UFC on ESPN+ 13 (informally known as UFC Sacramento) is wrapped up. We saw multiple finishes, a 4-2 run for the local Team Alpha Male gym, the return of an icon, a new number one contender, and so much more. Let’s discuss five of the top moments from UFC on ESPN+ 13.
UFC on ESPN+ 13 Top Five Moments
Germaine de Randamie Knocks Out Aspen Ladd
With a potential title shot looming, whoever was going to win this fight needed their victory to be emphatic. Despite the finish being an arguably poor stoppage, the punch that would drop Aspen Ladd was very impressive. Germaine de Randamie quickly TKO’d the previously undefeated Aspen Ladd. De Randamie was able to tie the fastest women’s bantamweight TKO stoppage record of 16 seconds. Suddenly, Germaine De Randamie sounds like an interesting match-up for the current champion, Amanda Nunes. The bout would be a rematch of their 2013 fight, a Nunes win.
Urijah Faber Finishes Ricky Simon in Sactown
Urijah Faber came into his fight against Ricky Simon as a sizable underdog. Simon was 3-0 in the UFC, looked extremely promising as a prospect, and spoke openly about taking the torch from the 40-year-old Faber. Unfortunately for Simon, he would come out of this fight empty-handed. Urijah Faber dropped Simon with a right hand that would mark the beginning of the end. Faber followed a rattled Simon to the ground and got the finish at 46 seconds into round one.
The crowd was ignited when Faber walked out to the octagon. But that noise paled in comparison to the deafening eruption that resulted from Faber’s upset finish. Not only did Faber win impressively, he did so faster than he had ever done previously. ‘The California Kid’ can still pack a punch.
Julianna Peña Returns
Prior to UFC on ESPN+ 13, Julianna Peña hadn’t competed in MMA for two-and-a-half-years. The last time we saw her, she was in a high-stakes fight against Valentina Shevchenko. Including her three victories in the TUF house, she was riding a seven-fight winning streak when she met Shevchenko. In a bout where the winner would ultimately go on to challenge for the UFC bantamweight title, Peña suffered a second-round submission loss against Shevchenko. Though this loss was devastating, it wasn’t the reason she took a hiatus from the sport. She instead took time away because she gave birth to her first child.
The division moved forward during her thirty-month absence, but Peña is back now. Her first foe would be former UFC flyweight champion and TUF winner, Nicco Montaño. In a tough fight that she ostensibly lost the first round of, Peña fought through adversity and found a way to win via unanimous decision. Julianna Peña is a much-needed potential contender for the bantamweight division.
Ryan Hall’s Effective Striking Against Darren Elkins
In the sport of MMA, Ryan Hall is best known for his effective Brazilian-Jiu-Jitsu. He often freezes his opponents with his offensive grappling and lightning fast submission attempts. Hall’s striking acumen however, isn’t overly reputable. That reputation might’ve changed somewhat in his fight against Darren Elkins.
In the first round, Hall was able to perfectly land a spinning kick that dropped Elkins. In the second round, he wobbled Elkins multiple times on the feet, and even dropped him once more. Ryan Hall isn’t a top striker by any means, but he appears to have added improved stand-up to his already-unorthodox MMA game. Between the threat of submissions and a developing striking game, Ryan Hall showed the MMA world a new facet to worry about in his fighting repertoire.
Jonathan Martinez Knee KO over Liu Pingyuan
In a fight that initially didn’t have much in the form of entertainment, Jonathan Martinez vs Liu Pingyuan ended with a satisfying finish. Martinez stepped in with a knee that would shut off the lights for Liu Pingyuan. The referee officially waved off the bout at 3:54 of round three. These kind of finishes are often bitter/sweet, as they can be scary in the immediate aftermath. But all involved can take solace in knowing that Liu Pingyuan is back up and moving. Jonathan Martinez is now 2-1 in the UFC.
Honorable mentions include Josh Emmett‘s knockout victory over Mirsad Bektic, Andre Fili‘s knockout victory over Sheymon Moraes, the return of Nicco Montaño, and the UFC debut of Brianna Van Buren.
Would you have changed anything on this list? Were there any moments you would have preferred? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments! What were your top five UFC on ESPN+ 13 moments?
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