March 26th was the 24th installment of the Fight Night saga. I didn't get to actually watch the event due to a lack of Spike TV and Roku not showing Fight Night cards on its UFC channel, but I read the results and detailed recap of the show. Another Pride vet, Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, was defeated by a young up and comer asPhil Davis won a unanimous decision victory. In the co-main, Dan Hardy was again dominated by a strong wrestler. This time it was Anthony "Rumble" Johnson muscling the Brit down for the full fight. With the card in the books, now is as good a time as any to play fantasy booker and see what's next.
Leonard Garcia: The WEC's favorite punching bag/brawler was on the receiving end of a vicious submission loss to Chan Sung Jung. Garcia is not particularly skilled, as all he does is throw haymakers for fifteen minutes, but his fights are typically exciting to see. I would expect him to have the rematch against Nam Phan that was originally scheduled for this card.
Chan Sung Jung: The Korean Zombie avenged his controversial split decision loss to Garcia with the aforementioned submission victory. A fight against former WEC Featherweight Champ Mike Brown would make sense, especially since Brown has been on quite the skid over the past year or so and a matchup with Jung could be an exciting one.
Amir Sadollah: The former Ultimate Fighter winner had perhaps the best fight of his career, stopping DeMarques Johnson by strikes from the mount in the second round. It was his first decisive finish since the reality show and could mark a turning point in his career for him. His last shot against a top 20 fighter ended in a decision loss to Dong Hyun Kim. Maybe a matchup with a fringe top-20 guy like Jake Ellenberger would be a good marker of where Sadollah stands in the welterweight division.
Dan Hardy: Several months of training how to defend a takedown. Seriously, Hardy's wrestling is woeful. He was taken down at will by Rumble Johnson and was ineffective the entire fight. He's a tough dude and his striking is good, but that might not be enough to keep him hanging around the UFC much longer. His lack of ground game caused him to lose to GSP and Johnson decisively, with a brutal knockout loss to Carlos Condit in between. He's called out Chris Lytle, in what would be an exciting fight to see since Lytle never uses his ground skills. That's probably the way to go with Hardy. If he faces anyone else with even a modicum of a ground game, he's toast in the UFC. The only other fight that would make sense would be if he was transferred to the Strikeforce roster and battled fellow Brit Paul Daley.
Anthony "Rumble" Johnson: Rumble battled ring rust and beginning his training camp at 231 pounds and managed to manhandle Dan Hardy. If he can keep in shape and improves some more, he could make some noise in the welterweight division. He used his wrestling to great success in the Hardy fight and he was already known for having a pretty good stand up game. I would match up him up with either Diego Sanchez or Thiago Alves in order to see if he can hang with the top of the division. If he continues to hone his offense and can learn to improve his takedown and submission defense from his loss to Josh Koscheck, and beats one or both of those two men, he could prove to be a stiff challenge to GSP in the future His size and offensive abilities would be quite a bit to handle if he can put it all together.
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira: Despite what my brother may think, Little Nog still has a lot to offer the UFC. It just so happens that his last two or three fights have pitted him against strong wrestlers with no standing game and wrestlers are his biggest weakness. A rematch with Shogun Rua of the greatest fight I've ever seen would be pretty cool, if just at least for nostalgia's sake and so a Pride veteran can win again. If not Shogun, then maybe Rich Franklin or another old-timer that is not in title contention.
Phil Davis: Mr.Wonderful earned the biggest win of his young career by beating Little Nog, but it was evident that he still has a lot to work on in order to become a contender at light heavyweight. I would put him up against Lyoto Machida, pending Machida beating Randy Couture in a few weeks. That might be too big a step in talent for Davis and if it is, I would suggest Forrest Griffin.
On the MMA front, be prepared for a look at the fighters from Strikeforce I would like to see in the UFC, a possible review of the UFC "Best of 2010" DVD, and a look at the upcoming UFC pay per view.
Showing posts with label recap. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recap. Show all posts
Monday, April 4, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
UFC 128: Thoughts, Observations, and Where Do We Go From Here?
UFC 128 is in the books and now there's a new Light Heavyweight Champion, and his name is Jon Jones. My prediction of a Shogun submission was misguided, although I did say a 2nd or 3rd round Jones win by TKO was very possible. It turned out to be a 3rd round TKO for Jonny Bones, in a fight that could only be characterized as lopsided.
Jones annihilated Shogun in a way that no one ever has. From the onset until the end, Jones was all over him. Shogun's face was a swollen, bloody mess and his body was littered with welts from an onslaught of body shots and knees. According to FightMetric, Jones outstruck Shogun 102 to 11. Jones effectively used his range and takedowns and went through the fight unscathed while landing everything he wanted to at will. If he continues to improve at the rate he has from fight to fight, he could end up being the most terrifying specimen in MMA history.
