#UFC274 shared the stage with Canelo vs Bivol and the NBA Playoffs, but still dominated on Twitter. With an in-person crowd that included Dwight Howard and Kyler Murray, and an online following that included Alex Caruso and Shawne Merriman, athletes of all backgrounds had their eyes on the fights. The action in the arena delivered some truly viral moments. Let’s revisit some of the Twitter reactions from the night.
Royval Guillotine Drop
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has a standing appointment on Twitter on Saturdays, and he’s become a staple of this column. On the preliminary card, top-10 flyweights Brandon Royval and Matt Schnell appeared to be set for a slugfest. Things quickly changed when Schnell took Royval to the ground, and Royval almost immediately swung the maneuver into a guillotine choke. Schnell tapped out in seconds, but both he and Royval took home $50,000 for delivering the evening’s Fight of the Night. Glad to see Sterling was entertained too.
That was fun for as long as it lasted! I’ve felt that guillotine from Rovyal before! #UFC274
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) May 8, 2022
Age Is Just a Number
Francisco Trinaldo fought his 25th UFC contest on Saturday night and showed he’s still got it. UFC lightweight fighter Thiago Moises gave the veteran his flowers in the win, saying Trinaldo “fought like a true beast” at 43 years old. After the 15-minute contest, his fight with Danny Roberts went to the scorecards where Trinaldo won by unanimous decision. The victory pushes Trinaldo’s record to 28-8-0, and his second consecutive win.
Huge respect for Trinaldo, 43yo and fighting like a true beast #UFC274
— Thiago Moisés (@ThiagoMoisesMMA) May 8, 2022
The Rock Felt the Energy For Chandler vs Ferguson
From the wrestling ring to Hollywood and any of his projects in between, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is an inspiration to many. Watching UFC 274 on Saturday night, it seems he was feeling inspired by the Michael Chandler vs Tony Ferguson lightweight bout. Watching from home, The Rock said, “I’m watching from home and you can FEEL the mana and electricity.” That energy exploded early in the second round when Chandler caught Ferguson with a kick up the middle that connected with Ferguson’s chin and sent him motionless to the mat. One would have to imagine The Rock jumped out of his seat like Caruso, Merriman, and everyone else watching did.
Damn I’m watching from home and you can FEEL the mana and electricity for Chandler vs Ferguson right now thru the screen. Energy just came up in that arena. LFG boys!!! #UFC274
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) May 8, 2022
UFC HoF for D.C.
Amidst all of the action on Saturday night, one of the greatest moments was when, during the main card, it was announced that Daniel Cormier is going into the UFC Hall of Fame. Young flyweight Jeff Molina noted the moment perfectly, tweeting, “MUCH MUCH deserved for the double champ and now HOFer.” Cormier retired in 2020 with a 22-3-0 record and won the light heavyweight and heavyweight championships during his career.
Ahhh man! That’s incredible MUCH MUCH deserved for the double champ and now HOFer @dc_mma!! 👏👏 #UFC274
— Jeff Molina (@jmolina_125) May 8, 2022
Wasting No Time
The co-main event bout between Rose Namajunas and Carla Esparza was a tactical battle that went the distance. In the hands of the judges, the split decision went in the favor of Esparza, her second women’s strawweight title victory over Namajunas. Third-ranked strawweight contender Marina Rodriguez wasted no time on Twitter sliding into Esparza’s mentions to arrange a title fight. “Just give me a day and location,” Rodriguez tweeted, asking for a rematch of their 2020 tilt that went to Esparza by decision.
Yeahh! Congrats Carla, but now we have some business to do! Enjoy your belt and wedding because I’ll see you again! September October? Just give me a day and location! A big rematch! Let’s gooo!!🏆👊🏻 #UFC274 #UFC @ufc
— Marina Rodriguez MMA (@wmmarz) May 8, 2022
The Thrill of the Fight
UFC Bantamweight fighter Adrian Yanez is off to a hot start in his UFC career, winning his first four contests. He took some time out of his schedule to watch UFC 274’s main event between Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje and enjoyed the thrill. “That had me on my toes,” he tweeted after the fight, “Back and forth fight! Loved it!” Oliveira was in fact a “damn beast” getting the submission victory over Gaethje in the first round.
Olivera is just a damn beast 😤 #UFC274
That had me on my toes.. Back and forth fight! Loved it!— Adrian Yanez (@yanezmma) May 8, 2022
#UFC274 Results
Main Card
- (C) Charles Oliveira (-180) submitted #1 Justin Gaethje (+155) – First Round
- #2 Carla Esparza (+175) defeated (C) Rose Namajunas (-210) – Split Decision
- #5 Michael Chandler (-365) knocked out #7 Tony Ferguson (+280) – Second Round
- Ovince Saint Preux (-240) defeated Mauricio Rua (+195) – Split Decision
- Donald Cerrone (-190) vs Joe Lauzon (+160) – CANCELED
Preliminary Card
- Andre Fialho (-410) knocked out Cameron VanCamp (+310) – First Round
- Randy Brown (-105) defeated Khaos Williams (-115) – Split Decision
- #11 Macy Chiasson (+190) defeated #15 Norma Dumont (-235) – Split Decision
- #6 Brandon Royval (-240) submitted #9 Matt Schnell (+195) – First-Round Guillotine Choke
- Blagoy Ivanov (-150) defeated Marcos Rogerio de Lima (+130) – Unanimous Decision
- Francisco Trinaldo (-115) vs Danny Roberts (-105) – Unanimous Decision
Early Preliminary Card
- Tracy Cortez (-145) vs Melissa Gatto (+125) – Unanimous Decision
- CJ Vergara (+270) defeated Kleydson Rodrigues (-350) – Split Decision
- Loopy Godinez (-180) defeated Ariane Carnelossi (+155) – Unanimous Decision
- Journey Newson (+125) defeated Fernie Garcia (-145) – Unanimous Decision
