Contributor: Daniel Galvan
(The Daily Haymaker is a daily series that takes a look back and covers the news, fights being made, and all the other insanity revolving around combat sports. The Haymaker’s purpose is to keep you up to date with the ever changing combat sports world and also provide thought-provoking [hopefully] analysis from yours truly.)
The biggest news on Wednesday was undoubtedly the Fight for the Troops 3 card the UFC put on in Fort Campbell. Here’s my fight-by-fight recap and analysis on each fight that took place.
Middleweight Bout
Tim Kennedy (17-4, UFC Rec: 2-0) vs Rafael Natal (17-5-1, UFC Rec: 5-3-1)
Recap: The majority of the first frame played out at a calm pace as both fighters picked their shots with Rafael Natal landing several leg kicks to Kennedy’s lead leg to get the better of the exchanges. The tide changed in the closing moments of the period when Tim Kennedy shifted from a left straight to a left hook punch that knocked Natal out. To clarify the finish, Kennedy landed a few ground strikes until Herb Dean stepped in.
Analysis: Being a -380 favorite, Tim Kennedy would have to have landed a capoeira kick or something of that insane nature to drastically improve his stock as a middleweight, but he did remind us that he possesses knockout power. This was Tim Kennedy’s first knockout in a UFC and Strikeforce career that has spanned ten fights. What I find the most remarkable about Kennedy’s performance is that he fought despite suffering a torn quad in training a week prior. From Rafael Natal’s perspective, it’s a bit alarming that he was knocked out by Tim Kennedy [the fourth KO/TKO loss in Natal’s career], but prior to that, his striking, in particular his leg kicks, gave him the edge on my scorecard.
Middleweight Bout
Yoel Romero (6-1, UFC Rec: 2-0) vs Ronny Markes (14-2 UFC Rec: 3-1)
Recap: Fighting out of a southpaw stance, Yoel Romero’s left hand found a permanent residence on the face of Ronny Markes. Aside from a body kick that dropped Markes, Romero’s left was the focal point of his powerful striking display. In the third frame, Romero finished Markes with an overhand left that had Michael Schiavello screaming “Goodnight Irene” somewhere in Australia. Markes looked best in the first frame with a pair of takedowns, but other than that, it was all Romero.
Analysis: Can someone please get in touch with Father Time and plead with him to change Romero’s age. As long as the Cuban is 36, it’ll be hard to consider him a force in the middleweight division, but man, his fighting style is exciting and effective. Despite being known for his remarkable wrestling credentials [competing in freestyle wrestling, Romero won the silver medal in the 2000 Olympics], Romero has won all six of his professional bouts with strikes. The loss snaps Ronny Markes’s seven fight win streak.
Women’s Bantamweight Bout
Alexis Davis (15-5, UFC Rec: 2-0) vs Liz Carmouche (9-4, UFC Rec: 1-2)
Recap: Alexis Davis was awarded a unanimous decision verdict thanks to a stand-up heavy outing that was highlighted by her constant leg kick attack on Liz Carmouche’s right limb. Davis’s leg kicks damaged Carmouche’s leg so severely that the American was forced to change stances. Carmouche did score with a big left-overhand right combination to cut open Davis above her left eye in the opening moments of the second round.
Analysis: It was a dominant outing for Davis against a fighter who gave Ronda Rousey a tough contest in the first women’s fight in UFC history. The victory establishes Davis, alongside Cat Zingano, as one of the biggest threats to Rousey’s title. With the win, Alexis Davis has now beaten six fighters that have been on TUF or UFC contract. She’s tied with Sarah Kaufman for the lead among fighters.
Lightweight Bout
Rustam Khabilov (17-1, UFC Rec: 3-0) vs Jorge Masvidal (25-8, UFC Rec: 2-1)
Recap: Rustam Khabilov squeaked out a close decision win over Jorge Masvidal in a fight that played out primarily on the feet. The only decisive round was the third one which saw Khabilov score with a highlight reel worthy spinning back kick, back control, and a throw late in the round. The other two rounds were so razor thin that I wouldn’t have been angered had they been scored either way. In the first two periods, Masvidal defended Khabilov’s takedowns and scored with accurate strikes on the feet, but so did Khabilov.
Analysis: The question on whether or not Rustam Khabilov should be considered a legitimate UFC lightweight was answered with a yes as Khabilov beat a tough opponent in Masvidal. Although it wasn’t a definitive win, few lightweights on the planet are capable of disposing of Jorge Masvidal. Khabilov’s takedowns were stifled by Masvidal, but his striking looked proficient. The right hand of Khabilov as well as his sweet spinning back kick and footwork showcased the multiple dimensions in Khabilov’s game. This was a disappointing loss for Masvidal who could have very well taken the initial two frames decisively with a more aggressive pace.
