UFC 235 Filled With Funky Nightmares

by Damon Smith · Published March 3, 2019 · Updated March 3, 2019

T-Mobile arena in Vegas was popping and so was the leather of the gloves. For some it was a night filled with nightmares, for others things got funky. Chosen ones fell in stunning fashion while others continued their path to be the greatest ever. UFC 235 had by far the best card of this early year and it didn’t disappoint although it didn’t all go as planned either. Let’s touch on a couple things that made the night memorable.

Cody Garbrandt was rocked early by Pedro Munhoz and lost via TKO with only 8 seconds left in round one. Cody say’s he was hit by an illegal headbutt and was on auto pilot the rest of the round however the ref didn’t see it and never stopped the action. Munhoz looked great and clearly fought his way into title talk and a top tier opponent in the Bantamweight division.
Winner Pedro Munhoz TKO 4:52 Round 1

Weili Zhang showed the world who she is and made sure that we will all remember her name in a masterful win over UFC rising star Tecia Torres. Torres has never been finished and she held to that standard fighting with heart and determination. Often times their offense seemed to mirror one another and they countered well in an interesting match up. Ultimately Weili proved to be too much and improved her record to 19-1 with 19 straight victories.
Winner Weili Zhang Decision

Ben “Funky” Askren made his UFC debut against “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler and the nicknames told the story in this one. First it got ruthless when Lawler landed some huge shots on Askren busting him open and leaving Ben reeling in the cage. Blood flowed and Robbie continued to attack but Askren was able to take him down and gain position on Lawler. This is where it gets funky as Askren locked in a choke and referee Herb Dean called a stoppage to the fight. Lawler immediately looks up surprised and tells Herb he is fine and wasn’t out. Robbie’s reaction was instantaneous and his eyes were crystal clear. Obviously he had not been out when the fight was stopped.
Winner Ben “Funky” Askren Submission 3:20 Round 1

Tyron “Chosen One” Woodley placed it all on the line against Kamaru “Nigerian Nightmare” Usman in a bout for Woodley’s welterweight title. Kamaru started off strong and never looked back dominating the champ from bell to bell. Everyone seemed to question Usman’s wrestling against Woodley with his D2 background, that was a mistake. Usman had ground control all night, he stood toe to toe and traded shots with the champ at every level Kamaru owned the cage and owned Woodley as well. A night of dreams turned into a night of nightmares for Tyron as the “chosen one” was beaten and battered into a slumber of scary depths.
Winner “And New” Welterweight champion Kamaru Usman Decision

Lionheart, that is what Anthony Smith calls himself and against the UFC icon Jon “Bones” Jones that was exactly what he had to be. Smith fought valiant;y with Jones he tried standing and trading shots, he had a couple good stops on take downs but nothing Smith could do slowed down Bones attack. Jon put on a striking clinic and pummeled Anthony with repetitive shots stacking up points in bunches. Jones landed an accidental illegal knee to the head of Smith but Lionheart showed he wanted to win the right way and said he could continue. For any new fight fans understand that had Smith said he couldn’t continue and Herb Dean called it an illegal knee (which he did taking 2 points from Jones) Anthony Smith would have walked away the new Light Heavyweight champion after taking a blistering beating all fight long. Kudos to Smith and his corner they showed pride and the heart of a warrior or in this case a lion letting the fight continue and not stealing the title. Lionheart gave up the gold, the fame and fortune and the money that comes with being a champ because he felt he didn’t deserve it and he was right. Many men would not have made the same choice and Jonny Bones absolutely knows this.
Winner “And Still” Light Heavyweight Champion Jon “Bones” Jones UD

Great night of fights and even the prelims had some stunning moments. Usman called out Colby Covington to unify the welterweight title. Johnny Walker destroyed another opponent in the first round. Diego Sanchez resurrected his career with a stunning win over Mickey Gall. Zabit showed the world that he is a threat in the division. Memorable night to say the least. @MSBFightClub was buzzing on Twitter with updates, finishes and live tweets throughout the fight it was one helluva night.