UFC Vegas 62: Grasso vs. Araujo winners and losers

The UFC returned to the Apex on Saturday after a week’s hiatus following a private event for Mark Zuckerberg on Oct. 1. UFC Vegas 62, Alexa Grasso faced Viviane Araujo in a matchup between two top-ranked flyweights. Grasso, who was No. 5 in the official flyweight rankings, led the No. 6 Araujo thanks to her superior quick-wittedness.

In the co-main event, Jonathan Martinez made a statement by leg-kicking Cub Swanson. The 28-year-old, who was unranked prior to the bantamweight fight, let everyone know after his win that he’s ready to face a ranked opponent – and maybe even a former UFC champion – on his next effort.

Also on the main card, veteran bantamweight contender Raphael Assuncao showed that while he may be close to retirement, he is not quite ready to relinquish his spot on the UFC roster with a win over Victor Henry.

Read on for a full list and breakdown of UFC Vegas 62 winners and losers.

Winner:

Alexa Grasso: Alexa Grasso extended her winning streak to four in a row with a resounding unanimous decision win over Viviane Araujo in the UFC Vegas 62 main event.

Grasso’s punching power and ability to keep the fight off the mat gave her the win.

Aside from the win, the key takeaway from this fight was Grasso getting a five-round junk under her belt. Now that she knows what pace she can compete at and what it feels like to go 25 minutes, I expect Grasso will get another five-rounder on her next outing, and if she’s in raises her hand in this competition should she be ready to challenge for the UFC title.

Jonathan Martinez: Jonathan Martinez may not break into the UFC bantamweight rankings after his leg kick TKO win over Cub Swanson, but he feels ready to take on the ranked contenders.

After his dominant win over his veteran opponent, Martinez challenged a matchup against Dominick Cruz in 7th place.

Martinez looked superb dismantling Swanson. His low and high kicks were devastating and effective and his work in the clinch was top notch. With the win at UFC Vegas 62, Martinez has four straight wins.

Raphael Assuncao: Raphael Assuncao claimed his first win since 2018 with a unanimous win over Victor Henry on Saturday. The win ended a four-fight in which the 40-year-old slipped and also answered some questions about his viability as a UFC bantamweight.

Assuncao’s days as a top-15 135-pounder may be over, but he remains a capable and dangerous fighter. Saturday’s win was a big statement from Assuncao.

Alonzo Menifield: Alonzo Menifield is having a good 2022. After a 2-3 draw between 2020 and 2021, Menifield has two knockouts in the first round this year.

Menifield can get a little reckless and expose himself to counterattacks, but his power is undeniable. With his two recent wins, Menifield’s confidence also seems to be on the rise and that’s always a positive.

Joanderson Brito: Joanderson Brito had three memorable games with the UFC. He scored his second win in the UFC and his second first-round finish on Saturday with a submission win over Lucas Alexander.

Brito KO’d Andre Fili in May. He was followed by a rear naked choke submission win over Alexander at UFC Vegas 62. Brito is incredibly aggressive and a powerful finisher, but his pedal-to-the-metal style cost him a decision loss to Bill Algeo in his UFC debut. It’s hard to tell on his last two finishes if he’s addressed this issue, but as long as he’s getting quick finishes I guess it’s not an issue to worry about right now.

Tatsuro Taira: Tatsuro Taira improved to 12-0 overall and 2-0 in the UFC with a submission win over CJ Vergara. The 22-year-old used Vergara’s aggression against him in the first round to score takedowns.

The young flyweight’s ground play was promising. Taira showed patience on the mat. He wasn’t forcing anything and his transition from rear naked choke to fight-ending armbar showed impressive situational awareness.

Pete Rodriguez: The UFC matchmakers owed Pete Rodriguez and repaid him at UFC Vegas 62. Rodriguez was 4-0 when he faced the more experienced and veteran Jack Della Maddalena in January. Della Maddalena rolled over Rodriguez and knocked him out in less than three minutes On Saturday it was Rodriguez’s turn to be the superior fighter over Mike Jackson. Rodriguez showed good boxing and his target knee, which he said he threw on the advice of his corner, was a wicked way to round things off.

