Saturday night’s UFC event in San Jose looked like the best card the company had put together so far this year on paper, and when the athletes took to the cage at the HP Pavilion, they exceeded all expectations.
This was an action-packed show loaded with impressive performances, including these five fighters who used their opportunity to compete on this highly anticipated card to elevate their standing with the UFC audience, and move up in the rankings in their respective divisions.
Gilbert Melendez
A main event competitor landing on this list is uncharacteristic — not to mention a losing one — but I’m making an exception for Melendez after Saturday’s razor-thin loss to Benson Henderson.
The former Strikeforce champion said this was going to be his coming out party, and it truly was, as he went toe-to-toe with Henderson for the full 25 minutes, the difference between victory and defeat the scoring of a single round on a single scorecard. Fans who had limited exposure to Melendez prior to his UFC debut now know why he’s long been considered one of the best lightweights in the sport, as he had the kind of first appearance you hope for from all incoming champions from other top-tier organizations.
Coming up just short in a championship is undoubtedly gut-wrenching; Melendez used the word “heartbroken” at the post-fight press conference. It will take a few days — perhaps weeks — for the sting of this defeat to dissipate, but when it does, there are a lot of positives to take away from this performance, and Melendez will see that he’s still in the thick of the chase in the lightweight division.
Josh Thomson
It’s somewhat apropos that Melendez and Thomson lead off this edition of Breakthroughs together, seeing as they’ve been linked for the last few years as a result of their trio of closely contested battles.
While Melendez came up short in his first appearance in the Octagon, Thomson had a triumphant return to the UFC cage, earning a second-round stoppage victory over Nate Diaz, his first win in the UFC since defeating Hermes Franca at UFC 46 in January 2004. “The Punk” put it on Diaz in the second frame, using his speed and more complete striking arsenal to frustrate and then finish the former TUF winner and title challenger, battering him in the final flurry to the point that Diaz’ corner actually threw in the towel as the fight was being stopped.
Notching an impressive victory over a well-known, established contender not only elevates Thomson’s profile with UFC fans who might not have been too familiar with him prior to Saturday night, but also puts him “in the mix” in the deepest, most talented division in the UFC.
Myles Jury
Saturday night was a great night for lightweights, and Jury might have had the most impressive performance of them all.
The 24-year-old San Diego native collected his third straight UFC win — and 12th consecutive victory overall — with a blistering knockout of fellow TUF alumnus Ramsey Nijem. After a great, technical first round of grappling, Jury caught Nijem with a counter overhand right on the chin that sent him crashing to the canvas, his arms outstretched and static as he fell to the floor.
Still unbeaten in his professional career, Jury continues to fly somewhat under the radar, partly because the division is so rich with talented, but also because he’s yet to face an established, proven foe inside the Octagon. Having now earned a few dominant victories in a row, chances are “The Fury” will be getting a step up in competition — and perhaps a move off the preliminary card — next time out.
Anthony Njokuani
Fans of the WEC and UFC preliminary card fights are familiar with Njokuani, and already place the Las Vegas resident on a list of “Fighters who are always fun to watch.”
Saturday night, Njokuani showed why he’s a part of that collective, catching Roger Bowling with a lightning-quick left hook as he pressed in behind powerful swings midway through the second round. It was a walk-off knockout for the 33-year-old Muay Thai specialist, and his first stoppage since joining the UFC ranks following an exciting, up-and-down tenure in the WEC.
While he isn’t likely going to string together five, six, seven wins and make a run at the title, Njokuani is a perennial bonus contender, and typically delivers highly entertaining fights when paired with the right dance partner. With the division being as deep as it is, there really is no reason not to continue slotting him in with another striker, and enjoying the beautiful violence that follows.
Yoel Romero
The lone non-lightweight of this group, Romero opened the show — and his UFC career — with a Knockout of the Night-winning finish of Clifford Starks.
Just 92 seconds into the bout, referee Mike Beltran (and his glorious braided moustache) were waving this one off, as Romero caught Starks on the jaw with a perfectly timed flying knee that sent the former Arizona State wrestling standout crashing to the canvas. It was the kind of performance that only increases the intrigue surrounding the 2000 Olympic silver medalist.
Middleweight seems like a much better fit for Romero. He’s on another level athletically, and clearly has power, so it will be interesting to see how he develops over the next few fights. I know one thing: I’ll be paying close attention, and you should too.
