UFC 243 Post-Fight Analysis

So somehow my ass ended up taking a whole few days to get to writing these... anyway, I will make it quick cause week is already halfway and we have more UFC events to cover.

Main Card

Although in the end I conceded in my preview that the fight between Adesanya and Whittaker seemed more 50-50, I really could not see how Whittaker would pull the victory off. In the end I was right as Adesanya completely picked him apart, badly knocking him down in the first before completely finishing him off in the second. 

Whittaker was in the fight for most of the first round but struggled to connect anything solid, Adesanya just is so defensively masterful, despite playing a dangerous game of inches by fighting with his hands down. The challenge that Costa poses him is even higher risks and for even higher periods, but that will have to be discussed when it happens.

In the Co-Main I was very disappointed with Al, perhaps he just has lost the best killer instinct he has, but I expected him at least to make it closer than that by really trying to crowd Hooker. Instead he just kind of accepted being punching back on the outside for the much lengthier Hooker. Good win for Hooker, but obviously it was not a match-up that would be most difficult for him.

Spivak pulled off the long-odds upset I was hoping for, and I think Bloody Elbow writers should be embarrassed for themselves. You supposedly write about the sport professionally, but your preview was even worse than mine are. It is not about everyone of them picking wrong, but rather everyone getting it wrong without bothering to really even analyze the fight. Still Spivak does not look like he can put on a sustained run, he reacts terribly to getting hit. He has enough skill on him get by, but I think UFC wins will be few and far between for the guy. For Tuivasa it was a pretty terrible loss, did not give a good account of himself at all.

Luke Jumeau was another disappointment, the guy managed to hurt Lima once but did not really go after the match and instead lost a plodding outside striking contest to Lima who was always going to be the better kickboxer of the two.

Jake Matthews and Rostem Akman did not really engage much at all, both hesitant to pull the trigger and as a result Matthews never got near gassing and won by having a little bit more output. Not what I expected, but the pick was correct at least.

Justin Tafa was at an experience deficit against Yorgan De Castro and that showed in the bullrush where his own weight and size just ended up hurting him more. He leaped forward and was met with a clean cross that dropped him like a very large sack of potatoes. Two big guys going at it was always gonna be a 50/50 fight but in hindsight I wish I would have trusted on the guy with more experience.

Prelims

Maki Pitolo is the first pick that I would not change even if it did go wrong. He was hitting Potter with everything, countless of shots that should have put the chinny Potter out. Somehow it did not happen this time and Pitolo gassed out, ending up just drowned with Potter's pace. Potter does not have the durability nor stand-up skill to get far in UFC, but he can be happy with this one, somehow his chin held up to get him the win.

Megan Anderson was actually in surprisingly lot of trouble in stand-up against Zarah Fairn Dos Santos, but that did not matter cause she has cleaned up her grappling and beat Dos Santos there. Expected result, different way than I expected.

Brad Riddell and Jamie Mullarkey went to absolute war. Both showed quite significant holes in their game and although Riddell is good, I do feel I slightly over-estimated his striking. Still, he put a hell of a beating on Mullarkey and looks an exciting action-fighter. I still have my doubts of him being championship-caliber though. Better wrestlers will, at least as of now, still feast on him.

Ji Yeon Kim beat up Nadia Kassem pretty convincingly despite ref saving Kassem from an earlier barrage. Kassem just has very incoherent fighting style and even though she was having some success initially, she could not beat Kim even in stand-up. At least she did show some alright offensive grappling at times.

Khalid Taha looked like he was gonna get grapplefucked to death after second round and was definitely gassed, but found the takedown and submission himself in the end. 

My Picks

Like I already wrote on Twitter, I got 7 out of 11 right. Slightly winning night. My best pick was Spivak who was large underdog, my worst pick Maki Pitolo, though even that is debatable since I would still make the same pick. Still, I was very certain he would win and feel like he was the better fighter, just slipped the fight away from his hands with simple mistakes.

So perhaps in the end Al Iaquinta was the worse pick, in hindsight it looks like a terrible style match-up, though I do wonder why he did not even attempt a more clinch or grappling heavy style. Then again, it really has never been the style he fights in, so that isn't surprising.

All-time record now after five events is 33.5 out of 57, in Main and Co-Main events I am 5 out of 8. Better than half right and I am also overall in the profit. I have had 3 winning nights and 2 losing nights. Encouraging results that will keep me writing more of these.

I also have to say as a final note that all this thinking and writing about the fights has forced me to get much deeper with my understanding about fights.