I never thought that I would hear someone make fun of Matt Hughes and feel awful about it. At the same time, I never thought I would see Colby Covington box Robbie Lawler up for 25 minutes. But, both things happened on Saturday—and it’s a lot to process. The sport of mixed martial arts gives us a lot to chew on with regularity, but the UFC on ESPN 5 card in Newark, N.J., was truly something else over its final 45 minutes or so.
On any other far-flung UFC card made just to build brand deals (and let Endeavor make relationships with arena owners and business groups) the biggest story of the night would be Herb Dean’s ridiculous and perilous refereeing.