What an interesting first ever trip to Uruguay. A night full of finishes and lots of non stop action. Shevchenko put together a dominant performance to retain her title. The UFC delivered in Uruguay, and like always it is time to see what is next. This article is a breakdown of all the action, and what’s the next step for both the winners and losers.

Losing Fighters:

Polyana Viana: Released from UFC or Hannah Goldy
Viana came into this fight expecting to have a major advantage on the ground. She ended up being very wrong, and ended up suffering a third straight loss by way of armbar. Viana landed an early takedown, and looked to control her opponent with pressure. She made the mistake of leaving her arm exposed, and Macedo snatched it up forcing her to tap. Viana tried to roll through but the armbar was simply too much to overcome. Another tough loss for Viana who may be losing her spot in the UFC with another loss.

Rodrigo Vargas: Marco Polo Reyes or Luis Pena
Vargas came out aggressive looking to land heavy shots, but was met with the takedown prowess of Alex da Silva. Vargas had his back taken for the majority of the first round, and was repeatedly taken down, reversed, and out grappled by da Silva. He didn’t seem to have an answer off of his back, and was beat up on the ground in round three. Vargas kept working, and put up a fight after accepting this bout on short notice. He is a striker first, and he just couldn’t find a way to stop the ground work of da Silva.

Geraldo de Freitas: Felipe Colares or Gabriel Silva
de Freitas was aggressive throughout this fight rushing in throwing hook after hook. He was able to land a few takedowns, but was unable to do much with them. He battled a leg injury after taking several hard calf kicks. Throughout the fight Geraldo seemed to be the aggressor, and was able to land some hard blows in the third round. I was surprised he wasn’t awared the victory, but this was a tough fight to score from start to finish. de Freitas deserves another opportunity in the UFC after a fun fight against Guitierrez.

Raulian Paiva: Rogerio Bontorin or Jordan Espinosa
An unfortunate end to what was a compelling matchup in the Flyweight division. Paiva was able to land a big right hand that instantly opened up a cut/mouse on the left eye of Bontorin. However, he found himself on the mat after several big takedowns by Bontorin. In a scramble, Bontorin was able to land a brutal knee that opened up a massive gash on Paiva’s right eyebrow. The cut was gruesome, and the doctor had no other choice but to call a stop to the fight for the fighter’s safety. Paiva was visibly upset, but I don’t dispute the decision as the cut was located in a terrible spot. I think these two should run this fight back given the circumstances.

Tecia Torres: Karolina Kowalkiewicz or Felice Herrig
Torres put up a valiant effort, but came up short against the top prospect in Marina Rodriguez. Torres found herself on the wrong end of the majority of the striking exchanges. She was unable to incorporate her wrestling or top pressure which is her best tool. I feel Torres really struggled with the size and reach discrepancy in this fight. Rodriguez is massive for the Women’s Strawweight division, and Torres felt that size tonight. Tecia has consistently fought the best in the world, and now finds herself on a four fight losing streak.

Raphael Pessoa: Juan Adams or Junior Albini
The big man came out swinging early with wild kick and punch attempts as the heavy underdog. Pessoa found himself against the cage against the techincal striker in Cyril Gane for most of the first round. He tried to land heavy shots, but was never able to connect clean. In the clinch, Pessoa landed a sneaky throw, but was met by a better reversal by Gane who used leverage to come on top. Pessoa made the mistake of leaving his head and arm exposed, and ended up tapping out to a head and arm choke.

Alexey Kunchenko: Niko Price or Bryan Barberena
Kunchenko finally tasted defeat for the first time in his career. Alexey fought well against a tough opponent in Gilbert Burns. He was comprised early in the fight by the strong leg kicks of Burns. He also was unable to slow down the takedowns in round one and two. This allowed Burns to steal these rounds and ultimately take the lead on the scorecard. Kunchenko had a great third round, and was hurting Burns badly with leg kicks. He actually was able to drop him on a couple of occasions. This was a good fight but Kunchenko just came up a little short.

Bobby Moffett: Gavin Tucker or Alex Caceres
What a fight between these two Featherweights. They traded in the pocket from the opening bell, and refused to take a back step each round. Moffett had a ton of success landing his right hand, and hurt Barzola to the body on multiple occasions. Moffett showed much improved striking, and despite the loss this was his best performance on the feet. This was a razor close fight, but I feel the late takedowns in each round is what stole the fight for Barzola. This was a awesome fight, and was the perfect way to open the main card.

Oskar Piechota: Deron Winn or Bevon Lewis
Piechota did a nice job early on of surviving on the ground with a beast like Vieira. He actually did some nice work avoiding being put in a compromising position. He landed a couple of shots before getting taken down again in round two. This time there was no escape as Vieira easily passed to mount, and eventually forced a tap with a head and arm choke. Piechota in my opinion did all the right things, but Vieira is on another level on the ground. Piechota took a fight that I guarantee many others would have turned down.

