Last night (Sat., Aug. 24, 2024), the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned to the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC Vegas 96. This was a perfectly normal Apex card. The main event was an interesting and relevant match, a potential changing of the guard between veteran challenger Jared Cannonier and the rising Caio Borralho. The rest of the card was the usual mix of Contenders Series Young talents and unranked veterans, accompanied by two Ultimate Fighter (TUF) final fights.

Let’s take a look back at the best performances and techniques from UFC Vegas 96:

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A new title threat emerges

Borralho made a big impression with his victory over Cannonier in five rounds.

Did anyone expect the grappling ace to willingly go 25 minutes with the knockout artist? Borralho didn’t manage a single takedown until the first minute of the fifth round, and that was a half-hearted attempt. It wasn’t necessary, as his jab and kicking game kept Cannonier at a distance and forced “Killa Gorilla” to make big moves.

Against his most dangerous opponent yet, Borralho’s stand-up has never looked better. His jab was extremely snappy, his kicks did a lot of damage, and his counters were still on point. In previous fights, Borralho has shown solid fundamentals but was often hesitant to fully commit – that was not an issue here.

After this win, Borralho looks like the complete package as a middleweight contender. Not only does he have plus points everywhere, but the Brazilian is huge for the division and has a great gas tank. With his physical skills matching Dricus Du Plessis’ own athletic abilities better than most, perhaps Borralho could be the man to actually take advantage of Du Plessis’ shaky foundations?

Suddenly it’s a very interesting duel.

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Two TUF champions crowned

The middleweight final between Ryan Loder and Robert Valentin took place almost entirely on the mat, but was still a lot of fun.

Loder landed a big takedown early on, but the All-American wrestler lost top position while working a scarf hold armlock. Valentin found his way to the back in the ensuing scramble and took Loder into a threatening chokehold, but the wrestler eventually fought his way back to top position. He finished the round there with elbow strikes, but both men had their moments.

The second round began with another wild scramble and Loder again found himself in the top position. This time he was more patient in getting past the guard and again held Valentin’s arm. Instead of going for the submission attack, he secured the crucifix and continued to pound away with elbow strikes. They weren’t big blows, but he landed hard and made it clear that Valentin was unable to escape the position.

The referee had to intervene.

Marion Santos vs. Kaan Olfi decided the featherweight final and it proved to be a very one-sided encounter. Almost immediately, Santos answered Olfi’s forward pressure with a sharp right overhand that was just perfect, snappy and thrown away from the center line. With a single punch, Santos set the tone and proved to be the sharper striker.

Santos controlled his reach very well during the first round, keeping his feet under him as he moved laterally and landed powerful punches. Olfi got a hand on and to his credit the Australian knew he had to make something happen. He tried to push Santos against the fence and get their fight going, but a simultaneous exchange of right hooks meant Olfi was beaten by Santos’ follow-up left hook.

Olfi appears to be a decent featherweight at the UFC level. However, the 24-year-old Brazilian appears to be a true blue chip candidate and worthy TUF winner.

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Michael Morales Makes a statement

About a minute into the Morales-Neil Magny fight, I said loudly and discreetly, “Magny’s going to do it again, eh?” In his first takedown attempt of the night – with a front leg already somewhat injured – Magny had managed to work behind Morales in the clinch and lock his hands in. That’s Magny’s best position, the kind of wrestling performance he can usually score for much longer and with much more effort.

It was a bad omen for Morales, but it didn’t matter at all. Magny couldn’t take the incredibly strong Ecuadorian down no matter what he tried. At one point, Magny’s grip began to break, and Morales took advantage with a wild spinning elbow that sent the veteran to the mat. As cool as can be, Morales took the top position, went into mount and back mount, and then beat his opponent to dust. He gave Magny no chance to recover, forcing the referee into action with a barrage of strikes. And so the hyper-athletic young talent stormed into the top 15.

He seems like a man who is hard to beat.

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GM3 has done it again

Edmen Shahbazyan fought really well.

In the first five minutes, “Golden Boy” used his speed and youth to gain the upper hand. He fended off several takedown attempts with absolute ease and hit Gerald Meerschaert with hard strikes from long distance. The pace was very manageable and Meerschaert took a lot of damage.

Unfortunately, Shahbazyan made a crucial mistake: he tried to finish “GM3.” A nifty counter with body shots knocked Meerschaert down, and Shahbazyan probably threw 100 ground strikes to get the referee to stop him. The problem is that Meerschaert is a veteran, kept his hands up and always moved when the referee warned him.

After a few minutes, Shahbazyan’s fatal weakness showed itself: exhaustion. Back on his feet, Meerschaert overwhelmed his younger opponent with powerful strikes and then ducked for a takedown. Almost immediately, he was on top and attempted an arm triangle choke, securing his 11th UFC tapout victory and his 12th stoppage overall, setting a middleweight record.

Not too bad!

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Further considerations

• Wang Cong Defeats Victoria Leonardo by KO in the first round (HIGHLIGHTS): What an impressive debut! Cong’s first trip into the UFC Octagon lasted just about 60 seconds before she finally put her opponent down with a crushing 1-2. That’s too short a time to learn much, but the most important lesson is clear: Cong has POWER! The decorated Sanda fighter and amateur boxer is absolutely one to keep an eye on in the 125-pound division. At 32 years old, there’s no time to waste, and Cong has rightfully secured a main card spot for her next appearance.

The complete results and match reports for UFC Vegas 96: “Cannonier vs. Borralho” can be found here: HERE!