UFC 263 Review

Light Heavyweight Fight

Paul Craig vs. Jamahal Hill

This fight only needed one round.  Craig locked in an armbar what seemed like immediately and started trying to lock in it deep.  Hill couldn’t escape and as Craig continued to try and get an advantageous position it only led to Hill’s arm getting twisted more and the result wasn’t pretty.  If you haven’t seen the fight please use caution, it’s a very brutal and gruesome sight.  Hill’s arm was more like rubber than an arm when it was all said and done.  The fight finished as a TKO because Hill never tapped out so Craig just started throwing strikes from the bottom position until the ref stopped it.

Rating: 8.5/10

Result: TKO for Craig in the 1st Round

Welterweight Fight

Belal Muhammad vs. Demian Maia

The first two rounds of this fight were a battle for position as Maia kept trying to go for a takedown and Muhammad had an answer for just about ever single one.  They reverted to more of a striking game in the third round as Muhammed seemed to be trying to tire out Maia, but the crafty vet wasn’t going down easy.  Maia fought off Muhammad as best he could but he just couldn’t crack him.  Muhammad didn’t seem to do much to prove himself a winner either, but Maia’s inability to take Muhammad down spoke louder than Muhammad’s somewhat enemic offensive strategy.

Rating: 7/10

Result: Unanimous Decision for Belal Muhammad

Welterweight Fight

Leon Edwards vs. Nate Diaz

The first round was a feeler like most five round fights are.  The biggest thing is the dislike between these fighters was palpable.  It was clear this would be an emotional fight.  Diaz caught Edwards with a couple good shots, but some good grappling by Edwards probably earned him the points for round 1.  Edwards showed his technical expertise by getting Diaz to the ground and keeping control for a minute until Diaz went for a heel hook and Edwards had to escape.  Diaz kept up his traditional mind games in the second round but Edwards didn’t bite all the way.  Edwards got top position again for some ground and pound and he opened up some serious cuts on Diaz.  Diaz continued his mind games by refusing to touch gloves after a short stoppage.  The third round had the captivating image of a bleeding Diaz defiantly walking into Edwards best strikes.  Edwards continued to chip away at Diaz in the fourth.  Diaz’s cutman deserves an award for the great job he did between rounds.  Diaz did the best he could to find an opening, but Edwards seemed to have Diaz very well scouted.  Diaz seemed unphased by everything Edwards had thrown at him.  The feeling in the arena was tense as the fifth was about to start because Edwards clearly had the fight won on points so Diaz could empty the tank and be reckless.  Talk about the most Nate Diaz ending possible.  The last 2 minutes of the fight broke down into chaos as Diaz caught Edwards with a big combo and almost found a way to turn the fight into a win.  If Diaz had another 45 seconds, this might have ended very differently. This was a great fight.  If you haven’t watched it, go watch it.

Rating: 9/10

Result: Unanimous Decision for Leon Edwards

Flyweight Championship Fight

Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno

This seemed to be a great display of overconfidence.  Figueiredo seemed to think that he had this fight in the bag when Moreno seemed very well prepared.  Moreno had all the angles covered and never really let Deiveson out of the box.  Moreno kept trying to work a choke from behind and finally sunk it in during the 3rd round for the submission.  A great effort brought an end to one of the most underrated title runs in UFC.  Moreno is going to be tough to knock off the mountain, but the Flyweight division has been on the rise with quite a few contenders close by.

Rating: 8/10

Result: Submission for Brandon Moreno in the 3rd Round

Main Event

Middleweight Championship Fight

Israel Adesanya vs. Marvin Vettori 2

The first round went to the ground fairly early and Vettori got the top position.  Adesanya worked his way out of it, but Vettori seemed to have a solid enough plan for Adesanya.  The first ended with a good strike from Adesanya, and Vettori managed to keep himself upright.  This fight is already longer than I anticipated it would be.  I honestly didn’t think Vettori would make it to the second.  Adesanya simply started picking Vettori apart and there was no real response from Vettori.  Vettori’s corner seemed very frustrated with his strategy.  Adesanya was having what I call a barbeque fight, low and slow with a fantastic end result.  Vettori got a good takedown again to start off the third round and Adesanya escaped again.  Adesanya slowly worked Vettori to create openings as the third round went on with leg kicks and jabs while taking a big shot every once in a while.  As the round went on there were multiple shots for accidental low blows by Adesanya.  He was very apologetic to Vettori.  The fourth round was more of the same. Adesanya had a plan and didn’t let Vettori take him off track.  Adesanya has this incredible ability to take his time breaking down an opponent while still being aggressive.  Adesanya didn’t think much of Vettori’s finish to the fight as he imitated being hurt when he wasn’t.  This was a completely dominant performance from start to finish for Adesanya.

Rating: 8/10

Result: Unanimous Decision for Israel Adesanya

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