Post-Fight Stock Report: UFC Fight Night 169

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship on Saturday made its way back to Norfolk, Virginia, with UFC Fight Night 169—an event headlined by a flyweight title bout between Joseph Benavidez and Deiveson Figueiredo. Because Figueiredo failed to meet weight limits, he was ineligible to win the 125-pound championship. Some stocks rose, while other fell.

STOCK UP

Felicia Spencer: With a women’s featherweight title shot potentially at stake, Spencer rebounded from her first career defeat and took out Zarah Fairn dos Santos with some heavy ground-and-pound from full mount in the first round. It did not take Spencer long to reveal her game plan, as she took down Fairn dos Santos almost immediately and went to work on advancing to full mount. From there, a volley of well-placed punches and elbows drew the curtain. Afterward, Spencer turned her attention to a title fight with women’s featherweight champion Amanda Nunes. A May 18 submission victory over Megan Anderson now looms large.

Megan Anderson: It appears as though Anderson has finally established some solid footing in the UFC. The 30-year-old Aussie posted her second straight win, as she cut down the previously undefeated Norma Dumont Viana with a picture-perfect right hand in the first round. Following her latest conquest, Anderson called for a title shot against Nunes and pointed to the idea that she was the only women’s featherweight contender currently on a winning streak. The former Invicta Fighting Championships titleholder only figures to improve while working under James Krause at Glory MMA.

Grant Dawson: Glory MMA’s Dawson improved his UFC record to a perfect 3-0 and did so in style, as he submitted Darrick Minner with a rear-naked choke in the second round. He has now delivered 11 of his 15 professional victories by submission. Dawson has begun to climb the featherweight ladder. Armed with a 15-1 record and a knack for quick finishes, the Dana White’s Contender Series alum could find himself pitted against elite competition sooner rather than later. Afterward, Dawson was hesitant to call his next shot, but the 145-pound weight class has nevertheless been put on notice.

STOCK DOWN

Joseph Benavidez: It may be easy to feel for Benavidez, especially with his opponent’s failure to make weight, but he appeared to be outgunned against Figueiredo in the main event. He had issues with the Brazilian’s counter shots, dipped directly into powerful right hands and saw his wrestling attack get nullified. The difference in size and power was evident throughout. Benavidez now finds himself in rare company as one of the only mixed martial artists to go 0-4 in title fights within major organizations. While that figures to remain a sore spot for the San Antonio native, he remains one of the greatest flyweights of all-time. With his championship window seemingly shut, it will be interesting to see where Benavidez’s career goes from here.

Zarah Fairn dos Santos: Winless in two UFC appearances, Fairn dos Santos has looked woefully outmatched in the grappling department. The lack of depth in the women’s featherweight division may be her saving grace in terms of staying on the UFC roster, but one could argue that she should fine tune her talents elsewhere. Either way, Fairn dos Santos needs to go back to the drawing board and work on becoming a more complete fighter if she wants to compete at the highest level of the sport. Perhaps some time spent in Invicta would serve her well.

Ismail Naurdiev: “The Austrian Wonderboy” suffered his second defeat in three outings. The culprit? An apparent lack of an educated grappling game and an inability to stay off of his back. Naurdiev is a compelling prospect, but in order to make waves in a division as stacked as welterweight, he needs to improve his wrestling defense. Sean Brady took him down at will, corralled him on the floor and worked his ground-and-pound to pull away on the scorecards. Judges awarded the undefeated former Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder 29-28, 29-28 and 30-27 marks. The jury remains out on whether or not Naurdiev can graduate from prospect to contender.