And May This UFC 241 Hangover Never Wear Off

Big fights breed big energy.

There’s a certain electricity, a special wavelength so to speak, when the arena is buzzing. It’s a veritable exchange of excitement flowing through the air, transmitted from the fighters to the fans. And when the fights are as good as UFC 241, that energy is so great and so powerful, that it can even jump out of the TV screen and captivate the audience for days.

That’s exactly what happened at the Honda Center the other night, during UFC 241. The fighters delivered so many noteworthy performances that those of us who watched one of the most memorable UFC fight cards in recent history will bask in the aura of a truly incredible and special night of mixed martial arts for quite some time.

It’s tough to say exactly when the card transformed from good to great. In fact, UFC 241 was one of the most unsuspectingly great MMA events of all time, but right around the time, Sodiq Yusuff knocked out Gabriel Benitez on the pay per view main card on ESPN+ the entire arena was ready to erupt.

And then it did.

With Paulo “The Eraser” Costa and Yoel “Soldier of God” Romero finally standing face to face inside the Octagon, the crowd was on edge, foaming at the mouth for a fight that had been in the works for close to 10 months. What the hulky middleweights did next was deliver 90 of the greatest seconds in MMA history, bludgeoning each other with vicious punches, knocking each other down to the ground, only to get back up and sling some more leather.

Hearing the thunderous strikes land early and often, it still amazes me that the fight went the distance, but Costa and Romero proved that their hearts are just as ripped and defined as their lats and delts. Both fighters kept swinging for the fences until the final bell sounded. It was a fight for the ages, and that first round will undoubtedly be considered as one of the all-time greatest rounds in mixed martial arts.

Having watched some of the biggest and best fight cards in UFC history, I’m constantly reminded of historic moments like Conor McGregor’s career-defining performances at UFC 189, UFC 194, and UFC 205, which included a trio of memorable knockouts over Chad Mendes, Jose Aldo, and Eddie Alvarez. There was also T.J. Dillashaw’s coming out party at UFC 173, Ronda Rousey’s 14-second armbar at UFC 184, and Michael Bisping’s title-winning KO at UFC 199.

All of these moments carried their respective fight cards, putting a nice and neat stamp and label on the event, making it very easy to look back on a particular night in history. UFC 241 had more than one of these individual identifiers. It had at least three.

In addition to the Costa vs. Romero fight, UFC 241 will forever be remembered as the night Stipe Miocic struck his revenge on Daniel Cormier, which will go down as one of the greatest heavyweight title fights of all time.

With Cormier easily taking the first round, using his wrestling to slam Miocic to the mat, the momentum of the fight gradually shifted with each passing round.

Slugging it out on the feet, going punch for punch, Miocic and Cormier busted each other up as blood flew from both of their mouths. Neither fighter gave an inch. Both stood in the pocket and dished out punishment, receiving as much as they gave, delivering an instant classic bout.

Now that Miocic has reclaimed his title, there remains a heavy dose of uncertainty regarding the future of Cormier’s MMA fighting career. UFC 241 very could have been the last time we saw the multiple-time world champion in action. And while UFC 241 may very well have been Cormier’s farewell, it will always be remembered for the return of Nate Diaz. Seriously, that’s how amazing this fight card was — I’m 700 words into the column and this is the first mention of Nate Diaz.

Away from the Octagon for nearly three years, Diaz has always been a big-time fighter. A former “The Ultimate Fighter” winner and Conor McGregor’s greatest adversary, Diaz finally earned praise from UFC president Dana White, who admitted post-fight that he is “a needle mover now.”

Having already headlined two of the highest-selling UFC pay per view events of all time, Diaz helped the UFC to their most financially successful event in California, selling out over 17,000 seats at the Honda Center, to the tune of a $3.2-million live gate. And while we’ll never quite know how many people tuned in to watch the UFC 241 pay per view the main card on ESPN+, there’s a strong feeling that this was the highest selling PPV event of the new UFC-ESPN era.

Aside from his strong sales record, Diaz also delivered a spectacular performance against Anthony Pettis, dominating every aspect of the fight, landing punches and knees against the cage while controlling the grappling exchanges.

Mid-way through the third round, it appeared that Diaz was close to finishing Pettis with strikes. No one would have blamed referee Mike Beltran for stopping the fight then and there, but Pettis managed to intelligently defend himself until the final bell rang. Still, Diaz looked exceptional, and mixed martial arts is no doubt a better place with him back in the Octagon, and apparently hungry for more.

There’s plenty more that can be said about UFC 241. The event definitely helped elevate a few new fighters on the rise. It also signified the end of the road for a few others. And while there were no submissions and very few knockouts, the event will still stand the test of time. UFC 241 will quite possibly go down as a watershed moment in this new era of UFC on ESPN+, and for everyone who tuned in and turned on, it’ll be impossible to shake off that buzz for the next few days.

UFC 241 Official Results

Stipe Miocic def. Daniel Cormier via TKO (Punches) R4, 4:09
Nate Diaz def. Anthony Pettis via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Paulo Costa def. Yoel Romero via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Sodiq Yusuff def. Gabriel Benitez via TKO (Punches) R1, 4:14
Derek Brunson def. Ian Heinisch via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Khama Worthy def. Devonte Smith via TKO (punches) R1, 4:15
Cory Sandhagen def. Raphael Assuncao via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Drakkar Klose def. Christos Giagos via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Casey Kenny def. Manny Bermudez via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Hannah Cifers def. Jodie Esquibel via unanimous decision (30-28, 30-27, 30-27)
Kyung Ho Kang def. Brandon Davis via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28)
Sabina Mazo def. Shana Dobson via unanimous decision (30-25, 30-24, 30-25)