Last night (Sat., Oct. 19, 2024), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) remained inside UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC Vegas 99. The main card was actually a little stronger than usual, featuring a trio of bouts that involved at least one ranked fighter. Unfortunately, the entire fight card was a bit of slog with relatively few finishes throughout, but the promise of violence between Michel Pereira and Anthony Hernandez helped fight fans make it to the finish line.

Let’s take a look back over at UFC Vegas 99’s best performances and techniques:

A Mauling Win

Anthony Hernandez scored his sixth consecutive UFC victory last night, pummeling Michel Pereira for the bulk of five rounds before referee Herb Dean intervened with a last-second mercy stoppage. “Demolidor” has been viciously effective since moving to 185-pounds, but “Fluffy” treated him like each of his past opponents, forcing him into a relentless cycle of takedowns, transitions, and punishment.

Really, Pereira had almost no good moments after the first minute. There was a solid guillotine attempt and a decent knee — that’s it in 20-some minutes of combat after his early flurry. Hernandez was that dominant, setting multiple volume records over the course of five rounds. Honestly, this fight felt over midway through round two. “Fluffy” was just that zoned in and in control of his opponent.

Hopefully, it’s the kind of win that gets him a much deserved opportunity against a highly ranked foe. Maybe it’s too crazy of a jump, but I’d love to see him fight Nassourdine Imavov or Caio Borralho next. This type of win deserves to be rewarded!

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Cardio Is EVERYTHING!

Kyler Phillips is a great technical fighter. His movement is sublime, and he seems to time a head kick cleanly in just about every fight. His wrestling is rock solid, and he’s been doing jiu-jitsu since he was a child. Rob Font, comparatively, has a very bread-and-butter MMA game relying almost entirely on the 1-2 and clubbing close range punches.

Yet, Font won because at the end of the day, it’s all about pace.

Phillips won the first round easily, controlling probably four minutes from top position. When he returned to his feet, he was a little tired though, so Font pushed the pedal to the floor and landed some good shots. In early round two, Font also began to control the head of his opponent with his lead hand, a task made easier as Phillips slowed a bit.

Once Font gained his edge, the fight was no longer close. Phillips could no longer show off the lovely footwork, and he couldn’t wrestle effectively for more than moment. All the flash was gone or in slow motion, whereas Font’s straight punches continued at the same rate unabated.

It’s always fun to see a veteran upset the odds, but it feels like Phillips hasn’t fixed his pacing issues since they first became apparent in 2021. In a division like Bantamweight, that obvious of a flaw will never fly at the elite level.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Inner G Gets It Done

Charles Johnson vs. Sumudaerji was a great Flyweight fight.

The first round was a technical kickboxing affair, as Johnson pressed his foot to the gas in the face of Sumudaerji’s range and counters. He couldn’t drag the striker to the floor, however. Sumudaerji’s takedown defense looked much improved, but the striking was very competitive.

The second round was one of the year’s best. Just as momentum seemed to be slipping away from him, Johnson floored Sumudaerji with a flurry and nearly forced the finish. When the referee gave the Chinese Flyweight a chance to fight on, he nearly locked up a triangle choke! The attempt reversed Johnson onto bottom, causing a mad scramble that continued even on the fight with wild trades. Despite the knockdown, Sumudaerji rebounded well in the third as well, stuffing most of his opponents shots and landing cleanly.

The judges awarded Johnson the decision, his fourth victory of the year. “Inner G” is really coming into his own, and he certainly deserves a ranked opponent next.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

THERE WILL BE BLOOD!

Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda absolutely delivered the brutal grindfest that we all expected and hoped for.

For once, Elkins was not the first man to bleed. He landed a nice overhand early, combined it with a takedown, then scored with glancing elbows. Nothing seemed that severe, but Pineda emerged from the exchange with gigantic gashes over both eyes! There was still plenty fight left in “The Pit,” however, who used his guillotine choke to gain top position and slice up “The Damage” in kind.

By round two, both men were already battling fatigue after the chaotic start. In classic Elkins fashion, the wrestler continued to slug and drive for takedowns. Pineda went back to the guillotine, but Elkins showed off his masterful defense in escaping deep strangles repeatedly and using the transitions to establish top control.

It was a really fun fight between veterans, but Elkins clearly picked up the latter two rounds by out-hustling her peer and dropping some brutal elbows. Pineda announced his retirement after the defeat, and we’ll see if that sticks. If so, he was an incredibly consistent action fighter for a very long time and deserves his flowers.

As for Elkins, he’s quietly won three of four at 40 years of age. He may not be at his peak anymore, but the inner dog is still thriving.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Additional Thoughts

• Joselyne Edwards defeats Tamires Vidal via third-round rear naked choke: Aside from missing weight for the third time, Edwards looked good here! The Panamanian talent is accustomed to foes trying to relentlessly wrestle here, but she was allowed to strike here. Consequently, her jab and distance striking were on point, and she beat up Vidal for large portions of the fight. When Vidal really tried to force the grappling issue in the third, Edwards was able to jump the back and score the finish just before the bell. On the whole, Edwards COULD be an interesting Bantamweight prospect (of which there are few). Her kickboxing game and power definitely stand out. Unfortunately, her inability to make weight and historically poor grappling continue to hold her back, even if last night was a solid bounce back.
• Austen Lane defeats Robelis Despaigne via unanimous decision: After starting his UFC career 0-2 (1) with two brutal knockout defeats, Lane deserves props for not getting murdered by his gigantic opponent here. He effectively wore out and wrestled the Cuban knockout artist, avoiding trading with Despaigne until his foe was dead tired. Speaking of, Despaigne really needs a lot of time at a real MMA camp if he’s to make use of his physical assets and knockout power against anyone even half-decent.

For complete UFC Vegas 99 results and play-by-play, click HERE!