It had classics, and it had duds. It had favorites winning, and it had upsets.
Yes, indeed, there was a little something for everyone from the time the UFC 248 extravaganza got started with early prelims all the way until Bruce Buffer announced the final results. And Bleacher Report was there for every kick, punch, decision and stoppage.
At any rate, to say that the 11 fights that ran from early Saturday evening to early Sunday morning—including two bouts in which champions were defending titles and pound-for-pound statuses—were chock-full of winners and losers would be an understatement.
With that as a backdrop, we compiled our list of the most significant Ws and Ls out of T-Mobile Arena, including some that may fuel conversation in the days and weeks ahead.
Sorry, no spoilers here.
You'll have to click through to get them and to see whether your impressions match ours.
Winner: Girl Power
It's almost too appropriate to be a coincidence.
Strawweights Weili Zhang and Joanna Jedrzejczyk put on a championship fight so compelling, so competitive and so breathtakingly violent that it's only fitting that it ended early Sunday morning, right as the East Coast of the United States greeted the arrival of International Women's Day.
"It had everything. Talent. Skills. Toughness. This was as good as it gets," said ESPN+ broadcaster Joe Rogan. "I think we can safely say this was the greatest title fight in women's MMA history."
And for the record, Zhang won it.
The defending champion found herself fighting past the third round for the first time in her professional career, but nevertheless, she found a reservoir of late-stage energy just in time to offset the former titleholder and escape with a split-decision victory in the 115-pound instant classic.
Official scores were 48-47 twice for Zhang and once for Jedrzejczyk.
Bleacher Report agreed with the majority, giving the champion Rounds 1, 2 and 5.
Statistically speaking, Zhang carved out a 104-75 margin in head strikes, while Jedrzejczyk had a 50-19 advantage in body strikes and a 62-46 edge in leg kicks.
But the most memorable image of the bout in its aftermath will surely be the gruesome swelling on the challenger's forehead that began in the middle rounds and, coupled with nicks and abrasions under her eyes, left her face looking as if it endured serious damage.
"It bothered me. My head was going on and off," Jedrzejczyk said. "It doesn't matter. I carry myself as a champion. I'm very happy that we gave a good fight, and I'm proud of myself and my team."
Zhang largely carried the fight in the first two rounds and landed the cleaner, sharper and more memorable blows while coming forward and controlling space in the Octagon. She landed a pair of big right hands in succession in the second round that sent Jedrzejczyk reeling backward to the fence.
Jedrzejczyk rallied in the third and fourth, and the champion seemed to slow down a bit, which allowed the challenger to score with left hands that occasionally wobbled Zhang.
The fighters walked to the center of the mat and hugged prior to the start of the fifth round as the crowd delivered a standing ovation. Zhang seemed to feed off the energy and began pressing the action again and fighting well on the inside until Jedrzejczyk scored with a spinning elbow in the final 15 seconds.
It was Zhang's 21st consecutive win overall and her fifth straight among UFC strawweights, the second-longest streak in the division's history behind Jedrzejczyk's eight between 2014 and 2017.
"I wasn't really sure that I got it," Zhang said. "We're all martial artists here. We're all champions."
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