UFC Fight Island 2 scorecard

Speaking of a fighter hitting their stride and showing what all the fuss was about, Ariane Lipski had some growing pains in her first three UFC bouts, but in her fourth one, she lived up to her “Queen of Violence” nickname with an emphatic submission of Luana Carolina. It was the kind of kneebar that would make any 125-pounder reconsider their day job, and rest assured that any future foe will have to watch out for Lipski on the feet and the mat.

My big question heading into the co-main event was whether Jack Hermansson had recovered mentally from a tough loss to Jared Cannonier that put a momentarily halt to his middleweight title hopes. Consider that question answered in the affirmative, as “The Joker” submitted a Kelvin Gastelum who made it very clear that he was ready for the bout. Forget Gastelum’s now three-fight losing streak; this kid is still one of the best 185-pounders in the world and Hermansson finished him in less than a round. That’s a big deal, and I kinda like his plan of fighting the winner of this Saturday’s Robert Whittaker-Darren Till bout in a title eliminator. And this time I won’t count him out.

Rematches usually don’t turn out too well for the fighter that lost the first time, and that was certainly the case in the UFC Fight Island 2 main event, as Deiveson Figueiredo looked frighteningly destructive in seizing the vacant flyweight crown against Joseph Benavidez. It was one of those wins where you wonder who is going to beat this guy, because you just don’t beat Joe Benavidez like that. Luckily, we’re going to find out who can challenge the new king, as the group of contenders at 125 pounds is stronger than ever. But for now, the God of War can take a well-deserved sigh of relief. He’s the champ now.