The Remix, Volume 18: ‘Three piece and a soda’ edition

E. Spencer Kyte

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The Remix, Volume 18: ‘Three piece and a soda’ edition image

Every week, we’ll release a new MMA mix tape entitled “The Remix” that looks back at not only the biggest stories of the last seven days, but some of the ones that aren’t getting enough attention too, with some weekly awards and a prospect to watch going forward added in for good measure.

Masvidal makes a statement, twice

Jorge Masvidal is one of those guys that fight fans kind of sleep on because he doesn’t have a shiny record and he’s seemingly been around forever. Add in that he’d been out of action for 16 months heading into his bout on Saturday against Darren Till in London, England and you can kind of understand why many thought the Scouser was being set up to score a rebound win after suffering the first loss of his career back in September when he challenged for the welterweight title.

But there is reason Masvidal’s nickname is “Gamebred” and it is one of the more apt monikers in the entire sport.

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After taking some heavy leather from Till early and smiling as he got touched up throughout the first round, Masvidal landed a big left hand just beyond the midway point of the second round that shut off the Liverpool lad’s lights and put the returning veteran back in the win column. It was the kind of slick performance that Masvidal has lacked at times throughout his career and immediately launched him into the title conversation in the already crowded welterweight division.

Once he went backstage, the 34-year-old American Top Team representative got into a little extracurricular altercation with Leon Edwards, who walked by chirping Masvidal while he was doing an interview. Though he approached with his hands behind his back, Masvidal quickly let fly with a combination he has since deemed a “three piece and a soda,” leaving Edwards with a cut under his left eye and the two seemingly on a collision course for a summer engagement.

This was a huge weekend for Masvidal, who entered as the B-Side of the main event and left $100,000 richer thanks to twin bonuses and in the title discussion in the 170-pound weight class, while adding some new slang to the MMA lexicon.

All in all, not a bad little Saturday.

Speaking of Leon Edwards …

While he got pieced up by Masvidal backstage after attempting a drive-by trash talking, the Birmingham man extended his winning streak to seven earlier in the evening by outworking Gunnar Nelson over the first two rounds and avoiding a dangerous spot during the final minute of the fight.

Although one judge was insane and scored the fight in favor of the Icelandic welterweight, Edwards was the clear victor, having spent the second half of the first round controlling Nelson on the ground and blowing up his right cheek with a short elbow late in the second. Edwards did get caught being a little too casual late in the fight and had to spend the final minute clinging to Nelson to keep from letting the standout grappler work for a submission, but all things considered, it was a pretty strong performance from one of the most underrated fighters on the roster.

In the wake of Saturday’s final two fights — and given the way Till’s last two fights have looked — you can’t help but wonder if the UFC bet on the wrong British welterweight when opting to fast-track Till following his win over Donald Cerrone. Sure, he’s the more charismatic and engaging of the two, but Edwards had been rolling and is still rolling now, while continuing to climb the ladder, while Till has been stopped in back-to-back fights.

To be fair, one was a title fight and the other came against a dangerous veteran, but he didn’t look great against “Wonderboy” Thompson in his homecoming performance either, plus he missed weight by a considerable margin for that event as well. Meanwhile, “Rocky” has simply gone about his business — making weight on Friday with issue and picking up a win on Saturday, no matter who is stationed across from him.

He’d already lobbied to face the main event winner before the dust-up with Masvidal following the event, which makes that matchup even more likely. But on the off chance that the UFC opts to go in a different direction, Edwards against either Colby Covington or Ben Askren would be a great way to see just how good the continually improving contender from the Midlands really is and how he handles being in the spotlight for the first time.

The Next Quietly Building Fighter to Watch

If you’re not already paying attention to Arnold Allen, you should probably start.

The 25-year-old moved to 5-0 in the UFC on Saturday with a unanimous decision win over Jordan Rinaldi, showing better generalship than in his previous outings along with the same well-rounded style that has made him one to watch since arriving in the Octagon for the first time just under four years ago.

