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BY ANTHONY WALKER
JUL 7, 2019
Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company, Evolve Media.
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The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday made its way back to familiar haunts, as UFC 239 descended upon T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. With it came some good, some bad and some ugly.
THE GOOD: THE MGM GRAND BUFFET
Jorge Masvidal made it clear that he was going to hurt Ben Askren. While many observers, myself included, picked the decorated wrestler to continue his unbeaten streak, Masvidal delivered on those bold words. He not only added the first L to his opponent’s record but did so with all the style points you could fit into a 170-pound body.
In a record-breaking five seconds, “Gamebred” did exactly what he said he would do. The perfect flying knee and several follow-up shots put the Miami native into the biggest spotlight on the biggest stage he has ever experienced in his 16-year career. After bouncing his way through a long list of promotions with mixed results, Masvidal is poised to make good on the promise and versatility he has shown over the years. With the dangling carrot of Kamaru Usman’s welterweight title belt firmly in his sight, this coming-of-age tale couldn’t have been better timed.
THE BAD: OLD HABITS DIE HARD
Stop me if you’ve heard this story before. Luke Rockhold is heavily favored to win a pivotal fight in his career. Leading up to the event, Rockhold is noticeably dismissive of his opponent and is obviously looking past the man in directly in front of him. The bell rings, and Rockhold quickly meets an abrupt end to the festivities due to a powerful and well-placed left hook to the chin.
THE UGLY: THE SCENT OF SNAKE OIL
MMA attracts its fair share of weirdos and charlatans. Made-up fight records, scumbags, criminals and malcontents continually find ways to become intertwined with the fight world. Think back to Rafiel Torre’s ridiculous and deviant story or Steven Seagal “teaching” taekwondo and muay Thai expert Anderson Silva a basic front kick that every white belt learns on Day 1 of training. Add Josh Fabia to that list of snake oil salesmen.
Read more at https://www.sherdog.com/news/articl...he-Ugly-of-UFC-239-157903#yVtzuJ0bjF4w8T54.99
