UFC Fight Night 248 takeaways: Petr Yan reminds us all he’s still a title threat

November 24, 2024 12:10 pm ET

What mattered most at UFC Fight Night 248 at the Galaxy Arena in Macau? Here are a few post-fight musings …

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Ming Shi’s incredible knockout

MACAU, CHINA – NOVEMBER 23: (R-L) Shi Ming of China battles Feng Xiaocan of China in their Women’s Strawweight RTU Tournament Final fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Galaxy Arena on November 23, 2024 in Macau, China. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Just as most viewers in North America were probably nodding off, Ming Shi woke up everyone with one of the most devastating knockouts in UFC strawweight history.

Shi (17-5 MMA, 1-0 UFC) claimed the “Road to UFC” tournament crown with an absolutely vicious head kick knockout on Xiaocan Feng in the third round of their bout. Feng was taken out of the octagon on a stretcher in a scary scene, but ultimately appeared responsive, which allowed Shi to celebrate her win.

Although the finish was savage, Shi’s post-fight was nothing short of delightful. It was noted on the broadcast multiple times that her parents – whom she described in a separate post-fight interview as traditional conservative Chinese parents – don’t know she competes in this form of MMA and she keeps it a secret while working a full-time job as a doctor. Then she spoke with Michael Bisping about how “savage” she is and said “good luck to my next opponent.”

It was a highly enjoyable few minutes barring the health concerns around Feng, and Shi is going to be an intriguing new addition to the roster.

Is Carlos Ulberg a title threat?

MACAU, CHINA – NOVEMBER 23: (L-R) Carlos Ulberg of New Zealand punches Volkan Oezdemir of Switzerland in their light heavyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Galaxy Arena on November 23, 2024 in Macau, China. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

The development of Carlos Ulberg since losing his UFC debut in March 2021 has been quite impressive, and his signature win over former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir was the pinnacle of his career to this point.

Ulberg (10-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) saw his winning streak in the light heavyweight division hit seven consecutive fights with a unanimous decision triumph over Oezdemir, and given the step up in competition, he showed a lot of poise throughout the contest and proved he has layers to his striking game.

Oezdemir at no point made it easy for Ulberg, but the New Zealander did what it took to make it through the fight and get his hand raised, and now he’s hard to deny as a potential title challenger in the non-too-distant future.

If champion Alex Pereira continues to roll through the weight class the way he has been (and that’s a big if should he face Magomed Ankalaev next), then Ulberg represents a fresh name and compelling style matchup. Add in the fact the City Kickboxing product would likely have Pereira’s rival Israel Adesanya either in his corner or cageside for the fight, and there’s much upside for Ulberg coming out of this result.

Gabriella Fernandes delivers an all-time stunner

MACAU, CHINA – NOVEMBER 23: (L-R) Gabriella Fernandes of Brazil chokes Wang Cong of Chinain their women’s flyweight fight during the UFC Fight Night event at Galaxy Arena on November 23, 2024 in Macau, China. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Gabriella Fernandes was seen as cannon fodder for Wang Cong’s second UFC appearance after she’d built hype on the back of her kickboxing win over Valentina Shevchenko in 2015, and undefeated start in MMA.

Reality set in for Cong in stunning fashion, however, because she was upset as a 12-1 betting favorite courtesy of a wild performance from Fernandes (10-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC), who landed some stunning strikes on the feet then finished the job with a rear-naked choke for the fourth-biggest underdog upset in UFC history.

How much upside does Fernandes have after a 2-2 run in the UFC so far? It’s hard to say. Ultimately, this result felt more so like a massive roadblock for Cong, who had what was some legitimate hype and intrigue crushed in devastating fashion. But all credit to Fernandes for once again reminding the world that anything can happen when that cage door locks.

Petr Yan delivers a reminder to bantamweights

If you had forgotten that Petr Yan is one of the most talented fighters in the sport to watch work his craft, then his main event thriller over Deiveson Figueiredo was a generous reminder.

Yan (18-5 MMA, 10-4 UFC) put on a masterclass of striking and creativity en route to a unanimous decision win. He would have finished most people on this night with some of the ridiculous shots he landed, but Figueiredo is absurdly tough and hung in for all five rounds without ever giving up.

Although Figueiredo had a few moments, it was largely one-way traffic for Yan, who is now on a winning streak in the octagon for the first time since 2020 during his run to become bantamweight champion. He’s had some weird moments in the UFC, no doubt, but if this is the form of Yan we’re going to get going forward, then everyone should be worried.

People will point to Yan’s loss against current champion Merab Dvalishvili in March 2023 as a reason why he won’t be able to reclaim that belt. His game was stifled by the absurd 49 takedown attempts Dvalishvili shot in that fight, but given his fight IQ, there’s no doubt he would come prepared with something different in a rematch.

Is he going to get that rematch next? Both he and Dvalishvili expressed the desire for it in the aftermath of the event, but it’s hard to imagine Umar Nurmagomedov being tossed to the wayside for that sequel between them.

It’s likely Yan will have to take on one more fellow contender before he’s granted a championship opportunity, but if he comes to that one as locked in as he was against Figueiredo, there might not be anyone who can beat him.

Petr Yan’s post-fight interview: Will he get Merab?

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 248.

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