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UFC 299 just took place in the 305, and it was a card to remember. It was the biggest sporting event to happen, in terms of numbers and Dana White said himself, "Miami is putting up numbers like Madison Square Garden, we will be definitely seeing Miami soon enough." We all hope that Miami may become one of the UFC hot spots that they may come back twice a year possibly. The fights were some of the best we have seen, from expected dominants to surprising underdogs, let's jump into this banger of a main card.
Before we do that though, the featured bout was an incredible fight, with Curtis Blaydes taking on Jailton Almeida. Curtis Blaydes is one of the most powerful and dominant fighters we have in the Heavyweight division, and Jailton Almeida is one of the best Heavyweight grapplers we have ever seen. In the first round, it was all Almeida as good pressure kept Blaydes in control and let his magic work itself out. In the second round, Almeida shot for a double leg and was met with a short left hand and then a right uppercut that stunned him. Blaydes saw the end was near and chased it, with damaging hammer fists and ground-and-pound, the referee had no choice but to stop the fight. This won Blaydes a POTN bonus and a well-deserved one at that.
The first fight on the main card was a Bantamweight bout between Song Yadong and Petr Yan. Another case of a seasoned veteran facing an upcoming star. This fight was a very anticipating fight and it was a slugfest. In round one, Song was leading the dance with his pressure boxing and his quick jab. There were a few scrambles that Song ended on top or in a dominant position. In the second round, I think we all saw Yan bite down on his mouthpiece and came back determined to win. There was pressure going back and forth, but eventually, Song connected with two punches that may have rocked Yan. Yan took him down and threw some killer ground strikes that opened a cut next to his left eye. The third round was all Yan as he did not let up and we saw that old Petr Yan style. He won the fight via UD with 29-28 across the scorecards.
Next was a Miami favorite, Gilbert Burns facing a new star in Jack Della Maddalena. The first round went back and forth with pressure from both but JDM landed more strikes on Burns. The fight went to the ground putting Burns in top control at the end of the round. The second round had Burns dominating on the ground the entire round, keeping JDM at bay. It didn't take long for JDM to stun Burns in the third round, then followed up with crushing ground shots when the referee called the fight off. JDM boosted his stock and his bank account numbers with another POTN bonus.
The next fight was a Welterweight debut for the much anticipated Michael Venom Page, facing Kevin Holland. The first round was back and forth with Holland pushing MVP against the cage and MVP throwing good counter attacks to bounce back. This happened throughout the entire fight. MVP was looking really fast and powerful, Holland even said himself, "He's faster than we thought" which just shows how much of a dominant force MVP may become in the UFC. He won the fight 29-28 with Holland winning the second round due to a lot of ground control. MVP has great star power and great potential in the UFC, and we are all really excited to see what happens in the future with him.
The Co-Main Event had Diamond Dustin Poirier facing Benoit Saint-Denis, these two were going for five rounds and it was a very exciting fight. The first round was all BSD as he kept the pressure and escaped all of DP's guillotine attempts and kept good position. The second round was a change of pace as they kept the fight standing, DP landing great initiative strikes. DDP landed a left straight that rocked BSD and he shot for a takedown. DP countered and landed a right hook that knocked BSD out cold. This reassured us that DP is still here to win. He got the FOTN bonus which was well-deserved.
The main Event was a fight for the ages. Sean O'Malley was defending his belt for the first time, against the only man who ever beat him, Marlon Chito Vera. This was a display of striking from O'Malley. There was no opening for Chito to get through, and O'Malley was looking amazing. The first round was all O'Malley with his striking keeping him on top and away from Chito. The second round was more of the same, O'Malley hit Chito with a knee on the cheek that may have broken something in his face. The next rounds were all O'Malley and he didn't let up. He kept his cool, calm, and relaxed pace that won him the fight with 50's across the board, including 50g's in his pocket. O'Malley retained his title and called out Ilia Topuria and Merab Dvalishvilli. There was so much going on and we cannot wait for it.
The 305 brings heat and power wherever we go, happy to see it carries over to fights. The fights were great. Next week we have Tai Tuivasa facing off against Mycin Tybura. Thank you for reading and make sure to tune into The Punchline every Tuesday night.
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