Another weekend, another great night of fights laced with finishes! Here, we’ll go over the UFC fight results and discuss what the next move is as the promotion moves forward.
This fight night event, at large, gave a lot of answers. Primarily, we now fully understand how to what extent Sergei Pavlovich is the real deal. There were some moments that I personally thought ended poorly, such as Brad Tavares vs Bruno Silva, and obviously Jared Gordon vs Bobby Green. But, overall, this was a great night of fights.
With that being said, let’s get into what we’ve got on our hands as we move forward from this event.
Well, it’s obvious right? The title. No matter who has it, no matter if it’s vacant; Sergei Pavlovich deserves a title shot. I can wax poetic about this guy’s career all day, but I’ll keep it short. He lost his UFC debut but has since gotten back on course in the form of 6 first round knockouts in a row.
Additionally, he’s now won 15 of his 18 wins by KO/TKO. That’s a scary dude. He was a step ahead, a bit faster, and seemed ready to defend some takedowns on fight night. But, his power and accuracy are what ultimately saw him get his hand raised on Saturday.
We know that the UFC is targeting Jon Jones vs Stipe Miocic. This fight seems to be all but official. And, you know what, call me nuts, but I think Sergei deserves this fight more than Stipe at this point.
During the post-fight press conference, Pavlovich was asked about this odd position he’s in, given the hold up on a heavyweight title fight being set. To which, he responded:
So, yeah, Pavlovich is going to wait this one out. Otherwise, he’d only be fighting down. Ciryl Gane was just dominated by Jon Jones, so fighting him doesn’t make much sense, and the only other person that seems deserving right now is Tom Aspinall. Tom was last seen fighting against Curtis Blaydes in the summer of 2022, but a knee injury stopped the fight right when it started.
Prior to that, Aspinall had a similar rise to Sergei; five wins in a row, five finishes. But, on paper, Tom is coming off of a TKO loss and has taken time away to recover from this knee injury that he admits has been bothering him since his UFC debut. With that being said, Sergei Pavlovich for the title next.
UFC fight results: Bruno Silva is Back in the Win Column
Taking out Brad Tavares is no joke. Seeing that his last fight saw hoim a decision loss to Dricus du Plessis, who is now fighting Robert Whittaker in a fight for the next title shot, it shows that Tavares is still a tough, top fighter. But, Bruno Silva was able to get his punches going and grabbed the win.
Was it an early stoppage? Maybe. Possibly. Actually, yes, I think definitely. Don’t get me wrong, it wasn’t the worst stoppage ever, but Tavares still had some fight in him. Controversy aside, the knockdown was very, very convincing that Silva can crack and he’s still a top fighter, despite his previous losses.
When asked about what this win during the post fight press conference, especially when looking at who it was over, meant to him, Bruno replied:
“Winning against [Brad Tavares] was very personal to me… He’s fought so many big names, and that shows a lot [about] who he is. I mean, the way that he handles himself, he’s a very respectful fighter. The way that he approaches the fighter that he’s fighting, and plus, his style…”
Bruno Silva is a great fighter, and his performance was great. Both him and Tavares showed up and showed out for the fans, and I hope the UFC matchmakers give them something fun next. Anthony Hernandez is fighting Edmen Shahbazyn next month, I believe the winner of that vs Bruno Silva would be an absolute banger.
Bobby Green vs Jared Gordon: When the Anticipated is Anticlimactic
Well, this sucks. As a fan, this was upsetting to see, but nobody is more upset than Jared Gordon and Bobby Green. A clash of heads resulted in a knockdown, and from then, Bobby Green ground and pounded a hurt Jared until he was unconscious. Obviously, the loss sucks, but Green not getting his win bonus really rubbed him the wrong way.
This has got to sting a lot for Jared, who’s momentum was at an all-time high entering this fight. Though Gordon lost his last fight, it was a controversial loss against Paddy Pimblett, and in this loss, his stock skyrocketed. Then, he came out and was cracking Bobby on the feet. He put the work in for this fight and it showed.
The way this fight ended sucks for everyone involved. Nobody wins here. And, if I’m the matchmaker, I’m saying that they run it back. It’s not like the division will be held back too much if these two scrapped again. Plus, divisional logic aside, this was a super fun fight for as long as it lasted. Let them go at it again.
Erik is a long-time MMA fan and writer. Ever since catching some Chael Sonnen trash talk on a commercial, he's been hooked on the sport. Erik spent a lot of time writing while attending college at Wichita State University. Now, he spends his time covering the sport of MMA, training in BJJ here and there, and occasionally hitting skateparks!