Featherweight is absolutely flush with talent at the moment, so there is no reason for Allen to get hustled into high-profile pairings right now, but he’s not too far away from cracking the Top 15 either. He’s one of those young, gifted competitors who has the potential to make major strides between each fight and if he continues to develop at his current rate, he’s going to be a problem for a lot of people in another couple years.

We’ve seen over the last couple weeks that there are talented fighters hovering just below the radar in almost every division — men and women who are doing good things without much attention — who end up propelling themselves into the limelight with a breakout performance that often seems to come “out of nowhere,” but no one really comes from out of nowhere.

Allen has shown flashes of potential throughout each of his first five UFC appearances and working with the elite crew at Montreal’s Tristar Gym ensures that he’s getting outstanding coaching and work in the room. As he continues to gain confidence and trust in his abilities a little more, the emerging British featherweight could become a factor in the 145-pound weight class.

Fight of the Weekend: Salman Zhamaldaev def. Marat Balaev at ACA 93

I didn’t see this fight live and haven’t watched it back as of yet, but when all the people I count on for info and updates from around the globe are singing the praises of this scrap, you better believe I’m including it here.

 

 

Championship fights have an advantage when we’re putting together “Fight of the Year” lists because there are more rounds for the competitors to work, but that doesn’t always mean they’re better than a quality three-round scrap.

This, however, is one of those five-round fights that really stands apart from the pack. Track it down, check it out and enjoy because it looks like it was wild and one you’re going to want to see.

Submission of the Weekend: Dan Ige def. Danny Henry at UFC London

There are little elements of the game that I tend to fixate on for stretches and right now, transition grappling is my favorite, especially when it comes to setting up chokes before securing position.

While it was some good, clean shots on the feet that created the opening for Ige to grapple and eventually secure the finish, the piece that really caught my eye was that he looked to sink the arm under the neck before having the hooks in. Henry defended well to start, but Ige kept his arm close, and when he started to work for hooks, Henry shifted his focus and the Hawaiian snatched up his neck.

We’ve seen this happen a few times of late and Nathaniel Wood did something comparable later in the night against “Teco” Quinonez as well. It’s one of those things that is easy to overlook or miss, but it’s becoming a really smart adjustment fighters are making and is something to continue paying attention to going forward.

Ige did a great job with it here and I’m sure others will in the weeks to come as well.

Knockout of the Weekend: Jorge Masvidal def. Darren Till at UFC London

What else could it be?

 

 

Masvidal has been frustrating to watch at times because he’s always been slick, he’s always had skills, but he hasn’t always worked at a high enough rate to avoid getting stuck on the wrong end of some bad decisions. This time, however, he got Till’s timing and rhythm down and attacked, countering with a big left hand of his own that put the recent title challenger to sleep and silenced the crowd in London.

“Gamebred” has the goods to be a title threat and if he keeps fighting like this every time, he could very well end up challenging for championship gold before the year is out.

Prospect to Watch: Amir Aliakbari

A former Olympic-level wrestler who exited the spot after twin doping violations, Aliakbari is a scary, scary looking prospect at heavyweight.

Built like a truck and boasting nasty power to accompany his world-class wrestling skills, the 31-year-old is 10-1 and currently riding a five-fight winning streak after icing Shelton Graves over the weekend at ACA 93:

 

 

His lone loss came in the Rizin World Grand Prix Final against Mirko Cro Cop, but he’s rebounded with five straight victories, including a unanimous decision win over long-time UFC competitor Daniel Omielanczuk prior to his win this weekend.

The two doping violations from his wrestling days will remain a persistent concern throughout his career and the fact that he's built like an action figure doesn’t help things much either, but if he continues storming through the competition in ACA, it’s only going to be a matter of time before the UFC comes calling.

E. Spencer Kyte