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UFC Vegas 27 post-topsy: Font and Esparza dominate, Garbrandt in limbo, and cashing bonus checks

As we look back at the event that was in this UFC Vegas 27 post-topsy, it feels like the lasting narratives were the impressive ascendance of two major talents and the continued fall of a former Ultimate Fighting Championship champion. Rob Font and Carla Esparza both sent a message to UFC brass that they are…

Jason Burgos

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As we look back at the event that was in this UFC Vegas 27 post-topsy, it feels like the lasting narratives were the impressive ascendance of two major talents and the continued fall of a former Ultimate Fighting Championship champion. Rob Font and Carla Esparza both sent a message to UFC brass that they are title shot worthy right now. While on the opposite side of the spectrum, former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt seems in career limbo with no clear direction forward. We’ll talk about all of that and some bonus check winners in this latest edition of Post-topsy.

UFC Vegas 27 post-topsy: Font knock, knock, knocking on the title shot door

Rob Font has been one of the best bantamweights in the world for the last few years. That’s why his name being in the division rankings has been as common place as partisan politics in Washington. However, the knock on the Boston native was he could not get over that hill to elite status. Against John Lineker, Pedro Munhoz, and Raphael Assuncao he had a chance to take that step forward but he wasn’t quite ready. And that’s not a bad thing, because every fighter evolves and matures at a different speed. Well, guess what, he’s ready now.

In his current four-fight winning streak he has shown arguably the best jab in the promotion, first-class boxing, and an all-around skill set that is the stuff of a top-five fighter. Something he has become in beating new Bellator bantamweight champion Sergio Pettis and Ricky Simon, knocking out former title challenger Marlon Moraes, and then overwhelming former champ Garbrandt last night. Granted, “No Love” does not seem to be the fighter he was in 2016, but few expected that Font’s boxing would turn a scary striker like Garbrandt into a bike-riding wrestler for much of the fight.

If not for the contendership cloud of July’s bout between Cory Sandhagen versus TJ Dillashaw hanging over the title picture, there is no doubt Font should be next for the winner of the title rematch between Petr Yan and Aljamain Sterling. You could make the case he is still the clear-cut choice with all that considered. Nevertheless, title fight or not next, the soon-to-be 34-year-old is one of the best 135-pound fighters on planet earth and is only getting better.

Carla Esparza: From ‘Cookie Monster’ to ‘Contender Monster’

Let’s cut straight to chase. Carla Esparza is the top contender at strawweight. Sure, a case could be made for former champion Zhang Weili since the promotion loves to give out automatic rematches. You could even push for Joanna Jedrzejczyk to be in a championship bout on a pure marketing level because she is one of the greatest female fighters in UFC history. However, after what the 33-year-old did last night, all of that seems secondary.

Before UFC Vegas 27, the biggest knock on Esparza was she wasn’t the most visually exciting competitor in the division. The former strawweight champion uses her impressive wrestling to ground and grind opponents into pulp. All but one of her eight UFC wins, before yesterday, was by decision. There’s nothing wrong with that, but for a promotion that leans more towards entertainment than sport in booking big fights, it definitely doesn’t help a fighter’s case.

Then UFC Vegas 27 came, and Esparza blew the doors off of the hype surrounding the third-ranked Yan Xiaonan. “Fury” had won all six of her UFC fights and seemed primed to be molded into the next title contender from China. But Esparza used her patented wrestling early and often and dominated her in route to a technical knockout in the second round. Her first stoppage victory in seven years. The last, oddly enough, was to new champion Rose Namajunas in their The Ultimate Fighter season 20 finale fight.

Esparza has earned a title fight with five straight against top talent in the division. She laid claim to that emphatically last night, and what better story is there than the uber-popular Namajunas looking to avenge a loss in her first big fight. Make it happen UFC.

The Cody Garbrandt of 2016 is long gone

Getting a little older and declining as a pro athlete is completely normal…when you’re in your 30s and older. Yet former bantamweight champion Cody Garbrandt seems removed from his prime at just 29-years-old. Think about that, “No Love” is still not even 30 yet. Did the three straight knockout losses have an effect? Did getting definitively beaten by his hated rival TJ Dillashaw, in two straight title fights, break him on some level? Maybe enough video of him and some good strategy blueprints got out there, and everyone caught up while he stagnated.

It’s hard to say, but Garbrandt is no longer the man that out-classed the greatest bantamweight of all time, Dominick Cruz, like a rising superstar in 2016. And that’s okay. It doesn’t mean he still can’t be great again.

So what’s next? That too is another tough question. Garbrandt almost found himself in a flyweight title fight with Deiveson Figueiredo last year until COVID-19 intervened and sidelined him for months. A move to 125 pounds is possible, but what’s the point when he doesn’t deserve a title fight there? Bantamweight is his best fit, but after losing big in four of his last five, the path forward needs to be a few steps back to rebuild like a sports franchise whose title run is over.

At 29, Garbrandt has a lot of years left, so he has the time to rebuild from the ground up. He needs to figure out what the best version of himself is right now, be challenged by fighters at the back of the top-15 instead of the front, and get some wins under his belt. Build up some steam, and return to prominence at an age that are still prime years. Here’s hoping Garbrandt begins a slow burn process back to the top.

Bonus check recipients

As per the usual, four fighters scored US $50,000 checks at the end of the night, and they were all well earned. Heavyweights Jared Vanderaa and Justin Tafa put on a surprisingly high-paced and bloody brawl on the main card. Bruno Silva scored a second straight knockout win on the prelims, which was one of the top highlights of the event. And Esparza’s excellence and deservedness in a bonus have already been well outlined in this piece.

Fight of the Night: Jared Vanderaa vs. Justin Tafa

Performance of the Night: Carla Esparza

Performance of the Night: Bruno Silva

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