UFC Fight Night 162: Despite a lack of knockouts, it was a night full of action before UFC 244.
KALLANG, SINGAPORE- One week before UFC 244, also known as the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s 500th live event, the promotion had one last Fight Night card to deliver to the MMA fans. The Singapore Indoor Stadium was host to UFC Fight Night 162, the promotion’s 499th live event, on Oct. 26 (5 a.m. PST), in which grapplers Demian Maia (27–9–0) and Ben Askren (19–1–0, 1NC) went at it in the welterweight division. Usually, Fight Night cards are not advertised heavily compared to a numbered Pay-Per-View event such as UFC 244, as fighters in these cards fight for positional rankings. However, this fight card had a few story lines that made this card feel different to other Fight Nights.
New Rule Adoptions
The major non-fighter storyline that took place in this Fight Night is one that will be observed in not just future UFC events, but in other MMA Promotions around the world. UFC Fight Night 162 became the first UFC Card that will be fought under the adoption of the new unified rules of MMA of 2019, as mentioned by the Fight Night commentating team. The two new rules in effect revolve around ground positions and replays. In the telecast, the commentators state that for ground positions, anything other than the soles of a fighter constitutes as a fighter in a down position. The wording is important because certain ground and pound attacks that were prohibited because of the positioning of the grounded fighter are now legal. They continue to state that replays will now be part of an official’s review, if deemed necessary only in a fight ending situation. To those outside of the world of MMA, this is the equivalent of the Virtual Assistant Referee seen in soccer or the replay booths in the National Football League, However, all three sports have their limitations to when and how the replay can be used.
#10 Demian Maia (27–9–0) vs. #11 Ben Askren (19–1–0, 1NC) (Welterweights)
Returning the spotlight to the fighters, the main event saw Demian Maia (27–9–0) take on Ben Askren (19–1–0, 1NC) in the welterweight division. Heading into the card, Maia, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu fighter and the number 10 ranked welterweight fighter, has hinted that this event may be his last fight in his lengthy MMA career, depending on how this match ends, as CBS Sports reports. He had a current two fight win streak under his belt, bouncing back from a recent three loss streak he had (one of those losses was a title fight on Jul. 28, 2017 against Tyron Woodley) and has made a name for himself since he entered the UFC on Oct. 19, 2007, as stated by ESPN. Askren, a Greco-Roman wrestler and the eleventh ranked welterweight fighter, looks to bounce back after a humiliating loss to Jorge Masvidal via a flying knee in the first five seconds in the first round back in July’s UFC 239 card, as reported by ESPN. One punch may change a fight but, in his case, one knee changed the welterweight division. Askren went from a potential title contender (ranked fifth before UFC 239) to someone who is climbing spots in the ladder once more (ranked eleventh before UFC Fight Night 162), as stated by ESPN. This fight meant two different meanings for the fighters. For Maia, the betting underdog, this was a victory or bust situation, as a loss would sway him closer to retire from the sport. For Askren, the betting favorite, this was a way to redeem himself after being humiliated three months ago.
The start of the fight wasn’t the grapple fight many were expecting. Askren did attempt to land a few take-downs but the majority of the first round was a striking bout. The grapples were seen in the final 40 seconds of the round, as Askren would take down Maia. However, Askren couldn’t lock anything as Maia would maneuver around the position and get an arm-lock going. Askren would maneuver out of that as well. In those 40 seconds, it showed how technical this fight will be, especially to those who enjoy the wrestling aspect of MMA.
Round two saw more of the same from the first round. Strikes for the majority of the round, an Askren take-down in the final minute, Maia reverses take-down to attempt a lock, Askren then scrambles out. Round three was all about the grapple. Without hesitation, Asken would take Maia down to start the round, but Maia would easily get back on his feet. Maia was downed again via the take-down, but Maia would not go for the lock as he did in the first two rounds. Instead, he got the dominant position and would tire Askren out in a Triangle hold before shifting to the Rear Naked Choke to end the match. Asken technically tapped once, but he was out during the hold. The fight would end at 3:54 of the third round by submission (Rear Naked Choke).
