Advertisement

The three stars of 'UFC Fight Night 58: Machida vs. Dollaway' in Brazil

Erick Silva

Erick Silva

The UFC staged 46 events in 2014 with hundreds of fighters going in and out of the octagon. There’s only a brief window of opportunity for them to make a lasting impression on fans, and some did it better than others.

UFC Fight Night 58 took place Saturday and aired on FOX Sports 1 from Jose Correa Arena in Barueri, Sao Paulo, Brazil, and of the 24 competitors to compete on the card, three turned in performances that stood out from the rest.

Now that UFC Fight Night 58 is in the books, it’s time to commence MMAjunkie’s “Three Stars” ceremony.

* * * *

Third Star: Erick Silva

If Erick Silva (17-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC) has proven one thing in his UFC career, it’s that he’s consistently inconsistent. The 30-year-old has alternated wins and losses through his nine-fight UFC run, and after a TKO loss to Matt Brown in his previous outing, Silva rebounded with a quick submission of fellow welterweight Mike Rhodes (6-4 MMA, 0-3 UFC).

Silva has yet to have a boring performance inside the octagon, and he either wins or loses in spectacular fashion. This time he won, and he needed just 75 seconds to get the job done.

As long as “Indio” continues to fight as he does and avoids falling into a slump with multiple consecutive losses, his spot on the UFC roster is presumably safe for many years to come.

Second Star: Rashid Magomedov

Rashid Magomedov (18-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC) has largely dominated his competition both in and out of the octagon thus far in his career. The lone defeat on his resume came by split decision, and other than that, he’s been on a tear.

He earned his third consecutive UFC victory, this time against lightweight Elias Silverio (11-1 MMA, 3-1 UFC), but it was no ordinary win. The 30-year-old has received criticism for his lack of finishing ability, but against Silverio, he managed to score a knockout with just three seconds remaining in the third round.

The finish set a new record for the latest stoppage in a three-round UFC fight, breaking John Howard’s mark against Dennis Hallman that stood since the TUF 10 Finale in December 2009.

While everyone is talking about Khabib Nurmagomedov as the next UFC lightweight star, his Russian brethren Magomedov could soon join him near the top of the 155-pound rankings.

First Star: Lyoto Machida

Lyoto Machida (22-5 MMA, 14-5 UFC) has looked pretty spectacular since he dropped to the UFC middleweight division in late 2013. The former light-heavyweight champion’s 62-second body-kick knockout of C.B. Dollaway (15-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) pushed his record to 3-1 in the weight class. The lone defeat in that stretch came to champion Chris Weidman.

Although “The Dragon” was a massive favorite and expected to run over Dollaway, he was still the biggest star of the night as he sent the Brazilian crowd into frenzy in the UFC’s final fight of 2014.

Machida didn’t absorb a single strike throughout the contest, which is what makes his performance that much more brilliant. Dollaway allowed the former champ to get into a groove early, and all it took was one swift kick to body for “The Doberman” to abandon ship.

Combat sports tend to favor youth, but Machida, now 36, doesn’t appear to be losing any steam when it comes to speed or technique.

The middleweight division is currently loaded with title contenders, but if Machida continues to perform at a near-perfect level going forward, it won’t be long until he finds himself in another championship fight.

For more on UFC Fight Night 58, check out the UFC Events section of the site.

* * * *

MMAjunkie’s Ben Fowlkes reacts to Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 58 event:

Be sure to visit the MMA Junkie Instagram page and YouTube channel to discuss this and more content with fans of mixed martial arts.

More News