There wasn't much to look forward to at UFC 177, and that was before it lost its main event. Originally, Renan Barao was expected to get an immediate title rematch against T.J. Dillashaw, after Dillashaw shocked the MMA world in May, upsetting Barao and taking his belt. However, while cutting weight, Barao fell ill, passed out, hit his head in the bath tub, and had to be rushed to hospital. In an interview at the UFC 177 prelims with Joe Rogan, Barao stated he cuts about 10 kilograms of weight going into the weigh-ins, an awful lot of weight in a short time, though he blamed standing up too fast on the black-out. With the Barao fight lost, Joe Soto, who has never fought in the UFC but was a champion in Bellator, steps up on almost zero notice to fight Dillashaw for the belt. He was originally scheduled on the preliminary card. That fight is not one that fans will be sold on, as even MMA media members probably had to head to Sherdog to check his record. What was left on the 177 card? Not much. The most highly anticipated match outside the title fight remained Shayna Baszler vs. Bethe Correia, a grudge match as Correia called out all the members of Ronda Rousey's four horsewomen stable. Main Card BW T.J. Dillashaw (c) defeated Joe Soto via TKO (head kick and strikes) (Round 5 - 2:20) LW Tony Ferguson defeated Danny Castillo via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 29-28) WBW Bethe Correia defeated Shayna Baszler via TKO (punches) (Round 2 - 1:56) LW Carlos Diego Ferreira defeated Ramsey Nijem via TKO (punches) (Round 2 - 1:53) LW Yancy Medeiros defeated Damon Jackson via submission (reverse bulldog choke) (Round 2 - 1:54) Preliminary card: MW Derek Brunson defeated Lorenz Larkin via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) HW Anthony Hamilton defeated Ruan Potts via TKO (punches to the body) (Round 2 - 4:17) LW Chris Wade defeated Cain Carrizosa via guillotine choke (Round 1 - 1:12) Besides that? Well, there wasn't a lot. However there are always lessons to learn, so lets take a look at ten we learned from UFC 177.
Primarily covering the sport of MMA from Ontario, Canada, Jay Anderson has been writing for various publications covering sports, technology, and pop culture since 2001. Jay holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Guelph, and a Certificate in Leadership Skills from Humber College.
