Sooo ... About Last Night

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Last night (Sat., Nov. 2, 2024), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) ventured forth to Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada for UFC Edmonton. It’s a real shame that Derrick Lewis was forced to withdraw at the last-second, because this was really shaping up to be a better live card than usual. With the loss of “The Black Beast,” it felt a whole lot more like the typical Apex affair. Seriously, what the heck was Caio Machado vs. Brendson Ribeiro doing on the main card? Awful.

Regardless, let’s take a look back over at UFC Edmonton’s best performances and techniques:

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

The Champ Is Back

Brandon Moreno is an incredible fighter and multiple-time champion, but he is known for inconsistency as well. “Assassin Baby” will look incredibly different in back-to-back performances, sometimes to his own detriment. His last showing vs. Brandon Royval was a competitive fight against a top contender, but by his previous standards, it was a sloppy showing that saw him overly reliant on a wide overhand.

Moreno admitted to needing a break after that loss ... and it worked! His performance last night matched the best of his championship wins. His timing was sharp, his boxing combinations were lovely, and his ability to mix up his attacks to various targets was very effective. Amir Albazi is quite tough, but the hard-hitting wrestler couldn’t get anything going and was largely relegated to punching bag status.

I loved the variety of Moreno’s offense. His jab is deceptively long, and he expanded upon that effectiveness by doubling and tripling the strike. He hunted for the left high kick and found it on a couple occasions, but he also mixed chopping low kicks to both legs. Moreno’s overhand and left hook complimented one another beautifully, and yet he still managed to sneak lead hand uppercuts into his attack as well. There were lunging elbows, jumping kicks, and even a Rolling Thunder.

It’s good to have Moreno back in the title mix — Flyweight needs him. If he needs six months between fights to have this level of performance consistently, that’s a trade I would happily make!

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Blanchfield Gets It Done

I’ll confess that I didn’t find Erin Blanchfield vs. Rose Namajunas particularly compelling or interesting. For two rounds, Namajunas was able to cleanly pick apart Blanchfield, whose same flaws from the Manon Fiorot fight remained apparent. By the third, however, youth, pressure, and wrestling were starting to take effect. Namajunas’ footwork slowed, Blanchfield started landing more, and suddenly the takedown didn’t seem so impossible.

Good for “Cold Blooded.” She picked up the best win of her career by wanting it more — a perfectly respectable way to defeat a former champion. The Alexa Grasso callout afterward was perfect as well, and a win would push her right back into title contention.

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Jasudavicius Dominates On The Floor

Jasmine Jasudavicius might have the best top game at 125-pounds. Her kickboxing is still a little stiff — which likely cost her the first round opposite Ariane Lipski da Silva — but once the fight hits the floor, she’s in complete control. The combination of above-average chain wrestling and such a nasty top game is a winning one, resulting in five victories in her last six bouts.

What stands out about Jasudavicius’ top work is her activity and ability to blend strikes and submissions. While advancing position, she’s constantly digging punches and landing bludgeoning elbows. Da Silva was forced to cover up constantly just to survive, which ultimately opened up the very textbook d’arce finish.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Stoltzfus Stuns The Crowd

Germany’s Dustin Stoltzfus started his UFC career with an 0-3 run that saw him finished twice. He may have showed a decent mix of skills in those defeats, but it was something of a surprise when he scored a fourth chance. He finally scored a UFC win via decision in his fourth chance, but his fifth trip to the Octagon ended in a 19-second KO loss.

That’s quite a few defeats with little success. For some reason, however, UFC brass saw something in Stoltzfus and opted to keep him around, and guess what? He’s gotten better! Stoltzfus has won two of his last three, and better yet, each contest was entertaining and resulted in a finish.

His work last night against Canada’s Marc-Andre Barriault may be his best yet. An early low kick knockdown gained him top position, and he spent most of the round hunting submissions against the striker. When Barriault scrambled to his feet with 40 seconds remaining in the first, brawling seemed like a bad idea ... until Barriault hit the floor fully unconscious!

Is Stoltzfus suddenly a contender? Certainly not. He deserves credit, however, for continually refining his game, showing up in great shape, and finally earning a bit of job security. For the fans, Stoltzfus can be trusted to put on a scrap ... for better or worse.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Year Of The Devil

Youssef Zalal isn’t in the running with Alex Pereira and Ilia Topuria for “Fighter of the Year,” but “The Moroccan Devil” deserves some love. Zalal’s second UFC stint began in March, and he’s been nothing short of spectacular! Opposite the very skilled Jack Shore, Zalal scored his third straight submission finish since rejoining the roster.

It was a fun fight for as long as it lasted. Shore started strong with snappy combinations, but Zalal evened up the first round with a takedown and good control. They continued to exchange into the second when Zalal timed a PERFECT counter knee, catching Shore as he changed levels. That signature strike floored Shore, opening up an arm triangle choke finish.

It’s just more great work from Zalal, who should serve as an inspiration for every young fighter that gets cut after a rough start with the promotion. At 28 years of age, he’s back and far better than ever, potentially looking at a ranked foe next.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Additional Thoughts

• Charles Jourdain defeats Victor Henry via second-round guillotine choke (highlights): This was a fun fight and better Bantamweight performance than I expected from “Air” Jourdain. Generally, when a fighter drops weight class after a couple losses that don’t really have anything to do with size, it’s hard to feel too confident. In this match up, however, he played the outside kickboxing role rather well, doing real damage while imposing his height and reach advantage. Henry started to find success in the second with his wrestling, but Jourdain baited him into a reshot and snatched up his neck — exactly how he strangled Ricardo Ramos! The style of guillotine Jourdain employs means that even though Henry was able to jump around the guard to theoretical safety, the Canadian could still crank on his neck and force the tap. Slick!

For complete UFC Edmonton results and play-by-play, click HERE!