UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai Recap

Welcome to the new series where I give you my instant knee-jerk reactions to the fight picks, plus any other important takeaways from the event. I am not sure what to call this new series yet, but here is the recap of UFC Vegas 28.

No I’m not going to call it “UFC Recap”, way to generic.

Jordan Leavitt (-205) vs Claudio Puelles (+165)

To be honest I’m disappointed in the groundwork we saw on display from Leavitt. Leavitt stayed committed to the single-leg for too long and because of that, he gassed himself out in the first round. Even still, once he got the single he did not seem to move. The grappling exchanges between Leavitt and Puelles looked slow and relaxed to me, no one had an urge to submit or even ground and pound. Watching this match up it was clear to see Jordan Leavitt is not a complete fighter yet. He still needs to work on his striking and his MMA IQ. What do I mean by MMA IQ? When Leavitt was on his back he rarely looked to scramble, seeming to accept the dominate positions Puelles held. Leavitt seemed to treat it like a jiu-jitsu match as opposed to an MMA fight. Something Leavitt needs to account for in the future.

After Jordan Leavitt’s first full fight in the UFC, he can go back to the drawing board and learn from his mistakes. I am confident we see an improved Jordan Leavitt next time.

Jordan Leavitt (-205) Lost

Mason Jones (-300) vs Alan Patrick (+230)

Alan Patrick came out swinging like the Tasmanian devil. Once Patrick tried himself out from throwing these wild spinning back fists, Mason Jones found his groove and started to pick Patrick apart. One huge takeaway is seeing how well Mason Jones’s takedown defense held against a ground-dominant fighter.

Mason Jones had a near-perfect performance tonight and proved he is a legitimate contender. However, the eye poke in the second round had the fight result in a No Contest. I feel horrible for Mason Jones especially after the performance he had.

Whoever has to fight Mason Jones next is going to be in a world of trouble, and I feel bad for whoever he maybe.

Mason Jones (-300) Push

Santiago Ponzinibbio (EV) vs Miguel Baeza (-130)

“I am going to roll the dice and take a gamble with Ponzinibbio. I truly believe he needed one fight to shake the ring rust off.” You bet he needed one fight to shake the ring rust off. Once Ponzinibbio found his footing, he managed to get into his striking groove. From there he was able to piece up Baeza, just over loading him with significant strikes. Hats off to Miguel Baeza, he is one tough prospect.

Happy to see Santiago Ponzinibbio have a huge bounce back performance which ended him back in the win column.

Santiago Ponzinibbio (EV) Win

Jairzinho Rozenstruik (-125) vs Augusto Sakai (-105)

Called out Vegas for having a short-term memory for these odds. Nailed that right on the head. I said hammer Rozenstruik and take him by KO. You would look at that? You and I walk away victorious, pulling a full out heist on Vegas.

When I was researching the card a week ago, I looked at the main event and I fell in love at first sight. I have no idea how we managed to steal Rozenstruik at -125. Feel like we committed a crime. I don’t even have much to say besides thank you Vegas.

Jairzinho Rozenstruik (-125) Win

Over all we went 2-1-1 tonight. Nothing special, should have been 3-1-0, Mason Jones deserved that win. Shame they called it a no contest. See you next week for UFC 263 fight picks.