UFC Fight Night Delivers 57-Second Finish as Tina Black Claims TUF 34 Title

Q: Did Montel Jackson’s revenge win over Ricky Simon and record-tying 14th knockdown make him a real bantamweight contender?

Yes — Jackson’s win over Ricky Simon made him a legitimate bantamweight contender, though not yet an undeniable title challenger. The result mattered because it answered two important questions at once. Jackson avenged the 2018 loss from his UFC debut, and he did it emphatically, stopping Simon at 2:39 of the second round after repeatedly timing him with straight lefts and a sharp one-two. It also snapped Jackson’s two-fight skid, which was essential if he wanted to stay in the divisional mix. The record is significant, too. By landing his 14th UFC bantamweight knockdown, Jackson tied Marlon “Chito” Vera for the divisional lead. That is not a fluke statistic; it reinforces Jackson’s standing as one of the division’s most dangerous and consistent power threats. In a weight class filled with decision-heavy fights, that kind of finishing ability stands out. At the same time, contender status and title readiness are not identical. Simon was unranked, while Jackson had only been hanging onto the lower end of the rankings. A strong revenge win over a familiar opponent boosts his case, but it does not by itself place him above the division’s established elite. The practical takeaway is that Jackson now deserves a fight against a higher-ranked bantamweight. If he beats a top-10 or top-5 opponent next, his title case becomes much stronger. After this performance, calling him a real contender is fair; calling him the clear next challenger would still be premature.

3 articles · Updated · UFC · Sep 27

57 seconds was all Luis Hernandez needed to submit Sedriques Dumas with a guillotine after taking the fight on two days’ notice, capping a breakout UFC debut for the Contender Series graduate.
Tina Black added the card’s biggest milestone, stopping Amaya in the second round to win The Ultimate Fighter 34 women’s bantamweight season and become the first Brazilian woman to claim a TUF title.
Fast finishes drove the night’s standout results: Elves Brener knocked out Josiah Harrell in the first round after a year away, and Yazmin Jauregui flattened Vanessa Demopoulos in 62 seconds in her return from a serious knee injury.
Montel Jackson closed the main highlights by avenging his 2018 loss to Ricky Simon with a second-round stoppage, earning his 14th UFC bantamweight knockdown to tie Marlon Vera for the division record.
The Sept. 26 event at Las Vegas’ expanded Meta APEX was marked by a crowd-pleasing run of finishes, with the recap framing Hernandez, Black, Brener, Jackson and Jauregui as the card’s key winners.