UFC Vegas 50 is in the books. Magomed Ankalaev delivered a statement win to continue his climb up the light heavyweight ranks. And, bantamweight contender Song Yadong made his presence known in the division with an emphatic knockout.

Through the fourteen fights on the UFC Vegas 50 card, the Cage Calculus forecast favorites went 9-5, bringing the forecast’s overall record since its inception to 161-95-2. All forecast projections are based on a fighter’s CC rating. You can find out how those ratings are generated HERE. You can view the projections for last week’s fights HERE, HERE, and HERE. The CC Editor’s Picks were 10-4 and the odds-on favorites according to Vegas were 10-4.

2022 Overall Standings

• Cage Calculus Forecast: 58-40
• Cage Calculus Editor Picks: 63-35
• Las Vegas Oddsmakers: 68-30

Without further ado, here’s what we learned from UFC Vegas 50:

Magomed Ankalaev is a Scary Title Contender

Ankalaev (#4 CC, #4 UFC) was already a frightening matchup for anyone in this division. He’s already demonstrated he has devastating knockout power and can piece an opponent up from distance if he has to. Now, he’s shown he can dominate a top tier opponent for all five rounds. This will make him a matchup nightmare for whoever he faces net and whoever the 205 pound champion is when Ankalaev inevitably gets his shot at the belt. When that day comes, it will be very hard to bet against him.

Song Yadong Earned Another Marquee Matchup

It was tough to know what to make of Yadong (#7 CC, #9 UFC) coming in to this one. On one hand, he’d just delivered a big KO of Julio Arce in his last bout. On the other, he had to scrap his way to a tight split decision win over Casey Kenney the bout before. Admittedly, the doubt there and the potential underrating of Marlon Moraes (NR CC, #14 UFC) led Moraes to earn the editor’s pick for that bout. Ultimately, that proved foolish. Despite Moraes’ shortcoming lately, Yadong showed scary finishing power in the short time he shared the octagon with Moraes. He’s earned another chance to go even higher in these bantamweight rankings.

Time for Marlon Moraes to Hang It Up

Moraes is one of the best the division’s ever seen. However, he is now on a four-fight losing streak and has been knocked out in each of those four losses. His career now seems to be mirroring that of former bantamweight champion and current flyweight, Cody Garbrandt (#6 CC, NR UFC). Both have talent, but are failing to put guys away and don’t have the chin to go the distance anymore. It might be time for Moraes to consider calling it a career.

UFC Fights Are More Than Two Minutes Long

UFC Vegas 50 saw a number of fights play out where one fighter looked to be on the brink of a finish very early, before the tides turned and they were themselves finished. Terrance McKinney, for example, almost had Drew Dober finished for his third consecutive first round finish. However, he couldn’t get the job done and Dober ultimately secure the TKO himself. Similarly, Dalcha Lungiambula had Cody Brundage all but out before Brundage jumped on a guillotine choke and forced Lungiambula to tap. These bouts are never over and fighters who start faster don’t always win.

Alex Pereira Needs a Ranked Opponent

Pereira may not get a shot at Jared Cannonier (#4 CC, #2 UFC) as he requested in his post-fight interview, but he has certainly earned a fight in the top 15. He stood and traded with Bruno Silva, a dangerous striker in his own right, and swept the scorecards. Given his history with the champion, Israel Adesanya, it is time that Pereira get accelerated toward the ranks. Some have suggested a bout with Sean Strickland (#2 CC, #4 UFC) as a quasi-title eliminator fight. That feels a little too fast of an acceleration for Pereira, but we wouldn’t complain if that fight got made. In any event, Pereira’s next opponent ought to have a number next to their name.

We Were a Little Too High on Gillian Robertson

Granted, Robertson took this fight on short notice. However, she never looked to be in the fight. She scored one takedown and took the back, but it was promptly turned around. Robertson is a proven finisher and is still young, but we rushed it a bit, visualizing a potential title run for “Savage.” As a result, Robertson fell back out of the Cage Calculus top 15. No doubt, she’s still a talented, dangerous presence in the flyweight division, but the brakes need to be pumped a little bit.

Miranda Maverick is Back

Despite having just said we learned not to be too high on a young flyweight, we are declaring Maverick (#15 CC, NR UFC) officially back. When you look at her most recent fights, you could argue she never left. She beat Maycee Barber (#13 CC, #14 UFC) in the eyes of most every observer with the exception of two of the three cage-side judges. Then, she took a short notice bout against Erin Blanchfield (NR CC, #15 UFC), a tall task for anyone. Now, she’s earned a submission over Sabina Mazo, showing she not only has striking prowess, but grappling as well. Don’t let her 1-2 record in her last three fool you. Maverick is a threat and hadn’t stopped being one.

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