Who Rose & Who Fell At UFC 188

To say that UFC 188 changed the landscape of the world’s top MMA organization would be an understatement. From the quickest submission in UFC bantamweight history, to two major main card upsets, the night was full of excitement.

Each fighter entered the night with a purpose, some bigger then others. Lets take a look at the night’s biggest winners and losers.

Moving Up:

Patrick Williams submitted Alejandro Perez in just 23 seconds, setting the record for fastest submission in UFC bantamweight history. Williams also pocketed a $50,000 “Performance of the Night” bonus, and almost certainly boosted his ranking within the division.

Yair Rodriguez came in as an underdog against Charles Rosa, but he went on to completely dismantle him. Rodriguez used Jon Jones-like striking on the feet, and an Anthony Pettis style guard when put on his back. The 22-year-old Rodriguez put on a show in front of the screaming Mexican fans and should have a bright future ahead in the already buzzing featherweight division.

Eddie Alvarez came into UFC 188 desperately needing a win. Facing Gilbert Melendez was a tough task, but the veteran Alvarez notched his first UFC win, and settled the longtime score between the former Strikeforce and Bellator lightweight champions. Alvarez adds his name to the already stacked lightweight division contender list.

Moving Down:

Drew Dober’s loss to Efrain Escudero spells bad for the treading lightweight. In his last five fights, Dober is 1-3(1) with one no contest. A win over Escudero would have vaulted him back into the win column, but now he is probably fighting for the privilege of being employed by the UFC.

Nate Marquardt proved all the haters correct, with his lopsided loss to the younger Kelvin Gastelum. The 36-year-old former middleweight title challenger split time between his camp in Colorado and American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) in San Jose, California to train for this fight. The battle-tested Marquardt is nearing the end of his career, and a loss to Gastelum just sped that up exponentially.