It’s hard to say exactly where Rodriguez stands after his first two fights in the UFC, but the 25-year-old has shown his willingness and ability to commit on his feet.

Loser:

Alexa Grasso: I’m not usually interested in fighter shouts, but Grasso sent a message to the UFC following her win over Viviane Araujo. That message was that she doesn’t want the fight with world flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko.

I don’t have a problem with that, but if Grasso wants the title shot but ends up being overlooked, she can’t complain.

Viviane Araujo: Bringing the fight to the mat and collecting ground punches was Viviane Araujo’s best shot at winning UFC Vegas 62. She didn’t succeed and it cost her the fight against Alexa Grasso.

Young Swanson: Cub Swanson’s descent to bantamweight didn’t go well. Any success he had in his matchup against Jonathan Martinez seemed to come from his heart and tenacity.

I think the 38-year-old still has something to offer the UFC, but I doubt what he has left will allow him to compete at the upper levels of the 135- or 145-pound division. With that said, Swanson, who has been with the WEC/UFC since 2007, must consider what his future holds in UFC competition.

Jordan Wright: Jordan Wright used every energy he had in the first five minutes of his fight against Dusko Todorovic. As the second round began, Wright had nothing to offer and only took damage for the 3:12 that lasted the second round.

Wright opened his career with a record of 11-0 (one without a contest). He’s 1-4 in his last five games, with three consecutive added losses.

Victor Henry: Saturday night was a good learning experience for Victor Henry and his team. With his unanimous loss to Raphael Assuncao, Henry and his team now know what it takes to compete with the next UFC talent.

Misha Zirkunov: Misha Cirkunov’s middleweight foray lasted two fights. He lost both. The 35-year-old returned to light heavyweight at UFC Vegas 62. It didn’t go well. Alonzo Menifield defeated Cirkunov in 88 seconds. Cirkunov is on a four-fight loss slide. His record over the past five years is 2-6.

Jacob Malkoun and its corner: Why did Jacob Malkoun and his corner accept a ground fight for the first three minutes of round two and parts of the third stanza of the Nick Maximov junk? Something happened in the first round that compromised Maximov – it was his hind leg that got injured – and that messed up his shot. Allowing Maximov to compete on the mat was a mistake.

Corner by Nick Maximov: Something happened in the first round of the Nick Maximov vs. Jacob Malkoun fight that made Maximov flinch during the action and hobble to his corner at the end of the round. Maximov’s corner did not acknowledge their fighter was injured after the first round or considered taking their compromised fighter out of a fight he was losing. I might understand sending him to the second round, but the third? no Maximov’s corner should have thrown in the towel in this case.

Mike Jackson: Mike Jackson never seemed like a favorite of the UFC leadership. I suspect his KO loss to Pete Rodriguez will open the door to Jackson’s release.

Din Thomas: I try to keep things positive, but sometimes you have to be realistic. During the intro segment of the UFC Vegas 62 card, UFC commentator Din Thomas said that Cub Swanson dropped from featherweight to bantamweight to challenge himself, despite succeeding at 145lbs. Swanson’s featherweight record for the last five years is 3-5. Thomas can try to turn the move any way he wants, but a record under .500 is not a success.

UFC: The UFC 280 promo, which ran at the end of the card, featured UFC commentator Daniel Cormier saying that the Arizona Athletic Commission took Charles Oliveira’s title away from him. I’m sure the UFC wants everyone to believe that lie because it keeps the organization off the hook. However, the UFC title is a promotional title and the athletic commissions have nothing to do with these belts. The UFC took the lightweight crown from Oliveira when he missed the weight at UFC 274. Despite what the UFC and its staff would have us believe, there is no escaping this fact.

Neither:

Mana Martinez: Mana Martinez seemed to treat his fight with Brandon Davis as a fun little fitness junk, which was something his trainer James Krause yelled at him about during the one-minute break between rounds two and three.

Martinez won the split decision, but his trainer was clearly not pleased with his shenanigans during the fight. I expect a much more focused Martinez on his next outing or another team in his corner.