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UFC 299 TAKEAWAYS AND THOUGHTS

UFC 299 Takeaways and Thoughts

March 11, 2024

There was a lot of excitement surrounding the UFC 299 card and, my friends, it ended up delivering! It was filled with exciting finishes and back and forth fights while also creating some questions and possible matchups for future fights. Let’s take a look at the quick results from the show…

Main card

Sean O’Malley def. Marlon Vera via UD

Dustin Poirier def. Benoit Saint Denis via KO (R2, 2:32)

Michael Page def. Kevin Holland via UD

Jack Della Maddalena def. Gilbert Burns via TKO (R3, 3:43)

Petr Yan def. Song Yadong via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Prelims

Curtis Blaydes def. Jailton Almeida via second-round TKO (0:36)

Maycee Barber def. Katlyn Cerminara via unanimous decision (30-27 x2, 29-28)

Mateusz Gamrot def. Rafael dos Anjos via unanimous decision (29-28 x2, 30-27)

Kyler Phillips def. Pedro Munhoz via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)

Philipe Lins def. Ion Cutelaba via unanimous decision (29-28 x3)

Michel Pereira def. Michal Oleksiejczuk via sub (RNC) (R1, 1:01)

Robelis Despaigne def. Josh Parisian via first-round KO (0:18)

Assu Almabayev def. CJ Vergara via unanimous decision (30-27 x3)

Joanne Wood def. Maryna Moroz via split decision (29-28 x2, 28-29)

The Prelims

As I always say, don’t sleep on the Prelims. Obviously, this card was packed, so the desire to check out the Prelims was probably higher than usual for most. However, I’m sure some people didn’t tune in early enough and ended up missing some really good action.

• The night kicked off with a really fun, back and forth fight between Joanne Wood and Maryna Moroz. Moroz looked to be in complete control in the first round, but Wood turned things around in the second and third round, including a nasty backfist that almost knocked Moroz out, to get the split decision. This was Wood’s retirement fight after a fun career. Best of luck to her!

• Assu Almabayev was probably one of the lesser known names coming into the night, but he left his fight making an impression on me. He basically dominated CJ Vergara on the ground and showed why he may be in line for a jump in fight competition the next time out.

• Robelis Despaigne needed only 18 seconds to show why his hands are lethal. While falling backwards, he was able to knock out Josh Parisian with a lethal blow. A lot of people are excited to see if Robelis’ power can work with higher ranked opponents. He is a bit older for a UFC newcomer, so the time to test him may be sooner rather than later.

• In another quick finish, Michel Pereira had a vicious submission win. After missing weight at 170 last year, 185 is looking like a division where he can make some waves. 

• Ion Cutelaba did everything he could to intimidate Philipe Lins. However, he didn’t do everything he could to win. Philipe Lins stayed composed and got the impressive win over the very intense Cutelaba.

• Kyler Phillips and Pedro Munhoz kicked off the Prelims on ESPN and continued to show how fun this card was. They had a back and forth fight that solidified Kyler Phillips’ improvement. He will probably be ranked this week.

• Mateusz Gamrot ended up picking up an important win against Rafael dos Anjos. RdA almost finished Gamrot in the first, but Gamrot was able to settle down and take the win with strong second and third rounds. Gamrot will surely get a highly featured fight next time out that may throw him in the contention ring.

• Maycee Barber continued her climb towards a title fight. This fight against Katlyn Cerminara was her toughest test to date and she passed with flying colors. She was a zombie in the first round, pushing forward and showing just how unafraid she is to take on the best of the division. Cerminara did not make it easy in the second round, though. She’s so good at what she does and used her length to create range issues for Barber. However, Barber showcased just how much she belongs, as she was able to figure out how to close that range to get in her shots to win the third. It was a great showing for Barber who will have a major fight her next time out. Although Cerminara lost, she fought hard and it was great to see her back in action.

• I was super interested in the feature Prelim of the night - Curtis Blaydes vs. Jailton Almeida. The men came in pretty even in the odds, but most of the hype was behind Almeida. It looked like that hype would continue in the first round. Almeida took down Blaydes multiple times and Blaydes looked almost lost. Blaydes had a pretty good idea in the second round, though - why not punch Almeida in the head? He did just that while Almeida was taking him down and ended up getting the finish. This keeps Blaydes towards the top of the division and puts him in line to make some waves with the tippy top of the division having a lot of questions with Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic possibly retiring soon.

