Dopamine is a feel-good hormone that we derive from many sources. Some people get it when they eat out and that’s why they enjoy going out with friends and trying new restaurants. It makes them happy. Others get it when they enjoy an adrenaline kick on gambling sites like 888casino where they get to take a risk and reap the results. And others? Well, they derive it from watching other people fight.
It is human nature to be curious about what it would be like to get into a fight. But because of moral codes and the risk of injury, most people avoid fighting each other. Even so, the curiosity does not go away. That is why they are intent on following fighting matches where they can see other people living out their wildest dreams.
In July 2022, fight lovers flocked to arenas and sat in front of their screens where they got to watch some of the best matches of the year. Which were they?
Best July Matches
The appeal of a match comes down to:
- Whether it aligned or greatly contrasted bookie odds and public perception,
- If the match had an unexpected turn of events,
- How the match ended, and
- Whether the fighters will be facing off again to finish what they started.
And, of course, these factors leave quite a lot of room for many matches to be considered interesting. However, the ones that took the cake were:
1. UFC Fight Night: Ortega vs. Rodriguez: Featherweight
This match, which was on the 16th of July, still has tongues wagging about what happened. Why? Ortega was intent on defeating Rodriguez and had thus engaged him in an armbar. Fighters know that this kind of attempt can go two ways – they can succeed in overpowering their enemy or they can suffer an injury. Unfortunately for Ortega, his fate was the latter. He dislocated his arm, thus altering the odds to the favor of Rodriguez who inched closer to winning the featherweight title. The results were KO/TKO · R1 04:11. Ortega had earlier had two operations and fans fear that a third surgery could weaken him further.
2. Women Strawweight: Michelle Waterson vs. Amanda Lemos (16th July 2022)
What can you do when you want to win a fight? If you are anything like Amanda, you go for the guillotine choke and force your opponent to tap out. The fight started with the two going at each other. And for a while there, Michelle seemed to be on the losing end, striking at Amanda but not landing enough shots. Amanda thus had the upper hand and managed to cause quite some damage by the end of the first round.
During the second round, Michelle came back swinging and even managed to take down Amanda. However, this was the move that allowed Amanda to secure her in a chokehold, which ended in a submission. The results of the match were R2 01:48.
3. Welterweight Li Jingliang vs. Muslim Salikhov (16th July 2022)
What happens when you place two hard hitters in a ring? Li, known for his fight-finishing prowess, was already poised to do well in the match. But his fans likely did not expect him to perform as well as he did. Salikhov was quite cautious when moving in the ring, intent on not opening himself up to Li. So, as much as he had landed a takedown, Li escaped. And that made for quite an interesting first round where both fighters were trying to get the upper hand.
The second round was much more aggressive. Salikhov was still being cautious, keen on avoiding the heavy strikes from Li, and waiting for the chance where he could land a finishing blow on him. However, Li was fast on his feet and landed a right blow followed by another to the cage. Within moments, Li had landed on Salikhov, landing successful blows to the point where the ref had to step in to avoid more blows, in a fight that ended as KO/TKO · R2 04:38.
More matches are set to take place in August and dopamine-fueled fans are already eager to see if the matches end in knockouts, injuries, crushes, or chokes. What an interesting sport!