5 Hits And 2 Misses From Noche UFC: Diego Lopes vs. Jean Silva

The MMA world turned its eyes towards San Antonio, Texas, on September 13, because the UFC held its third annual Noche UFC occasion, with this 12 months’s card happening on the Frost Financial institution Middle.

Since 2023, the UFC has yearly held a card on Mexican Independence Day weekend, selling Mexican heritage and celebrating the legacy of Mexican athletes who’ve competed in fight sports activities. After the inaugural occasion was a Combat Evening card at Las Vegas’ T-Cellular Area, final 12 months noticed the UFC maintain the occasion (Noche UFC 2: UFC 306) at The Sphere in Las Vegas. Plans for this 12 months’s card have been initially for it to happen in Guadalajara, Mexico, however a brand new enviornment was unable to be constructed in time.

The primary occasion noticed a battle of featherweight contenders as Diego Lopes took on Jean Silva. This was Lopes’ first battle since a loss in a featherweight title bout with Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 314. Silva, in the meantime, had been on a 13-fight win streak, coming into this bout off a submission of Bryce Mitchell at UFC 314.

The co-main occasion noticed Rob Font took on David Martinez, who crammed in for an injured Raul Rosas Jr. Font had gained back-to-back fights, most lately scoring a choice over Jean Matsumoto at UFC Seattle in February. Martinez made his UFC debut in March, scoring a knockout of Saimon Oliveira.

Who impressed? Who fell in need of expectation? Let’s get into it with the Hits and Misses for Noche UFC!

Hit: Danill Donchenko Is TUF Sufficient

The Final Fighter could not imply as a lot to individuals because it did years in the past, however Danill Donchenko caught some consideration the way in which he scored a first-round end of Rodrigo Sezinando to say the TUF welterweight title.

Sezinando began robust with a takedown, wanting to make use of his grappling to get a robust begin. Donchenko not solely made his method again to his toes, nonetheless, however he landed quick flurries, which included an elbow that busted Sezinando open. Donchenko’s putting would find yourself being an excessive amount of, as Donchenko scored the first-round end to win the competitors.

Donchenko entered TUF 11-2, having served as Naiza FC light-weight champion on as soon as event. He seemed to be one of many wiser members when it comes to battle technique and evaluation through the present. And after the way in which he carried out all through the match, hopefully for him that is the begin to a profitable run within the Octagon.

Miss: Tatiana Suarez’s Win Was Dominating However Dragging

With Weili Zhang shifting as much as flyweight to problem Valentina Shevchenko, Virna Jandiroba and Mackenzie Dern will probably be squaring off subsequent month to find out the brand new champion. This introduced a robust alternative for former title challengers Tatiana Suarez and Amanda Lemos, who confronted off at Noche UFC in a pivotal strawweight contenders’ matchup. Sadly, neither girl got here out of it wanting convincing of one other title alternative.

Suarez used her wrestling and grappling all through the battle, preserving Lemos pinned in opposition to the fence and taking her all the way down to the bottom. Lemos had a late scare along with her putting, but it surely was far too late as Suarez took a choice win — to the boos of many in San Antonio.

This was a dominant displaying that permits Suarez to rebound from her unsuccessful problem of Zhang earlier this 12 months. Whereas she clearly gained the battle, it wasn’t something that screamed she needed to have the subsequent title shot. She’ll need to hope nobody else round her makes a extra convincing case for the remainder of this 12 months.

Hit: Santiago Luna’s Star-Making Displaying

5 Mexican-born fighters competed on the Noche UFC card this 12 months, and maybe none had as spectacular of a displaying than Santiago Luna. Luna pulled off a come-from-behind, first-round end of Quang Le to open the primary card.

Luna appeared to be in hassle early on after Le dropped him with a jab within the battle’s first minute. Le attacked, trying to pour on stress and rating a fast end. That end got here, but it surely was Le who was the sufferer of it. Luna survived the barrage and wobbled Le with a hook, laying in a flurry of ground-and-pound earlier than the referee stopped the battle.

Luna has been a formidable finisher throughout his time on the regional circuit, and now he’s already gained momentum in his UFC debut. Hopefully for his case, the UFC can use this to construct up one other new Mexican star for his or her roster.

