MMA Junkie’s ‘Fight of the Month’ for February: Former teammates fight for gold
With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMA Junkie looks at the best fights from February 2021: Here are the four nominees, listed in chronological order, and winner of MMA Junkie’s “Fight of the Month” award for February.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting on your choice.
Nominees
Nominee: Beneil Dariush def. Diego Ferreira at UFC Fight Night 184
Similar to their first encounter in April 2015, [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] (20-4-1 MMA, 14-4-1 UFC) and [autotag]Diego Ferreira[/autotag] (17-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) showed a little bit over three rounds in their rematch. Multifaceted elements of mixed martial arts were on full display for three rounds between the streaking lightweights. Dariush was a step ahead for the majority of the two rounds, and a late push from Ferreira wasn't enough to steal the way away late. The end result was another decision victory for Dariush, moving to 2-0 in his career vs. his Brazilian foe. https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1358230213554032642
Nominee: Kamaru Usman def. Gilbert Burns at UFC 258
[autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag]'s (18-1 MMA, 13-0 UFC) remarkable run inside the octagon continued when he defended his title against [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] (19-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) in a high-intensity battle of former teammates. After a scare early in the fight, Usman took over and recorded a third consecutive defense of his welterweight title when he earned a third-round TKO victory over Burns. With the win, he joined Anderson Silva as the only fighters in company history to start their UFC tenure with 13 straight wins. https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1360829304985309184
Nominee: Thiago Moises def. Alexander Hernandez at UFC Fight Night 186
[autotag]Thiago Moises[/autotag] (15-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) promised to wipe the smile of [autotag]Alexander Hernandez[/autotag]'s (12-4 MMA, 4-3 UFC) face when they met inside the octagon in a matchup of lightweight promises. That's exactly what the Brazilian did. Moises' striking was sharper than we've ever seen it over three rounds. He got the momentum on Hernandez as the high paced fight wore on and ran with it en route to a unanimous decision victory, extending his winning streak at 155 pounds to three consecutive fights. https://twitter.com/UFCEspanol/status/1365827532088619018
Nominee: Pedro Munhoz def. Jimmie Rivera at UFC Fight Night 186
[autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag]’s (18-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) calf kicks were the difference in a dominant win over Jimmie Rivera (23-4 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in their rematch. Munhoz avenged a November 2015 loss to Rivera courtesy of an offensive repertoire revolved primarily around punishing Rivera’s lead leg. It gave him a convincing lead after just a few minutes all the way until the final bell for a unanimous decision. https://twitter.com/ufc/status/1365846749160624129
The winner
The winner: Usman vs. Burns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAviz1trI60 At the outset of the UFC 258 main event, it appeared UFC welterweight champion Usman finally was in for a real fight when former training partner Burns got off to a fast start. But Usman regained his composure and took over the fight and proved why he’s on his way to becoming the dominant champion the 170-pound weight class hasn’t had since Georges St-Pierre relinquished the belt more than seven years ago. Usman used pinpoint, lethal striking to take over in the second round before finishing him in the third and retained his title with a TKO at the 0:34 mark of the round. “This was a very, very tough one because of the whole gym situation,” Usman said. “You cannot disrespect what Burns has done. We started together and he showed it tonight.” Burns got off to a fast start and scored with big overhand rights out of the gate – one of which dropped Usman. The champ dropped Burns with a head kick, and then stayed standing and spent the next minute-plus peppering the downed Burns with kicks. The rest of the first round was competitive, but it was clear Usman was picking up steam. In the second round, Usman’s nasty jabs landed over and over, slowly wearing Burns down and sapping his will. Burns was in danger late in the round, but covered up and made it to the horn. But Usman wasted little time finish the job in the third, dropping him again and landing big bombs until referee Herb Dean waved things off. “I’m the varsity guy,” Usman said. “My fight IQ is different.” [opinary poll="what-was-the-best-fight-of-february-2021" customer="mmajunkie">
1
1
