BRANDEN ALLEN CHOKES OUT ANDRE MUNIZ, TATIANA SUAREZ STEAMROLLS IN HER UFC RETURN AT UFC VEGAS 70

Timothy James

March 16, 2023

One of the heaviest hits landed at UFC Vegas 70 was when the main event was scrapped – Nikita Krylov had to pull out of his fight with Ryan Spann due to a food-borne illness.

Despite the loss of the main event, the card still delivered some memorable fights – including a coming-out performance for Branden Allen. He was an underdog coming into the fight, coming up against the only man who had ever submitted Jacare Souza in Andre Muniz.

The fight was close on the feet – with each fighter landing heavy blows. However, when it came to the wrestling, Allen seemed to have a clear advantage – using it to secure the rear-naked choke in round 3.

Allen took the opportunity to make some callouts – lots of them. Sean Strickland, Chris Curtis, and Dricus DuPlessis all got put on notice.

The main card ended up with 3 submissions, and while Allen’s might have been the most unexpected, Tatiana Suarez’s might have been the most significant. After a 4-year layoff, Suarez showed no signs of slowing down, absolutely steamrolling Montana de la Rosa en route to a 2nd round guillotine.

It’s been an emotional rollercoaster for Suarez – who now moves to 9-0, with victories over Carla Esparza and Alexa Grasso. Life has thrown her a ton of obstacles during her journey back to the UFC Octagon – including a battle with cancer – but the “female Khabib” has risen to every challenge.

Suarez’s eyes are still set firmly on the prize – becoming the UFC women’s flyweight champion. Expect to see her competing for the belt sooner rather than later.