Last night's fights kept me thoroughly entertained despite some MMA sites claiming that this card was boring compared to UFC 116 and 117. While we didn't see anything that could be called a back and forth classic, what we did see was ever single facet of MMA put on display in its highest form.
Nik Lentz vs. Andre Winner: Probably my least favorite fight of the night. Despite the fact that British fighters are usually lacking in the wrestling department, I was impressed with Winner's ability to defend the takedown (even when both of his feet were off the ground at one point) and get up quickly when the takedown was successful. Lentz got lit up a couple times on the feet, but he used his wrestling background to stuff Winner against the cage and control the fight. Winner really missed some opportunities to create some space that would have allowed him to get his composure back and utilize his significant advantage on the feet. Lentz did what he needed to do to win the fight, but if he is going to take a step up in competition he needs to work on his striking as well as figuring out what to do once the fight hits the mat.
Joe Lauzon vs. Gabe Ruediger: Holy shit that was an absolute beating. There was not one second of that fight that Gabe looked like he had a chance. The slams were awesome, Joe's transitions into the armbar were picture perfect, and the shots Joe was landing on the ground were absolutely brutal. Gabe may be one and done, or he could get another shot against a newcomer. As for Joe I think a fight with Clay Guida or Gomi would be fun to watch.
Dan Miller vs. John Salter: It was really great to finally see Dan Miller get a good win after all of the personal issues he has to deal with. Miller was coming off three straight losses, but they were to 3 of the best 185ers the UFC has to offer (Sonnen, Maia, Bisping). I saw Salter fight back in January when he was stopped by Gerald Harris. Some people are pretty high on him, but I'm not seeing anything special. I think he's a good wrestler, but that's about it. Miller's stand up definitely looked better, but once again it is his submission skills that get him the win. Miller looked content to stay standing his last few fights, but with his wrestling and BJJ credentials, it just makes more sense for him to try and get things to the mat. I'd like to see Miller take on Mark Munoz or maybe Aaron Simpson for his next fight.
Marcus Davis vs. Nate Diaz: I picked Diaz to win, but I was really pulling for Davis in this fight. I got super excited when he clipped and dropped Diaz in the first, but after that it was pretty much just Diaz putting on a show. I was talking to a friend about the Diaz brothers and their striking and we both agreed that they've really found a way to throw as many strikes as possible but still throwing power shots as well. I don't know if Davis was frustrated or what, but he looked like he aged a lot in that fight. Usually Davis is light on his feet and is able to get in and out of the pocket without taking a lot of damage, but in this fight he was flat-footed and slow. Once the fight hit the mat in the third it was all Diaz with great transitions and a fight ending guillotine that put Davis to sleep. Yves Lavigne should really be catching some crap right now for not stopping the fight sooner. Davis was out for a good 8-10 seconds before Lavigne finally stopped the bout. I'd rather see a semi-early stoppage than someone end up with a permanent injury. Not sure what's next for Davis, but a fight with Matt Brown or DeMarques Johnson is a direction I'd go in. As for Nate, his next fight depends on what weight he wants to go with. Maynard obviously isn't happening, and I think Diaz should stick with 170 for a little bit longer. I'd love to see him take on Diego Sanchez at either weight.
Kenny Florian vs. Gray Maynard: During the entire time I've been doing my fantasy UFC picks I don't think I've ever picked Gray Maynard to win. I don't know what it is about him, but I just could not get sold on him despite that fact that he's beaten some really tough guys, including the current world champ. I really thought Florian would light Gray up on the feet, but he did pretty much nothing except wait for the takedown. Even though he knew it was coming and trained with GSP for the fight, Kenny couldn't stop Maynard and offered absolutely nothing off of his back. Kenny has looked like a complete fighter on so many occasions, but last night he seriously looked helpless. Maynard didn't do much once he got Kenny down, but it was enough to take a commanding decision. PS, is it just me or is anybody else sick of hearing about Gray's power and striking? I've yet to see it against anyone that matters. Gray is a wrestler, an excellent wrestler, so it's ok to not talk about his striking. Maynard is like 155's Jon Fitch. He's strong, he'll take you down, and he'll completely neutralize you. Maynard is getting the next title shot, but I'm thinking Edgar will be able to make this fight much more competitive than their first meeting. As for Florian, I think a fight with Nate Diaz would make sense if Nate really wants to move back down.
Demain Maia vs. Mario Miranda: I didn't know a lot about Miranda prior to this fight, so when I saw Anderson Silva in his corner and heard that he also had a black belt I started to think that Maia could be in a little bit of trouble. My worries soon melted away when Maia looked better than Miranda on the feet, took him down with ease, and used his far superior BJJ to control the fight. It just goes to show how far ahead Maia is than most fighters when it comes to BJJ, even other black belts. Maia didn't get the submission like I thought he would, but he got close several time. Kudos to Miranda for defending the armbars the way he did, especially the one in the 3rd that he rolled out of beautifully. Miranda is 1-2 in the UFC so he might get one more crack at a newcomer or maybe one of the recent TUF guys. I'd like to see Maia take on the winner of Akiyama/Bisping or the winner of Belfort/Okami.
