The exciting UFC Vegas 82 card has just wrapped up. The final event for the month delivered more than it was expected to deliver. Overall, the event had nine finishes out of the 14 fights. Furthermore, the main card had 5 out of the 6 fights ending in a finish.
In the UFC Vegas 82 main event, no. 10 middleweight Brendan Allen submitted Paul Craig with his signature rear-naked choke in the third round of the fight. Furthermore, this marks Allen’s 14th win via submission, and this is only the second time that Craig has submitted in his whole MMA career.
GORGEOUS grappling exchanges between Craig & Allen😮💨 #UFCVegas82 pic.twitter.com/ivaJvkjIpm
— 𝐉𝐚𝐲🤼 (@JayMMA4) November 19, 2023
Furthermore, Allen has extended his win streak to six in the middleweight division. ‘All In’ looked sharp both on his feet and the ground. However, he had to face some adversity during the first round when Craig attempted a calf-slicer on him. After the first round, it was one-sided, as Allen knocked down Paul Craig twice while also having success on the ground.
After his victory, Brendan called out for a No. 1 contender fight against Robert Whittaker, Jared Cannonier, or Khamzat Chimaev. On the other hand, this was just the second fight for Paul in the middleweight division. We will have to wait and see if he stays in this division or not.
In the co-main event, Michael Morales kept his undefeated streak alive by defeating Jake Matthews via unanimous decision. The Ecuadorian fighter outstruck Matthews throughout the fight with his versatile offense. Morales (16-0-0) used his reach along with his leg kicks, jabs, and uppercuts to win against Matthews. Furthermore, this was the only match in the main card to go to the judges’ decision.
Apart from these fights, Chase Hooper (13-3-1) submitted Jordan Leavitt in the first round via a rear-naked choke. It was a good back-and-forth match until Leavitt decided to engage with Hooper on the ground. Furthermore, Amanda Ribas knocked out Luana Pinheiro via a spinning hook kick in the best KO of the night.
WHAT A FINISH FROM AMANDA RIBAS! 🔥 #UFCVegas82
— MMA Orbit (@mma_orbit) November 18, 2023
Given the caliber of the event, the performance of the night bonus went to four fighters on the card. Brendan Allen won his third performance of the night bonus with his victory in the main event. Similarly, Amanda Ribas won her second-ever performance bonus with that glorious kick.
Furthermore, Indonesian fighter Jeka Saragih also won the performance bonus for his knockout victory over Lucas Alexander. At last, Joanderson Brito won his second performance of the night bonus for his ninja choke finish over Jonathan Pearce. All these fighters will receive a bonus of $50,000.
UFC Vegas 82: Brendan Allen vs. Paul Craig full results
Middleweight: Brendan Allen defeated Paul Craig via submission (rear-naked choke) in Round 3 (0:38)
Welterweight: Michael Morales defeated Jake Matthews via unanimous decision (30-27,29-28,29-28)
Lightweight: Chase Hooper defeated Jordan Leavitt via submission (rear-naked choke) in Round 1 (2:58)
Bantamweight: Payton Talbott defeated Nick Aguirre via submission (rear-naked choke) in Round 3 (0:58)
Women’s Strawweight: Amanda Ribas defeated Luana Pinheiro via TKO (spinning hook kick and punches) in Round 3 (3:53)
Welterweight: Myktybek Orolbai defeated Uros Medic via submission (neck crank) in Round 2 (4:12)
Featherweight: Joanderson Brito defeated Jonathan Pearce via submission (ninja choke) in Round 2 (3:54)
Bantamweight: Jose Johnson defeated Chad Anheliger via submission (rear-naked choke) in Round 3 (4:49)
Middleweight: Christian Leroy Duncan defeated Denis Tiuliulin via TKO (punches and elbow) in Round 2 (4:24)
Heavyweight: Mick Parkin defeated Caio Machado via unanimous decision (29-28,29-28,29-28)
Catchweight (148 lbs): Jeka Saragih defeated Lucas Alexander via KO (punches) in Round 1 (1:31)
Women’s Bantamweight: Ailin Perez defeated Lucie Pudilova via unanimous decision (29-27,29-28,29-28)
Lightweight: Trey Odgen vs. Nikolas Motta ended in a no-contest due to a premature stoppage in Round 3 (3:11)
Catchweight (128 lbs): Rafael Estevam defeated Charles Johnson via unanimous decision (29-28,29-28,29-28)
50G’s!!! 🤑
🇮🇩’s own Jeka Seragih showed why he’s a joy to watch, earning his first-ever POTN bonus at #UFCVegas82! pic.twitter.com/5Gt14xxcMA
— UFC_Asia (@UFC_Asia) November 19, 2023
Overall, it was a must-watch card for all UFC fans. It featured some of the best moments, which can definitely be used in future highlight reels. What was your favorite fight? Let us know in the comments section.
