UFC Kansas City: Machado Garry outlasts Prates, bound for Montreal next month
‘The Future’ picked up a hard-fought win over the dangerous Fighting Nerd before announcing he’s headed to UFC 315 to serve as the backup for the upcoming welterweight title fight.
Ian Machado Garry put himself right back into the thick of the welterweight title chase with a calculated, measured win over Carlos Prates in the main event of the UFC’s return to Kansas City on Saturday night.
The Irish standout was in complete control over the first three rounds, using his movement, length, and varied attacks to keep the Fighting Nerds representative unable to get his offence going. After 15 minutes, it looked like Machado Garry was going to cruise to a clean sweep of the scorecards, but Prates began having more success over the final two rounds. He bloodied his foe in the fourth and had Machado Garry scrambling for safety at times in the fifth, but was unable to find the finish that he needed.
All three judges scored the fight in favour of Machado Garry, who put himself back into the win column after suffering the lone loss of his career last time out in a short-notice scrap with Shavkat Rakhmonov.
During his post-fight interview with Paul Felder, “The Future” announced that he’ll be in Montreal in two weeks’ time, serving as the official backup fighter for the championship main event between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena that is set to headline UFC 315 at Bell Centre. It’s an interesting development given that (a) he just fought, and (b) has yet to register a win over a top-five opponent, but it speaks to the current depth in the welterweight division and how timing can factor into these things.
The 27-year-old has shown on consecutive outings that he’s capable of delivering quality performances with limited prep time, and the promotion is banking on that remaining the case if he’s called into duty in Montreal.
Both Rakhmonov and Sean Brady are stationed ahead of Machado Garry in the rankings, as is Joaquin Buckley, who was recently announced to face former champ Kamaru Usman in Atlanta this summer. No matter how things play out at UFC 315 next month, there will be plenty of options going forward in the 170-pound weight class, and with his performance on Saturday night and position as the backup for next month’s title bout, it’s clear that Machado Garry is going to be a big part of things, one way or another.
End of the line for Lionheart
Anthony Smith stepped into the Octagon for the final time on Saturday night. He walked out with a new gash on his head, down a pint of blood, and fully accepting that his time as an active competitor had run its course.
“Lionheart” was bludgeoned by ascending Chinese light heavyweight Zhang Mingyang, who cut Smith with a series of elbows, then finished him with more of the same in the fourth minute of the opening round. It was the third straight first-round stoppage win in as many appearances for the promising “Mountain Tiger,” who continues to stand as an intriguing enigma in the 205-pound ranks.
But this moment was more about Smith, who was given an outstanding sendoff by the UFC. The 36-year-old fought 60 times as a professional, building himself into a genuine light heavyweight contender after bouncing through every promotion imaginable. If he hadn’t been such a born fighter, he could have won the UFC light heavyweight title by disqualification after Jon Jones blasted him with an illegal knee in their championship clash at UFC 235.
He was a mainstay in the top 15 from the outset of his move to light heavyweight, and you knew things would be exciting every time he stepped into the Octagon. Over the last few years, however, that excitement was at his expense more often than not, and with a successful broadcasting career already in place, Smith announced ahead of this one that it would be his last.
While many would have loved a fairytale ending where Smith scored one last highlight reel win before riding off into the sunset, that’s generally not how things work in the fight game. Instead, Smith knew it was time, made one final walk, and left on his own terms, which isn’t something everyone gets to do.
A consummate professional and consistently entertaining talent, Smith ends his career with a 38-22 record.
A little love for the ‘second 15’
Given the amount we focus on fighters breaking into the rankings and how difficult it is to earn a number next to your name, it feels appropriate to show a little love to the men and women that constantly hover on the doorstep of the top 15, as maintaining a residence there is no easy task either.
Randy Brown and Nicolas Dalby have both been mainstays in the “second 15” at welterweight, and the duo delivered an absolute slobberknocker on Saturday, with Brown becoming the first to finish the Danish veteran. “Rudeboy” is 15-6 in the UFC, has earned highlight reel knockouts to begin each of his last two campaigns, and is a prime example of a tenured, talented fighter that doesn’t get the recognition he deserves, given the consistency of his performances and the results he’s amassed.
