Last night (Sat. October 19, 2024) the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) took place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada for UFC Vegas 99. The main card was actually a little stronger than usual and featured three fights involving at least one ranked fighter. Unfortunately, the entire fight card was quite a slog with relatively few finishes, but the promise of violence between Michel Pereira and Anthony Hernandez helped fight fans make it to the finish line.

Let's take a look back at the best performances and techniques from UFC Vegas 99:

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

A crushing victory

Anthony Hernandez scored his sixth straight UFC win last night, knocking out Michel Pereira for five rounds before referee Herb Dean intervened at the last second and called a mercy stop. “Demolidor” has been extremely effective since moving to 185 pounds, but “Fluffy” treated him like any of his previous opponents, forcing him into a relentless cycle of takedowns, transitions and punishment.

In fact, after the first minute, Pereira had almost no good moments left. There was a solid guillotine attempt and a decent knee drop – that was it in about 20 minutes of fighting after his early upset. Hernandez was so dominant, setting multiple volume records over the course of five rounds. Honestly, this fight felt like it was over midway through the second round. “Fluffy” was precisely focused on his opponent and had him under control.

Hopefully it's the kind of win that gives him a well-deserved chance against a quality opponent. Maybe it's too crazy a jump, but I'd like to see him fight Nassourdine Imavov or Caio Borralho next. This kind of victory deserves a reward!

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Cardio is EVERYTHING!

Kyler Phillips is a great technical fighter. His movement is great and he seems to time a headbutt cleanly in almost every fight. His wrestling is rock solid and he's been doing jiu-jitsu since he was a kid. Comparatively, Rob Font has a very simple MMA game that relies almost entirely on one-two punches and close-range strikes.

Still, Font won because at the end of the day, all that matters is the pace.

Phillips won the first round easily and probably controlled four minutes from the top position. When he got back to his feet, however, he was a little tired, so Font stepped on the gas and landed some good punches. At the start of the second round, Font also began controlling his opponent's head with his lead hand, a task that became easier as Phillips slowed down a bit.

Once Font gained his advantage, the fight was no longer close. Phillips could no longer showcase his beautiful footwork and he could no longer wrestle effectively for more than a moment. All of the lightning was gone or in slow motion while Font's straight punches continued unabated at the same pace.

It's always fun to see a veteran upset the odds, but it seems like Phillips hasn't fixed his pace issues since they first emerged in 2021. In a division like bantamweight, such an obvious mistake will never be noticed at the elite level.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

The inner G does it

Charles Johnson vs. Sumudaerji was a great flyweight fight.

The first round was a technical kickboxing affair as Johnson put his foot down in the face of Sumudaerji's distance and counters. However, he was unable to pull the striker to the ground. Sumudaerji's takedown defense appeared to be significantly improved, but the attack was very competitive.

The second round was one of the best of the year. Just as his momentum seemed to be slipping away, Johnson knocked Sumudaerji down with a punch, nearly forcing the finish. When the referee gave the Chinese flyweight the chance to continue fighting, he almost gave himself a triangle choke! The attempt brought Johnson back to the ground, leading to a mad scramble that continued even in the fight with wild trades. Despite the knockdown, Sumudaerji recovered well in the third round, parrying most of his opponent's shots and landing cleanly.

The judges awarded Johnson the decision, his fourth win of the year. “Inner G” is really coming into his own and definitely deserves a ranked opponent next.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

There will be blood!

Darren Elkins vs. Daniel Pineda absolutely delivered the brutal grindfest we all expected and hoped for.

For once, Elkins wasn't the first man to bleed. He landed a nice overhand early, combined it with a takedown and then scored with glancing elbows. Nothing seemed that bad, but Pineda emerged from the interview with huge cuts over both eyes! However, there was still plenty of fighting to be done in “The Pit,” who used his guillotine choke to take top position and tear “The Damage” to shreds.

Already in the second round, both men were struggling with fatigue after the chaotic start. In classic Elkins fashion, the wrestler continued to fight for takedowns. Pineda went back to the guillotine, but Elkins showed his masterful defense by repeatedly escaping deep chokes and using transitions to gain supreme control.

It was a really fun battle between veterans, but Elkins clearly won the last two rounds, outpacing her opponent and fending off some brutal elbow strikes. Pineda announced his retirement after the loss and we'll see if it stays that way. If so, he's been an incredibly consistent action fighter for a long time and deserves his flowers.

As for Elkins, he has quietly won three of four games at age 40. He may not be at his peak anymore, but the inner dog is still thriving.

Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Additional thoughts

• Joselyne Edwards Defeats Tamires Vidal via third rear naked choke: Aside from losing weight for the third time, Edwards looked good here! The Panamanian talent is used to her opponents fighting relentlessly here, but here she was allowed to strike. As a result, her jab and range striking were spot on and she outscored Vidal for much of the fight. When Vidal really tried to force the grappling issue in the third round, Edwards was able to jump back and finish just before the bell. Overall, Edwards COULD be an interesting prospect in the bantamweight division (of which there are few). Her kickboxing game and strength definitely stand out. Unfortunately, her inability to make weight and her historically poor grappling continue to hold her back, although she did have a solid rebound last night.
• Austen Lane Defeats Robelis Despaigne by unanimous decision: After starting his UFC career 0-2 (1) with two brutal knockout losses, Lane deserves praise for not being murdered by his gargantuan opponent here. He effectively exhausted the Cuban knockout artist and wrestled him down, avoiding trading with Despaigne until his opponent was dead tired. Speaking of which, Despaigne really needs a lot of time in a real MMA camp if he's going to use his physical abilities and knockout power against anyone even halfway decent.

For complete UFC Vegas 99 results and play-by-play click here HERE!