UFC Vegas 74 wrapped up last night, and it wasn’t without controversy and action. Here we take a look at some of the standout performers from the event.
Jim Miller
It took the UFC veteran Jim Miller just 23 seconds to knock out octagon debutant Jesse Butler. The 39-year-old has won four of his last five fights and proved to the MMA world that he is not done yet.
Miller – in his 42nd appearance with the UFC – slept Butler with a vicious left hook to the jaw. With the KO came his fourteenth post-fight bonus award and the fastest knockout of his career.
That also takes his win record to 25 in his illustrious career – the most in UFC history.
Alex Caceres
This was an extremely entertaining back-and-forth between Caceres and Pineda, and Alex Caceres got the nod by unanimous decision.
The first round was close, with Pineda showing some excellent grappling skills and attempting multiple submissions, and Caceres hurting Pineda on the feet at the end of the round with a big left hand.
Pineda was able to take the back of Caceres in round two and even mount his opponent, but ‘Bruce Leeroy’ was able to defend well and stop any significant damage.
The final round was all Caceres. He landed a big body kick early and proceeded to beat Pineda up for most of the round.
In the final seconds Pineda landed a big shot, but Caceres held on for a deserved win.
Tim Elliot
Tim Elliot has had to endure a lot of drama of late and goes down as one of the standout performers of the night against Victor Altamirano.
Elliot secured an early takedown in the first round and managed to land some good ground-and-pound. In the second, he had to show his grit and toughness to survive a big head kick.
He was taken down but scrambled well to put himself back in the dominant position, before a fun third round full of top quality striking and takedowns led to a decision win for Elliot.
Amir Albazi
The main event result brought much controversy. Amir Albazi won by split decision against Kai Kara-France, but many fans and fighters alike disagreed with the outcome.
Nonetheless, Albazi fought well in a close contest. After a feeling out process in round one, both fighters went on to land clean shots in the second.
The third round was dominated by Albazi though. After getting the takedown, he took his opponent’s back and threatened to finish him with a rear-naked choke.
Kara-France did well to escape and even ended up on top at the end of the round, landing some elbows for good measure.
Both fighters put on a great performance and showed why they are two of the best in their division. After two more close rounds, the decision went to Albazi.
Do you agree with our standout performers from UFC Vegas 74? Let us know in the comments!
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
