Contributor: Josh Hall
Well, this event was just pure fun. The UFC record for finishes in a card was matched with eight knockouts, and certainly quite a few of the highlight reel variety. There was some controversy regarding a couple of decisions, but all in all fans cannot ask for much more, especially from a free card. Here is what stood out to me from the event:
Yoel Romero made a hell of a statement in his UFC debut. At 35 years old, it is time for him to sink or swim, and I hope the UFC gives him a giant step up in competition next time out. His flying knee on Clifford Starks was a thing of beauty, and he showed great finishing instincts to put him away once he got him hurt.
Do not charge into an Anthony Njokuani left hook, at least if your value consciousness. Roger Bowling had his moments early on, but once Njokuani found his range it was only a matter of time before he landed a finishing blow. Kudos to Anthony for not administering any unnecessary damage after Bowling was out.
TJ Dilleshaw was not intimidated by the wild striking attacks of Hugo Viana, and he put him down violently late in the first round. The improvement in his striking under the tutelage of former UFC fighter Duane “Bang” Ludwig was quite apparent in this fight.
Jorge Masvidal and Tim Means had a really good, back and forth technical battle. Both men had their moments, but the wrestling of Masvidal proved to be the difference in this fight. Means never quit, battering Masvidal with elbows from his back, but in the end the 37 fight veteran snapped the winning streak of “The Dirty Bird”.
Joseph Benavidez had no business in the same cage as Darren Uyenoyama. No disrespect intended, but Benavidez was able to do anything he wanted in this fight, finally breaking Uyenoyama with a nasty liver kick, followed by a left hook to the liver that dropped Darren like a sack of potatoes. Benavidez also showed the Ludwig influence, having tightened up his striking a good deal.
Ramsey Nijem got starched by Miles Jury. He ran straight into a right hand, and was stiff before he hit the ground. Jury continues to show he is a really talented fighter as long as he is nowhere near the TUF house. If he can stay healthy, he is young enough to be a factor at 155 for a long time to come.
Francis Carmont stifled the dynamic offense of Lorenz Larkin and won a questionable unanimous decision in the lowlight of the preliminary card. There was a great deal of outrage over the decision, and while I don’t agree with it, I disagree with the other side too. Watching live, I scored the 1st round 10-10, with Larkin winning the second and Carmont the third. Upon second viewing, I stand by my decision. Neither man did enough to win the fight on my card, and the lack of urgency in this fight was as disappointing as the decision.
Duane Freaking Ludwig. Team Alpha Male completed the clean sweep of knockouts when Chad Mendes absolutely steamrolled Darren Elkins. Elins had been very impressive in his winning streak, and with this type of performance Mendes moves much closer to the rematch with Jose Aldo he so greatly desires. Team Alpha Male is not just a bunch of good wrestlers anymore.
Matt Brown is everything that is awesome about MMA. He isn’t all that physically gifted, his record is nothing that will blow you away, and he was within an eyelash of being released from the UFC. Now he has won 5 straight fights, including derailing the large hype trains of Stephen Thompson and, last night, highly touted prospect Jordan Mein. Brown’s straight forward, non stop assault was too much for the young but talented Canadian. Both men had their moments in a first round that gets my vote right now for round of the year, but in the second round Brown flat out blitzed Mein, finishing him quickly. Brown has earned a top ten opponent in his next fight, and probably a job with the UFC for quite a while.
Holy headkicks, Josh Thomson. The Punk became the first person to stop Nate Diaz, and in the most bizarre way possible. I would have never believed I would see a Diaz brother in a fight where his corner would throw in the towel because of the massive damage he was taking. After Diaz walked through 2 solid head kicks in the first round, the third was the charm for Thomson, who looked better than he has in many years. He instantly vaults somewhere into the title hunt at lightweight.
Frank Mir had nothing for Daniel Cormier in a less than scintillating fight. Cormier was extremely impressive though, showing a massive speed advantage over the former UFC HW champion, but also an incredible strength advantage, especially for a man giving up 22 pounds and 4 inches in height. The only break from the clinch Mir could get was from referee Herb Dean, who did not appear to be the least interested in allowing the battle against the cage to continue.
Gilbert Melendez did not get robbed against Benson Henderson. It was a very close fight, and scores for both men are perfectly justifiable. I personally thought Henderson did enough to win rounds 2-4, but it was not the easiest fight to score. Sometimes, there isn’t a clear and definite winner. This was one of hose times. On a side note, I was really disappointed in the San Jose crowd for booing Benson while he proposed to his woman. I’m not a big fan of a public proposal, but a little common decency isn’t too much to ask for, in my opinion.
-Josh can be reached @jhall282.
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