Let’s be honest with ourselves: There wasn’t a whole lot to celebrate coming out of UFC London. Movsar Evloev won in a very controversial decision and may not have done enough to earn a title shot. Michael Page and Sam Patterson put on legitimately one of the worst fights the Octagon has ever seen. 

There just wasn’t a lot of inspiring performances that took place; even the crowd wasn’t the normal kind of energy for a UK MMA show.

But for 15 minutes of Octagon action, Mason Jones and Axel Sola made things different that night.

Taking place as the featured attraction for the preliminary card, UFC London was off to a rough start, with the only true highlights being Shanelle Dyer’s finish of Ravena Oliveira in the opening bout and a first-round finish by Brando Pericic. Jones and Sola had a lot of pressure on them to bring some excitement into the O2 Arena – and both of them did that, and then some.

Jones is a strong up-and-comer from a region with a great comeback story behind him. Jones was a Cage Warriors champion when he was first signed to the UFC, debuting in January 2021. Unfortunately, his first tenure did not go as he hoped, going 1-2 (1 NC) in the Octagon before being released after his last fight in July 2022.

One year later, Jones was back in Cage Warriors, winning four straight before returning to the UFC in 2025. His two fights in 2025 saw him have an entertaining war with Jeremy Stephens and score a highlight finish of Bolaji Oki. And since that loss in July 2022, Jones has continued to win and win.

Sola was going to be an interesting test for him, however. Sola was a champion in ARES FC and made his UFC debut with a finish of Rhys McKee. He entered the fight unbeaten at 11-0-1, and he was looking to use Jones to make a massive statement for his own rise.

Jones looked to bring his offensive display right off the bat, looking to take control and score an impactful win. That also became a detriment, however, when Sola landed a spinning elbow that knocked Jones down. Sola, a grappling specialist, added in a pair of takedowns during the first round and controlled the action to trouble Jones in the fight’s first five minutes. Jones, however, was able to use his strikes to open up a cut on Sola.

Jones’ further response to being down on the cards? Initiate a greater volume of striking, and that helped him overwhelm Sola while stopping any of his attempts to control the pace. Sola held his own, but Jones seemed to have the upper hand in round two. In fact, Jones notably did damage with knees.

Jones and Sola then went bold in the third round, swinging with everything they had for a fun ride in the final five minutes. Jones took over, however, and whalopped Sola with flurries near the fence as the seconds ticked down. Jones wasn’t able to get the finish, but he did get the win.

The UFC London card had quite a few low points to it, including low in entertainment value. And some fans have admitted on social media that they haven’t been as entertained by the UFC product in the past year or so, let alone what they’ve seen in 2026. While that will be debated, it can’t be debated that UFC London made PFL Madrid – which was already a solid event – look like UFC 100 compared to most of what was seen in London this past Saturday night.

But Mason Jones and Axel Sola proved to be the exception. Praises could be sung for Jones, for having the heart and determination to keep going after being in trouble and putting on another gritty display in a seventh straight victory. But it takes two to tango, so Sola deserves his flowers, too.

They really were a rain of sunshine on a cloudy day of fights.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been fairly inconsistent throughout this entire season. Of course, a litany of injuries has played a massive role in this roller coaster of a season for the Cavs, but one injury seems to weigh the Cavs down more than others.

Jarrett Allen has felt like the odd man out in Cleveland’s rotation the last few years. Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley always felt like the two cornerstones, while they hoped that Darius Garland and Allen could fit in as the next guys up in the starting lineup. We all know now that the Cavs felt that Garland wasn’t able to be consistent enough to be Mitchell’s backcourt partner, so they traded for James Harden.

His fit in Cleveland has been up-and-down, but when Harden has been paired with Jarrett Allen, it’s looked like a team that could contend in the East. Even before Harden made the move from LA, he had been playing some of the best basketball in his career. In the month of February, Allen averaged 22.3 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 2.1 stocks a game, well above his season averages. He was doing this as the lone man in the front court with Mobley down with a calf injury.

Unfortunately, the season of injuries continues for Cleveland, as Allen has missed the last eight games with a knee injury, and the Cavs have looked pedestrian at best in his absence.

Allen has missed 20 games this season, and Cleveland has only been 11-9 in those outings. On the other hand, they’ve been 33-18 when he’s played, averaging 4 more points per game and higher offensive and defensive ratings.

Most importantly, Evan Mobley has been at his best playing next to a true center in Allen. Cleveland has a +10.3 NET rating when both are on the court and a +5 NET rating when only one is on the floor.

Cleveland still has good value at +260 to come out of the East. 

If they can enter the playoffs healthy, they’re still my team to beat in the East. We’ve only gotten to see Mitchell, Harden, Mobley, and Allen together on the court for 31 minutes this year, but they’ve been a +28 NET rating with insanely elite offensive and defensive metrics as well. Then, when you add Sam Merrill to that mix, they’ve had a ridiculous offensive rating of 164 in those limited minutes.

Cleveland hasn’t looked like a contender this year; however, we haven’t seen them at full strength yet. Don’t count out the Cavs just yet; this team could be deadly if they make it to the playoffs in one piece.