This was a night that makes you understand why MMA is so special and why it is becoming one of the biggest sports in the world. This card was the epitome of the word fighting. So many young fighters with impressive records trying to make names for themselves and they did just that with some of the best fights you will ever see in the cage. Highly ranked contenders battled it out, veterans used their experience to craft another win for themselves, and young prospects put on the fight of their lives all in one night. One of the best nights of MMA this year with fights that will go down in history.

Recap of UFC Fight Night: Taira vs Park

Danny Silva vs Kevin Vallejos: Featherweight

Kevin Vallejos gets the win over Danny Silva by unanimous decision in an intense and volume heavy striking battle. The first round was the most competitive of the three and could have gone either way for both fighters. Silva got off to a great start with his counter striking to oppose the more aggressive style of Vallejos which worked well, especially as he working in heavy body and leg kicks. Him securing a takedown at the end of round one likely won him the round. Vallejos started round two hot and pushed the pace on Silva for the remainder of the fight. Vallejos boxing looked polished and technically proficient as he threw many combinations that landed clean on Silva. Also, the work to the body from Vallejos was excellent and started to wear down Silva as the fight progressed. Vallejos took Silva down multiple times as well which secured his decision win even more in the eyes of the judges. Both fighters are extremely young (Vallejos being the youngest fighter on the card at 23) and will look to increase their skills and learn from each other as they progress through their career.

Neil Magny vs Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos: Welterweight

Neil Magny defeats Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos by TKO in round two with vicious ground and pound. In a fight that Magny was losing until the TKO, the veteran showed how much experience matters. Santos dominated round one in terms of control time and clinched with Magny against the cage for the majority of the round as well as landed a takedown. Round two was similar for the first four minutes. Santos took Magny down in seconds to start the round and held him there for a couple minutes before Magny managed to find himself back to his feet. Magny would then land two big knees on Santos that hurt him before taking him down and raining down shots from full mount for the TKO win. One of the most experienced fighters in the UFC finds another way to get the victory and get back into the win column.

#10 Karol Rosa vs #12 Nora Cornolle: Women Bantamweight

Karol Rosa showed pure domination in her decision win against Nora Cornolle. The first round was the only round that was somewhat competitive. Rosa landed the bigger shots and had more control time while Cornolle fought with more volume and may have even won the round. In rounds two and three, Rosa showed her superior skillset by taking Cornolle down with ease and relentlessly pressuring her on the ground. Rosa’s grappling looked excellent and nothing Cornolle did came close to separating the smothering Rosa. Rosa’s performance highlighted all the different aspects of MMA with her striking and grappling. Rosa will be looking forward to fighting top ranked contenders in the future.

Elves Brener vs Esteban Ribovics: Lightweight

In one of the most exciting and fast paced fight you will see, Esteban Ribovic gets the decision victory against Elves Brener unanimously. This fight was everything that someone would wanna see as an MMA fan and a striking battle for the ages. Both men are extremely gifted when it comes to striking and they put a show on for the world to see. Ribovics however proved that he was the superior striker in this bout and succeeded at all levels of striking that only increase as the fight went on. Wild exchanges, combinations, and flurries of strikes going back and forth made this a potential fight of the year candidate. While Brener lost this is not a fight to look back upon negatively. He proved he can strike with best of them and put on a show. Ribovics has put his name on the map and will likely be looking at a ranked fight the next time he steps in the octagon.

Mateusz Rębecki vs Chris Duncan: Lightweight:

It’s not often you see two fight of the year contenders in one night, let alone back to back. Chris Duncan edged out the decision win against Mateusz Rebecki in one of the bloodiest and greatest fights you will ever see. Duncan and Rebecki both fought with the intention to end the fight with every punch they threw and did not let up until the final bell. Duncan landed multiple big elbows in the first round that caused heavy damage to Rebecki and cut him open on his eye. This cut definitely affected Rebecki and limited his vision but that did not seem to stop him from coming full force towards Duncan all throughout the fight. Every round had moments that left you shocked how the other was still standing. Both men showed toughness that almost never seen in this sport and is rarely replicated. This is a fight is the epitome of why fans love this sport, two warriors putting it all on the line down to the very last second. Moving forward both men will be looking to progress into potential ranked fights in the lightweight division in the near future.

#6 Tatsuro Taira vs Hyung-sung Park: Flyweight

Tatsuro Taira submits Hyung-sung Park in round two in dominant fashion with a rear naked choke. Taira proved why he is a top contender for flyweight gold and he did it handedly. Taira dropped Park early in the first round and pounced on his back to finish the fight. Park defended well but Taira was relentless and smothered Park for the rest of the round. In round two Taira immediately took Park down and slammed him to the floor. He then took Park’s back and locked in a rear naked choke to secure the submission win early in round two. He is now second behind Joshua Van for a chance to fight Alexandre Pantoja for the flywieght belt and is not far from a championship opportunity.

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