Three Biggest Takeaways from UFC 275
UFC 275 went down this past Saturday in Singapore and the 11-fight card as far and away one of my favorites of the year. There were brutal knockouts scattered all throughout the card, culminating to two back-to-back championship fights that were down to the wire throughout the entire 25 minutes. The UFC will try to replicate that magic this weekend on June 18th, when Calvin Kattar and Josh Emmett headline a fight-night airing on ESPN+. If you want to get in on some of the action for this week's upcoming card, be sure to check out any of these New Jersey Online Casinos.
Before UFC 275 becomes a distant memory, I want to reflect in just how great it was. So, here are the three biggest takeaways after this weekend's card.
1. Jiri Prochazka is a Warrior
That main-event fight between Glover Teixeira and Jiri Prochazka was easily the fight of the year. There were at least two instances in EACH ROUND where it looked like either fighter had the other finished, and going into the fifth and final round, you could argue that the fight was all tied up. Teixeira was able to dominate for a good portion of that pivotal round, so Prochazka sinking in that rear-naked choke with 30 seconds left on the clock was not only incredible, but it was necessary. Prochazka took a beating but proved he has the heart of a champion. So whether his next fight is a rematch against Teixeira or is against Jan Blachowicz, I will be excited to see what he can do.
2. Weili Zhang Is Back
Zhang’s opponent, Joanna Jedrzeczyk, is hands down one of the greatest women’s fighters in the organization's history. That being said, she hadn’t fought since March 7th, 2020. To put that in perspective, that was PRE pandemic lockdown. Tiger King wasn’t even released on NETFLIX yet. So, it’s hard to weight this fight the same way as if Zhang was fighting an active contender. With all that said, though, Zhang looked incredible–and that spinning elbow/backfist KO was just the cherry on top. The entire Women’s Strawweight division should be nervous, but especially current Champion Carla Esparza–who I think Zhang dominates in a championship fight.
3. We Should All Keep An Eye On Jack Della Maddalena
The 25-year-old Australian welterweight has only had two fights in the UFC, but that hasn’t stopped him from making a name for himself. Both fights have ended with his hand raised, and both wins have come via first-round knockout. Maddalena was in a bit of early trouble in his UFC 275 fight against Ramazan Emeev, when Emeev had what seemed to be a deep anaconda choke around Maddelana’s neck, but the Australian prospect was able to escape the choke and finish the fight in style. This win marked Maddalena’s 12th professional victory in a row, and I’m sure he’ll be looking to keep that going as he climbs up the welterweight ladder.