Ilir Latifi: Shogun Rua or Alonzo Menifield
The Swede was simply overwhelemed in this fight against Oezdemir. Latifi could not find his range with his patented power shots, and was stuffed on the majority of his takedown attempts. Volkan did a great job of working Latifi over with his punches and pressure. Latifi seemed to fade after the first round as his cardio wore off, and the pressure of Volkan was too much. He was mercifully saved by the referee after falling from a combination by “No Time”. You have to wonder how much does the 37 year old have left after back to back losses.

Humberto Bandenay: Seung Woo Choi or Yoshinori Horie
Bandenay came up on the short end against the hometown favorite. Bandenay consistently tried to take the fight to the mat, and was able to succeed some early on. However, as the fight progressed he was unable to secure takedowns against Garagorri. He found himself on the wrong end on the majority of the striking exchanges as well. Garagorri landed some really good shots, and was able to put together a higher volume/work rate. Bandenay certainly came to fight, and put together a solid performance. He just seemed to be a step behind the undefeated Uruguayan fighter.

Mike Perry: Bryan Barberena or Mickey Gall
This was by far the best fight of the night as these two went to war. Perry showed great patience, discipline, and counter striking against Luque. He timed his shots well, and was able to land some serious left and rights. We also saw Perry able to use his kicks more frequently than previous fights. Perry did find himself on the wrong end of multiple occasions, as Luque was more than willing to stand and trade. Perry’s known was completely shattered with a knee in the third round. He showed incredible toughness fending off a tight guillotine while he was gushing blood. Perry was already popular, but after this performance you cannot questions his heart. The fight was very close in my opinion, and you could make the argument that Perry stole some of the rounds or won the fight.

Liz Carmouche: Andrea Lee or Viviane Araujo
Carmouche gave it her best shot, but she was no match for the well-rounded Shevchenko. Carmouche was very defensive on the feet, and almost seemed content to sit back to avoid being caught by shots. She never pushed the pace or forced Shevchenko to take a step back. She tried to wrestle and mix in some takedowns, but ultimately found herself getting stuffed or reversed. Shevchenko turned the tables on her by taking her down multiple times, and easily controlling her on the mat. Not once in this fight did Carmouche threaten or force Valentina to fight out of a tough spot. This was an uneventful affair where the challenger was simply no match for the champion. Carmouche is a very good fighter, and I am not knocking her abilities at all. If anything, Shevchenko is simply that good that even a top contender looks like she shouldn’t be in the cage with her.

Winning Fighters:

Veronica Macedo: Miranda Granger or Hannah Goldy
Macedo’s weakness in the past has been against strong grapplers. She answered the critics with this finish tonight. Macedo didn’t panic after being taken down, she used her hips, and looked for an opening from the bottom. She latched unto a armbar out of nowhere, managed to sink it in deeper after Viana rolled through, and forced the former Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion to tap. A huge win for Macedo who picks up her first UFC victory.

Alex da Silva: Frank Camacho or Stevie Ray
Congrats to da Silva on securing his first UFC victory. The Brazilian took a wrestling first approach in this fight, and was able to display his superior grappling skills. This was a smart decision against the wild, aggressive striker in Rodrigo Vargas. He was able to win each round by securing the takedown, and controlling Vargas on the mat. This wasn’t the most impressive performance, but at the very least a pretty dominant display against a powerful opponent. da Silva is very young, and has some upside to give him a real chance in the Lightweight division

Chris Gutierrez: Mario Bautista or Jonathan Martinez
This was a fun, bloody fight between two game opponents in Uruguay. Gutierrez was the more technical striker, and was able to avoid most of the blitzing attacks by de Freitas. His weapon of choice in this fight was certainly the calf kicks. He landed numerous calf kicks that actually floored de Freitas on multiple occasions. He did a solid job of defending after being taken down, and was never really in a bad way on the mat. This was a bar brawl style of fight, and Gutierrez was able to just sway the judges to his favor.

Rogerio Bontorin: Raulian Paiva or Matt Schnell
Bontorin was able to overcome a bad cut below his eye to get a doctor stoppage victory. He used powerful takedowns to ground Paiva, and eventually landed a brutal knee in a scramble to open a gruesome cut on Paiva’s left eye. The doctor had no other choice but to stop the fight given the location of the cut. Bontorin seemed to be in control of this fight, but I feel this fight should be run back after the disappointing finish. Both guys had their moments, but it’s hard to accept the decision after a cut.

Marina Rodriguez: Nina Ansaroff or Alexa Grasso
This was by far the best performance that we have seen out of Rodriguez. She was able to use her size and strength to overwhelm the smaller Torres. She showed a well rounded striking attack consistently landing front kicks and leg kicks beating up the body of Torres. She also landed hard elbows and punches in the clinch time after time. She showed solid takedown defense and was never close to being put on the mat. This win signifies Rodriguez as a real contender in the Women’s Strawweight division. She will definitely find herself in the top 15 come Monday.

