The motion at UFC Vegas 110 noticed a bunch of finishes, a contact of controversy, and a press release efficiency from its most important occasion star.
UFC Vegas 110 Energy Rankings
RDX Sports activities‘ Editor-in-Chief and veteran MMA author Simon Head casts his eye over the principle card winners, and presents his Energy Rankings for UFC Vegas 110.
1. Steve Garcia
Once you’re handed your first UFC most important occasion alternative, you’ve been given the proper probability to strap a rocket ship to your profession. Steve Garcia understood the project and delivered a superb efficiency to complete the beforehand spectacular David Onama.
Garcia’s managed stress, sharp putting and refusal to offer Onama a second’s relaxation all got here collectively in a efficiency that confirmed that he’s an actual menace to the division’s greater names at 145 kilos.
Garcia entered the weekend at twelfth within the official UFC featherweight rankings, one spot above Onama, so it’s unlikely his win will catapult him up that record. Nonetheless, it ought to safe him a matchup in opposition to top-10 opposition subsequent outing.
His callout of Max Holloway for a BMF title battle was optimistic, however confirmed the type of stage he feels he ought to be working at. After the best way he handled Onama on Saturday night time, a step up at school is a should for “Imply Machine.”
2. Waldo Cortes Acosta
Waldo Cortes Acosta went on a rollercoaster experience within the co-main occasion that noticed him take an eye-poke, seem like he’d been completed with strikes, then come again to knock out one of the crucial hyped rising contenders within the heavyweight division.
Let’s be trustworthy, issues weren’t going Cortes Acosta’s method early. He regarded hesitant to strike, and Delija appeared very relaxed and assured as he strode ahead seeking to land strikes.
However, after the Croatian contender backed Cortes Acosta up in opposition to the fence and unloaded a vicious salvo of punches, it regarded just like the battle was throughout. However referee Mark Smith’s intervention wasn’t to wave off the battle. It was to handle a suspected eye-poke by Delija. Positive sufficient, the ref bought it proper, and after replays confirmed the unintentional poke, Cortes Acosta was given time to get better.
Extremely, a battle that regarded prefer it was over was then restarted, and Cortes Acosta promptly dropped Delija, then completed him with floor strikes to cap a jaw-dropping comeback win as he confirmed that, in heavyweight MMA, one clear shot in these small MMA gloves might be all it takes to show a battle on its head.
It meant Cortes Acosta efficiently defended his number-six rating spot from a person listed three locations beneath him. However extra importantly, it put him again within the body to battle top-five opposition subsequent outing.
It was a painful night time for “Salsa Boy”, however he ended up getting the win his profession wanted.
3. Allan Nascimento
The primary battle on the principle card produced one of the crucial spectacular wins, as Brazilian flyweight Allan Nascimento took all of the stress Cody Durden may throw at him, then turned the tables to brilliantly submit him with an anaconda choke within the second spherical.
Nascimento is a wizard on the mat, with 16 of his 22 profession wins coming through submission. Once you’re going through somebody of that talent stage you may’t afford to offer him a gap. Ultimately, Nascimento discovered one, and took full benefit to halt what was initially a formidable displaying from Durden, and switch it into an eye catching win of his personal.
I’d anticipate to see him within the Octagon with ranked opposition sooner quite than later. And if he can hold these submission expertise sharp, he’ll be a handful for anybody he faces in that 125-pound division.
4. Jeremiah Wells
Former CFFC welterweight champ Jeremiah Wells couldn’t afford to lose on Saturday night time. The 39-year-old from Philadelphia hadn’t fought since February 2024, and hadn’t received since April 2023. Heading into Saturday nights return battle on a two-fight skid, his again was up in opposition to the wall.
Fortunately for Wells, he produced a superb efficiency to outwork Themba Gorimbo en path to a unanimous determination victory. His win was made all of the extra notable as he did so after unanimously dropping the primary spherical.
After dropping the opening body to Gorimbo, Wells couldn’t make any errors, and he did what he wanted to do to assert Rounds 2 and three to seal a much-needed determination win.
5. Charles Radtke
“Chuck Buffalo” is all the time must-see TV when he pulls on the four-ounce gloves, and the heavy-handed former CFFC welterweight champion confirmed off his submission expertise to complete Daniel Frunza with simply 29 seconds left on the clock of their 170-pound matchup.
Radtke’s willingness to get within the cage and throw down with anybody has led to him dropping to the likes of Carlos Prates and Mike Malott, however his victory over Frunza sealed his fourth UFC victory to take his report to 11-5, and 4-2 underneath the UFC banner.
Radtke’s efficiency confirmed that he’s as harmful on the mat as he’s within the stand-up, and along with his tendency to get itchy knuckles fairly shortly after fights, it might come as no shock to see him again in motion sooner quite than later.
And when he’s, we’ll be tuning in.
6. Yadier del Valle
Taken at face worth, del Valle’s first-round submission victory over Isaac Dulgarian was definitely a formidable one, particularly given Dulgarian’s standing because the betting favourite heading into the bout.
However for the reason that matchup, query marks have been raised after it emerged that sportsbooks had suspended prop bets from their market lists after the percentages unexpectedly moved previous to the bout. Some oddsmakers even refunded bets.
Then, final night time, it was reported that Dulgarian had been launched by the UFC.
All of it casts a shadow over what ought to have been hailed as an outstanding win by del Valle, who went on the market and did his job. However it seems to be just like the story about Dulgarian’s efficiency, and the betting line strikes previous to the matchup, hasn’t fairly run its course simply but.
Simon Head is Editor-in-Chief with famend fight sports activities tools firm RDX Sports activities.
