UFC 247 Recap

Jon Jones def. Dominick Reyes

Jones successfully defended his belt with a unanimous decision victory over Reyes. This was a highly controversial decision, where many questioned the judges' score cards. The judges scored this bout 48-47 Jones, 48-47 Jones, and 49-46 Jones. I have no issues with the 48-47 decision that two judges scored due to the fact that I had Reyes winning the first two rounds, the third round being a pretty even round, and Jones dominating the last two rounds. With that being said, it is nearly impossible to defend the 49-46 score one particular judge scored. 
The biggest surprise of this fight was Dominick’s wrestling defense. Not only was he able to shake off many of Jones’ takedown attempts, but Reyes also seemed to find a way to instantly get up the moment Jones was successful on a takedown. 

This fight could be easily broken into two halves; Reyes had the clear edge in the beginning and then Jones pulled ahead in the second half. Reyes displayed his impressive standup game, tagging Jones with many big shots. The only other fight in which Jones was tagged with this many significant strikes was his first bout against Alexander. Even with Reyes having the clear edge in the first couple of rounds, Jones continued to hold the center of the octagon. Reyes expended a lot of energy as he had to constantly move to try to gain octagon control and avoid Jones’ pressure; I believe this was the deciding factor in this fight. When Reyes got tired, Jones went to work. Jones started gaining the advantage in all positions in the championship rounds. Jon has an amazing ability to dig deep and secure a victory in the late rounds, as he proved in this fight.

With no clear contenders left in the 205 lbs division and a razor thin victory by Jones, this calls for an instant rematch.

Valentina Shevchenko def. Katlyn Chookagian

Valentina put on an absolute clinic and remains the Women’s 125 lbs World Champion. The Bullet looked like she was moving at a different speed than Chookagian. Shevchenko displayed perfect striking technique, took Chookagian down at will, and dominated on the mat.

It became clear early on in the fight that Chookagian’s only chance at a victory was to secure a slick submission attempt off of her back. Chookagian could not get anything going from her feet and sustained a barrage of significant strikes. She displayed her incredibly tough chin and her tremendous heart but could not match Shevchenko in any position. Round one ended with Shevchenko landing a brutal elbow from the mount position that sliced Chookagian above the eyebrow. Shevchenko continued her dominance in the second round and landed a picture perfect spinning back kick to Chookagian’s jaw. In the third round, Shevchenko took Chookagian down again, this time landing in the crucifix position. From the position, Shevchenko rained down a flurry of punches, ultimately getting her the TKO victory.

The real question is what's next for Shevchenko? She has literally cleaned out the division and there are no clear cut contenders knocking at the door. Shevchenko is cementing the statement that she is one of the most dominant champions on the UFC roster.

Justin Tafa def. Juan Adams

Wow, Tafa has some power! Tafa secured the first round KO in under two minutes over Juan Adams when he landed a beautifully placed right hook, followed by a powerful uppercut and some ground and pound. I’m looking forward to seeing Tafa’s power bring some excitement in the heavyweight division.

It will be interesting to see what's next for Adams. After changing camps to the famous Jackson-Wink gym in Albuquerque, New Mexico, it still seems Adams is not quite ready for the quality of opponent that the UFC has to offer. Still young in his career, it seems like the best route for Adam’s is to gain some experience in a regional league as he still lacks many fundamental skills.

Dan Ige def. Mirsad Bektic

Dan Ige seems to improve every time he steps into the cage. He looked phenomenal against Mirsad, especially in the first and third rounds. Right off the bell, Ige gained the advantage in the stand up game. He looked faster, sharper, and more confident than Mirsad and controlled most of the fight. Mirsad did land three takedowns but was also stuffed on seven other attempts. Even when Mirsad was on top, he did not inflict much damage. This was a huge win for Ige and sets him up for a legitimate chance to make an impact in the featherweight division.

Derrick Lewis def. Illir Latifi

Lewis gets it done in front of his hometown. It seems repetitive, but this was another fight where the decision was deemed controversial. In my personal opinion, I didn't think this decision was too bad. Lewis had the advantage on the feet, Illir had the advantage on the ground. The biggest deciding factor was the fact that Lewis did inflict more damage and significant shots. Lewis showed off some new techniques that were quite impressive for a big man. Lewis threw multiple flying knees, with one landing flush. It almost seemed as if Lewis was fixated on securing a highlight reel knockout via flying knee. Nonetheless, Lewis got the job done and continues his climb back to the top of the heavyweight contenders.