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UFC Vegas 10: Waterson vs. Hill - Fights to Make
by Mookie AlexanderAfter just seven fights the previous Saturday, fans were treated to 12 mostly entertaining (and sometimes surprising) bouts at UFC VEGAS 10. The main event between Angela Hill and Michelle Waterson was very much a shining example of saving the best for last, and kudos to both women for even bumping this up to five rounds given this was short notice for them to get the headlining call-up.
Zane Simon gets the weekend off, so I’m in charge of Fights to Make for the first time in ages. I am not the curator of the UFC Fighter Roster and I’m not going to do matchmaking for everyone on the card, but otherwise the format ain’t changing too much. I’ll still stick to Zane’s format of matching up winners with winners and losers with losers.
Michelle Waterson
Waterson really needed that win considering she was on a two-fight losing streak. She also needed that type of performance against Hill because she’s had quite a few bouts where her output has led to less than exciting fights and has at times cost her decisions. Against Hill, she was forced to fight at a tempo that she pretty much never fights at and it really brought the best out of her striking. Instead of aimless kicks at air we saw more thudding body kicks and more shots overall thrown with considerable power. She’s still in the title picture by the barest of margins, so she should still get booked against top competition. Waterson against the Claudia Gadelha/Yao Xiaonan winner seems like the next move for her, otherwise I could see Tatiana Suarez returning against Waterson pending her health status.
Angela Hill
I really feel for Hill because I thought she beat Waterson and Gadelha and lost them both. One can only wonder what would’ve happened if this did remain three rounds because it looked like she was worn out by her own furious pace entering the fourth round, and the takedown she gave up in the third was costly in the long-term as it gave Waterson a route back into a fight she was losing. She might not have the official wins to show it but her development over the past few years has solidified her as a top-15 strawweight, and I hope she doesn’t fall out of the rankings over this. I’d be interested in Hill vs. Marina Rodriguez, although it wouldn’t surprise me if the UFC gave her a step down in competition and had her facing Emily Whitmire or Brianna Van Buren.
Ottman Azaitar
God damn he hits hard. Khama Worthy does have a button on him based on his regional MMA history but Azaitar throws with bad intentions and those punches would’ve knocked a lot of other lightweights out. We didn’t learn a whole lot of new things out of this one apart from just more confirmation that he is a furious first-round finisher and he’s shown that against two UFC opponents. I’ve no idea why he’s fought so infrequently since being signed, but Don Madge seems like a really fun opponent for Azaitar to face.
Khama Worthy
Yikes. That was the worry for Worthy against a power-puncher like Azaitar. He avoided that against Devonte Smith but couldn’t do the same against Ottman. I still think he’s a serviceable fighter in a deep lightweight division, Let’s see him in there with Alex Munoz, whose chin somehow held up against those big shots from Nasrat Haqparast last time out.
Roxanne Modafferi
Modafferi has been alternating wins and losses over her last eight fights, and her two wins this year over Andrea Lee and Maycee Barber were as considerable underdogs. That second round against Lee was troublesome but otherwise she fared well enough on the feet in the other parts of the fight — a testament to how much she’s improved as a fighter even at this stage in her career — and smartly picked her spots as far as taking Lee down. The top of women’s flyweight is well booked at this point, so that leaves Modafferi with either Joanne Calderwood (coming off a catastrophic loss to Jennifer Maia) or Viviane Araujo as logical next opponents. Then you realize Calderwood and Roxanne are teammates, so that leaves you with Modafferi vs. Araujo.
Andrea Lee
Lee went from a title contender to being perilously close to a UFC pink slip in the span of one year. You could have made a case for her winning against Modafferi and definitely a case against Lauren Murphy, but a loss is a loss and neither of those was a robbery. Her takedown defense and conditioning are major question marks, and just from a title contention standpoint those are pretty much the two worst problems to have against the current champ Valentina Shevchenko. Dial it back with Lee and have her fight Ji Yeon Kim.
Ed Herman
He won the fight officially but he didn’t win that damn fight. I’m still completely staggered at how Chris Tognoni bought Herman’s story there that he got hit in the balls. Mike Rodriguez had a second-round TKO win right there — Herman basically stopped fighting when he went down — and Tognoni took it from him. I’ll give him credit for surviving the third-round onslaught and getting that sick kimura but he absolutely should not have a W on his record. I think the commission ought to overturn the result to a no contest. Therefore, Ed Herman vs. Mike Rodriguez 2 is the fight to make. I don’t even need a Rodriguez write-up because I already suggested the rematch.
Bobby Green
Green has had so many setbacks due to injuries and questionable decisions throughout his UFC career, but he’s hit his stride at 34 years of age. Coming in on short notice, he easily dispatched Alan Patrick with a nice blend of strong wrestling and a sharp counterpunching game that let Patrick flummoxed and looking extra clumsy. At three straight wins, a potential top-15 bout isn’t too far off the radar. If Gregor Gillespie is ready to return, that’s a ranked opponent for Bobby Green to fight. Otherwise let’s do Bobby Green vs. Vinc Pichel.
Billy Quarantillo
Three fights and three wins for Billy Q in his UFC career. He debuted with a submission win, an insane scramblefest with Spike Carlyle soon followed, and he weathered the early storm from Kyle Nelson and dominated round two before getting the sweet third-round KO. At 31 years old he’s not a spring chicken but it’s not like time is running short, either. He’s displayed a well-rounded game and his composure really impresses me the most. I’d love to see Quarantillo vs. Daniel Pineda, especially given Pineda’s outstanding showing against Herbert Burns.
Sijara Eubanks
Julia Avila may not be the best opponent Eubanks has beaten but that might have been the biggest win of Sijara’s career. She’s struggled with weight cuts and (perhaps related) consistency in her performances, but against a high-output fighter she maintained that pace without gassing and imposed her game on Avila by committing to well-timed takedowns. From there, she always had the grappling advantage and certainly made that -300 Avila line look foolish. If her future is at 135, then Eubanks vs. Sara McMann is a matchup that really could advance “Sarj” in her quest for a title shot.
Alexandr Romanov
Romanov looked the part of a beastly undefeated prospect, and good prospects beat up overmatched guys like Roque Martinez. He did so in emphatic fashion from start to finish and then just tapped Martinez out of pity instead of continuing to Donkey Kong smash him from mount. Let’s see Romanov vs. Chase Sherman next. Sherman came back to the UFC in impressive fashion and while he’s still not good defensively he’s definitely better than Martinez.
Jalin Turner
Brok Weaver is really not a UFC level fighter (for whatever that’s worth) but that doesn’t mean Turner wasn’t impressive in his dismantling of Brok. He got dealt a rough debut by taking on Vicente Luque, then had a bit of a reality check two fights later against Matt Frevola. Against Weaver and Joshua Culibao, he’s taken care of business. I assume that they’ll rebook Turner against Thiago Moises, assuming Moises recovers from COVID-19.