Despite the loss of a title eliminator between Johny Hendricks and Tyron Woodley at the last minute, UFC 192 was a pretty sweet card from top to bottom.
Let’s get right into the biggest takeaways of the night, starting with the the 205-pound championship bout.
CORMIER BATTERED BUT VICTORIOUS
DC retained the light heavyweight strap with a grueling split decision win over Alexander Gustaffson. The Swede’s gameplan forced Cormier to ditch his wrestling and engage the taller man in a standup war of attrition. Gustaffson nearly came through as a +270 underdog, and proved that he why he belongs among the division’s elite.
Of course, with Jon Jones’ pending return, it feels a lot like Cormier’s “undisputed” title is more of an interim belt.
BADER PULLS OFF A MINOR UPSET
Despite being inactive for more than two years, Rashad Evans was a slight -130 favorite over Ryan Bader - who came into the bout on a four-fight win streak. Oddsmakers probably should have factored in ring rust and Evans’ age, as Bader looked fresher, faster and quicker to the punch en route to an easy victory.
For Evans, we can reasonably justify his lackluster appearance - he had not competed in 686 days - but another such outing would spell the end of his days as a top contender at 205. Bader cements his status as the No. 1 contender, although he would be bypassed yet again if Jones is reinstated sooner than later.
WELCOME TO THE BIG SHOW, SAGE NORTHCUTT
The UFC might have just discovered its next superstar in 19-year old Sage Northcutt, who blasted the more experienced Francisco with a flurry of lightning quick punches to win his promotional debut. Northcutt was born into the world of martial arts, and his electric arsenal of flashy kicks and brute physical strength has already put the lightweight division on notice.
LIke Conor McGregor, Northcutt has a charisma that you can’t teach. However, his personality couldn’t be more different than the brash Irishman’s. Northcutt is all smiles, unicorns and Ned Flanders positivity. After this victory, he kept flashing the dual thumbs up and motioned for the camera to watch him pull off an assortment of “yippee” flips. Frankly, it’s a bit startling to see such a happy-go-lucky kid in the octagon. I’m intrigued to see how long that sort of attitude can last.
YAIR RODRIGUEZ, THE GREAT BROWN HOPE
Dana White has been pining to break into the lucrative Mexican market, and he might have just have found his ticket. Yair Rodriguez pummeled a fellow prospect Daniel Hooker with an sensational array of unorthodox strikes, showing off a skillset that has the potential to take the native Mexican into the top 10. If the UFC keeps developing with good matchmaking, Rodriguez could finally get a boxing-crazed country to care a more about MMA.
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