UFC on FOX: Five takeaways from Saturday’s fights in Orlando

The UFC hit the network television airwaves for the second time in as many months in 2018 on Saturday with a quality fight card from Amway Center in Orlando, Fla.

While plenty of people were sleeping on this card because it lacked major names, the matchups were even and intriguing with a couple of them carrying serious divisional ramifications. From top to bottom, it was actually one of the most complete cards of the year. Once the action hit the Octagon, the results spoke for themselves.

Here's a look at the key takeaways from Saturday's UFC on FOX event in Orlando.

Stephens shines in second 2018 main event, flattens Emmett

Over the 55 days of 2018, Jeremy Stephens has headlined two events and finished both in spectacular fashion. Last month, he iced Doo Ho Choi in St. Louis and Saturday night, he rallied following a first-round knockdown to put away Josh Emmett in the second in his first UFC on FOX main event assignment.

These two were happy to trade right from the jump and it produced a wildly entertaining scrap, with Emmett countering a telegraphed uppercut to put Stephens on the canvas late in the first. Both came out throwing to start the second, but this time it was Stephens who connected with force, toppling Emmett against the fence before unloading a torrent of shots that ultimate put the Team Alpha Male rep away.

Jeremy Stephens gets his monumental win with a HUGE LEFT HOOK KO on Josh Emmett! #UFCOrlando https://t.co/UDMO8X5M9b
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) February 25, 2018

It was a blistering performance from the 31-year-old veteran, who has been a fixture in the Top 10 since moving to featherweight and an entertaining, all-action fighter throughout his career.Stephens lobbied for a title shot following the bout, which is asking a little too much at this point, but he should get a date with one of the top names in the division next time out and if he keeps settling opponents the way he has in his last two outings, that championship opportunity might arise.

Andrade calls next

Jessica Andrade made it clear that she wants the next title shot in the strawweight division, turning in a suffocating performance that showcased her power and toughness against Tecia Torres in the penultimate fight on Saturday’s card. This fight was speed versus power and Andrade’s power won out. Early in the fight, Torres was connecting with clean shots and moving well, but they never stopped Andrade from coming forward and whenever the Brazilian landed, it had an impact.

Going ��@JessicaMMAPro #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/e9mWgculiz
— UFC (@ufc) February 25, 2018

After a late, high amplitude takedown punctuated the end of the first, Andrade’s persistent pressure and considerable strength advantage started to wear on Torres, who tried diligently to muster offense and force the oncoming former title challenger to take a backwards step, but it never happened. Andrade kept pressing forward, kept landing the heavier shots and kept slamming Torres into the canvas to emerge with a unanimous decision victory.

Having now turned back Torres and Claudia Gadelha since coming up short in her first attempt to claim UFC gold, Andrade should be next in line to challenge for the title, facing the winner of the upcoming rematch between Rose Namajunas and Joanna Jedrzejczyk sometime later this year.

Latifi mauls Saint Preux, emerges as a contender

Ilir Latifi rolled into the Octagon and straight up mauled Ovince Saint Preux, blistering the Top-5 fixture with strikes before putting him to sleep with a nasty standing guillotine choke. In less than four minutes, the Swedish powerhouse went from cult hero to dark horse contender in the light heavyweight division.

And then he lobbied Daniel Cormier for a shot at the title.

What did @DC_MMA think of @latifiMMA's call out?

"I'm on to bigger and better things." https://t.co/l4SKMpFGF4
— FOX Sports: UFC (@UFCONFOX) February 25, 2018

While asking to fight “DC” was a bridge too far, this was easily the best performance of Latifi’s career. Coming off a one-sided decision win over previously unbeaten Tyson Pedro last time out, the 34-year-old connected with massive power shots as Saint Preux looked to find his openings and when he had OSP hurt, “The Sledgehammer” swarmed, snatching up his neck and squeezing out a finish reminiscent of Jon Jones putting away Lyoto Machida.

In a division that has felt stale for years and is always in need of fresh contenders, Latifi just shook things up and becomes an intriguing fighter to follow throughout the remainder of the year.

Time to stop pushing Mike Perry

Competing at home in Orlando, Mike Perry was the biggest favorite on the card Saturday night, but Max Griffin spoiled his homecoming, handing “Platinum” a unanimous decision loss in the main-card opener.

LEFT HAND DROPS PERRY!@MaxPainMMA drops Platinum, but Perry gets back to his feet! #UFCOrlando pic.twitter.com/FDUr9Uu4pL
— UFC (@ufc) February 25, 2018

And with that, the Mike Perry push should be done.
The polarizing welterweight has now dropped back-to-back contest and is 2-3 in his last five. He looked worn out on Saturday night, unable to get inside Griffin’s reach while hunting for power shots and he was forced to leave the Octagon busted up, bloodied and beaten. With consecutive setbacks on FOX main cards, it’s time to pull the plug on trying to make Perry a thing and just let him be an entertaining action fighter who lives in the middle of the welterweight division.

While he’s always entertaining, Perry has also come up short against the two best opponents he’s faced and got pieced up in what was supposed to be a showcase fight. He’s been treated like a contender and someone to pay attention to in one of the deepest divisions in the sport, but his results don’t merit that kind of positioning and push.
Dismissed card delivers tremendous action

A lot of folks were down on Saturday’s fight card, but those that tuned in were treated to a wildly entertaining event that featured a collection of quality finishes and a number of critically important performances. The eight preliminary card fights yielded five finishes, including a slick come-from-behind triangle choke from Marion Reneau and a blistering knockout courtesy of Alan Jouban, while Brian Kelleher spent the final 90 seconds of his win over Renan Barao throwing murderballs at the former bantamweight champion. As covered above, the main card provided a bunch of intrigue and impressive performances as well.


I’m not going to sit here and say, “You should watch everything because you never know how an event is going to turn out” because some cards are weak on paper and can be enjoyed on DVR or through Twitter. But this wasn’t one of those cards: it was a solid collection of prelims and the main card was very good, even if somewhat lacking in true star power. It was better from start to finish that last weekend’s show in Austin, Tex. that got a ton of love, which shows you just how much we focus on familiar names and not just the quality of the matchups