James Toney vs. Randy Couture: Man Toney really had no chance at all. Couture got the easy takedown in the opening seconds of the fight and got mount with no problem at all. From there it was all Randy working his trademark ground and pound before finally sinking an arm triangle. Dana White stated after the fight that this would be the last time he'd let a boxer come into the UFC like that and I got say I'm pretty happy to hear that. You can't be good at just one thing and come into the UFC and expect to be successful. Toney just looked lost, and it would just be more of the same with any other boxers. PS Randy is not a human being. To be 47 years old and to be in the kind of shape is just beyond my comprehension. Toney is one and done, so peace out, but for Couture he can now go back to working for a title shot at 205. Fights with Jon Jones or Rich Franklin would be my top picks.
Frankie Edgar vs. BJ Penn: I picked BJ Penn to win this fight, but I was really hoping that Edgar would be able to shock the world again and get a second win against Penn. Edgar won every round with ease and really made Penn look completely lost for 25 minutes. Edgar was quick on his feet, landed far more and harder shots, and took Penn down a couple times. Frankie kept moving the entire fight while Penn looked slow and flat-footed and didn't really try to use his jab, which has been his go to on the feet for quite some time. The one time Edgar might have been in trouble was when Penn took his back in the 5th, but Frankie stayed calm and managed to roll into top control ... just beautiful mat work. Frankie's next fight is already set with Maynard, and I'm really looking forward to seeing him attempt to avenge his only career loss. I'm not really sure where BJ goes from here. He could go up to 170 and test the waters there against guys like Matt Hughes or Matt Serra, or he could stick with 155 and take on someone like Gomi or Tyson Griffin.
Have not been able to watch a lot of the fights due to Zuffa Big Brother keeping all eyes on the 'tubes but I did get chance to watch Diaz and Lauzon get dominant victories.
ReplyDeleteDiaz took a couple punches in the first while trying to find his rnge and although Davis connected more often than Rogan and Goldberg would have you believe this was a masterfl beat down by Diaz. In MMA fans like to think that when a smaller fighter cuts drops down a weight class it is the "end all be all" and this fighter instantly becomes and challenger. Conversely when we see a tall, lanky lightweight move up to welterweight, as per Diaz, this is always seen as a bad move and expect his small stature will be even more of a detriment 15 pounds heavier. This is not always true and in Nate's case he looks very filed out and was even sporting a slight 6-pack when he weighed in at 171. He was a young kid when he first started fighting and as he grew, dieting and weight cutting just gets more difficult and always is not worth the size advantage that you can gain. I think he will have a good run at 170 as long as he keeps improving his take down defense and game planning.
Now, is Lauzon really that good or is Gabe Ruediger really that bad? I am going to say more of the ladder. Gabe had won 6 straight outside of the octagon leading up to this fight but when 2 of those fights were against fighters who had records of 0-1 and 8-11 does not look too impressive. At least his weight is not a problem any longer it seems. Joe did look great but we always knew he was a good grappler. His problems were his wrestling and striking. When you can't take Sam Stout down and keep him down that's not a good sign. Hopefully with this repaired knee, this young fighter will keep improving and destroying mediocre fighters that get in his way to actual competition.
I was just watching PTI which is a show I love to watch and have a lot of respect for the two hosts. . . . I lost a little on this last episode now though. They were talking about the Toney v. Couture fight and they said even thought Couture won does that make him a better "Fighter"? They said no.
ReplyDeleteTheir reasonig was because Couture would lose to Toney in a straight up boxing match which I agree he more than likely would. Boxing. however is only one aspect of fighting that is why it is called boxing and not figting. MMA is much closer to actual fighting because it allows for more variations of fighting than boxing does.
In conclusion James Toney is a better boxer, shit talker and less evolved (as said on the count down) than Randy Couture. Randy couture is the better wrestler, ground and pounder, submission artist = FIGHTER.
P.S. He is also a better speaker. I do not want to have to have read subs for someone who is speaking a language I know.
Great write up! I was able to watch the fights too and I agree with most of what you said. I liked watching the Maia vs Miranda fight. I didn't know much about Miranda before this fight was scheduled either but I guess he also does a lot of training with Wanderlei Silva on top of training with Blackhouse. I'm pretty sure he is fairly young too so I think this guy can end up being pretty good. There is no shame in losing to a guy like Maia who is arguably the 2nd best MW in the UFC.
ReplyDeleteI also can't wait to see the Maynard vs Edgar title fight (I might be the only one) but I'm feeling that Maynard takes this one. I was really impressed by Edgar beating BJ twice but I can really see the Edgar Maynard fight going the same way the first one did. Maynard is a bigger more powerful wrestler who I think has the ability to get Edgar down and hold him there for long periods of time.
True, true. I can see Maynard dominating Edgar again but his cardio is still questionable. He gassed himself out by throwing bombs at Diaz their whole fight (3 rounds) so how is he going to fair playing that game with a quicker fighter in Edgar throughout a 5 round fight? I could see the lightweight division become a revolving door for champions much like 205 has become.
ReplyDeleteI can definitely see Maynard taking this one, but I have a feeling it will be much more competitive. If Maynard wins I say they bring in Antonio McKee next.
ReplyDeleteI think with one more good name win under his belt george sot.... will be in the title picture which he has earned. Comparing him to edgar right now I think striking and ground game are a toss up and it just depends on if frankie could take him down and hold him down. This is a fight I would love to see for george after another high profile win. Gomi maybe if it is in china??? or jim miller whos only loss in the ufc is to maynard. I vote for the latter
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