The Positives & Negatives From UFC 230

On Saturday night, UFC 230 was hosted at Madison Square Garden. In the mix, we witnessed bloody brawls and exciting moments. That said, here are a few positive and negative takeaways from the latest UFC pay-per-view:

Starting from the preliminary card that aired on Fox Sports 1, watching Ben Saunders get dropped after roughly one minute against Lyman Good felt like a repeat of his last five losses. Although he holds power within his striking, Saunders looked inconsistent in his efforts.

A fight worth watching was between Sheymon Moraes and Julio Arce, which eventually brought the crowd to their feet. After Arce bled for roughly ten straight minutes, Moraes won in the end by split-decision. This was an amazing fight for the preliminary show, as it showcased both men in a positive light.

A win is a win, but Sijara Eubanks isn’t helping herself when it comes having trouble making weight. Her fight against Roxanne Modaferri didn’t help her case for a shot at the title. Despite winning, it may be a long time before Eubanks fights for gold at the moment.

As good as he has been, Jason Knight did not deserve to headline the preliminary card. That was proven after he lost a unanimous decision to Jordan Rinaldi, who has been on a great run with the UFC. Knight is known for putting on a great fight for the crowd, but if that all results in four consecutive losses, then it may not be with the trouble.

The main card started off with the rising and talented Israel Adesanya knocking out Derek Brunson. Brunson repeatedly went for takedowns and clinch attempts only to gas himself out in the first round. This was another amazing performance by Adesanya, but with another loss to his record, Brunson might not know where to go from here.

A filler fight for the UFC turned out to being a performance of the night from Karl Roberson, who earned a unanimous decision victory against Jack Marshman. Both men are still new to the UFC, but hold different paths. Roberson has been able to stay relevant with wins and amazing performances, unlike Marshman, who is 2-3 in his last five bouts.

Another filler fight is exactly what it felt like for Jared Cannonier and David Branch, but that changed when Cannonier scored a brutal knockout over Branch in the second round. Branch is still new to the UFC, and with this being his second loss in the company, everyone is hoping for a quick turnaround.

The final middleweight fight of the night was headlined by Ronaldo Souza and Chris Weidman final round. Weidman was closing in on a unanimous decision victory until Souza landed a clean right hand that ended the night for Weidman. Souza deserves a title fight after this performance, and the winner of Whittaker and Gastelum should prepare themselves.

The main event of the night between Daniel Cormier and Derrick Lewis held lots of hype, but after dominating Lewis in the first then submitting him in the second, Cormier proved that he can dominate just about anyone with his wrestling. Cormier is now looking forward to fighting Brock Lesnar or a rematch with Stipe Miocic.

The positives from UFC 230 were the knockouts that showcased certain talent in the middleweight division, but the negatives included not using other divisions that deserved to be on the card. The Derrick Lewis vs Daniel Cormier fight didn’t do the UFC justice, but luckily there are more talent-filled cards to finish out the 2018 year.

Photo credit: CBS Sports