Lightweight Bout
Michael Chiesa (10-1, UFC Rec: 3-1) vs Colton Smith (3-3, UFC Rec: 1-2)
Recap: A sick whizzer transition into a trip from Michael Chiesa sent Colton Smith crashing down into the canvas in the second round, and Chiesa capitalized on his trip by jumping onto the back of Smith like Joey Chesnut on a hotdog and securing a fight-ending rear-naked choke. The finish came after Chiesa dropped the first frame to Smith. In that round, both fighters traded RNC attempts, but Smith scored with more dominant grappling and a body clinch takedown.
Analysis: It was a fun, finishing sequence for Michael Chiesa, but at the end of the day, I think that’ll be the story of Michael Chiesa’s career, a fun grappler to watch that’ll struggle against top competition. Who knows, maybe I’ll be wrong. I’ve been wrong on several things, such as whether or not girls like me. Colton Smith to me is a fighter that needs to take a break from the UFC and have some more intensive developmental time. He’s got raw potential, but he still looks a tad bit green to me.
Lightweight Bout
Bobby Green (21-5, UFC Rec: 2-0) vs James Krause (20-5, UFC Rec: 1-1)
Recap: Bobby Green kicked James Krause in the balls to start the fight. He then proceeded to kick James Krause in the balls once again, and this time Big John McCarthy deducted a point away from Green. And then, Bobby Green landed a belt-line shot that caused Krause to grab at his groin, but McCarthy ruled it a legal shot and gave Green the TKO victory.
Analysis: John McCarthy is the best Mixed Martial Arts official there is, and he rarely makes mistakes. But he made one this fight. After watching the replay, it’s clear that Bobby Green’s foot hit the top of the cup of Krause on the belt-line kick. Even though it wasn’t full-on, being kicked in the nuts by a man who is trained to destroy other human beings with kicks will probably soften up the gonads. This fight should be changed to a No Contest, no question about it. The bout probably brought back a flashback for Bobby Green. On the second Affliction card, Green landed three illegal groin strikes to Dan Lauzon. Green, a green [sorry, I just had to because I’m not funny and it’s 3 AM] prospect at the time, ended up losing by submission to Lauzon.
Bantamweight Bout
Francisco Rivera (10-2, 1 NC, UFC Rec: 3-0, 1 NC) vs George Roop (14-10-1, UFC Rec: 4-6)
Recap: Francisco Rivera’s hand speed, killer instinct, and power was on display once again as Rivera knocked Roop down with a left hook and followed up with punches until Mario Yamasaki called a stop to the action in the second round. After being stung by a few of Rivera’s combinations in the first frame, Roop brought it to the ground with a well-executed takedown, but he was unable to employ that strategy in the second before the fight’s conclusion.
Analysis: A performance like this moves Rivera from an undercard superstar to a bantamweight deserving of a main card spot. Not only does Rivera’s fight style promise excitement, but it also promises success. He’s beaten every single one of his UFC opponents convincingly [His fight against Roland Delorme was ruled a no contest following a failed drug test]. Now, Rivera’s name should be mentioned when we consider possible opponents for Eddie Wineland, Iuri Alcantara, and the loser of Faber/McDonald.
Featherweight Bout
Dennis Bermudez (12-3, UFC Rec: 5-1) vs Steven Siler (23-11, UFC Rec: 5-2)
Recap: Holy Guillotine Batman! Both featherweights traded what seemed like a million guillotines in a fight that went the distance. Bermudez employed wrestling and dominant positions along with some significant strikes to take the fight on the judges’ scorecards.
Analysis: Dennis Bermudez is going to be a tough out at featherweight because of his tenacity and talent as a takedown artist and a grappler. Steven Siler kept the fight close, and he has more than enough skills to stay in the UFC for a while. Siler just drew a tough opponent to beat for this card.
Women’s Bantamweight Bout
Amanda Nunes (9-3, UFC Rec: 2-0) vs Germaine de Randamie (4-3, UFC Rec: 1-1)
Recap: Following a few quick exchanges to the feet, Amanda Nunes brought de Randamie to the ground and landed a litany of ground and pound from full mount until Herb Dean stepped in. While de Randamie wasn’t particularly hurt, she did nothing to defend herself from the barrage of strikes from her opponent.
Analysis: One thing no women bantamweight should ever want is Amanda Nunes on top of her because Nunes is an absolute animal with her ground and pound. She never let up and continued to work for a much-deserved finish. De Randamie on the other hand is going to have trouble sticking with the company if she doesn’t improve her takedown defense, grappling defense, or ability to get back up to the feet when she’s on her back.
