UFC Vegas 29 might not have been the most appealing card on paper, but in the end, the show was a perfectly watchable event. UFC Vegas 29 saw a big win for the Korean Zombie in the main event, while a number of other fighters picked up impressive victories elsewhere on the card.
On that note, here are the five biggest winners from UFC Vegas 29: Korean Zombie vs Dan Ige.
#1 Chan Sung Jung – defeated Dan Ige in UFC Vegas 29 main event
Chan Sung Jung might not have finished Dan Ige at UFC Vegas 29, but he was the clear winner in the main event, largely outclassing his Hawaiian foe.
Whether it was on the feet or on the ground, the Korean Zombie seemed one step ahead of Ige throughout and probably won all five rounds.
Against Brian Ortega, the Zombie looked slow and flat-footed, making some fans question if he was past his best. Here, though, his counter-striking looked as sharp as ever, while he also showed off his underrated ground game at times too.
The win doesn’t quite move Jung back into UFC featherweight title contention, but 145 lbs is so loaded with talent that there are plenty of big fights for him. The Zombie needed a win here to stay afloat, and he did that in style, making him the night’s big winner.
#2 Sergey Spivak – defeated Aleksei Oleinik
Sergey Spivak’s fight with Aleksei Oleinik certainly wasn’t all that entertaining. But the Moldovan heavyweight did enough to win and should find himself in the top 15, come Monday.
It was a strange fight at times, as the more effective offense probably came from Oleinik. But Spivak clearly did enough work down the stretch to warrant the victory, which stands as the biggest of his UFC career.
Essentially, Spivak proved that fatigue makes cowards of all men, as it was his superior gas tank that allowed him to survive Oleinik’s grappling onslaught in the first round before he took over in the later rounds.
Will the win position Spivak to headline a UFC card in the near future? Most likely not because it simply wasn’t entertaining enough. But nobody can really sneeze at a four-fight win streak in the UFC, which means the Polar Bear should be considered a big winner.
#3 Marlon Vera – defeated Davey Grant
Davey Grant always felt like a bit of an odd opponent for Marlon Vera last night. After all, Chito was coming off a pretty strong showing – even in defeat – against Jose Aldo, and is currently in the UFC’s top 15 in bantamweight.
Grant, meanwhile, was much more unheralded, despite a three-fight win streak in recent years. However, Vera clearly didn’t underestimate his British foe and picked up a big win in the night’s most exciting bout. Not only did that net Chito an extra $50K, but it also allowed him to avenge one of the earlier losses in his UFC career, taking his record overall to 11-6.
If anything, this felt like one of the fights Charles Oliveira put on during his climb to the top. It was an exciting win over a somewhat overmatched opponent, and that can only be a good thing for Chito.
Whether he can achieve anything close to what Oliveira has done is a question mark.But there’s no doubt that he should be considered one of UFC Vegas 29’s big winners.
#4 Matt Brown – defeated Dhiego Lima
To say everything was on the line for Matt Brown at UFC Vegas 29 would probably be an understatement when you consider the current climate in the promotion.
The UFC has been cutting ageing veterans like nobody’s business in the past few months. And Brown, who was coming off two straight losses and had already retired once, was probably closer to the chopping block than most.
However, the Immortal pulled off one of his best wins in recent years, turning the lights out on Dhiego Lima in the second round after a tricky first that saw him hurt by calf kicks.
Brown didn’t look close to his 2014 vintage, of course, but seven years down the line, that Brown is probably gone for good if we’re honest.
That means last night’s win was probably the best we’re going to get from the 40-year old veteran. Given that he probably saved his UFC career with the win, that makes him one of UFC Vegas 29’s biggest winners.
#5 Bruno Silva – defeated Wellington Turman
In 2021, it’s always hard for a UFC debutant to make a major impact. But Bruno Silva did just that last night, uncorking UFC Vegas 29’s most brutal finish to take out Wellington Turman.
Silva delivered some truly brutal punches from the guard to knock out his fellow Brazilian, which is a rarity in the modern-day UFC, showing quite how much power he packs in his strikes.
Based on that as well as his record of 20 wins, with 17 coming by way of knockout, it is clear that Blindado is a man to watch in the UFC’s middleweight division.
Whether he can develop into a proper contender remains to be seen, of course. But there’s a chance that he could become a reliable action fighter in the UFC, which would be a huge achievement in itself.
Nevertheless, this was definitely one of the better debuts in the UFC in recent memory.
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