Cyril Gane: Greg Hardy or Maurice Greene
Gane is a specimen with a impressive physique at 244 pounds. The training partner of Francis Ngannou impressed in his UFC debut. He showed technical striking landing several kicks and punches. He also showed high level defense avoiding the wild striking advances of Pessoa. Gane was not in a hurry, and was able to win the battle on the feet by being patient. Gane reversed a throw by Pessoa, was able to secure top position, and close the show with a head and arm choke. A impressive performance for a Heavyweight division in need of new contenders.

Gilbert Burns: Michael Chiesa or Randy Brown
Burns was successful by stepping in on short notice, and picking up a win in his Welterweight debut. Burns showed solid kicks from the opening bell, and hurt Kunchenko to the legs and body. He also mixed in the takedowns, and used his top pressure to control the Russian at the end of the first two rounds. Burns leg was compromised late in the third round, and he was barely able to stand. He found a way to survive, and force a decision which ended up being in his favor. This was a solid performance in a new weight class by Burns.

Enrique Barzola: Hakeem Dawodu or Andre Fili
Barzola bounced back from a loss to Kevin Aguilar with a solid performance close to home. The Peruvian prospect impressed with his striking as well landing heavy hooks on Moffett. He also showed his fight IQ by landing several late takedowns to sway the judges in what was a hard fight to call. Barzola struggled with the body attacks of Moffett, and constantly walked into his right hand. However, he did a solid job of getting through this and responding with his own attacks. This was a excellent fight, and the decision could have gone either way to be honest.

Rodolfo Vieira: Trevin Giles or Karl Roberson
The multiple time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu world champion lived up to the hype in his UFC debut. Vieira showed powerful takedowns, solid ground and pound, and of course impressed with his high level grappling. He showed there were levels to the black belt rank as he submitted the Polish fighter quickly in round two. This was a perfect debut for Rodolfo, it will be interesting if he can survive when the takedowns aren’t working. Only time will tell if he can survive on the feet against a higher level opponent.

Volkan Oezdemir: Jan Blachowicz or Aleksander Rakic
This was by far the most impressive performance by Volkan in his UFC career. He did a great job defensively by avoiding the attacks of Latifi. He also was able to defend the majority of his takedown attempts. Volkan kept the heat and pressure coming constantly backing Latifi towards the fence. He used his boxing, but also mixed in some nicely timed kicks, elbows, and knees. He did a tremendous job of just touching Latifi, and working both the body and head. It honestly looked like a dominate sparring session for Oezdemir, and he capped off the performance with a TKO finish. This was a great bounce back for Volkan after losing three fights in a row.

Luiz Garagorri: Steven Peterson or Sheymon Moraes
What a moment for Garagorri being the only Uruguayan on the card, and winning in front of his home country. Garagorri survived some early takedown attempts, and used some slick jiu-jitsu to get back to his feet. He constantly won the exchanges on the feet showing his versatile muay thai approach. He was able to land several nice counter strikes when Bandenay came crashing forward. There was a ton of pressure on Garagorri, and he was able to deliver at home. This is a impressive start to what should be a future in the UFC.

Vicente Luque: Neil Magny or Robbie Lawler
Vicente just keeps on winning fun fights in the Welterweight division. Luque was a game opponent who was more than willing to strike with the powerful Perry. Luque showed solid striking from distance with hard leg kicks. He also landed some stinging combinations in the pocket. Luque struggled at times defensively as Perry landed flush as well. He also found himself stuck against the cage in the clinch late in the fight. Luque shattered the nose of Perry however with a brutal knee. Luque tried to finish with a guillotine, showing that Vicente is always looking for the highlight finish. This was a close fight, but the judges felt that Luque did more and his hand was raised in victory. Great performance for the fans by both gentlemen.

Valentina Shevchenko: Katlyn Chookagian or Jennifer Maia
This was not the most exciting performance of Shevchenko’s career, but you could make a case it was the most dominant. She was somewhat hesitant to strike early on, but started to open up with her kicks as the fight progressed. We actually saw a takedown heavy approach for Shevchenko last night. She dragged Carmouche to the mat, controlled her, and landed some good ground and pound. She easily passed to dominant positions, and never found herself in danger or taking a back step. It almost seemed like Shevchenko wanted to prove a point by out wrestling the wrestler. This was somewhat uneventful and lacked compelling action, but Shevchenko at the least pitched a perfect game winning every round on the judges scorecards. The question now is who can actually stop Shevchenko at Women’s Flyweight? No opponent has come close to putting her away or even testing her so far. Should she fight Amanda Nunes in a trilogy or will a new contender give her a challenge? Only time will tell, and it seems like Shevchenko is going to be champion for a long time.

Photo Credit: https://www.mmafighting.com/2019/8/10/20800180/ufc-uruguay-live-blog-valentina-shevchenko-vs-liz-carmouche-2