And those were just the Prelim fights! Let’s take a look at the Main Card…

Petr Yan vs. Song Yadong

It took him a round to warm up, but Petr Yan ended up figuring things out to get the decision over Song Yadong. It was a really strong fight for both men, though. Yan showcased why he deserves another chance to get a run at the top of the division and Yadong showed why he deserves to continue to get high profile fights. Yan desperately needed this win, though. Even though he lost to worthy opponents his last few times out, wins get you chances…and this win will definitely open up more chances.

Jack Della Maddalena vs. Gilbert Burns

This fight was important for both men. For Gilbert Burns, this was going to show if he was still worthy of his high ranking after taking off the second half of last year. For Jack Della Maddalena, this was going to show if he was ready to move up the rankings. Burns had a strong gameplan of taking down JDM and showing us that Della Maddalena needs to work on his ground game a lot more. However, JDM was able to land a NASTY knee to Burns, which led to the win. JDM will move up in the rankings, but will have to improve his ground game, for sure - especially if he’s going to call out someone like Shavkat Rakhmonov, who seemed willing to accept the fight.

Michael Page vs. Kevin Holland

Michael Page knows how to put on a show. He walked out with a hooded cape to The Undertaker’s music. He threw the cape off and then grooved to a dance version of the famed music. He then outdueled Kevin Holland when it came to Octagon antics, which is quite hard to do. However, he also showed why he will create tough matchups in the UFC. His style is quirky and he’s long. While some of the fun he was having didn’t match his striking output, he did do enough to secure the win. In his post fight press conference, he did state that he wishes he did more to get a finish, so I think we’ll have a more focused approach next time out.

Joanna Jerdzejczyk

In a much deserved move, Joanna Jerdzeyczyk was announced as the newest inductee to the UFC Hall of Fame. She had an amazing career and will get a great moment at her induction. Congratulations!

Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint-Denis

This was a big fight for both Dustin and Benoit Saint-Denis. For Saint-Denis, this was a big step up in competition and a proving ground fight. While he showed a lot of toughness, Dustin Poirier got the much needed win. For Dustin, he needed this win to show that he can get back on track and stay towards the top of the division. It was a risky fight for Dustin to take against the lower ranked, surging Saint-Denis. Dustin didn’t make it easy on himself - he kept jumping into guillotines, to the frustration of his corner. Some of them almost worked. Some of them didn’t. Either way, it was his hands that got him the win. He’s back!

Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera

Wow - what a masterclass this was by Sean O’Malley. Chito Vera is tough and showed, again, why he hasn’t been finished in his career. Sean O’Malley hit Chito with everything he had and used his boxing beautifully. Vera took so many hard shots and stayed on his feet. O’Malley did make Vera shell up quite a bit, though, which allowed O’Malley to stick to his game plan and, therefore, didn’t permit Vera to get flowing. Vera had a couple of nice moments, including a last second body shot. However, O’Malley was the clear winner and showed how seriously he’s taking being a champion. It was a great win.

What is next for Sean O’Malley?

After his win, Sean O’Malley called out Ilia Topuria, who just became champion in the Featherweight Division (the weight class above O’Malley). Of course, Merab Dvalishvili is waiting in the wings for his title fight against O’Malley after earning it last month with his win over Henry Cejudo. Personally, both fights are big time fights and will be tough for Sean O’Malley, as both fighters have strong ground games to go along with their stand up game. Dana White didn’t seem thrilled with the idea of O’Malley facing Topuria - at least for now. However, we’ll see what the money says.

My Picks

I went 9-4 in my picks from my preview last week. I’m only highlighting this because this card was very tough to pick and I’m proud of myself for getting 9 correct. A lot of the fights were either pretty even or had some uncertain matchups. Thanks to getting a couple of underdog picks correct, I ended up winning a little over $2 on my bets (I bet a dollar on every fight). Looks like I’ll be retiring early, eh?!

Overall, UFC 299 was an excellent way to spend a Saturday night. The fights delivered, stories were told or set up, and it was a great MMA experience. Even though I am still riding the UFC 299 high, and probably will be for a few days, everyone’s attention will now be shifting to UFC 300 next month. Let’s not forget, though, we still have a few Fight Nights in between - all of which look like fun!

How about you? Did you watch UFC 299? If so, what did you think? Let me know at matt.tenhoeve@gmail.com. I will see you later this week to talk about UFC Fight Night: Tuivasa vs. Tybura, which will be happening on Saturday. See you then!