to cling to guard and survive the onslaught. When Grigoriou finally ran out of gas, Kazama threw up a triangle choke and forced his opponent to submit! It was an impressive display of durability after a lovely show of grappling, so while it may not have been the cleanest win possible, it was absolutely memorable.

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Additional Thoughts

• Karol Rosa defeats Pannie Kianzad via unanimous decision: Rosa has developed into a rare bright light at 135-pounds, a division I could not possibly care less about overall. That division is seemingly permanently bogged down by the same handful of aging contenders, but Rosa is an exception! At 29 years of age, she’s developing into a true contender with excellent kickboxing and devastating calf kicks. Her last two fights have been a ton of fun, making her a real divisional standout in a way that just wasn’t the case a couple years ago. She brutalized Kianzad, chopping her leg to pieces then opening up gnarly cuts with repeated elbows, scoring a couple takedowns along the way for good measure.
• Youssef Zalal defeats Jarno Errens via second-round rear naked choke (HIGHLIGHTS): “The Moroccan Devil” was one of the biggest favorites on the card, and he looked the part! Right away, Zalal’s movement was making his foe miss while Zalal dug in hard calf kicks. He controlled the exchanges well and timed a takedown beautifully late in the first. As soon as Errens moved to stand, Zalal jumped his back and locked in the body triangle. The choke came soon afterward, securing Zalal his second flawless UFC win of 2024.

For complete UFC Vegas 95: “Tybura vs. Spivac 2” results and play-by-play, click HERE!