Twenty-four hours before Curtis Blaydes was set to face off against Derrick Lewis in the heavyweight main event of UFC Vegas: Blaydes vs. Lewis, Blaydes tested positive for the coronavirus. As the bout was between the second and fourth ranked in the division, with the winner expected to be next in line to challenge for the heavyweight strap once champ Stipe Miocic has faced #1 ranked Francis Ngannou, the fight was cancelled.

It speaks volumes about how dangerous the coronavirus is that even a company as large as the UFC, which has spent untold millions this year securing safe locations to hold fights – the now famous "Fight Island" in Abu Dhabi and the company's own Apex Facility in Las Vegas, which is considered to be a bubble unto itself – and ensuring its fighters follow pandemic prevention protocols, can't guarantee that its employees are totally safe from COVID-19.

However, as everybody still needs to get paid, the show must go on, and it did with a new main event: Anthony Smith versus Devin Clark. Without intending any disrespect to the men involved, this is plausibly the weakest main event the UFC has ever hosted.

#6 Smith had a journeyman's career of 32-13 before he faced then-light heavyweight champion Jon Jones at UFC 235 last year. His performance turned heads as he went five rounds with Jones without breaking a sweat and even with Jones being deducted two points for an illegal knee, Smith still managed to lose. It isn't that he was lazy, it's that he had a game plan of saving his energy for the later rounds, and then never actually pressed the gas pedal.

A follow-up submission win over Alexander Gustafsson made it seem like he was a legitimate contender – and back-to-back losses to 41-year-old Glover Texiera and Aleksandar Rakic brought him back down to journeyman level with a bump. He needed a good win to stay in belt contention and that was what he did against unranked Devin Clark. He's been with the UFC since 2016 and never improved beyond jobber status: he arrived 6-0 and came into today's main event 12-5, on a two-win streak garnered from preliminary and early preliminary fights.

Even with his inconsistent record, Smith had to make light work of this guy and, thankfully, for his sake, he did. Smith got a takedown moment into the fight and almost blew it when Clark caught him with a surprise punch off his back. Clark didn't seem to realize this and failed to capitalize; instead he held Smith in a headlock.

Rather than put pressure on the former title challenger, it gave him an additional grip and he dragged Clark away from the edge of the cage into the middle. From here Smith rolled around and took Clark's back, however, as this was less than two minutes into the fight, Clark still had way too much power and strength remaining. He pushed out of it then responded with a takedown of his own.

Smith is known for his jiu-jitsu and Clark is considered a wrestler but, based on what happened next, it's clear his primary attribute is strength and not technique nor fight IQ. Smith pulled guard and swallowed Clark up like a snake. Any time Clark fidgeted in top position, Smith moved his legs higher and tighter up his opponent's body until they were wrapped around his head in a tight triangle choke.

Devin Clark tapped out at 2:34 of Round 1. The consistency and commitment to the submission from Anthony Smith was commendable and he well deserved that victory but Clark was so poor. He had no business being in the Octagon with Smith at all. This was a last-minute booking at it showed; if it wasn't for the coronavirus, this bout would never even reach a main card, let alone a main event.