The Best and Worst from Saturday’s UFC Fight Night

The world is desperate for sports, so leave it up to Dana White to satiate the appetite with card after card during this pandemic.

Last night, UFC Fight Night was live from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas with a lineup that had fireworks written all over it. But when there are fireworks, there is always a chance for a few duds. Here are the best and worst fights from last night.

BEST: Billy Quarantillo vs. Spike Carlyle

Two words to describe this Catchweight bout: don’t blink. This scrap was all action from first bell to last, a real treat for the fight fans. Spike Carlyle is known for being a first-round fighter. His explosiveness was introduced early when he charged at Quarantillo with a front kick to the face. He was quickly countered as Quarantillo went for the single-leg takedown.

Round 1 was a clear win for Carlyle as he dominated on the ground for five minutes. But Quarantillo has zero quit and came out in Round 2 with a vengeance, showing off his black belt grappling skills and intelligent striking choices.

The fight would finish 29-28 for Quarantillo, but the score doesn’t seem to reflect the back-and-forth beating that ensued within those 15 minutes. This fight displayed some of the best scrambles I have seen on the ground in a while. Both men were extremely durable and hungry, illustrating to be true contenders for the future of UFC.

WORST: Blagoy Ivanov vs. Augusto Sakai

I hate to say it, but this heavyweight bout was such a snooze fest. I like my heavyweights to be explosive and dangerous. Ivanov and Sakai did a lot of pacing for the first round. It’s certainly important to feel your opponent out, especially when one punch could change everything, but I want to see bombs fly, not a pitter-patter in the center of the ring. Personally, when I see a heavyweight bout go to decision, it means that both fighters did not commit and/or showed a lot of hesitancy. It takes one good flurry to change the pace of a heavyweight fight, but neither fighters seemed to put their foot on the gas at any point. Sorry, boys, but I wanted more action.

ON THE RADAR: Dern vs. Cifers

These ladies deserve honorable recognition for their performance, but I've got to give it to Mackenzie Dern for her incredible kneebar finish. A multiple-time grappling champion, Dern was expected to take it to the ground, and she set up her finish flawlessly against Cifers in the first round, getting Dern the very first leg-lock submission in the history of the women’s division in the UFC. Way to go, girl.