The most recent trip to New York City offered numerous future tales featuring two new champions.

Even though Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic’s withdrawal from UFC 295 with less than three weeks’ notice cost the promotion a great deal of star power, its return to Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday was enough to produce a fresh crop of standout performers.

None were bigger than Brazilian heavyweight Alex Pereira, who defeated previous champion Jiri Prochazka to claim the 205-pound title in the main event. Pereira is only the sixth fighter in UFC history to win belts in multiple classes. In the co-main event, Tom Aspinall surprised everyone by defeating Sergei Pavlovich in the first round, earning the interim heavyweight title in the wake of Jones’ injury.

Let’s examine more closely at the key lessons learned from a thrilling event that resulted in knockouts in each of the five main card bouts.

1. In just two years, Alex Pereira has entered MMA immorality 

The 36-year-old Brazilian powerhouse, who is also a two-division Glory kickboxing champion and a recent inductee into the Hall of Fame, effectively just accomplished the same feat in mixed martial arts. The distinction is that, having made his UFC debut this month, Pereira’s victory at UFC 295 marked only his 11th professional mixed martial arts bout overall and his seventh visit to the Octagon. However, out of seven UFC fights, he has participated in three title battles and defeated Jan Blachowicz, Prochazka, Israel Adesanya, and Sean Strickland, all of whom are current or former champions.The guidance provided by head coach Glover Teixeira, who lost his light heavyweight belt against Prochazka last year, is largely responsible for Pereira’s advancement in mixed martial arts. However, Pereira keeps improving quickly and is no longer need to put stress on his body by reducing to 185 pounds, where he was defeated by knockout in their April MMA rematch (the fourth encounter in their rivalry altogether) to lose the title to Adesanya. After defeating Prochazka, Pereira declared himself “The Last Stylebender” and invited him to the division. Pereira will probably have to first overcome former champion Jamahal Hill who, similar to Prochazka, had given up the title after defeating Teixeira because of an injury. In any case, the only thing that makes Pereira’s 24-month tenure as a UFC competitor more remarkable is the extent to which his legacy in combat sports is really unique.

2. For MMA purposes, MSG has become the house that ‘Poatan’ built

How unique is Madison Square Garden in relation to Pereira’s history? He now has three decisive knockout wins from his three UFC fights inside “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” which took place on Saturday. Additionally, Pereira, who made his MSG debut in his first UFC bout at UFC 268 versus Andreas Michailidis in 2021, attached a great deal of sentimental value to all three battles. The iconic structure also played host to UFC 281 in November of last year, which included a thrilling fifth-round knockout victory by Pereira over Adesanya (avenged six months later in Miami). With MMA being outlawed in the state of New York from 1997 to 2016, the UFC has only held events at MSG seven times; hence, Pereira now owns two of the most significant moments in the company’s history that have taken place within the structure. In the storied history of sports and entertainment at the venue, UFC 295 also assisted the promotion in securing the top three positions for highest live gate.

3. Tom Aspinall is the real UFC heavyweight 2.0

Cyril Gane, the former interim heavyweight champion who has lost title battles to Francis Ngannou and Jones, started out with that title, prepared by fans and other media. At first, Gane was praised for his offensive diversity and speed, which gave the impression that he was a hybrid heavyweight with middleweight quickness, ready to advance the least technical weight class in the sport. Aspinall is, however, all of that and more. With less than two weeks’ notice, the adaptable English native agreed to fight for the interim title against Sergei Pavlovich when Jones tore his pectoral muscle during preparation for Miocic. And in the face of intense fire, he finished the Russian slugger in just 79 seconds by using his hands’ speed and dexterity. Aspinall, unlike Gane, also had an excellent ground game, something he never had to demonstrate against Pavlovich. He also has excellent timing and intelligence. Aspinall made the most of his year-long layoff due to a catastrophic knee injury in 2022, using the opportunity to hone his work ethic and elevate his game. That’s a frightening idea for a fighter who now holds the record for the quickest bout time average in UFC history. And with Jones injured, it could be beneficial for the UFC to try to persuade Miocic to challenge Aspinall for the uncontested title in the future. It would be strange, to say the least, if Jones didn’t already hold the UFC record for being deprived of his light heavyweight belt three times due to arrests and failed drug tests. Prochazka and Hill, however, were compelled to follow suit during the previous year in Jones’ previous division. Finally, a Jones-Aspinall matchup, If that happens, it would be the kind of heavyweight championship match that belongs in a stadium, especially in the United Kingdom. that would also help allay the MMA fans’ disappointment at not seeing Jones take on Francis Ngannou. If Aspinall continues to dominate, this battle may also result in the G.O.A.T. of the MMA being passed down to the heavyweight 2.0.

4. Mackenzie Dern finds herself at yet another career crossroads

Just when it seemed like the 30-year-old grappling sensation was being prepared for a title fight, she suffered a tough defeat. However, there was a significant difference between Dern’s previous decision losses (to Amanda Ribas, Marina Rodriguez, and Yan Xiaonan) and her defeat by former champion Jessica Andrade at UFC 295: this knockout, which marked the first stoppage loss in Dern’s 17-fight professional career, was a stark regression. After Andrade’s takedown defence managed to keep the fight on the mat, Dern shown his desire to attack Andrade by landing a few solid right punches. But because of that, Dern’s skill at tucking her chin and her technique suffered. With four knockdowns and a stoppage in less than two rounds, Dern repeatedly squared up in ways you just can’t get away with against someone with Andrade’s one-punch power. Dern split up with striking trainer Jason Parillo following the closure of her club, RVCA, which was close to her California home. The transfer, She had an outright regression in several very basic categories, which she attributed to the negative effects of her recent divorce (which Dern acknowledged during fight week as a difficult diversion). Dern, who is now 3-3 in her previous six fights, will always have more opportunities to thrive thanks to the promotion because of her exceptional grappling skills and marketing potential. While taking damage, she has also demonstrated the heart of a warrior. But Dern’s star worth can only take a certain amount of losses before it no longer holds true if she can’t swiftly turn around and undo the harm.

5. Benoit Saint-Denis is a lightweight destroyer and star in the making

The 27-year-old Frenchman, known by his nickname “The God of War,” is prepared to face the greatest in the world after what should have been his final bout as an unranked UFC fighter. He has military training. After just six years of MMA training, Saint-Denis won his fifth fight in a row, all by decision, following his 2021 UFC debut loss against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos. His first-round knockout of the intensely competitive Matt Frevola demonstrated his strength and sense of timing as he connected on a gorgeous high kick before landing a vicious blow to the fighter’s body. In addition to challenging the UFC to pair him with a challenging opponent going forward, Saint-Denis also issued a challenge to all of the top contenders, including Dustin Poirier and Mateusz Gamrot, as well as lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and BMF champion Justin Gaethje. Thanks to competitors like Aspinall, Leon Edwards, and Spain’s Ilia Topuria, “BSD” may find himself a crucial part of the UFC’s ongoing push farther into Europe as France becomes a hotbed of mixed martial arts following its legalisation in 2020.