UFC 138: Aftermath

As cliche as it may be, styles make fights. We should all know this by now, especially the media.  It’s not how big a draw the fighters are in the main event, or how many top 10 fighters are on the card.  In the weeks leading up to the fight it was amazing to see how many articles were about how Munoz and Leben were not worthy of main event status.  The position would be understandable if the UFC was trying to market the card as a pay-per-view, but it was free!  Why gripe about free fights?

When we also consider the orchestrator of the event’s match ups is Joe Silva, the best match maker in the business (according to Uncle Dana during the post fight presser)  it’s rare to have a complete fight card without a spectacular finish.  Tonight’s main televised card had all finishes before anything could make it to the judges.  In fact, none of the main card fights made it past the second round.  Good Job Mr. Silva!  Here’s the event recap, and also, possible match ups we may see in the coming future.

Mark Munoz def. Chris Leben by TKO, Leben corner calls a stoppage between round 2 and 3.  Leben unable to see out of left eye.

Mark Munoz lived up to his nick name “the Filipino Wrecking Machine” as he viciously ground and pounded Leben into a TKO stoppage. The first round was back and forth as expected for Leben.  He seemed to take Munoz’s punches on purpose to make openings for his own. Surprisingly, Leben also scored two take downs of his own which Munoz was able to bounce up to his feet quickly from.  In the second round, Mark used his superior wrestling skills to put Leben on his back and rain down his feared Donkey Kong punches which split Leben’s left eye open.  The cut effected Leben’s vision and forced him out of the fight between rounds.

Mark Munoz joins Brian Stann and Anderson Silva as the only fighters to KO/TKO Leben before the final bell.  The coming match-ups for Munoz is a complicated one.  Munoz very respectfully asked for a title shot at the end of the fight, but may not deserve one just yet as two other wrestling power houses are looking to have their chance at Anderson Silva.  Both Chael Sonnen, and Dan Henderson (as long as he can get past Shogun Rua later this month) have a stronger case for a rematch with Silva.  For Munoz, he would need at least one more win over top tier competition to gain his shot.  One possibility may be a fight against Sonnen to solidify the number one contender.  The two have competed against each other once before in wrestling during their college days which Munoz had won.  The other possibility may be Michael Bisping if he can get past Munoz’s teammate Jason “Mayhem” Miller on the TUF14 finale at the beginning of December.

Up next for Leben, Tim Boetsch would offer an interesting match up.  Boetsch’s resurgence in the middle weight division will have a chance to be validated by the division’s gatekeeper in Leben. As a former light heavyweight, Boetsch offers scary power that will test Leben’s zombie chin, and at the same time, Leben will have a chance to be the first one to KO Boetsch.  A match up that will surely bring fireworks.

Renan Barão def. Brad Pickett by submission (rear naked choke) at 4:09 of round 1

This fight was unusually short for a fight of the night, but worthy of the award.  Both fighters came out swinging and exchanged multiple blows, but it did look like Barao was able to get the better of the exchanges.  Eventually Pickett was caught by a solid knee and was followed by several punches as he hit the mat.   From there, Barao was able to secure the fight finishing rear naked choke.

Renan Barao made a huge statement with this fight as he had finished a top tier contender in Picket, who has not been stopped in his last 11 fights dating back to 2007.  Joseph Benavidez would be a great match up to help either fighter improve their spot in line for the next title shot.  We would also have a chance to see Barao deal with a strong American wrestler, as he has yet to face a wrestler at Benavidez’s caliber.

Pickett has now gone 3-2 since being with a Zuffa organization.  He has shown brilliance in several of his fights, but has been unlucky with his 2 fights that may have opened the gates to be considered for title contention.  He will most likely be given another tough fight with someone like Jeff Curran or loser of Nick Pace versus Miguel Torres to prove that he is still relevant in the division.

Thiago Alves def. Papy Abedi by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:32 of round 1

Papy Abedi looked like the most confident person ever to attempt to strike with Thiago Alves, and he paid for it quickly.  Abedi pushed the pace with Alves by constantly coming forward.  Eventually Alves punches met its target and dropped Abedi to the canvas for Alves to finish with his first ever submission, a rear naked choke.

Its a long way back to title contention for Alves, especially going 2-2 since fighting GSP.  At least he is now in the winners column, so in his next match, he may be given someone who has been in the UFC for more than one fight.  Charlie Brenneman may be the right fighter to fit the bill.  His last fight was a loss against a much larger opponent in Anthony Johnson (whom just moved up to middleweight).  Also, in a way, it may give Alves a chance to redeem himself for his last loss against Rick Story as Brenneman had defeated Story a month after Story beat Alves.

Papy Abedi truly came into the UFC with a trail by fire.  His next opponent will probably not be an ex title contender.  Hopefully they will give him someone that will give him a chance to showcase his striking skills against.  A fight against Amir Sadollah would be exciting as they both are coming off losses, and are both willing to strike.  It may also be a chance for Abedi to gain some notary by beating a Ultimate Fighter reality show winner.

Anthony Perosh def. Cyrille Diabate by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:09 of round 2

In this chapter of the classic Strker Versus Grappler, Diabate was not able to launch any of his devastating Muay Thai as the majority of the fight was spent with Perosh threatening submissions from the top position on the ground.  You know when you have a great grappler when Perosh finishes the rear naked choke in the second round only after abandoning an arm triangle attempt he secured, but felt that it wasn’t perfect.

Perosh is an interesting fighter to make a match up for.  He isn’t anywhere near title contention, but he does have an interesting skill set that needs to be matched well with to avoid a boring fight. So how about pitting Perosh against a vicious fighter.  Lets say Stanislav Nedkov.  Nedkov comes out of the corner like an animal looking for a KO, and it would be interesting to see how good Nedkov will be when he is going against a top tier grappler.  Its almost grantees KO or submission.

For Diabate,  Elliot Marshall may be a great match up, if the UFC gives him another chance.  Its very possible that they may even though Marshall lost his last fight, he did put up a great fight against Brandon Vera, especially the final round.
Terry Etim def. Edward Faaloloto by submission (guillotine choke) at 0:17 of round 1

Not much to say about a fight that lasted 17 seconds, except, DAMN!  This was a tune up fight for Etim after his long 19 month lay off and it doesn’t look like he skipped a beat. Up next for Etim, Melvin Guillard would be a great fight against someone just outside the title contention picture.  Both fighters need a big win to get back in line for a shot at the belt, and both fighters always show up with bad intentions.

This may be the last time we see Faaloloto for now. It’s his third straight loss in a row, and an tough loss at that.  If he does stay around, there really are not any easier fights than whom he has already fought as the division is stacked.  Sometimes a round in the regional circuit is great for a career to develop some confidence, especially after a tough set of losses.

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