What mattered most at UFC Fight Night 212 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings …
5. The end of Mike Jackson's UFC run?
It’s boggles the mind to see Mike Jackson has been part of the UFC roster for more than six years dating back to when he was signed to fight Mickey Gall in the CM Punk sweepstakes.
Jackson lost that fight, but ended up keeping his place in the organization long enough to eventually get the matchup with the professional wrestling standout. Then he stuck around to get another fight against Dean Barry in April, which he won by unforeseen disqualification.
Fast forward to Saturday, and Jackson (1-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) once again showed up for the opening fight of the card against Pete Rodriguez. But unfortunately for him, there were no second chances, lucky breaks of bizarre fight endings. He was outclassed by a significantly better fighter, and the end result was a highlight-reel knockout loss.
If the UFC didn’t go into the CM Punk business, Jackson would’ve never had a single octagon appearance. Somehow he reached four, but you have to believe this is the end of the line. Although I don’t know for a fact, I assume Jackson was brought on a relatively standard four-fight UFC contract. This would mark the end of that, and I can’t think of a single reason why he would be signed to another deal.
Jackson is actually a super nice guy and a part of the MMA media as a photographer and occasional writer. He made the most out of his opportunity, so no one can hate that. But to be brutally honest, there was a point in time when “UFC caliber fighter” actually meant something, and it never meant less than with him.
4. Tatsuro Taira's title potential
22-year-old Tatsuro Taira added to his perfect record with a slick second-round submission win over CJ Vergara in their flyweight bout.
Taira (12-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) is arguably the biggest Japanese prospect out there right now, and he keeps showing reasons why in his fights. Despite Vergara coming into the fight three pounds overweight, Taira accepted the fight without batting an eye. Then when he got in there, he threatened with submissions until he locked in a tight armbar to force the tap from his opponent.
To round out a great night for him, Taira got on the mic in his post-fight interview and declared his intentions to become the first Japanese titleholder in UFC history, and said he has no intentions of losing before that belt gets wrapped around his waist.
That would be a huge accomplishment for Taira, and as long as his career is handled wisely, it doesn’t seem unreasonable. His size, length and grappling ability is going to make him a problem for a lot of the top names at 125 pounds. If he can make his striking more dangerous, maybe his dream comes to fruition.
3. Raphael Assuncao bounces back
Raphael Assuncao was one of the biggest underdogs on the card against Victor Henry, and he made everyone look foolish for putting him in that position.
Although he’s never fought for a UFC title and failed to win the “big one” on multiple occasions, Assuncao (29-8 MMA, 12-6 UFC) is one of the best bantamweights in MMA history. His resume is exceptional, but four losses in a row – no matter how great the level of competition – is going to lead to public skepticism.
Pair those losses with the fact Assuncao recently turned 40, and there was good reason to write him off. But it wasn’t valid. Assuncao did everything he needed to get back on track. He paired up with a great team at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, went back to his most comfortable style of counter-fighting, then shut out Henry on the scorecards over three rounds.
Assuncao said in his post-fight interview that he’s been grappling with the concept of retirement, but didn’t want to make any definitive spur-of-the-moment decisions on fight night. He said it’s coming down the pipeline sooner rather than later, though, and it’s just a matter of finding the right time.
I could see why it might be hard to walk away on the heels of that performance, but there’s also nothing like going out on a high.
2. Jonathan Martinez spoils Cub Swanson's debut
All the talk going into the co-main event centered around Cub Swanson’s first fight at bantamweight in more than 15 years, which seemed just fine for the soft-spoken Jonathan Martinez.
But when they stepped in the octagon, it was Martinez (17-4 MMA, 8-3 UFC) who made the statement. He battered fan favorite Swanson (28-13 MMA, 13-9 UFC) en route to a leg kick TKO finish in the second round to extend his winning streak to four fights.
It’s tough to see Swanson go down like that, but it’s hard not to be happy for Martinez, who is the very definition of a guy who refuses to talk trash, keeps his head down and works hard. It’s translating to positive results for him.
Getting a gauge on where Swanson goes in the aftermath of this fight is tough. He said he dropped down from featherweight for a “new challenge,” but it wasn’t the smoothest week for him judging by his word-less media day and stoppage loss. He’s not going to be able to beat the best in either division at this point in his career, and hopefully if he wants to do more fights before wrapping his career, UFC books him in the manner he deserves. He’s truly one of the great role models in the sport.
As for Martinez, his callout of Dominick Cruz may not have been likely, but it was his first sign of some edge in his UFC career. If he doesn’t get that fight, hopefully he gets someone in the upper tier because I would be intrigued to see how he’d fare and what his ceiling truly is.
1. Alexa Grasso's stance on title shot
After beating Viviane Araujo by unanimous decision in her first UFC main event, Alexa Grasso refused to take a bold stance on the title shot – and that’s the correct way to play things.
There’s no doubt Grasso (15-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) belongs in the conversation to challenge women’s flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko (23-3 MMA, 12-2 UFC) after going 4-0 since moving up from strawweight.
Would this run have her in the same spot of a less stacked division, though? Probably not. Fighters at 125 pounds are automatically expedited up the pecking order due to Shevchenko’s dominance and need for new challengers. That’s why Grasso has been getting questions about a title shot for her past three fights.
Grasso isn’t allowing the pressure to demand a shot get to her, however. She gave a realistic answer post-fight in saying she really thrived with the experience of her first five-round fight, and would love another against a top-three opponent as the final step.
But Grasso also seems understanding of the reality. Shevchenko’s queue has minimal intriguing options, and with Grasso being a name with a strong following – especially in her native Mexico – she gets even more momentum. She said she would take the shot if the UFC serves it up on a silver platter, and that’s what most should do because it might never come around again, but being a bit standoffish is a good call.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 212.
