Lobov exceeds expectations in loss

Many people, including his opponent this past weekend, feel that Artem Lobov is not in the UFC based on his skills, but rather because he trains with UFC lightweight champion Conor McGregor. Despite a unanimous decision loss (49-46, 49-46 and 50-45) to fourth-ranked featherweight Cub Swanson, Lobov may have quashed that notion with an admirable performance.

Lobov absorbed 209 significant strikes in his first UFC main-event appearance, but didn’t get knocked down. He also landed 123 significant strikes of his own.

The fight, considered to be a lopsided matchup, ended up increasing the stock of both combatants. Swanson may be in line for a title shot, while Lobov, who was a near 5-to-1 underdog, proved he belongs in the UFC despite his unimpressive 13-13-1 career record.

The best-case scenario for Swanson would be for Jose Aldo to retain his title at UFC 212 and have teammate Yair Rodriguez to lose to Frankie Edgar at UFC 211. It is doubtful that Edgar would get a rematch after losing to Aldo last year, making Swanson the next in line.

Swanson fought Aldo in 2009, suffering a knockout loss in eight seconds. Eight years later, Swanson has won 10 of his last 12 fights, with his losses coming to Edgar and interim featherweight champion Max Holloway.

Iaquinta wins emphatically, sounds off on the UFC

Al Iaquinta returned from a two-year layoff looking better than ever. The layoff was spurned by what he felt was unfair compensation and it seems that the resentment remains.

Despite finishing Diego Sanchez at 1:38 of the first round, Iaquinta was denied a Performance of the Night bonus and was seemingly livid.

Within 30 minutes, Iaquinta had sent out three not-so-kindly worded tweets expressing his displeasure toward the organization. His future with the organization seems is in doubt, barring some serious reconciliation.

Iaquinta has made no secret of the fact that he has taken a step back from fighting to focus his energy on his real estate career.

After such an exciting victory, it would be a real shame to see someone who could be a contender in the lightweight division walk away from the sport.

The win was exactly what Team Serra-Longo needed after having their three other UFC fighters – Chris Weidman, Aljamain Sterling and Gian Villante – go 0-3, 1-2 and 1-2 in their last three fights respectively.

Despite boos, Dodson showcases incredible speed and defence

Since winning Season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter, John Dodson has been considered one of the top flyweights in the sport. But after two losses to champion Demetrious Johnson, he decided to make the move to bantamweight.

Dodson had previously knocked out former champion T.J. Dillashaw at bantamweight to win TUF. On Saturday, Dodson showed that his speed is a major weapon in the division after running circles around former title challenger Eddie Wineland.

According to FightMetric, Wineland landed 21 of 38 strikes for 15 per cent accuracy during the fight, which was the result of Dodson’s incredible footwork and ability to connect while avoiding getting hit.

Despite the crowd’s displeasure with the perceived lack of action, Dodson proved that he could be the fastest competitor at bantamweight and should inch closer to the top-5 with the win.

A new contender emerges at flyweight

Brandon Moreno has been one to watch in the UFC since being selected to compete on The Ultimate Fighter: Tournament of Champions.

On The Ultimate Fighter, Moreno was eliminated in the opening round after a submission loss to Alexandre Pantoja. But in an unlikely scenario, he was given the opportunity as a late-notice replacement to fight then ninth-ranked Louis Smolka while the show was still airing.

Not only did Moreno accept the fight against the heavily favoured Smolka, he won with a first-round submission.

He would then go on to defeat Ryan Benoit, another ranked opponent, by split decision two months later and made another statement this past weekend with a second-round submission over ninth-ranked Dustin Ortiz.

The win should move the 23-year-old Moreno further up the rankings and cements his status as one of the top prospects in the division.

Bonuses and attendance

The Fight of the Night bonus went to Lobov and Swanson for their five-round melee. Mike Perry and Moreno earned Performance of the Night bonuses for Perry’s vicious knockout elbow against Jake Ellenberger and Moreno’s submission win over Ortiz respectively.

Attendance for this event, which took place at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., was 10,144, which earned a live gate just over $750,000.

The next UFC event is a stacked pay-per-view event as UFC 211 takes place on Saturday, May 13th at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. It features two championship fights at the top of the card, and the UFC heavyweight title is on the line with champion Stipe Miocic taking on Junior dos Santos. Strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk faces vicious striker Jessica Andrade. The preliminary card airs on TSN beginning at 8 p.m. ET.