With a loaded combat card and loads of excessive stakes concerned, UFC 321 promised a lot at Etihad Area, however on an evening that resulted in anti-climactic trend, who got here away from their foremost card matchups with their inventory the best?
UFC 321 Energy Rankings
RDX Sports‘ Editor-in-Chief and veteran MMA author Simon Head casts his eye over the principle card winners, and presents his Energy Rankings for UFC 321.
1. Mackenzie Dern
From the second Dern arrived within the UFC, expectations had been sky-high. The previous ADCC and IBJJF jiu-jitsu world champion was all the time going to draw loads of consideration, and over the previous seven years, we’ve watched Dern evolve as a combined martial artist as she’s grown from grappling phenom to all-round MMA fighter.
On Saturday evening in Abu Dhabi, that evolution took her to the undisputed UFC girls’s strawweight title, as she showcased her extra well-rounded MMA skillset to outwork a sport, however ever-so-slightly outgunned Virna Jandiroba after 5 aggressive rounds within the co-main occasion.
With all of her opponents so centered on avoiding grappling conditions with Dern, the Brazilian has needed to work arduous to enhance her placing. And, below the watchful eye of revered coach Jason Parillo – who cornered Michael Bisping to the undisputed middleweight title at UFC 199 – Dern’s work within the boxing gloves within the health club has translated to improved placing performances within the four-ounce gloves on combat evening as she rounded out her sport to change into a real contender at 115 kilos.
And, with Zhang Weili departing the division to problem Valentina Shevchenko for the undisputed UFC girls’s flyweight title at UFC 322, Dern obtained the possibility to combat for the newly-vacated title towards Jandiroba, who she’d beforehand defeated on the scorecards at UFC 256 again in 2020.
Each fighters had improved considerably higher forward of the rematch, however in the long run, it was Dern’s improved placing that proved the difference-maker as she outstruck Jandiroba en path to a unanimous resolution victory, and an emotional title win.
2. Azamat Murzakanov
Murzakanov won’t have been the largest title on the UFC 321 combat card, however these near the sport know that the undefeated Russian mild heavyweight contender is likely one of the most fascinating tales to observe within the UFC’s 205-pound division.
After blasting his solution to a UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Sequence, Murzakanov has largely blown away his opposition within the Octagon thus far. Solely seasoned kickboxing practitioner Dustin Jacoby has managed to go the gap with “The Skilled”, who completed Tafon Nchukwi, Devin Clark, Alonzo Menifield and Brendson Ribeiro en path to his foremost card opener with Austrian contender Aleksandar Rakic at UFC 321.
Confronted with a seasoned striker with loads of top-level expertise within the UFC, Murzakanov was set for the largest check of his UFC profession to this point, and he rose to the problem beautifully as he dropped and completed Rakic with a ramrod jab to assert a first-round TKO and enhance his document to 16-0.
Given how the combat evening panned out total, Murzakanov can depend himself very unfortunate to not have picked up a post-fight bonus for that efficiency. However, if the UFC grants his post-fight request to combat in a number-one contender combat subsequent, that lacking paycheck will probably quickly be forgotten.
3. Umar Nurmagomedov
Nurmagomedov is so good, it appears loopy to assume that he wanted a giant efficiency right here to re-establish his credentials as a championship contender. However that narrative was entrance and heart as he appeared to bounce again from his title combat defeat to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 311 again in January.
If there have been any query marks, Nurmagomedov shortly erased them as he delivered one other robust efficiency to outbattle Mario Bautista over three rounds. Bautista went into the bout on a formidable eight-fight win streak, however that run got here to an finish as Nurmagomedov leaned closely on his wrestling to take the American off his toes and put him on protection for lengthy spells in the course of the combat.
There was one scary second when he walked right into a perfectly-timed knee and appeared rocked. However the specter of the takedown appeared to stop Bautista from closing in with follow-up strikes, and the Russian shortly recovered.
That second apart, Nurmagomedov appeared a reduce above one of many trickiest contenders within the bantamweight division as he put himself proper again into the title dialog at 135 kilos. Former champ Petr Yan is subsequent as much as problem Dvalishvili for the title, and you’ll guess Nurmagomedov will likely be a really spectator. He might be subsequent.
4. Alexander Volkov
The principle card heavyweight bout between Volkov and Jailton Almeida was painted as a de-facto title eliminator, however after quarter-hour of largely incident-free competitors, it’s arduous for both man to marketing campaign too arduous for a title shot.
Volkov obtained the victory through cut up resolution as his restricted, however profitable, placing output outweighed the prolonged, however largely ineffective, positional management from Almeida, who appeared unwilling to face and commerce on the toes, or open up his posture to chase a submission, or a TKO end, on the bottom.
Ultimately, it was a lesson to grapple-heavy fighters that the “lay-and-pray” strategy now not ensures victories on the sport’s highest stage. The judges need to see effectiveness in fighters’ work, and in a combat the place offense was at a premium, Volkov was marginally more practical.
Technically, he ought to be the subsequent man in line for a title shot. However, together with his efficiency doing little to raise his inventory, plus the unlucky occasions of the title combat in the principle occasion, it’s probably “Drago” will likely be requested to combat, and win, once more earlier than he will get his shot on the gold in 2026.
T5. Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane
The principle occasion between Aspinall and Gane was shaping as much as be a cracker of a heavyweight title combat. Each males had been touchdown their photographs, and Gane had already bloodied the newly-crowned undisputed champion’s nostril. However, within the closing minute of the opening spherical, catastrophe struck.
An tried palm-off by Gane resulted in his index and center fingers poking Aspinall in each eyes because the Englishman was despatched reeling backwards in ache. The foul was unintentional, however a fight-ender, because the bout was waved off and declared a no-contest.
It meant that Aspinall’s probability to cement himself as the highest canine at heavyweight was stopped in its tracks, whereas Gane’s encouraging begin was all for nothing as his fingers price him the possibility to construct on his good early work.
Because of this, each males should head again to Europe to relaxation, get well, then put together for a rematch, with UFC President and CEO Dana White stating his intention to rebook the combat as quickly as potential.
We simply should hope for a clear combat, and a definitive end result, once they meet once more.
