Another Saturday has come and gone, and we’ve had another UFC card that I’m catching up on. There was some controversy due to the potential for conflict of interest in the judging of the main event, but the scorecards do indeed appear to be fair. That means I don’t have to talk about it anymore! So, now that I’ve seen all the commentary, Fightmetric results, and what-have-you to go along with the card itself, here we go!
Benson Henderson © d. Gilbert Melendez (Split Decision)
Wow… What a close fight. I can see why there was some grumbling, but at the same time I can see why Henderson got the “W.” Yes, “El Nino” did indeed win the first round, and I’m still debating whether or not I’d score the second round for him or as a draw. That being said, “Smooth” did what he does best and slowly picked it up, and I would opine he took those last three rounds. Henderson was simply landing more strikes, which is what counts. You can be aggressive and move forward, but if you can’t hit your opponent enough, you won’t win. We saw that on the 13th in boxing when Guillermo Rigondeaux’s superior movement and defense were the keys to his victory over a head-hunting Nonito Donaire, and we saw it again at UFC on Fox 7. All credit to Melendez for coming in with a good game plan and tweaking it as necessary (unlike his more famous teammates), but Henderson managed to avoid enough of the final Strikeforce champion’s strikes while landing enough kicks and 1-2 combinations to make the fight his in the final 3 rounds. We’ll see a rematch between these two in a couple of years, I’m sure, and I won’t be surprised if we get a similar outcome.
Daniel Cormier d. Frank Mir (Unanimous Decision)
There is a term I will use from time to time to describe fights, and that is “Bowling-Shoe Ugly.” This was one of those fights. Daniel Cormier knew that Frank Mir has the best jiu jitsu for MMA game of any currently active UFC heavyweight, as well as solid hands, and he did exactly what he had to do. He took the range away from Mir, pushed him up against the fence, and peppered him with enough shots when possible to keep Herb Dean from separating them. It was a grind, and not without some danger as Frank Mir was able to fire off a few kicks from distance. However, Mir’s instincts to in close either try to catch a hook or clinch for a takedown ended up biting him in the ass, allowing the former Olympic wrestler to pin him against the cage wall and take pot shots en route to a dominant decision victory.
Josh Thomson d. Nate Diaz (R2, TKO due to head kick, punches)
This made me so happy, it really did. Neither my wife nor I are fans of the Diaz brothers. In fact, my wife let out a little cheer when I told her of this result, and I’m going to sit her down to watch this fight when I get a chance. Why? This was a master class in dealing with a Diaz! This is the accumulation of all knowledge gained from watching Nate Vs. Bendo, and Nick Vs. Condit and GSP. Thompson came in, stayed composed, worked over the lead leg at distance, threw the odd head kick, and – in a new wrinkle to the game plan – used the clinch to bully and rough up the younger Diaz while taking away his punching power. Yes, Nate was able to land some shots, but in the grand scheme of things, his one strategy on the feet was completely taken away from him. He may throw some knees in the clinch, and try and work some short punches to the head, but they’re not nearly as damaging as the usual barrage of Stockton Slaps from mid-range. In fact, the only time Diaz can be said to have actually hurt Thomson was with a knee to the groin early in the second round! And when Diaz left his hands down with about 1:30 left in the second round after taking a moment to wipe blood away from his eye, it hit him. No, it was not the realization that he would actually have to attempt something different if he was going to defeat “The Punk.” “It” in this case, was Josh Thomson’s shin bone, impacting across the Stocktonian’s face. With Diaz rocked, the American Kickboxing Academy product jumped in for the kill, forcing “Nasty” Nate down to the mat with a serious of punches so relentless that not only did referee Mike Beltran to physically step in, but Gracie Fighter’s corner had to throw in the towel. It was beautiful, and I will smile every time I watch it.
Matt Brown d. Jordan Mein (R2, TKO due to elbows)
I recall in the lead-up to this fight that a lot of people were expecting Jordan Mein to steamroll through Brown on the way to cementing his “hot prospect” status, but I wasn’t so sure. I’ve known that Matt Brown is double-tough for a while now and I also know that he’s willing to make a fight bowling-shoe ugly if that’s what it takes to get the win, which is exactly what he did. “The Immortal” took it to the Albertan, bullying him and not allowing him to really find his rhythm. Yes, “Young Gun” was able to let loose some nice combos, even putting Brown’s chances in doubt with a Bas Rutten-approved hook the liver in the first round. Still, Matt Brown would not be denied, using his sneaky guard work to regain his composure and threaten the Canadian prospect with a deep triangle choke. It was so deep, in fact, that I believe the majority of fighters would have either tapped or napped if caught in the same position. Mein, however, showed his heart and impeccable submission defense in order to escape. However, it would not prove to be the turning point he needed. In the second round, Matt Brown continued his bullying assault, taking Mein to the canvas from the clinch using a front choke set-up that he likes to use to turn his opponents over and onto their backs. From there, it was pretty much academic. Brown brought the ground and pound onslaught, pummeling the Fighting Pride of Lethbridge, AB in from side control, knee on belly, and the back ride position, ultimately using a series of elbows to the kidney to convince “Big” John McCarthy to step in and stop the bout.
The Prelims at a Glance
Well, who’d have thought that Chael Sonnen’s favourite wrestler, Cuba’s own Yoel Romero, had striking like that?! He scored an absolutely beautiful jumping knee to score a first round knockout over Clifford Starks, no two ways about it. And Anthony Njokuani’s left hook on Roger Bowling? Perfect timing there, kids. You know a guy is out cold when he collapses into you before falling face-first to the mat. The Team Alpha Male “MendaVideShaw” trio showcased their entire camp’s improved striking, with all those little things like hand position, strike diversity and timing showing marked improvement. With Duane “Bang” Ludwig shoring up those little details for TJ Dillashaw, Joseph Benavidez, Chad Mendes and all the rest, the technical gains in Team Alpha Male’s striking adds a new wrinkle to their quiet war with Nova União in the lighter weight classes. Tim Means put in a good effort against the other Cuban on the card, Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal, but ended up losing to the American Top Team product due to poor fight IQ. I honestly believe that if Means had fought tall and utilized his reach to keep “Gamebred” at distance, he would have won the decision. Instead, he fought in close, and allowed Masvidal to showcase his takedown game. Myles Jury did his best Dan Henderson impression, scoring with his own version of “H-Bomb” (“F-Bomb”?), before taking one last ground and pound plunge on Ramsey Nijem to score the KO in the second round. I’ve long said that the reason Jackson’s MMA products tend to win questionable decisions is due to Greg Jackson having some sort of mystical hypnotic ability related to the glare of the lights off his bald head and I suspect he has now passed that technique along to Firas Zahabi, because I simply cannot fathom any reason as to how Francis Carmont did anything to win that fight. Lorenz Larkin upstaged him completely, whether it was with Andy Hug-like spin kicks to the leg, an improved ground game, or the failed attempt at a twisty-flippy roundhouse kick at the end of the third round.
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