Hit: Alexander Hernandez Nice For Second Time In Month’s Span

It was simply final 12 months when issues didn’t look so nice (pun supposed) for Alexander Hernandez. However now he has newfound momentum, an exclamation level stamped on it after a hard-hitting end of Carlos Diego Ferreira.

Ferreira managed the motion early on together with his kicks, however Hernandez’s persistence ended up paying off with a strong proper hand within the second that put Ferreira down and out.

Hernandez has now gained 4 straight, all coming inside the final 12 months. It’ll be value seeing if they provide Hernandez one other unranked opponent or in the event that they put him up in opposition to somebody within the decrease portion of the light-weight rankings subsequent.

Hit: Kelvin Gastelum And Dustin Stoltzfus Deliver Spirit-Stuffed Outing

It’s unlucky that Kelvin Gastelum’s five-pound weight miss leaves a little bit of a black eye in his battle. And that’s as a result of he and Dustin Stoltzfus had a battle that just about tore the home down.

Stoltzfus targeted on attacking the physique of Gastelum through the opening spherical, and he did so successfully. Gastelum, nonetheless, stormed again within the second spherical, which proved to be a wild, back-and-forth affair the place Gastelum rocked Stoltzfus a few occasions. He then managed the third spherical together with his boxing to seal the victory.

After an extended shedding streak, Gastelum has now scored three wins in his final 5. The query is that if he’ll be allowed to proceed at middleweight after a weight miss like this (and after he’s already been pressured to maneuver as much as middleweight beforehand after weight misses at 170).

Hit: David Martinez With Upset Of The Yr Nominee

David Martinez was all that was left to get all Mexican fighters to attain wins at Noche UFC. However he had a tall activity, coming in on quick discover to tackle the entire finest bantamweights on the planet — Rob Font.

Thankfully, Martinez was up for the duty. Martinez got here out firing with velocity within the opening spherical, getting by means of Font’s resolution to seemingly begin sluggish and cargo up for energy photographs. Font did land some highly effective strikes, and Martinez slowed down through the second, however Martinez’s quantity got here again within the third, taking the choice on all three judges’ playing cards.

That is huge for “The Black Spartan.” Simply two fights into his UFC run, and he’s now crushed top-of-the-line 135ers on the planet — and doing so in a battle he wasn’t even initially purported to be in. He ought to have a robust quantity subsequent to his title come Tuesday, and alternatives for him have greater than opened up.

Hit: Diego Lopes Lights Up The Evening

Even in a loss to Alexander Volkanovski this previous April, Diego Lopes has had lots of inventory positioned in him since his UFC debut a bit of over two years in the past. And his reputation could have reached larger ranges with the way in which he carried out in a end of Jean Silva.

Lopes was dominant ealry on, stopping a takedown try and dealing his method into mount, touchdown a barrage of floor strikes that might have stopped the battle. Silva, nonetheless, survived and rocked Lopes early within the second spherical, with the 2 buying and selling blow for blow in an outing that had the San Antonio crowd on its toes. Lopes would finish issues with a sudden spinning again elbow that floored Silva in a highlight-reel vogue.

Take into account that Lopes’ solely losses within the UFC are a controversial one in opposition to Movsar Evloev and the battle in opposition to Volkanovski, he’s actually made a reputation for himself on this division. If he will get one other win, maybe he could possibly be in line to problem Volkanovski once more — or problem Evloev in a rematch for the title.

Miss: Combating Nerds Consuming Ls

It’s one factor for me to trash on Silva giving a blow to the again of Lopes’ head post-fight. That was utterly unprofessional, but it surely was additionally within the warmth of the second.

What can’t be argued in opposition to, nonetheless, is that the Combating Nerds have reached a low level.

It wasn’t way back when a few of us, yours actually included, mentioned it wouldn’t be lengthy — perhaps in 2026 — when one of many Combating Nerds could be a UFC champion. However now the entire Combating Nerds current within the UFC have misplaced their unbeaten data — and this one comes only one week after Caio Borralho misplaced his UFC 0 in Paris.

This can be a pivotal level for this workforce — both they’re going to take classes from their losses and are available out a stronger camp, or the entire momentum goes to crash out and they’ll simply be a blip on the UFC radar. For his or her sake, I hope it’s the previous.

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