Earlier in the night, Chris Gutiérrez, who had a cup of coffee in the rankings at bantamweight, registered a split decision win over John Castañeda. Meanwhile, Da’Mon Blackshear picked up his third straight victory by outhustling Alatengheili over three rounds. Both fit the bill as “second 15″ standouts, having fought solid competition throughout their UFC careers while constantly being counted on to deliver entertaining bouts.
Champions and contenders rightfully get the lion’s share of the focus. But, every so often, we should make a point of giving some love to the men and women who play a key role in keeping these divisions moving and serve as dependable presences in their respective weight classes.
Quieter broadcast, better broadcast
Paul Felder and Laura Sanko joined Brendan Fitzgerald at the broadcast table on Saturday, and the trio delivered one of the more enjoyable nights of commentary in recent memory. This was in large part because they allowed the action to speak for itself a great deal.
The chemistry and rhythm between Felder and Sanko is outstanding because of their time working together on Dana White’s Contender Series (DWCS), and Fitzgerald is always a solid captain of the ship, navigating the team through introductions, promotions, and setting up the analysts. There were no unnecessary tangents, no getting overly excited about big shots or submission attempts, and no one working too hard to make sure they get their thoughts out there; just smart, timely insights and much more silence than most are surely used to, and it was lovely.
Sanko, who just received her Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt, needs to get more opportunities, because she’s always prepared and extremely sharp every time she’s on the broadcast, while Felder remains the best of the analysts who get regular reps.
And shout out to McKenzie Pavacich, too, as the longtime digital team member once again filled the roving reporter role and absolutely crushed it. Don’t be surprised to see more and more of her this year and going forward.
Octagon odds & ends
David Onama keeps taking steps forward in the featherweight division, and most likely climbed into the rankings with his win over Giga Chikadze on Saturday. Fighting in his adopted hometown of Kansas City, the Ugandan wrestled his way to a unanimous decision victory to extend his winning streak to four. He continues to show improvements and developments each time out.
Abus Magomedov picked up his third straight win, earning a unanimous decision victory over Michel Pereira midway through the main card. The 34-year-old is clearly settling into life in the UFC after getting hustled into a main event in his sophomore appearance, and should land in the top 15 when the rankings update next week.
Ikram Aliskerov got back into the win column in emphatic fashion on Saturday, pounding out a first-round stoppage win over Brazilian veteran Andre Muniz. Expectations were high for Aliskerov heading into last year after a two-win rookie campaign in 2023. However, the Russian fought just once, losing a short-notice main event against former champ Robert Whittaker in June.
This was the kind of strong finish over an experienced name that should rekindle some of that momentum and earn the DWCS grad a date with a top-15 opponent next time out.
Matt Schnell announced his retirement following his loss to Cody Durden last fall, then quickly reversed course, making his return on Saturday night in a competitive scrap with Jimmy Flick to close out the prelims. “Danger” warmed into the contest, opening up the Dana White’s Contender Series alum in the second before getting the better of the grappling exchanges in the final round to salt away an important win.
We got four straight stoppages to kick off the night in Kansas City, the second time this year an event has opened with four or more consecutive finishes.
Joselyne Edwards kicked things off with a first-round stoppage win over Chelsea Chandler, followed by Timmy Cuamba putting Roberto Romero down in the second, Jaqueline Amorim submitting Polyana Viana in the middle stanza, and Malcolm Wellmaker registering a first-round walk-off knockout over Cameron Saaiman in his promotional debut.
All four of those victorious athletes are worth keeping tabs on in the long term, especially Amorim and Wellmaker. The former has won four straight, all by stoppage, and is a former gi and no gi BJJ world champion, while the latter is a late arrival to MMA with menacing power for the division, and one seems to be growing by leaps and bounds between every fight.
