The UFC returned to the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on Saturday to host UFC 170.
Unfortunately, the main event between their major box office draw, women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey, and Sara McMann had one of the most controversial endings possible.
Whether the stoppage was justified or not, Rousey remains undefeated and successfully defended her belt for the fourth time.
In other developments, a pivotal welterweight scrap decided who is still a relevant contender in the division, while another female contender may have emerged.
Check out the biggest winners and losers from UFC 170.
BIGGEST WINNER
Ronda Rousey – “Rowdy” again proved she’s a cut above the rest when she easily dispatched of fellow Olympian Sara McMann on Saturday.
While McMann briefly proved to be a game opponent, it took Rousey just 66 seconds to drop the challenger with a brutal knee to the liver.
Good stoppage or not, hard to envision a scenario where McMann fully recovered. Either Cat Zingano or Alexis Davis will likely fight Rousey next, though the fans only seem interested in seeing the champ fight Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos.
WINNER
Rory MacDonald – Finally, we saw the Tristar Gym standout implement the aggression the killer instinct and aggression that was a trademark of his early career.
After a lackluster win over Jake Ellenberger and a disappointing loss to Robbie Lawler, MacDonald came back with a “refuse to lose” attitude after losing round 1 to Demian Maia, firing on all cylinders for the next two rounds. Fighting the winner of Jake Shields vs. Hector Lombard next makes sense.
WINNER
Mike Pyle – While he has struggled with the top-tier of the division, Pyle remains one of the most entertaining – and underrated – fighters on the UFC roster.
After his violent finish over TJ Waldburger, Pyle has now won five of his past six bouts and, despite being 38 years old, deserves at least one more chance to crack the top 10.
WINNER
Stephen Thomson – After getting upset by now surging contender Matt Brown in April 2012, “Wonderboy” has rebounded with three straight victories.
His vicious knockout over Robert Whittaker was undeniably worthy of a “Performance of the Night” bonus and has fans wondering how high Thomson’s ceiling is. Facing the winner of Rick Story vs. Kelvin Gestelum would be great matchup on paper.
BIGGEST LOSER
Patrick Cummins – Taking a fight with top contender Daniel Cormier on nine days notice was undeniably commendable; talking all kinds of trash leading up to the fight … not so much for a fighter enter the bout with a 4-0 record.
While Cummins was competitive for about a minute or so, he simply had no answers for “DC’s” aggression and power punching.
Hard to say what to do with the two-time Division I All-American wrestler next, though it seems fair to say it’s going to be a while before he sees a ranked opponent again.
LOSER
Sara McMann – Again, perhaps not the best referee stoppage ever, but McMann got outclassed in the clinch – a position where all wrestlers should thrive.
McMann should’ve focused on her takedowns and top control and instead decided to try to take out the seemingly unstoppable Rousey in a standup war. Nevertheless, McMann remains one of the division’s best and deserves credit for nailing the champ with some clean shots while the fight lasted.
LOSER
Jessica Eye – When it rains, it pours. Eye failed a post-fight drug test for marijuana, wasn’t forthcoming about the circumstances, then lost a tough split decision to Alexis Davis this weekend.
Long story short, it doesn’t get much worse than that for the 27-year-old bantamweight prospect. A bout with the loser of Miesha Tate vs. Liz Carmouche would still be intriguing.
LOSER
Demian Maia – After three straight wins at welterweight between July 2012 and February 2013, it looked like the highly-regarded Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt was one win away from a title shot.
However, back-to-back close losses to Jake Shields and Rory MacDonald have derailed those plans. A scrap with Matt Brown could be an interesting clash of styles this spring if “The Immortal” is up for it.