Fight Observations

UFC 229 observations:

Takedowns
All but one of the takedowns in the prelims and main card fell into one of these categories: body fold/leg hook combo, single leg, double leg, rear takedown.  The one exception was an uchi-mata by Khabib on MacGregor.

Takedown defenses
Stuffing takedowns generally didn't work, unless there was a half-asked takedown attempt.  Sprawling worked well every time it was attempted. 

Strikes
Spinning back fists generally got people in trouble.  Straight rights and lefts ruled the day.  The fighter who kept to more conservative straight punches was the one who wound up hitting more effectively.  Every KO / TKO was scored via or set up via a solid straight punch. 

Looping punches, big hooks, overhand punches, and haymakers rarely hit, and usually only served to wear out the fighter who threw them. Also, these punches left many fighters wide open to counterattack. 

Strike intensity
Also of note, fighters who put 100% effort into every punch were generally less effective.  Those who threw 40%-60% were able to hit more effective strikes.  Plus, they didnt over-extend themselves and get tagged as much with counter-strikes. 

Kicks
Kicks were used effectively to keep opponents off balance and to keep defenses up. The only fighter to use side kicks was Michelle Waterson.  Side kicks only serve to score "points," disrupt timing, and give the opponent a different look.  Make no mistake, side kicks almost never result in a stunning blow or a KO - they are just something else to mix things up. 

Positions
As a rule, it was better for fighters to be on top when a guard or half guard was used.  As a rule, most of the fighters had very poor punch defense from guard and half guard.  The exception was Michelle Waterson (again). Waterson and her opponent, Felice Herrig, are purple belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, but Waterson was clearly the more adept on the ground. Waterson attacked even from guard and kept Herrig off balance. 

Submissions
The only submission to win a fight was Khabib's RNC on MacGregor.  It was not a traditional RNC, as pictured below:

Instead, Khabib used a variation that the Rifleman's dojo refers to as Judo Squeeze:

This variation allows the choke to cause more pain. Also, it is easier to apply with bulky MMA gloves on the hands.  Lastly, and most important with regards to Saturday night's fight: this variation can be used to apply pressure to the jaw and the neck, in addition to the throat.

In the opinion of the Rifleman, Khabib's choke applied pressure to the jaw and neck of MacGregor, which resulted in the submission.