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What mattered most at UFC Fight Night 239 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas? Here are a few post-fight musings â¦
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Should Thiago Moises get his wish?
After dispatching a short-notice octagon newcomer with a TKO finish, Thiago Moises took the microphone and called out Dan Hooker. He went backstage and told reporters he didn’t understand why Hooker is ranked so highly in the lightweight division, and is keen to prove he doesn’t belong in the top 15 — at least above himself.
Hooker (23-12 MMA, 13-8 UFC) often finds himself on the receiving end of callouts like this. He’s never scared to oblige, it’s just a question of whether the UFC sees Moises (18-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC) as the right fight. Hooker is still recovering from the arm injury that forced him to withdraw from a December showdown with Bobby Green, and once healthy, he’ll surely assess all options with his team.
I’m certainly not against this matchup. I know Hooker is likely to want someone above him in the ranks or with more upside in terms of name value, but if some other options slip through, you could do much worse than a pairing with Moises.
Gerald Meerschaert matches history
Anderson Silva has been the sole leader in UFC middleweight stoppage wins since he last put someone away in the weight class nearly 12 years ago. His record has stood unthreatened since a second-round TKO of Chael Sonnen in their historic UFC 148 rematch in July 2012, but finally, that run came to an end.
The man that ended Silva’s sole possession of that record? Gerald Meerschaert. Yes, you better believe it.
Meerschaert (36-17 MMA, 11-9 UFC) has been slowly grinding away in the octagon since his debut in December 2016. He’s got the job done inside the distance every time his hand has been raised, and now he puts himself in the history books after a second-round submission of Bryan Barberena.
It doesn’t need to be said but can be noted, of course, that the stature of competition between Meerschaert and Silva is non-comparable in every way. “The Spider” got the majority of his wins in title fights as a defending champion, while Meerschaert has never sniffed that type of success at the highest level.
Fair play to Meerschaert, though. He will likely surpass Silva’s record before his career is over, and while it’s only a superior accolade on paper, Meerschaert is one of the good guys in the sport, so we’re all happy for him.
Macy Chiasson finally fit for a proper title run
Macy Chiasson looked arguably the best she ever has inside the octagon when she repeated history with another dominant performance against Pannie Kianzad, ending in a first-round submission.
“The Ultimate Fighter 28” winner has been up and down since the reality show. Chiasson (9-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) has had moments of brilliance like we just saw, but she’s also had puzzling losses. She claimed post-fight that she’s more locked in than ever after enduring an 18-month layoff filled with personal hardship and injuries.
The women’s bantamweight division is arguably more wide open than ever at the moment. Chiasson has already lost to new champion Raquel Pennington, but she performed well before being caught in a second-round choke. If Chiasson’s head is truly well on her shoulders, coach Sayif Saud and Fortis MMA might be able to lead her to the top.
Is Tai Tuivasa’s run of relevance over?
Marcin Tybura deserves his flowers for following the smart game plan and taking down Tai Tuivasa for the first-round submission. He did what he should’ve done in that matchup and set himself up for another notable opportunity in his next fight, but more of the focus in the aftermath of this card is on Tuivasa.
The Aussie hit newfound negative territory in his career with a fourth consecutive defeat. It’s the longest skid of his career, and although it’s come exclusively to elite, ranked competition in the heavyweight division, he hasn’t shown a ton of resistance.
Tuivasa turned 31 on the day of this loss, which, in the grand scheme of things, is very young for a heavyweight. He’s been in the UFC for nearly eight years at this point, though, and we’ve seemingly seen both his ceiling and his basement in the various performances.
Right now, Tuivasa is living in the basement and probably needs to change something to get out. What is that? Only he knows for sure. If the rumors are true that he started this camp at more than 320 pounds, that’s obviously problematic, whether he was dealing with a knee injury or not.
It’s a tough life for a heavyweight in Tuivasa’s spot, though. He could make all the adjustments and do everything right, then get wiped out by a big puncher anyway. The game is volatile and cruel like that, but a more professional approach wouldn’t hurt for various reasons, and now is the time to give it his best attempt.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 239.
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This story originally appeared on MMA Junkie