3 Takeaways From UFC 324

In the sole women’s matchup on the card, Natalia Silva survived a rough second round to eke out a decision win over former flyweight champion Rose Namajunas. The nature of the fight, however, leaves much to be desired regarding her prospects of becoming a champion.

Taking this fight was already risky given what was at stake, but nearly losing to a smaller and arguably worse fighter may have put a dent in Silva’s title prospects. Despite a decline in athleticism, reigning champion Valentina Shevchenko is still one of the most intelligent fighters in MMA. One need only look at her most recent outing against Weili Zhang, whom she completely neutralized with repeated takedowns and mat control.

If Silva wants to unseat “Bullet”, she will need to be more than perfect. Based on what transpired Sunday, she will have plenty of work to do in camp.

2) Derrick Lewis Needs To Retire

Derrick Lewis has hinted at retirement before, but he should pull the trigger on it after Saturday.

“The Black Beast” was dreadful against Waldo Cortes-Acosta, whiffing on multiple strikes and offering virtually no resistance on the mat after being dropped by a jab. Granted, Lewis had already shown a complete lack of a ground game before, but the glaring difference in speed and athleticism only exacerbated the optics for him.

Lewis is undoubtedly the best knockout machine in UFC history, but even in the wasteland that is heavyweight, the game surpassed him long ago. It is time for him to recognize it and walk away before things only get worse.

1) Arman Tsarukyan Should Consider Leaving The UFC

One person who was definitely unhappy on Sunday was Arman Tsarukyan. Ever since his controversial withdrawal from a planned title fight last year, he has been persona non grata in Dana White’s mind.

When Ilia Topuria was announced to be taking a sabbatical to attend to some personal issues, logic held that Tsarukyan would be one half of an interim title fight. Instead, he was forced to watch for the sidelines as Gaethje outsugged Pimblett in an all-out war.

Now, even in the off chance that Topuria vacates, Tsarukyan may be passed over in favor of the Max Holloway-Charles Oliveira winner at UFC 326. If that is what happens, he may be wise to start demanding his release.

The PFL would be an obvious suitor, with another Khabib Nurmagomedov understudy in Usman Nurmagomedov holding the throne. Meanwhile, Rizin is coming off a seismic change after Ilkhom Nozimov’s 13-second dethronement of the long-reigning Roberto Satoshi Souza on New Year’s Eve.

End Of My UFC 324 Rant

Up next after 324 is 325, just a few days away. Headlined by a featherweight title rematch between Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes, it promises to raise new questions.

Will Volkanovski once again have a long reign, or will Lopes finally fulfill his potential? Is Beniot Saint-Denis finally ready for a title run? Can Tai Tuivasa stave off the pink slip?

All these questions will be answered at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena, so one should stay tuned…