UFC Fight Night 2/20/2021 Review

Tom Aspinall vs. Andrei Arlovski

Heavyweight Fight

This was a slugfest that you would expect.  The first round was pretty back and forth with a bit of an advantage for Aspinall.  Aspinall got the better of Arlovski by catching him with a few before getting him to the mat and working himself onto Arlovski’s back.  Aspinall locked in a quick choke and Arlovski tapped quickly.  This seemed like a passing the torch moment from one heavy handed big man to the next.

Rating: 7.5/10

Result: 2nd Round Submission for Tom Aspinall

Phillip Hawes vs. Nassourdine Imavov

Middleweight Fight

Hawes had firm control of this fight by landing strong leg kicks and working Imavov against the cage in the first round.  The second was much more wrestling heavy, and Hawes kept top position virtually the whole time.  Imavov seemed relatively unphased by Hawe’s strikes, but he wasn’t doing enough to get the advantage.  The third was more control for Hawes until Imavov started to make a comeback.  It wasn’t enough to change the decision.  Hawes didn’t look as dominating as he used to, but it was a solid performance for the middleweight contender.

Rating: 7/10

Result: Majority Decision for Phillip Hawes

Chris Daukaus vs. Aleksei Oleinik

Heavyweight Fight

This fight didn’t take long.  It seemed like Daukaus just didn’t have the patience to get sukced into one of Oleinik’s long gameplans to win a fight by a weird looking submission.  Daukaus caught Oleinik early and just kept swinging.  Oleinik never came off his feet, but the ref made the right call to stop it as he wasn’t fighting back.  Daukaus is working his way up the heavyweight ladder quickly, and with Bones being added to the division the increase in heavyweight prowess can only mean good things for the UFC.

Rating: 8/10

Result: First Round TKO for Chris Daukaus

Darrick Minner vs. Charles Rosa

Featherweight Fight

The first round was interesting, it got a bit dicey for Minner as Rosa caught him in a potential kneebar, but Minner escaped.  That was a quick switch after a crazy swinging beginning to the round.  The second round was all Minner, but there were moments when Rosa attempted to lock in an amber from the bottom position he was in, but to no avail.  The third round was Minner’s again.  Rosa kept trying for the submission but he just couldn’t sync it in.  Minner should be very proud of this fight, it was entirely one sided.

Rating: 7/10

Result: Unanimous Decision for Darrick Minner

Ketlan Vieira vs. Yana Kunitskaya

Women’s Bantamweight Fight

The first round was fought entirely in clinches or on the ground and the decided advantage was for Vieira although Kuntiskaya had her moments.  The second round was a lot more on the side of Kunitskaya.  She seemed to get more control on the ground and started landing some good shot towards the end.  Vieira had the advantage in the third, including a long period of having both hooks in while being on Kunitskaya’s back, but while she had that position she was bombarded with huge shots from Kunitskaya.  The finish was a scary moment for Vieira as Kunitskaya landed a ton of big shots from the top position she regained in the final 20 seconds.

Rating: 8.5/10

Result: Unanimous Decision for Yana Kunitskaya

Main Event

Curtis Blaydes vs. Derrick Lewis

Heavyweight Fight

This fight was never destined to go all 5 rounds, and it didn’t.  The first round was more or less what you would expect, a lot of feeling out.  The 2nd round was all we needed.  Blaydes went for a takedown and Lewis caught him on the way in and knocked him out cold.  Perhaps it isn’t Blayde’s time after all.

Rating: 9/10

Result: 2nd Round Knockout for Derrick Lewis

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