The Good, Bad and the Ugly from UFC Fight Night 236

The Ultimate Fighting Championship returned to the UFC Apex to host a 14-fight card Saturday headlined by middleweight hopefuls Joe Pyfer and No. 11 ranked Jack Hermansson. After falling down two rounds, Hermansson proved his mettle and rallied to a unanimous decision victory (48-47, 48-47, 48-47).

Here’s the good, bad and the ugly from UFC Fight Night 236.

The Good: Rock-a-Bye Baby

They call him 50k for a reason.

Dan Ige lived up to his moniker with an absolutely masterful overhand right that put Andre Fili out cold in the first round of their featherweight feud. Ige didn’t look his best against Bryce Mitchell last September, but he showed Saturday that he’s still amongst the best in the world.

Ige made the moment even more special when he hopped on the mic to shout out his wife Savannah, who is in labor giving birth to their baby daughter. I guess there’s something about fatherhood that will turn a man into a monster. If Ige’s gonna fight like Mike Tyson every time his wife has a baby, it might be time to embrace some new training methods.

In all seriousness, Ige’s one-shot sleeper over Fili was the highlight of the night, and it would be criminal for him not to get a bonus. Spoiler: he did. The co-main event was expected to be a three-round thriller and Ige closed the show within minutes. Thanks for getting that checkbook out Dana, because diapers ain’t cheap.

The Bad: They Can’t all be Bangers

Look, if a fight doesn’t end in a knockout, that doesn’t mean it was a bad fight. That said, UFC Fight Night 236 was loaded with bad fights. From a no-contest in the very first bout, to a rare snoozer from Jeremiah Wells, Saturday’s card lacked a soul.

Instead, the card showcased fighters coming off losses, unproven debutees, and a 37-year-old Michael Johnson. Ige and Hermannson were the only two combatants on the slate ranked by the UFC in the Top 15 of their respective weight classes. Sherdog’s independent rankings had nobody ranked competing Saturday. With so many events planned this year on the UFC’s docket, the company has to spread out its best talent and give a platform to its rising stars, but this wasn’t the time for that.

It’s disappointing the UFC would deliver such a subpar card hours before the Super Bowl. With millions flooding Las Vegas for the big game, a boring marathon of bouts in Dana White’s overpriced warehouse was not the winning recipe.

A Las Vegas Super Bowl has never happened, and the UFC should’ve seized the opportunity to remind the world that Sin City is still a fight town. Boxing dropped the bar and there were no other major cards to compete with. The lack of foresight to take hold of the situation was as surprising as it was disappointing.

The Ugly: Below the Belt

Undefeated featherweight prospect Daniel Marcos was en route to his 16th career victory before it was taken from him in the strangest way. While teeing off on an overmatched Qileng Aori, Marcos brought the man to his knees with an accidental low blow.

These things happen. In fact, Marcos suffered through a cup check himself moments before, but kept fighting. Aori didn’t. With Marcos and referee Jason Herzog patiently waiting, Aori milked his injury for the entirety of the five-minute grace period.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’ve taken a shot or two to the manhood and I can attest that the pain is intense — but not unbearable. Five minutes is more than enough time to regain your composure and keep fighting. If anything, it was Aori’s pride that hurt the most.

Marcos had the “Mongolian Murderer” leaking just minutes into the fight and Aori was hopelessly outmatched, outgunned and out of options. Unfortunately for Marcos, he provided him one. With the finish all but inevitable, Aori used the ruleset to his advantage and forced Herzog to declare the bout a No Contest.

Was Aori not wearing a cup? I remember when my old football coach used to walk around before practice with his cleats ready to tap. That seems oddly problematic now, but at least it taught me a valuable lesson: protect the merchandise. Aori didn’t and unfortunately it was Marcos who paid the price.