UFC 241 Re-Cap!

 

UFC 241 is in the books, and it was WILD. If you haven’t watched the event and don’t want the results spoiled avoid this post.  We won’t be covering the entire card, just the broad strokes! Anaheim was treated to possibly one craziest events EVER so let’s unpack some of the details and story lines that emerged. 

On the same card we got to see the argument for Greatest UFC Heavyweight get more complex, the return of one of the UFC’s Biggest stars in Nate Diaz, and a classic battle between two people who look like action figures. Not only were the fights great, but with each of the three main fights MAJOR storylines and questions have emerged. 

Let’s start off with the 185 pound Action Figures in Yoel Romero and Paulo Costa. Every single strike looked to be thrown with the intent of shutting off the other person’s lights. Both athletes had their bright spots landing big shots that looked like it would drop ANYONE, yet they made it through to the end of their 3 round epic battle. 

Costa took the victory, much to the disdain of the crowd, but it by no  means was a robbery. Romero is definitely a fan favorite but Costa’s win sets up a fresh matchup in the form of a title shot. 185 is quickly becoming a young man’s division with the likes of Costa, Adesanya, Gastellum, and Whittaker all leading the pack. With his unanimous decision over Romero, Paulo Costa looks poised to take on the winner of the much anticipated bout between Current Middleweight Champ Robert Whittaker and Interim Champ Israel Adesanya. 

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The Co-Main Event saw the return of Nate Diaz. Diaz made it clear throughout the week that he is in fact on of the UFC’s biggest stars, and he did it through actions not words. Diaz stepped in to face Anthony Pettis, who has been on fire as of late. Pettis has taken on the UFC’s toughest competition and found a way to win in highlight fashion. His fight with Stephen Thompson is a perfect example. So when the fight between Pettis and Diaz was announced fans were PUMPED. 

As far as the fight went, it was textbook Nate Diaz. Diaz ate some hard shots and continued to walk down his opponent landing body shots, stockton slaps, and back takes. Many theorized that if Pettis could implement a strong leg kick game he could chop Diaz down. However, Diaz was able to minimize the leg kicks through stance switching and distance management. The first round was a lot of back and forth until Diaz got it to the floor. The second and third stanza were in Diaz’s favor. Diaz earned the Unanimous Decision in his return to The Octagon. Check out his interview with ESPN!

What might be the biggest news of the night is who Nate Diaz called out for his next fight! Diaz called out none other than Jorge Masvidal! Masvidal was in attendance and looked elated to get a shot to fight a big name/big payday opponent in Diaz. This fight checks so many boxes off for the fans. On paper there is zero chance for a boring fight, and both fighters are absolute GANGSTERS! 

In the Main Event we got to see the rematch of Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic. There were a lot of questions going into this fight like “would this be DC’s last fight” and “has Stipe been off too long?”. While we don’t know exactly what DC will decide, one thing for sure is that Stipe Miocic was here all along. 

Stipe hadn’t fought since losing his title to DC back in 2018 after their stint as coaches on The Ultimate Fighter. DC ended the night for Miocic in under a round, so many people were left asking “why rematch?”. Thankfully for us we got to see the rematch because it was an instant classic. 

DC dominated the early rounds. He was able to wade into Stipe’s range with little recourse. DC’s absolute disregard for Stipe’s grappling lead to some exchanges that made it look as though DC was going to pull away in this fight. Stipe landed some very hard shots throughout but they didn’t seem to phase Daniel. That was until the 4th round….

Stipe stated to dig in body shots that I could feel in my chair when I was watching. The hunch in my body made me spill my nachos. But seriously, Stipe was DIGGING that hook into the liver of DC ruthlessly. Another, and another landed. Eventually one finally caused a reaction from DC, which opened up a savage onslaught that saw Stipe snatch back his Title from the jaws of defeat. It was a great fight, one that surely will be talked about for sometime. 

So what’s next for Stipe and DC? Well for DC things remain unclear. Rogan teed him up for retirement with how he was interviewing him, but DC commented in an interview about not making decisions based off emotion. Cormier handled the loss like true champ as you can see here in this interview. 

As far as Stipe, one thing is clear. He is here to stay. Whether he rematches DC for the rubber match, or takes on another Heavyweight challenger Stipe will surely bring the grit and toughness required for a barn burner of a fight. What a great night of fights!

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