UFC 178 is in the books and it lived up to every piece of hype that the promotion put behind it. Every week on MMASucka, I will be looking back at some of the talking points of the week and giving my 2 cents on those issues. Will my opinions be popular? Probably not but if you have any issues with them please feel free to take them up with me on Twitter (@MMAOpinIAN – yep, a cheap plug) or email Jeremy Brand who runs this ship. So what has caught my eye this week, let’s have a look!
Bits of the week: McGregor shows worth, Mighty Mouse problems and Wanderlei Silva declares war
Conor McGregor is something special.
He came. He saw. He conquered. The Conor McGregor train kept going at UFC 178 with a quick and precise stoppage of Dustin Poirier in the first round of their bout at UFC 178. He deserves every piece of praise that comes his way after predicting the round and method of victory for this fight. As someone who watched him in his Cage Warriors days, it has not surprised me that he has shown such great talent, however it is completely astounding the progression he has made in such a short time. The Irishman is a ticket seller and as someone who lives in Europe, it is particularly pleasing to see that a fighter from this region of the world is taking the bull by the horns and hopefully giving the UFC more hope of the region holding more events and producing even more talent. More than that though, he is transcending in to the North American market as a star too.
McGregor could be the answer to the ‘fighters under 155 pounds’ don’t sell PPVs riddle that the promotion has been eager to solve. The real plan now has to be getting the ‘Notorious’ one in to a title fight as soon as possible and I could definitely see the fighter pushing his way ahead of Cub Swanson and Frankie Edgar for the discussion of who should fight the winner of the UFC 179 main event, Jose Aldo or Chad Mendes.
Demetrious Johnson dominates but doesn’t get plaudits.
While Conor McGregor is getting the plaudits from UFC 178, you have to feel sorry for the UFC’s flyweight champion who did what was expected of him in the dominant stoppage of Chris Cariaso at UFC 178. I really do not know what the promotion does with Demetrious Johnson moving forward, there are a few fights that could be interesting (Lineker and rematches with McCall and Dodson) but I would be surprised if we see ‘Mighty Mouse’ headlining a PPV in his next fight. It may be wise to suggest that the UFC could push Johnson for a step up to 135 pounds and consider superfights with the top guys in that division (Dillashaw, Cruz, Barao and Faber) because he has definitely improved since his last run as a bantamweight. I know that he was buried last night by the fans, despite being the main event.
Wanderlei Silva going to war with the NSAC might hinder his legacy further.
Wanderlei Silva was one of the first fighters that I watched in my MMA fandom adventure that has got me to where I am in 2014. However, there is no denying that the issues with the NSAC have definitely left a sour taste in the mouth of his fans. While I believe that the lifetime ban was harsh, I think Silva should concern himself with life after fighting as going after the NSAC could be expensive and his earning potential may decrease post-UFC life. The UFC stating he is not UFC hall of fame worthy now is also a shot in the arm, especially when they have Stephan Bonnar in their hall of fame who was a multiple offender of PEDs. With some luck, Silva could get his ban changed to less than a permanent one but I would not hold my breath.
Best of the rest.
Dominick Cruz looked fantastic in his comeback fight against Takeya Mizugaki. One can’t help but wonder if he will be more aggressive now that he has had a significant amount of time as a pundit for Fox. Not only did he look good last night, he also used his post-fight interview to call out Team Alpha Male which was the perfect start of the seed that he should be the next (rightful) contender to Dillashaw’s belt.
The Yoel Romero ‘Stoolgate’ issue I think is going down a dead end if fans think he will get the result overturned. Was Romero wrongfully on the stool? Yes, however the blame for the fight not being called would be down to ‘Big’ John McCarthy. The cutman cramming his eye with grease was also not wise and it definitely leaves the NSAC with little to consider. Kennedy’s complaining at Romero which was caught on camera will not do him any benefit with fans who didn’t see it as sportsman-like.
The latest domestic abuse allegations that have become apparent against Anthony Johnson are disturbing; especially when you consider it is the third time these kind of allegations have been made against the light heavyweight. I hope for his sake that he is innocent because if not, the UFC will rightly have no choice but to release him. There is no room for domestic abuse and I think the UFC are in the process of starting to make that abundantly clear.
