THE “Blessed Era” at the Ultimate Fighting Championship continued after Max “Blessed” Holloway dominated challenger Brian “T-City” Ortega in their headlining title fight at “UFC 231” in Toronto, Canada, on Sunday (Manila time) to retain his featherweight belt.
Coolly dominant right from the opening bell, Mr. Holloway, back after a year of inactivity, just clinically tore down his opponent the rest of the way with precise striking en route to the technical knockout victory at the end of the fourth round.
Earlier in the day, Ms. Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko finally got her hand on a long-sought UFC title with a unanimous decision victory over Joanna Jedrzejczyk to win the women’s flyweight title.
Mr. Holloway did not waste much time making his presence felt over Mr. Ortega, pounding on the latter with his trademark volume strikes.
In the second round, the striking would take a toll on Mr. Ortega, who saw his nose badly hit and bloodied.
Mr. Ortega though would continue to fight it out, scoring some early good hits and combinations in the third round against Mr. Holloway.
But the champion eventually regained control as the round wore on, finishing things off with a barrage of strikes.
In the fourth round, Mr. Holloway turned to the broadcast panel and said he would finish things off and delivered accordingly.
He once again rained on Mr. Ortega with tremendous punches on the face, busting his opponent’s left eye open.
Mr. Ortega still showed a lot of heart in fighting off the juggernaut that was Mr. Holloway and eventually survived the round.
However, after being examined by the doctor in between rounds, Mr. Ortega was ruled a no-go with a badly hurt eye, forcing the referee to stop the fight right then and there.
The win improved Mr. Holloway’s record to 20-3 and has successfully defended his title for two straight times now.
He last fought in December last year where he defeated erstwhile champion Jose Aldo in their rematch.
Mr. Holloway had an extended break from the UFC after he was diagnosed with concussion-like symptoms early this year, postponing his fight with Mr. Ortega which was supposed to happen in July.
“Is there anyone else out there?!” Mr. Holloway proudly proclaimed after the fight, highlighting how is the undisputed king in his division and possibly the best pound-for-pound fighter right now.
The loss, meanwhile, dealt Mr. Ortega (14-1) his first defeat as a professional mixed martial arts fighter.
FINALLY A CHAMPION
Meanwhile, Ms. Shevchenko finally added her name to the list of UFC champions with her unanimous decision victory over Ms. Jedrzejczyk.
Ms. Shevchenko proved the steady fighter throughout, showcasing a wider attack than her opponent with a combination of striking and takedowns to run away a 49-46, 49-46 and 49-46 winner.
The win made for a successful return to flyweight for Ms. Shevchenko (16-3), who spent some time at bantamweight.
“I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. Those (And New World Champion) were the magic words I’ve waiting for. This is a product not only of my hard work but also my team,” said Ms. Shevchenko afterwards.
Ms. Jedrzejczyk, the former women’s strawweight champ, dropped to 15-3 with the defeat.
In the Philippines, Cignal TV, the country’s foremost direct-to-home (DTH) company, is the home of the UFC after the two groups agreed to an extensive deal that will see the UFC beamed on various platforms. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo
