MMA Junkie's Fight of the Month for July: No snub for a UFC 318 banger
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Nominee: Morgan Charriere def. Nate Landwehr at UFC on ESPN 70
Morgan Charriere spoiled Nate Landwehr's homecoming with a big knockout of Nate Landwehr in their featherweight bout.
Charriere (21-11-1 MMA, 3-2 UFC) stunned the Nashville crowd with a finishing barrage of the hometown fighter Landwehr (18-7 MMA, 5-5 UFC). When the third round, it didn't take long for him to unload a barrage of strikes that led to the finish.
Nominee: Costello van Steenis def. Johnny Eblen at PFL Africa
If he does nothing else, Costello van Steenis will always be remembered for his insane comeback against Johnny Eblen to claim the PFL middleweight title.
Not only did he claim the belt, van Steenis (17-3) did so in improbable fashion when he rallied and submitted Eblen (16-1) with nine seconds left in their five-round bout. The stoppage came at 4:51 of Round 5 for arguably the most stunning result in PFL history.
Nominee: Max Holloway def. Dustin Poirier at UFC 318
Max Holloway finally got his get-back against Dustin Poirier when he emerged victorious from their trilogy bout and sent "The Diamond" into retirement on an L.
After losing to Poirier (30-10 MMA, 22-9 UFC) by submission in 2012 and decision in 2019, Holloway (27-8 MMA, 23-8 UFC) made the most of his last chance in New Orleans when he scored a unanimous decision win to successfully defend the BMF title and split the retirement moment of Poirier.
Nominee: Steven Nguyen def. Mohammad Yahya at UFC on ABC 9
Steven Nguyen made history – at the expense of Mohammad Yahya's face – in their featherweight bout
Nguyen (10-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) dropped Yahya (12-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC) a record-breaking six times. The fight was stopped between Round 2 and Round 3 due to Yahya's grotesquely swollen eye.
The winner: Daniel Rodriguez def. Kevin Holland at UFC 318
It was a fight UFC matchmakers had tried to make multiple times prior and when it finally came to fruition, it proved worth the wait.
Daniel Rodriguez and Kevin Holland came to blows at UFC 318 and fans were treated to an all-time-wild brawl. When the dust settled, Rodriguez (20-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) was named winner by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28).
As the fight progressed, the craziness increased. Rodriguez had a strong first round, but peaked in Round 2 when he froze and dropped Holland (28-14 MMA, 15-11 UFC) with a combination. Holland somehow survived and scored a beautifully-timed takedown midway through the round.
In Round 3, Holland stunned Rodriguez multiple times. Uppercuts were his biggest weapons, which totally flashed Rodriguez twice. Although the referee he was close to intervening, he did not. Rodriguez was allowed to fight on and for good reason. He scored a takedown on Holland and entered mount.
Rodriguez, 38, has won three fights in a row. He entered UFC 318 off back-to-back wins over Alex Morono and Santiago Ponzinibbio.
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