UFC 291
Review
The BMF belt's comeback in Salt Lake City—and what an event. UFC 291—now in the CORNER review.
Headshot Dead
Justin "The Highlight" Gaethje machte seinem Namen alle Ehre
The main event pitted the two "perennial runners-up" of the lightweight division against each other. Two Americans who had each lost two title fights, both to Charles Oliveira and Khabib Nurmagomedov. However, Dustin Porier and Justin Gaethje always managed to stay on top. Title fight losses were followed by dominant victories against top contenders. Therefore, Dana White granted them the opportunity to fight for the BMF belt, the current holder being the gangster par excellence – Jorge "Gamebred" Masvidal.
The fight started intensely—nothing less would have been expected. Lots of brawling, hardly any ground fighting or wrestling. Both fighters landed good shots, but Porier had the more significant ones. After the first five minutes, "The Diamond" was ahead. After an intense round, it took less than two minutes for the Delta Center, with its 20,000 spectators, to become a madhouse.
In Leon Edwards style, Gaethje faked a right overhand, Porier dodged to the left, and thus moved directly into a crushing head kick from "The Highlight." The rematch was successful, and Justin Gaethje can now call himself the Baddest Motherf*****.
Two ex-champs in the brawl
Jan Blachowicz and Alex Pereira fought a real powerhouse battle
Alex Pereira chose a real challenge for his light-heavyweight debut. Jan Blachowicz is perhaps the most dangerous fighter in his division right now, possessing solid boxing and an extremely strong and, above all, dynamic ground game. Many experts therefore predicted ahead of the fight that the Pole would outwrestle the Brazilian. But that wasn't the case.
The fight started with a few good approaches from Pereira before Blachowicz managed to control his opponent on the ground near the fence. At times, it looked as if Blachowicz might lure the Brazilian out of his comfort zone with choke attempts, but Poatan survived the first round. Due to the prolonged ground control, the Pole was ahead on all three scorecards.
Two very close rounds followed, but Pereira became increasingly adept at fending off takedown attempts and landing dangerous punches and kicks. When it came to the decision, no one was quite sure who had won. However, it was Alex "Poatan" Pereira who narrowly prevailed by a split decision. A well-deserved winner and a great performance against such a strong opponent.
Big names, big show
Real crackers in the preliminary fights
UFC fans got their money's worth at this event, especially when it came to big names. Tony Ferguson, Derrick Lewis, Kevin Holland—the card was packed with legends.
In the first fight of the main card, Kevin Holland impressively defeated the tireless Michael Chiesa by submission in round 1.
The fight between Tony Ferguson and Bobby Green took considerably longer. After a truly spectacular exchange of blows, the dominant Green managed to apply a triangle choke in the final minute of the fight and finally forced Ferguson to submit with ten seconds left.
Derrick "The Black Beast" Lewis delivered a real highlight. As the referee started the fight, the showman went for a flying knee, sending his opponent, Marcos Rogerio de Lima, to the ground and taking a beating for a minute. The Black Beast capped off this spectacular UFC night with a dance in his underwear.
What happens next?
2 new title fights
After the head kick, Justin Gaethje can likely look forward to another title shot. After the rematch between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira in October, Dana White will be looking for a new title shot contender—and will likely find one in "The Highlight."
Alex "Poatan" Pereira has also recommended himself for a title shot and will most likely get it. Since Jamal Hill relinquished the title due to an Achilles tendon injury, all that remains is to find his opponent. Names like Magomed Ankalaev, Jiri Prohazka, and Aleksandar Rakic are in our minds. It remains to be seen how this injury-plagued division develops.
After their victories, Bobby Green, Derrick Lewis, and Kevin Holland will strive to join the top contenders in their divisions. For Tony Ferguson, the future looks very different. Many experts predict an ever-increasing end to his career after yet another defeat.