UFC Sacramento was a whole lot of fun.
The 13-fight card featured 10 finishes, eight of which were knockouts. Two of the three decisions were bloody, exciting brawls to the final bell. The co-main event between Vitor Petrino and Serghei Spivac was the sole low point of the night, and even that fight featured some interesting moments in the first two rounds. There’s a lot to remember fondly about the promotion’s visit to “The City of Trees,” and yet the two moments that stand out most in my mind are a pair of baffling decisions by veteran UFC fighters.
The performances of Kennedy Nzechukwu and Roman Dolidze are hard to comprehend.
On the undercard, Nzechukwu squared off versus Shamil Gaziev, a Heavyweight knockout artist good at precisely one thing: fast and powerful right hands. Gaziev is particularly dangerous in the first round, which is when he’s scored a majority of his finishes.
How did Nzechukwu handle this challenge? He placed himself on the fence, put his hands by his waist, and pretended he was Anderson Silva in his prime. Gaziev was visibly confused for a moment before doubling up on the right hand, the latter of which quite literally sent Nzechukwu flying across the cage, completely unconscious.
Seriously, watch this knockout again (right here). Note the distance, the cage position, and Nzechukwu’s hand placement — it’s comical!
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Here’s the thing: Nzechukwu was only a small underdog here. He’s historically tough and durable, known for rallying in the second half of fights. When he decided not to defend his chin at all against a fast-starter, however, he immediately demolished his own odds of ever seeing the second round.
This was his 16th UFC fight, by the way.
On the main card, Dolidze faced off with fellow former Middleweight Reinier de Ridder. “RDR” is a more complex fighter than Gaziev, skilled in all facets of the game to some degree yet uniquely flawed as well. Above all else, de Ridder is known for his submission prowess, a jiu-jitsu black belt with 13 career wins via tapout.
Dolidze pulled guard in the opening minute.
Now, Dolidze has a tricky bottom game based on inversion and the K-guard. He’s used his guard offensively in the UFC multiple times to great success, but the trick only works so many times. A proven grappler like de Ridder has seen that footage, and he’s going to come prepared to deal with Dolidze’s tricks. Were de Ridder rocked or fatigued over the course of the fight, perhaps Dolidze would be able to get a bite on his ankle, but while the Dutchman is still fresh as a daisy?
No shot. “RDR” stuffed his attempts easily and punched him in the face repeatedly for his efforts. When the leg lock failed, de Ridder stopped moving, and the referee let him absorb more than 100 ground strikes before saving him from further punishment (re-live that here).
That’s UFC fight No. 15 for Dolidze, who used to be ranked in the Middleweight Top 10.
We see questionable in-fight decisions every week in the Octagon. Making smart choices in the chaos of cage fighting separates the wheat from the chaff, yet it’s still rare to see such outright bad strategies made by experienced UFC fighters and punished so immediately.
I can’t imagine watching either performance as a sports bettor with money riding on the outcome.
