Last night (Sat., Sept. 7, 2024), the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returned to UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC Vegas 97. Comparing the Apex events to each other seems to be an essential part of being a combat sports fan in 2024, and by those standards, this card was pretty solid! It’s a better night than usual when both the main and co-main events are relevant and interesting fights. Gilbert Burns and Jessica Andrade played the role of seasoned veterans, while their respective opponents Sean Brady and Natalia Silva were up-and-coming talents looking to shake up the status quo.

Let’s take a look back at the best performances and techniques from UFC Vegas 97:

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A win is a win, but…

Maybe this is a minority opinion, but I wasn’t particularly impressed with Sean Brady’s unanimous decision victory over Gilbert Burns.

There were definitely noticeable improvements. Most obviously, Brady never jabbed so well. He doubled and tripled the punch, making Burns hide before capitalizing with strikes around the guard or takedown attempts. In general, Brady’s movements on the feet seemed more fluid than in previous fights.

That’s all well and good, but it’s hard not to feel like Burns looks old here. He barely threw anything and was largely defensive from the first bell. When Burns attacked, it was basically just the wide overhand right with no preparation whatsoever. Burns didn’t apply much pressure at all and Brady threw most of his punches lightly rather than full-on. So it’s hard for me to say if Brady’s stamina really improved or if Burns just didn’t make him work very hard.

Whatever the case, it’s always a little depressing when there’s a 25-minute fight and both men leave the cage with clean faces. Either way, Brady climbs into the top five regardless of my opinion and there’s certainly a great fight ahead.

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A new contender emerges

Natalia Silva against Jessica Andrade was a lot of fun.

The dynamic of the fight was obvious: Andrade wanted to push forward and build combinations of powerful hooks at close range. Silva wanted to stay mobile and use her speed and reach advantages to pick apart the former champion from distance, where her snappy strikes and kicks were superior.

Overall, Silva got her wish. Andrade was able to land her strikes, but Silva was landing a lot more quick strikes and really bothered Andrade when she tried to get inside. The sidekicks from close range were just great and she even landed a perfect wheelkick right to the chin of “Bate Estaca”.

At 27, Silva is fresh off the best win of her career to move into the top five flyweights. She seems ready for the best, so if the division ever gets back on track, a title eliminator would make sense next.

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Garcia continues to gain momentum

How about Steve Garcia?!? The man started his UFC career with a 1-2 run and he wasn’t exactly young. He seemed like any other Contenders Series Product probably won’t get a second UFC contract. Then he beat up Chase Hooper so badly that he moved down to lightweight and things started to change.

Last night, Garcia scored his fifth consecutive UFC knockout over Kyle Nelson, a fellow veteran who is in the midst of an unexpected resurgence. Garcia was hit in the back early on, but once he got back into the top position, “The Mean Machine” got going. He unleashed a truly nasty series of elbow strikes and peppered his opponent with a never-ending barrage of ground strikes. Nelson couldn’t get Garcia off him and the damage piled up quickly, leading to a first-round stoppage.

Where is Garcia’s ceiling? I have no idea. He has already climbed much higher than most expected. Maybe it’s time for a top 15 opponent next?

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A flyweight brawl

Cody Durden vs. Matt Schnell was exactly the thriller most people had predicted.

For five full minutes, the two attempted to knock each other out. Both threw combination punches, stood in the pocket, and continued Schnell’s rapid-fire strikes. Schnell’s stand-up technique was a little cleaner, but Durden made up for that difference with raw aggression. It was a very competitive round, with both men landing devastating blows in an entertaining exchange.

Then, early in the second round, Schnell attempted a double leg takedown that backfired horribly. He seemed surprised and stunned at how quickly Durden dodged his punch, leaving him vulnerable. The wrestler quickly applied a front choke, and Schnell was forced to give up frantically after failing to twist free.

After the loss, Schnell left his gloves in the cage to signal his retirement. If you didn’t see his win over Su Mudaerji, do yourself a favor and watch it – it’s one of the best comebacks of the last decade. “Danger” was an action fighter through and through, and what more can we really ask of fighters?

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Further considerations

• Chris Padilla Defeats Rongzhu by termination by the doctor in the second round: The incredibly tough finish doesn’t exactly reflect the rest of the fight. For nearly two rounds, Rongzhu and Padilla took turns standing in front of each other, kicking calves and throwing wide punches. Rongzhu’s physicality and power seemed to have given him a slight edge, but it was a slugfest. However, when Padilla started to spin, Rongzhu chased him and ran straight into a perfectly timed counter elbow strike that landed right in the eye. Moments later, Rongzhu’s eye was completely swollen shut and the doctor had to intervene.
• Isaac Dulgarian Defeats Brendon Marotte by Arm Triangle Choke in the second round (HIGHLIGHTS): The biggest UFC favorite in history looked like this. Dulgarian effortlessly dominated his opponent, landing instant takedowns and immediately getting into the mount position. Marotte was on the defensive the entire time and eventually had to succumb to one of Dulgarian’s many arm triangle choke attempts.
• Jacqueline Amorim Defeats Vanessa Demopoulos via the armbar in the first round (HIGHLIGHTS): Amorim is a lot of fun to watch wrestle. The Jiu-Jitsu World Champion switches very skillfully and forces her opponent to take one bad position or another, often landing ground strikes. She pulled Demopoulos to the ground and quickly moved forward to mount. Seconds later, she applied an armbar as her opponent attempted to break out of the bad position. There was a little controversy over whether or not Amorim grabbed the glove in the process, but the first round result will almost certainly stand. As a result, Amorim has now won her last three UFC fights all by finish!
• Nathan Fletcher Defeats Zygimantas Ramaska by Arm Triangle Choke in the second round (HIGHLIGHTS): In modern MMA, it’s really difficult to win fights from the bottom. These two Ultimate Fighter (TUF) veterans were looking to earn a spot on the UFC roster, but Ramaska’s takedown defense just let him down. He was active from behind, but slowly Fletcher figured out how to play offensively with submissions and was able to counter with ground strikes. As time went on, Fletcher built his lead, moved into position and locked in the choke for a successful featherweight debut.

For complete results, reports and highlights from UFC Vegas 97, click here HERE.