Other Thoughts:
Jon Jones: A battle against former training partner Rashad Evans has been confirmed, one in which I would expect the undersized Evans to be manhandled by Jones. Evans usually succeeds due to better wrestling and a speed advantage, neither of which he will have in this fight. I think Lyoto Machida, if he can get himself back into title contention, would be the biggest challenge to Jones. Jones exposed his back and legs a few times to Shogun, who was too beat up to really capitalize. Machida is a much better grappler than Rua and more willing to let Jones come to him, rather than try and fail to get in on Jones' monster reach advantage. People are clamoring for Anderson Silva to move up and face Jones, which would be an exciting fight and, as a fan of Silva's, a terrifying one. Silva has enough reach and is lanky enough that he could succeed in attaining the head and arm triangles that the shorter Rua could not get. Silva's biggest weakness is wrestling and Jones is one of the best in the sport at it. And unlike Chael Sonnen, Jones can finish his oponents. It would be the first time Silva would be at such a massive disadvantage in size and reach. If they were to fight, it needs to happen before the year ends, otherwise Anderson will be far too old for a youngster like Jonny Bones.
Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua: Maybe a rematch with Forrest Griffin, or Rampage Jackson if he somehow loses to Matt Hamill. Randy Couture would be an option as well. I think a lot of Shogun's future hinges on that of his knees. Was he slow and sluggish because Jones made him look that way, or was it because his layoff and knee surgery made him a lot slower. His next fight should go a long ways in figuring that out. A move to middleweight has been floated around, but I think that should only be considered if he loses his next fight at 205 lbs. The Jones fight is the only one really in his entire career where he has been dominated. On the other hand, I would say the odds of him ever beating Jones would be nil, so a move to 185 may be better long term.
Urijah Faber: Either a title match with Dominick Cruz or a fight with longtime 135 fan favorite Miguel Torres. That fight seems less exciting now that Torres has decided to fight a much safer style, but it would still be a big one for fans of the lower weight classes. The title match makes the most sense because Faber was the biggest draw in the WEC and putting him in the title picture will help put more interest in that weight class and in champion Cruz.
Jim Miller: A title eliminator, maybe with Melvin Guillard. Miller has the longest winning streak in the lightweight division and has been taking care of business in exciting fashion. I think that after the Pettis-Guida fight determines the next contender, Miller-Guillard should be the next contender.
Nate Marquardt: Who knows? Marquardt is one step above gatekeeper status, but one step below top contender. He just lost to Okami and Sonnen in the past thirteen months, so maybe Michael Bisping or Vitor Belfort would be the best bet for him. A winner between Bisping and Marquardt could be the next contender for the MW title after Okami, or potentially GSP if he moves up in weight.
Brendan Schaub: A class in not punching the back of the head? I'm not impressed by Schaub, although he has decent size and power. He is still a prospect at this point. He has no business with the big boys in the division, as they would lay him to waste. I guess Stefan Struve would be a good next step, with the winner of that one fighting the winner of Frank Mir-Roy Nelson. It's more likely he'll go right to the winner of Mir-Nelson.
Mirko Cro Cop: According to Dana White, retirement from the UFC. It's fair, as he has not been very good in his stints inside the octagon, but he looked better than he has in some time in this fight. He was active, moving, and actually looked motivated. Besides, how many chances did Chuck Liddell get after a first round KO loss? At least Mirko's last two losses have come in the third round, and this one after multiple hits to the back of the head. I think he should at least get a retirement match against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, as neither of them really have much business fighting anymore and it would be cool as a fanboy to see those two go at it again.
That's it for now. There's a Fight Night this weekend, so hopefully I'll figure out a way to access those fights and comment on them.
Jones annihilated Shogun in a way that no one ever has. From the onset until the end, Jones was all over him. Shogun's face was a swollen, bloody mess and his body was littered with welts from an onslaught of body shots and knees. According to FightMetric, Jones outstruck Shogun 102 to 11. Jones effectively used his range and takedowns and went through the fight unscathed while landing everything he wanted to at will. If he continues to improve at the rate he has from fight to fight, he could end up being the most terrifying specimen in MMA history.
Other Thoughts:
- What was the deal with the fans chanting "USA" during the main event? They didn't chant it during the Cro Cop-Schaub fight or the Miller-Shalorus one, and that featured a Jersey native against an Iranian. To chant that during the main event was disrespectful to Shogun, a true legend in the sport, and moronic. This isn't the World Cup. It isn't about country vs. country. It's just a fight.
- I thought the Greg Jackson fighters on the card tonight, except Nate Marquardt, fought dirty. Brendan Schaub was deducted a point for punches to the back of the head, something he did throughout the fight. Jones got away with a lot of illegal choking via forearm and the rape choke during his fight. He also headbutted Shogun in the midsection, which I'm pretty sure is illegal as well. Herb Dean was the referee in both matches, and he is usually on the money, but I thought he really dropped the ball with that. Especially in the Jones fight, as Jones was dominating even without having to resort to choking. Speaking of Jones, his push kicks to Shogun's surgically repaired knee, while legal, were a bit cheap. He already had a speed, strength, and size advanage and didn't need to resort to that. I don't like it when Anderson Silva does that either. It can cripple an opponent and to do it to someone coming off of knee surgery is double uncool.