Maia announced on the post-match interview that he was going to fight two more times, as he extended his UFC contract. He is now the fighter with both the second most submission victories in the promotion with 11 (Charles Oliceva has 13) and second most victories in the promotion with 22 (Donald Cerrone has 23), as stated by the UFC Stat Trax. Askren wouldn’t get the redemption he wanted and could fall out of the UFC top 15 welterweight fighters ladder, once the promotion announces new rankings. Maia is now 28–9 (with a three match win streak going) and is looking to still fight to tie Oliceva and overtake Cerrone in their respective records. Askren continues his rough stint as not only does he have a two match losing streak, but his record also falls to 19–2, 1NC. He mentions in an ESPN exclusive interview that he made a bad decision trying to make a reversal like Maia would do. Askren would add that he felt overconfident heading into the third round, as he felt he won the first two rounds.
Michael Johnson (19–14–0) vs. Stevie Ray (22–9–0) (Lightweights)
The co-main event saw Michael Johnson (19–14–0) vs. Stevie Ray (22–9–0) in the lightweight division. The story line here is that Johnson returns to the lightweight division after his stint over in the featherweight division came to an end with a 2–2 record while Ray was looking to bounce back after his loss against Leonardo Santos at UFC Fight Night 153. A victory for Ray could help his case to enter that list, while a victory for Johnson would ease him back to the division he used to be familiar with. In the rare Southpaw vs. Southpaw fight, it was a close one. Round one looked like it could have gone either way, as both fighters kept on landing strikes and kicks effectively. Round two looked to favor Johnson as he had more strikes, as noted in the Stat Trax, and caused Ray to bleed. Ray would manage to flip the match, as he managed to take-down Johnson near the fence. He would get into a dominant position and attempted to submit Johnson via the Triangle hold. The hold would fail, so Ray went with the ground and pound.
This rare fight would get an even more rare outcome as Ray won by the majority decision (29–28, 29–28, 28–28). Johnson left in frustration as he thought he won the fight, bolting out of the octagon. Ray avoided having a double digit loss column as he improves to 23–9 while Johnson’s return to the lightweight division ended up costing him a 19–15 record.
Frank Camacho (22–7–0) vs. Beneil Dariush (16–4–1) (Lightweights)
The rest of the card went as follows in reverse order: In the lightweight division, Beneil Dariush (16–4–1) would force Frank Camacho (22–7–0) to submit via the Rear Naked Choke at 2:02 of the first round. Dairush would get Camacho down in an early Jiu-Jitsu take-down and successfully lock in the choke-hold. Dariush improves to 17–4–1 with a three match win streak while the three time “Fight of the Night” recipient Camacho is now 22–8.
Ciryl Gane (4–0–0) vs. Don’Tale Mayes (6–2–0) (Heavyweights)
In the heavyweight division, Ciryl Gane (4–0–0) would be victorious over Don’Tale Mayes (6–2–0) via submission (Heel Hook) at 4:46 of the third round. Both men were heavy strikers and hard hitters throughout the bout. Near the end, Gane showed his versatility after he successfully grappled Mayes near the fence and positioned him to the Heel Hook. The match could have gone to decision, but Gane was hungry and it was seen by the way he submitted Mays. According to the ESPN+ broadcast, this was latest submission in Heavyweight History. Gane remains undefeated with a 5–0 record as Mays’ UFC debut end up putting a loss to his MMA record, becoming now 6–3.
Muslim Salikhov (15–2–0) vs. Laureano Staropoli (9–1–0) (Welterweights)
In the first bout of the night, Muslim Salikhov (15–2–0) and Laureano Staropoli (9–1–0) would go the distance. A unanimous decision of 30–26, 30–26, 29–28 would go to the victor, Muslim Salikhov. Salikhov started slow in the first round, but picked up his pace in the second, as he statistically battered Staropoli in the second round, as stated by the Stat Trax. Even with Staropoli attempting to outstrike Salikhov in the third, the damage was too much for Starpoli to bounce back. Salikhov improves to 16–2 and is on three fight win streak as Staropoli goes under with a 9–2 record.
While the Fight Night card delivered no knockouts, fans will be eager to see one happen next Saturday, as UFC 244, the 500th live event from the promotion, will take place from Madison Square Garden starting at 7 p.m. PST.
