Who Gained and Lost the Most at UFC Tampa

Who Gained and Lost the Most at UFC Tampa

By Claudia Peterson

UFC Fight Night 161 went down in Tampa Florida, at the Amalie Arena on Saturday October 12th. The card was stacked with well known talent across the prelims and into the main card. The card certainly delivered, with many exciting finishes and impressive performances by many of the fighters.

There are several fighters who had the most to gain from their wins and losses. In the winners’ column, Joanna Jedrzejczyk, Cub Swanson, Niko Price, Amanda Ribas and Marlon Chito Vera were the fighters who outshined and stole the show.

In the women’s strawweight division Joanna Jedrzejczyk came back to headline the main event of UFC Tampa 10 months after her failed bid to gain the flyweight title against Valentina Shevchenko.

Prior to Saturday’s dominant win, Joanna was riding a 1-3 record in her last 4 outings. The former champion looked impressive against Watterson, making the fight a one sided affair. With an injured Tatiana Suarez, Joanna is in good position to challenger for the title she once held.

In the men’s featherweight division, Cub Swanson got a much needed win against Kron Gracie from the famous Gracie family. Coming into this fight on a 4 fight losing skid, this was a redeeming win for Swanson, whose fight won a FOTN bonus.

In the men’s welterweight division, Niko Price never ceases to amaze the audience with his ability to knock people out from his back. Price welcomed James Vick into the welterweight division and quickly dispatched him with a heel to the chin from bottom. Price won a POTN bonus, his 12th bonus since signing with the organization.

If he can stay away from being knocked out himself in his next couple of fights, he will certainly find himself in title contention.

Women’s strawweight also has a new problem to contend with in Amanda Ribas. In only her second fight with the promotion, the Brazilian jiu jitsu ace outpointed the formelry undefeated Mackenzie Dern, who was coming off a one year layoff due to her first pregnancy.

Ribas looked impressive on the feet, and not much needs to be said for her excellent grappling. With a couple of more wins, she will find herself in the top 10 of the division. In the mens’ bantamweight division, Marlon Chito Vera delivered a great knockout against Andre Ewell late in the third round. He has now won five consecutive fights in the UFC.

In the losers’ column, Michelle Watterson, James Vick and Thomas Gifford were the fighters who had the most to lose from their performances. The fighter who had the most to lose from Saturday’s fight was Michelle Watterson, who had her 3 fight winning streak snapped by former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

The fight was one sided affair and Watterson left a lot to be desired as she was outclassed and outpointed. Though Watterson may still have a lot more to give in the strawweight division, at 33 years old, it is unclear if she will be able to put another run together to find herself back in title contention, since this fight was a number 1 contender fight.

In the men’s welterweight division, James Vick was knocked out for the third time in his last four fights. This was his first fight at welterweight, and many were excited to see how he would fare in his new weight class. Call it poor matchmaking, but Niko Price was not the best matchup for Vick in his welterweight debut.

Lastly, in the men’s lightweight division, Thomas Gifford suffered a devastating knockout late in the third round in his fight against Mike Davis. The fight was very tough to watch as Gifford took on an unnecessary amount of damage before being knocked out. The referee’s decision not to stop the fight sooner caused chaos amongst many on social media and later the same referee was suspended for the remainder of the fight night, and Herb Dean was forced to take his place.

Thomas Giforrd was taken to a hospital for his injuries, and may need some time off from sparring. Even though Gifford showed a lot of strength, being the guy who takes all the damage is not the compliment you want when you are supposed to be known as one of the best fighters in the world and fighting in the UFC.