UFC Fight Night 180: T-City is Back!

On Saturday Night, the UFC held Fight Night 180 on Fight Island, headlined by Featherweights Brian Ortega and Chan Sung Jung. This fight was over a year in the making and wrapped up the UFC’s 6th event on Yas Island. Below I’ll be taking a look at the best fights of the night and the fighters who made us a little moolah.

The exciting night of fights started early with Said Nurmagomedov taking on Mark Striegl in the bantamweight division. Nurmagomedov, after accepting a flurry of shots, wasted little time in responding as he dropped Streigl and finished him on the ground within one minute of the first round. It’s not uncommon for a Dagestani to dominate their opponent and Nurmagomedov proved that, cashing the first round finish at +600. A whopping 50% of his wins have came in the first round.

In the first women’s fight on the card, Gillian Robertson faced Poliana Botelho in the flyweight division. Money came in late on the outspoken underdog Botelho who was adamant that Robertson’s blackbelt would mean nothing in this fight. It’s a good thing Botelho is a mixed martial artist and not a psychic, Robertson was able to land a takedown in every round each followed by a submission attempt or dominant ground and pound. In the end Botelho withstood the storm to take it to the judges’ scorecards who declared her opponent the victor. Robertson by decision cashes at +325, proving she’s more than just a jiu jitsu fighter.

To headline the prelims the UFC put on the battle of names I will never be able to pronounce between Mateusz Gamrot and Guram Kutateladze in the lightweight division. Guram was able to get a slight edge on Gamrot on the feet, however, Guram landed a multitude of takedowns in the second and third rounds. When it came down to the judges decisions, they decided Guram had done enough to give the +265 underdog the win. Once given the microphone post fight he used the time to praise his opponent and even declaring, “this wasn’t my fight”.

Former TUF competitor, James Krause took on rising welterweight Claudio Silva, with both fighters entering the octagon at about even odds. Complete with a terrifying nickname (Hannibal) and the record to back it up, Silva collected 5 wins in his previous 5 UFC bouts with 3 of them coming by way of submission. In the end Krause was able to keep the fight where he wanted which was on the feet, avoiding the jiu-jitsu mastery of Silva. Silva did show an advancement in his stand up however, despite getting the loss. Krause’s decision win helps him get back to his winning ways in a talented welterweight division. 

In the co-main event of the evening, Katlyn Chookagian took on former UFC Strawweight Champion Jessica Andrade in the flyweight division. After losing her belt to Zhang Weili last year, she took a tough loss at the hands of Rose Namajunas in July. Andrade was looking to get back to her winning ways in a new division, and that’s exactly what she did. Despite a very obvious height advantage, which Andrade will most likely face often at flyweight, she was able to close distance, shoot takedowns, and last punches in the clinch. The -157 favorite cashed against the division’s #1 ranked fighter, boosting her toward another UFC title fight.

In the main event of the evening Top 5 ranked featherweights, Chan Sung Jung and Brian Ortega finally met face to face after Ortega was forced to withdraw from this bout the first time. Ortega, looking to bounce back after a TKO loss to Max Holloway, knew a win over Chan Sung Jung would put him back in title contention.. The first round seemed to show both fighters respected the danger the other brings to the table, although Ortega showed more dominance. As time went on, the fight it seemed as if Ortega grew more and more comfortable, landing more on the feet, while Jung was looking for openings and played the waiting game. This did not help Jung as the fight went to the judges scorecards and he lost via Unanimous Decision, with Ortega cashing at +175.

Another successful fight night on the sandy beaches of Yas Island. This card definitely helps clear the air in a lot of these title pictures with Andrade and Ortega showing their worth as Top 5 fighters. Next week the UFC stays in Abu Dhabi for their gigantic pay per view, UFC 254 headlined by lightweights Khabib Nurmagomedov taking on Justin Gaethje.