The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of UFC Fight Night 144

Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company, Evolve Media.

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday made its return to Fortaleza, Brazil. With it came some good, some bad and some ugly.

THE GOOD: FATHER TIME’S DAY OFF

Old men found new life at UFC Fight Night 144. While many were ready to send Jose Aldo, Demian Maia and Thiago Alves to the luxury retirement resort of mixed martial arts, those three men proved they will not go quietly.

Things have been rocky for Aldo since he encountered Conor McGregor. Those 13 seconds undid the 18-fight winning streak that saw him conquer the featherweight division in World Extreme Cagefighting and inherit the UFC throne at 145 pounds. Unfortunately, the new fans who came aboard with the emergence of the loud Irishman were introduced to Aldo at his worst professional moment. When Aldo found himself falling prey to Max Holloway on two occasions, it served as a double-edged sword. First, it removed the cloud of uncertainty over the legitimacy of the belt at the expense of the greatest fighter to have held it. It also led to speculation over how long the veteran had left to ply his trade on the world’s biggest stage. Aldo’s vocal talk about retirement only added to this narrative.

Making quick work of perennial top contender Jeremy Stephens in July did a lot to set Aldo on the right track. However, Stephens, for all of his pros, has consistently struggled to maintain momentum and has routinely dropped fights that would have put him over the hump. On the other hand, Renato Carneiro had handled every bump in competition placed in front of him, save for former title challenger Brian Ortega. It appeared that “Moicano” was a potential heir apparent to Aldo’s throne in Brazil. A showdown in their native country only seemed appropriate as a way to pass the baton and allow for the Hulk Hogan-Andre the Giant moment to build a new star. Instead, “Scarface” reminded us of the extreme violence of which he’s capable by dismantling the young upstart in the second round. There’s nothing like a glimpse of WEC-era Aldo to inject new interest into what’s next for the former champion.

As long as Holloway remains at the top of the 145-pound food chain, it seems unlikely that Aldo will find a way to reclaim the title. However, if the “Blessed” Hawaiian decides to test his skills at lightweight, don’t be surprised to see Aldo once again salvage gold.

Meanwhile, Maia managed to one up the naysayers who thought the 41-year-old could no longer compete in the UFC. After three consecutive losses saw him fail at 49 straight takedown attempts, it makes sense that some would doubt him. Of course, that would be ignoring the fact that his three prior opponents were welterweight champion Tyron Woodley, former interim titleholder Colby Covington and current No. 1 contender Kamaru Usman. All three happen to rank among the best wrestlers in the division.

While Lyman Good does not fit the same profile, Maia did exactly what he was supposed to do against the onetime Bellator MMA champion. When faced with lesser opponents, dominating them is the only outcome that raises one’s stock. Like Aldo, Maia has entertained the idea of retirement. At his age and with the unlikelihood of his ever earning another title shot, no one would fault him for making that decision. However, if he decides to stick around a bit longer, he still has intriguing high-level opponents waiting.

Finally, Alves may have squeaked by Max Griffin in a questionable decision, but he did better than most expected. Considering the miles Alves has racked up over the years, including a near career-ending brain injury, it would make sense that we’d count him out against a slightly younger but significantly less shopworn Griffin.

Additionally, the two-fight losing streak on which Alves entered the cage made it seem like the writing was on the wall. Instead, we were treated to the hometown fighter showcasing some of the same attributes that saw him tearing through the welterweight division ahead of his title shot at UFC 100. If it weren’t for the chaotic and action-packed Charles Olivera-David Teymur bout, Alves would have conceivably cashed an additional $50,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus. Not bad for a man many counted out going into 2019.

THE BAD: ODD MAN OUT

List Raphael Assuncao among the Karo Parisyans and T.J. Grants of the world. Assuncao was certainly deserving of a chance to fight for the UFC bantamweight title in 2014. At that time, he was riding a six-fight winning streak and looking like a clear contender to then-champion Renan Barao. An injury derailed that matchup, and T.J. Dillashaw took his place despite dropping a split decision to Assuncao less than a year earlier. The rest is history. Since Dillashaw pulled off one of the great upsets in UFC history, the bantamweight division has carried on without Assuncao.

Losing a decision to Dillashaw after he lost the belt did not necessarily help Assuncao’s case for a title opportunity, while Cody Garbrandt stormed through with spectacular knockout after knockout on his way to dethroning Dominick Cruz. When Dillashaw finished Garbrandt, there was hope for a rubber match between “The Ultimate Fighter 14” finalist and Assuncao. Instead, Garbrandt received an immediate rematch, and Dillashaw solidified his second title reign. During that round robin, Assuncao stayed busy and won four straight fights, including a split decision over Marlon Moraes. Dillashaw’s failed attempt at the flyweight belt left Assuncao to once again meet Moraes.

When Assuncao tapped to the first-round guillotine choke in the UFC Fight Night 144 headliner, it wiped away the legitimate claim for a title shot that had been building for years. At 36 years old, it seems unlikely that Assuncao has the time to climb the ladder again. With Moraes avenging his prior loss in stunning fashion and Henry Cejudo potentially forcing his way into the bantamweight title picture, there looks like enough activity to once again distract from Assuncao, even if he were able to go another impressive winning streak.

THE UGLY: SATURDAY NIGHT SPECIAL

Why were we forcing ourselves to sit in front of television sets for ungodly amounts of time watching seemingly endless fight cards nearly every weekend? Watching the UFC, never mind MMA in general, became almost a full-time job, as each Saturday would disconnect us from the rest of the world. For a writer who draws a paycheck for his thoughts on the sport, that’s more understandable and less of a sympathetic cause. However, UFC Fight Night 144 was a breath of fresh air. Breezing through the main card and actually having an evening to enjoy life was a wonderful surprise that we all hope carries over during this new ESPN alliance.

You might ask why something so pleasant makes The Ugly section here? Simply because in hindsight it gives new reason to loathe the days of Fox Sports 1. Along the way, how many otherwise devoted fans abandoned ship in favor of living like normal people? It doesn’t take long to lose track of such a busy sport when tuning out all but the biggest events on the calendar. Hopefully, the fresh approach to pacing that a streaming service can provide over linear television can consistently lead to more efficient programming. As long as ESPN Plus will let us reclaim our time, I’m willing to endure whatever Stephen A. Smith hot takes await. That’s a fair trade off.