On paper, UFC 251 was a special card, and in reality, it delivered. Maybe there weren’t 800 spectacular finishes or all-out wars, but for the true MMA fan, it had so many intricate strategic battles where top-level fighters were forced to adjust on the fly or get run over. In the first of three title fights, Russia’s Petr Yan showed that he is more than just a bulldozing force at 135 pounds as he fought a patient, yet punishing, fight against one of the greats in Jose Aldo. Keeping the heat on the Brazilian until he began to tire, Yan turned things up several notches when Aldo’s gas tank emptied, and the result was a fifth-round stoppage and a new world champion.
