UFC on FOX 15: Rockhold vs. Machida – Winners and losers

Karim Zidan delves into the real winners and losers from the UFC on FOX 15 fight card from Newark, New Jersey.

There was a clear trend at UFC on FOX 15: young, ambitious talents toppling their veteran adversaries.

Following a less-than-stellar UFC Fight Night event last week in Krakow, Poland, fans were treated to an entertaining night of fights in New Jersey. The card showcased an array of talent and brought with it a slew of upsets and enthralling moments to quench one's thirst for regulated violence.

With a fair amount of upsets peppered across Saturday night's card, here are the main victories and defeats that stand out:

Winners

Luke Rockhold became just the third fighter to ever stop former UFC champion Machida when he locked in a rear-naked choke in the second round of their main event on Saturday night. It was a superb performance from Rockhold, who needed a minute or so to warm himself up but immediately showed his superiority once the fight was relocated to the ground. He battered Machida for the better part of two rounds and nearly finished him on multiple occasions in that opening round. Given that few fighters have ever dominated Machida in such emphatic fashion, it is safe to say that Rockhold has proven himself to be a worthy title contender.

Max Holloway rose to the occasion on Saturday night in his feature fight against Cub Swanson, as he defeated his veteran opponent via submission in the third round. The entire fight was a showcase performance for the 23-year-old, as he dominated the entire encounter with superior striking, footwork and strategy. He overwhelmed Swanson for the better part of three rounds and implemented a near-perfect gameplan against the tough opponent. Now that he has notched arguably his biggest victory to date, it will be interesting to see if Holloway can use the momentum to his advantage. He continues to improve at a remarkable rate between fights and stands as one of the more intriguing fighters at featherweight.

Paige VanZant came into this fight with a significant weight on her chest and the pressure to perform on her shoulders. While that may have hindered other fighters, it did not stop the 21-year-old from producing a dominant showing againt a far more experienced opponent. VanZant may still be raw, but she continues to show that she has the potential to become a true star in the strawweight division. With the Reebok deal and a 2-0 record in the UFC, the sky is the limit for VanZant.

Beneil Dariush out grappled Jim Miller en route to a clear unanimous decision victory. While it was not the most entertaining of fights, Dariush's complete command of the entire contest was remarkably telling and a great litmus test for where his skills rank alongside the elite fighters at lightweight. Now that he has passed this latest test, he will likely be matched up with an even tougher obstacle in the coming months.

Ovince Saint Preux followed up on his victory against ‘Shogun' Rua with another emphatic knockout on Saturday evening in New Jersey. This time, he was able to stop the win streak of Patrick Cummins with powerful hook that sent the wrestler tumbling to the mat. He continues to climb up the light-heavyweight ranks and will likely get a significant step up in competition for his next outing.

Aljamain Sterling lived up to his billing as the favourite against Takeya Mizugaki, as he eventually found the necessary opening in the third round and locked in a beautiful arm-triangle from the bottom against his Japanese opponent. It was an impressive finish to a dominant performance, as the undefeated fighter moves to 3-0 under the UFC banner. He continues to live up to expectations and will likely build on this win as he gradually climbs the bantamweight ranks.

Losers

Lyoto Machida looked good for less than one minute in the entire duration of his main event match-up against Luke Rockhold. While he looked as though he was in good shape for the fight, he was simply outclassed by a bigger fighter and a more technically sound ground combatant. Given that he lost to a fighter who has undoubtedly secured his shot at the middleweight title, Machida's stock should not dramatically drop following his loss on Saturday, but it does place him in a precarious position in the middleweight division.

Joe Rogan took it upon himself to call out the New Jersey Athletic Commission for their decision to bring a halt to the preliminary match-up between Jimy Hettes and Diego Brandao, which was simply unnecessary behaviour. The doctor decided to end the fight between rounds when he took a look at the gruesome cut on Hettes' ear and deemed him not fit to compete. While Rogan could have voiced his concerns on the broadcast, he took it one step further when he reiterated his dismay while questioning Hettes in the post-fight interview. Given that he is not a licensed medic, I cannot understand why he was so confident in his own opinion.

Cub Swanson was totally outclassed in his feature fight against Max Holloway in New Jersey and paid dearly for his lack of preparation. He looked bewildered for the entirety of the fight and never fought with the desperation necessary to win any rounds in the fight. Once he realized that he was unable to get past his opponent's movement and striking, he seemingly gave in and fought to survive rather than to win. Overall, it was a disappointing showing from one of the more durable fighters in the featherweight division.

Felice Herrig was unable to derail the hype train of Paige VanZant and found herself on the losing end of a lopsided decision on the UFC on FOX main card. It was a disappointing performance from a veteran fighter who had far more experience than her 21-year-old opponent. It appears she spent more time discussing VanZat's demise than actually working towards bringing it into fruition.

Other Notes

No post-fight interview for Jacare Souza: After dispatching Chris Camozzi in less time than their previous encounter, Ronaldo Souza looked as though he has something to say to the crowd in attendance but was simply never given the chance to express himself, even though he was featured in the co-main event slot. He holds a 5-0 record in the UFC and is in title contention but was seemingly not worth the effort of a post-fight interview. Seems like a blunder on the part of the UFC.