Middleweight Bout
Lorenz Larkin (14-1, 1 NC, UFC Rec: 1-1) def. Chris Camozzi (19-7, UFC Rec: 6-4)
Recap: A thrilling three round striking display wowed the crowd in Kentucky. Despite getting caught with several combinations from Camozzi throughout the fight, Lorenz Larkin won the fight without question by employing his speed, striking precision, and ability to work in and out of the pocket.
Analysis: Chris Camozzi played right into Larkin’s game, so Lorenz Larkin’s stock didn’t dramatically rise with this fight. This fight still vindicated that Larkin has an effective striking game that’ll give a lot of middleweights fights.
Lightweight Bout
Yancy Medeiros (10-1, UFC Rec: 1-1) vs Yves Edwards (42-21-1, UFC Rec: 10-9)
Recap: The fight that preceded Larkin/Camozzi was also a thrilling striking display, but this one ended much sooner. Medeiros knocked out Yves Edwards with a left uppercut in the first round. Yancy’s left connected with Edwards throughout the fight, but Edwards did connect with several of his own shots as well. It was a back-and-forth striking contest that was riveting to watch.
Analysis: Offensively, Yancy Medeiros’s striking is some of the best among lightweight up-and-comers, but he has some holes defensively that were exploited by Edwards. There’s something about the master of Thugjitsu that depresses me to watch him lose, but I do hope that the 42 year-old gets at least one more call-back from the UFC to end his career with a victory.
Welterweight Bout
Seth Baczynski (19-10, UFC Rec: 4-3) vs Neil Magny (8-3, UFC Rec: 1-2)
Recap: Although I scored the fight 29-28 Baczynski, a strong case could be made for 29-28 verdict for Magny. Regardless, this was a back-and-forth contest that played out on the feet, in the clinch, and on the ground. The deciding factor was Bacyznski’s takedowns, ground positioning, and strikes.
Analysis: Neither fighter really deviated from where they stand in the division to much from this close contest. Baczynski does need to work on his conditioning because his tendency to slow down as the fight progresses was evident in this fight.
Middleweight Bout
Derek Brunson (11-2, UFC Rec: 2-0) vs Brian Houston (4-1, UFC Rec: 0-1)
Recap: Derek Brunson made short work of Brian Houston. Brunson knocked the lone UFC newcomer of this card down with a left head kick and immediately went for the finish as he jumped on the back of Houston and fought for a rear-naked choke submission.
Analysis: There’s no way Derek Brunson could have looked more impressive. He went out and ran through Brian Houston here. The win solidified Brunson as a UFC fighter, and I’m intrigued about his future progression as a fighter. I doubt we’ll see Brian Houston back in the UFC in his next fight, but I also doubt that we won’t ever see Brian Houston back in the UFC. He looked dominant in his first four professional bouts, and a few victories outside of the UFC will probably result in a call back to the biggest stage in Mixed Martial Arts.
The News
1. The UFC awards for Fight for the Troops 3 went as follows: Knockout of the Night – Tim Kennedy, Fight of the Night: Jorge Masvidal vs Rustam Khabilov, and Submission of the Night: Michael Chiesa.
2. In a Fight For The Troops 3 conference call Dana White discussed why UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez wasn’t one of the sixteen fighters place in the fan vote contest for who will join Jon Jones on the cover of the EA Sports UFC game. Basically, Velasquez felt as though it was demeaning for the company’s Heavyweight Champ to be thrown in to a fan poll of sixteen fighters, so he withdrew his name from the contest. It’s a really a non-story, but it does provide an answer as to why he wasn’t included.
3. After Shane Mosley had an issue with a promoter a few weeks ago, his fight with Anthony Mudine is back on forNovember 27th. The promoter for the match-up will be Khoder Nasser. This piece of news was retrieved from BadLeftHook.com.
4. On the facebook prelims, Joe Rogan announced that there was 395 fighters. The unintentional comedy was provided by Mike Goldberg who retorted by saying “That’s almost 400!”
Must-Reads
1. Here’s Chuck Mindenhall’s piece on the year 2004 as it regards to the UFC. You can find it here: http://bit.ly/1bYF9kE
2. Dave Walsh of Liverkick.com wrote an article on his thoughts about K-1 announcing a move away from tournaments. Read it here: http://bit.ly/1elxd22
My Random Thought
Today, when I was checking my spam folder, I received an e-mail from a username named “SexKitten”. I didn’t open the e-mail, since my computer is already handicapped due to some of the extracurricular activity that takes place in my web browser, but wow, that’s a great e-mail name.
That’ll do it for today’s Haymaker. Thanks for reading, and I’ll leave you with a quote from Daniel Galvan.
“The Daily Haymaker is the greatest column in MMA history….. among Mixed Martial Arts columns on Undercard Superstar named The Daily Haymaker.”
-Dan can be reached at [email protected] or @danielgal.
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