- I mentioned Brendan Schaub a few sentences ago, and I must say that he was lucky. He did nothing for two and a half rounds except for rabbit punches, wall and stall, and lay and pray. He was gassed and Mirko seemed to have risen from the grave in the third round and was really taking it to him. It looked like Cro Cop was going to salvage a draw or even a victory, before a lucky shot crumpled him. Upon multiple viewings, I thought that the punch was to the back of the head. When Joe Rogan said that Schaub was scary because he has wins over two legends, Gabe Gonzaga and Cro Cop, I had to laugh. Gonzaga is no legend, and he struggled mightily against a Cro Cop that hasn't been considered truly dangerous since Gonzaga of all people knocked him out in 2007.
- The brothers Miller crying in the locker room was a touching scene. Evidently, it would have been the second birthday of Dan Miller's deceased son. Combined with Dan's tough (but clear cut) decision loss and Jim's knockout victory, the emotions were running wild in their locker room. Words can't really do it justice.
- With the knockouts of both Cro Cop and Shogun, Pride was pretty much buried for good. Cro Cop has been finished for awhile, but Shogun has never been handled in that fashion. It seems like there are only two guys who achieved a great deal of success in Pride that are relevant still: Quinton Jackson and Dan Henderson. Over the next few weeks, I'm going to try to write a series of articles on Pride and its legacy in MMA, including the death of the Pride superstars.
Jon Jones: A battle against former training partner Rashad Evans has been confirmed, one in which I would expect the undersized Evans to be manhandled by Jones. Evans usually succeeds due to better wrestling and a speed advantage, neither of which he will have in this fight. I think Lyoto Machida, if he can get himself back into title contention, would be the biggest challenge to Jones. Jones exposed his back and legs a few times to Shogun, who was too beat up to really capitalize. Machida is a much better grappler than Rua and more willing to let Jones come to him, rather than try and fail to get in on Jones' monster reach advantage. People are clamoring for Anderson Silva to move up and face Jones, which would be an exciting fight and, as a fan of Silva's, a terrifying one. Silva has enough reach and is lanky enough that he could succeed in attaining the head and arm triangles that the shorter Rua could not get. Silva's biggest weakness is wrestling and Jones is one of the best in the sport at it. And unlike Chael Sonnen, Jones can finish his oponents. It would be the first time Silva would be at such a massive disadvantage in size and reach. If they were to fight, it needs to happen before the year ends, otherwise Anderson will be far too old for a youngster like Jonny Bones.
Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua: Maybe a rematch with Forrest Griffin, or Rampage Jackson if he somehow loses to Matt Hamill. Randy Couture would be an option as well. I think a lot of Shogun's future hinges on that of his knees. Was he slow and sluggish because Jones made him look that way, or was it because his layoff and knee surgery made him a lot slower. His next fight should go a long ways in figuring that out. A move to middleweight has been floated around, but I think that should only be considered if he loses his next fight at 205 lbs. The Jones fight is the only one really in his entire career where he has been dominated. On the other hand, I would say the odds of him ever beating Jones would be nil, so a move to 185 may be better long term.
Urijah Faber: Either a title match with Dominick Cruz or a fight with longtime 135 fan favorite Miguel Torres. That fight seems less exciting now that Torres has decided to fight a much safer style, but it would still be a big one for fans of the lower weight classes. The title match makes the most sense because Faber was the biggest draw in the WEC and putting him in the title picture will help put more interest in that weight class and in champion Cruz.
Jim Miller: A title eliminator, maybe with Melvin Guillard. Miller has the longest winning streak in the lightweight division and has been taking care of business in exciting fashion. I think that after the Pettis-Guida fight determines the next contender, Miller-Guillard should be the next contender.
Nate Marquardt: Who knows? Marquardt is one step above gatekeeper status, but one step below top contender. He just lost to Okami and Sonnen in the past thirteen months, so maybe Michael Bisping or Vitor Belfort would be the best bet for him. A winner between Bisping and Marquardt could be the next contender for the MW title after Okami, or potentially GSP if he moves up in weight.
Brendan Schaub: A class in not punching the back of the head? I'm not impressed by Schaub, although he has decent size and power. He is still a prospect at this point. He has no business with the big boys in the division, as they would lay him to waste. I guess Stefan Struve would be a good next step, with the winner of that one fighting the winner of Frank Mir-Roy Nelson. It's more likely he'll go right to the winner of Mir-Nelson.
Mirko Cro Cop: According to Dana White, retirement from the UFC. It's fair, as he has not been very good in his stints inside the octagon, but he looked better than he has in some time in this fight. He was active, moving, and actually looked motivated. Besides, how many chances did Chuck Liddell get after a first round KO loss? At least Mirko's last two losses have come in the third round, and this one after multiple hits to the back of the head. I think he should at least get a retirement match against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, as neither of them really have much business fighting anymore and it would be cool as a fanboy to see those two go at it again.
That's it for now. There's a Fight Night this weekend, so hopefully I'll figure out a way to access those fights and comment on them.
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