🥊 Them Daggies...

The first three fights of the night all went the distance, making for a solid warm-up before things really kicked off. The prelims brought a mix of seasoned fighters and fresh prospects—some showing promise, others not so much. One rising star in particular completely fell short.

Then came the main card, which more than delivered, featuring two standout fights and four finishes. Sure, the Islam Makhachev vs. Arman Tsarukyan rematch didn’t happen, but anytime you get to watch the best fighter on the planet in action, you gotta appreciate it.

Aside from losing the original main event, this was just about the perfect way to start the UFC’s pay-per-view schedule.

📉 Fumbling the Big Moment

When you get your first UFC title shot, it’s a huge moment—more eyes, more pressure. But when it came time to step up, he completely dropped the ball in his post-fight moment with Joe Rogan.

❌ The Excuse Game

Right away, he blamed a hand injury. Sure, that’s part of the story, but:
- Either save that for later,
- Or let your management leak it at the right time.

Instead, he brought it up immediately, and it just came off bad.

🤯 "I Won That Fight"

To make things worse, he outright claimed he won. That’s just wild. At least Nurmagomedov walked it back a little, saying he needed to rewatch the fight. But not giving Merab any respect?
- Not even a “Let’s run it back someday”?
- Not a simple nod to his opponent?

Bad look. He talked big before the fight, and then he got beaten clearly.

On a main card packed with great moments, that was the one big “Oh no.”

Maybe Umar can clean it up with a follow-up statement online, but it was disappointing to see. There’s a right way to handle a loss, and this wasn’t it.