The UFC on ABC 3 results from Long Island, New York featured a plethora of highlight finishes and a clash between featherweight elites in the UFC.
The afternoon card inside the UBS Arena saw top-five 145-pounders Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriguez go toe-to-toe in the main event to stay in the hunt for a future bout against division king Alexander Volkanovski. Unfortunately, the bout ended in the opening round after Ortega dislocated his shoulder during a grappling exchange. Leaving fans unfulfilled and lacking a definitive result.
The UFC Fight Night event offered up a strong card filled with New York natives, former champions, and popular stars like Shane Burgos, Michelle Waterson-Gomez, Miesha Tate, and Punahele Soriano. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest winners and losers from an action-packed card in the empire state.
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Loser: Brian Ortega
Brian Ortega has lost two straight and both defeats will haunt him. While he seemingly had Volkanovski finished with a submission in September he could not seal the deal on the champ. However, on Saturday it wasn’t technique but his body that failed him when he dislocated his shoulder while defending a submission attempt from Rodriguez.
It’s a fight that deserves an immediate rematch, but the loss remains on his record and he has now come up short in three of his last four Octagon outings.
Winner/Loser: Yair Rodriguez
Yair Rodriguez will have a win over Brian Ortega on his resume but it is far from one to be proud of. While the Mexican star did look quite good at times during his main event scrap and could very well have eventually earned a win, a victory by way of injury is no way to earn a title opportunity. It is unlikely to work for Jan Blachowicz at light heavyweight, and probably won’t either for Rodriguez at featherweight.
Loser: Michelle Waterson-Gomez
At 36, Waterson-Gomez is in a weird spot. She is a former Invicta FC champion who has headlined several UFC cards and is a name in the division. But she seems to also be transitioning into a role as more of a stepping stone after losing four of her last five, including on Saturday. She will never compete for a UFC strawweight title at this point and there is reason to believe her UFC on ABC 3 results may have delivered her final appearance in the Octagon.
Winner: Matt Schnell
Matt Schnell vs Su Mudaerji at UFC on ABC 3 was absolute madness and had a round-of-the-year candidate. After being badly hurt several times and seeming seconds away from suffering a second straight loss, “Danger” blasted back. Landing a right hand that badly damaged his foe and eventually finished him on the ground with a triangle choke.
It was an insane finish that had the New York fans and UFC announce team losing their minds. Schnell’s win was the epitome of stealing victory from the jaws of defeat.
Loser: Su Mudaerji
There had to be a flip side to Schnell’s win and Mudaerji was it. “Tibetan Eagle” will look back on this fight with a whole bunch of regret. He had a talented fighter on the brink of defeat and squandered the biggest win of his career. The setback ended a three-fight win streak and instead of being 4-1 in the MMA world leader, his record fell to 3-2.
Winner: Lauren Murphy
At 38, and after being soundly defeated in her opportunity at the women’s flyweight title, Lauren Murphy competing for the belt again will be an extremely difficult task. However, even if she never becomes a UFC champion, her UFC on ABC 3 results delivered a resume-defining win with her victory over former bantamweight champion Miesha Tate.
It was another workwoman effort from Murphy where she proved to be more technical and the better grappler than the one-time Strikeforce titlist. It was a win to be proud of.
Loser: Jack Shore
Despite having much less UFC experience, Jack Shore entered the event as a favorite over ranked veteran Ricky Simon. On fight night, the oddsmakers were proven wrong in a big way after Simon dominantly handed the undefeated Englishman his first loss. If Shore were to lose, many expected that it would happen by being outwrestled. However, it was the striking of his foe that led the way and set up the submission finish in the second round. The setback definitely took a bunch of steam off “Tank’s” hype.
Winner: Dustin Jacoby
After a short-lived run in the UFC a decade ago, Dustin Jacoby had to fight eight times before getting an opportunity on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2020. With UFC chances few and far between the 34-year-old has made good on the second time around and is on fire. “The Hanyak’s” UFC on ABC 3 results saw him move his unbeaten streak to nine with an impressive first-round knockout of formerly undefeated prospect Da Un Jung.
Jacoby may not be a champion at light heavyweight one day, but he deserves a chance at a big-name opponent next and the opportunity to prove he is a contender or pretender.
UFC on ABC 3 results loser: Herbert Burns
You have to feel horrible for Herbert Burns. After starting his career in the UFC with a solid 2-1 record, he missed just shy of two years of his career recovering from a torn ACL and several failed bookings. In the opening minutes of his bout Saturday, it seemed like he had Bill Algeo dead to rights in a triangle choke. However, his opponent survived and went about pummeling him when Burns seemed completely gassed after the submission attempt.
After the ref called an end to the fight in the second when Burns looked completely exhausted, the Brazilian was noticeably emotional and the announcers speculated he could have another serious injury. If so, it means terrible luck and a second-straight UFC loss for him. That’s rough.