Five Biggest Takeaways From UFC Fight Night 103

UFC Fight Night 103 went down last night (Sun., Jan. 15, 2017) from Talking Stick Resort in Phoenix, Arizona.

The main card was headlined by a featherweight match between No. 10-ranked prospect Yair Rodriguez and returning former UFC welterweight and lightweight champion BJ “The Prodigy” Penn. The co-main event played host to a lightweight bout between veteran fan favorite Joe Lauzon and Marcin Held.

Overall, the card, which was the promotion’s first of the new year, provided fight fans with some exciting action from top to bottom.

Let’s take a look at the five biggest takeaways from last night’s event:

Aleksei Oleinik May Be A Heavyweight Dark Horse

Aleksei Oleinik is currently unranked in the UFC’s heavyweight division, but the 39-year-old Russian may be a dark horse in the weight class, and is a fighter fans should keep an eye on.

Oleinik has quietly compiled a 3-1 record inside the Octagon, including three stoppage victories. Already owning a submission victory over Anthony Hamilton and a knockout over Jared Rosholt, “The Boa Constrictor” returned to action last night and scored a submission win over Viktor Pesta. In fact, the submission Oleinik locked in is known as the Ezekiel choke, and he became the first fighter in promotional history to win a bout with it.

With a background in Sambo and jiu-jitsu, Oleinik is an ultra-experienced fighter possessing a 51-10 professional record. To give him even more credit, 42 of those 51 victories have come by way of finish.

If “The Boa Constrictor” can continue to rack up wins inside of the Octagon, he may be able to make some noise in the heavyweight division.

Sergio Pettis Could Add Some Spark To The Flyweight Division

Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson has come dangerously close to cleaning out the flyweight division, but No. 15-ranked Sergio Pettis may be able to add some spark to the dwindling weight class down the road.

The 23-year-old prospect is still a raw talent, but he extended his UFC winning streak to three straight with a victory over No. 8-ranked former title challenger John Moraga on the main card of UFC Fight Night 103, which should mark the biggest victory of his career to date.

Pettis is now 6-2 in the UFC.

While he did eat some shots and surrender a takedown, Pettis was able to display his ever-improving striking, specifically his boxing, as he was able to consistently pick Moraga apart. Pettis also landed a takedown of his own near the tail end of the bout, which displayed the fact that he’s been rounding out his game.

In the aftermath of the fight, Pettis called out No. 4-ranked Jussier Formiga for a bout at UFC 209 in March. Being that he’s the younger brother of former lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, Sergio already represents a well-known name in the sport, and if he can continue to rise up the 125-pound ranks, he may be able to ignite the division and become a future title contender.

Marcin Held Progressed In His Second UFC Bout

24-year-old former Bellator lightweight title challenger Marcin Held was labeled a highly-touted prospect when he made the jump to the UFC this past November, especially given the fact he’s a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt with 12 submission victories to his record.

Held, however, is now 0-2 in the Octagon. After suffering a unanimous decision loss to longtime UFC veteran Diego Sanchez in his UFC debut, Held returned to action in the co-main event of last night’s event, taking on yet another veteran in Joe Lauzon. The bout went to the judges’ scorecards and Held ultimately ended up losing a highly questionable split decision. In the aftermath of the bout, Lauzon even admitted that Held should’ve won the fight.

The Polish-born grappler was rocked early on in the first, but he battled back and ended up taking Lauzon down multiple times. He appeared to control the pace of the fight and it seemed as if he got the better of most of the grappling exchanges, turning the fight into one that favored him.

While he didn’t get the nod from the judges, Held certainly progressed from his UFC debut to his sophomore performance in the promotion, and he should receive another fight before the UFC considers parting ways with him.

BJ Penn Should Hang Up The Gloves For Good

BJ “The Prodigy” Penn is a UFC Hall of Famer, one of only three men to win UFC titles in two different weight classes, and arguably the best 155-pound champion of all-time, but time catches up to all fighters, and it appears it has caught up to Penn.

Returning for the first time since a brutal one-sided loss to Frankie Edgar in July 2014, Penn took on surging No. 10-ranked featherweight prospect Yair Rodriguez. As it turned out, Penn had little to offer Rodriguez, and it was clear that the former champion was at a serious speed disadvantage. “The Prodigy” was picked apart for the duration of the first round before being dropped and finished early on in the second round.

Penn’s legendary toughness was once again on display, as he endured a tremendous amount of damage. That will never be able to be taken away from him, but he simply doesn’t have anything left to prove.

Once and for all, Penn should close the door on an iconic career.

Yair Rodriguez May Be A Star In The Making

Surging Mexican prospect Yair “El Pantera” Rodriguez extended his UFC record to a perfect 6-0 in the main event of UFC Fight Night 103, adding a huge name to his resume in BJ Penn.

While many are understandably arguing that Penn isn’t the fighter he once was, Rodriguez put on a brilliant performance nonetheless. He was the bigger, faster fighter, and he used that to his advantage as he unleashed a lethal variety of spinning and jumping kicks, battering Penn in the process.

With another impressive performance under his belt, Rodriguez may be on his way to superstardom. His fighting style is aesthetically pleasing and he appears to improve each and every time out. He’s also bilingual, as he speaks both Spanish and English, meaning he could hold the keys to the UFC becoming a presence in the Mexican market, which is something the promotion has been looking to do for years now.

Obviously Rodriguez must continue to win, but at only 24 years of age, the UFC may have a legitimate star on its hands.