Main Card
Kenny Florian def. Takanori Gomi via Submission (rear-naked choke), Rd 3
Gomi looked exactly as I expected him to (unfortunately), and was soundly outclassed by Florian every step of the way. He hardly landed anything and just got peppered with jabs and well placed counters the entire fight. Florian's technical boxing and footwork made Gomi's predictable style look pedestrian, and overall I'd say the fight was pretty uneventful, save for the last round when Kenflo stepped it up and scored a takedown en route to the submission finish. Florian showed a good gameplan in softening and tiring Gomi out before taking it to the ground and finishing him with a sub, and clearly studied him closely (it's a pretty tried-and-true method of beating Gomi it seems). Gomi showed his usual lack of a gameplan or solid conditioning, and I'm dissapointed his supposed hungry and motivated self was MIA. I still think Gomi got the usual raw deal given to the Japanese in the UFC, and should've gotten a tune-up fight to get acclimated to the organization. If he hadn't been on a decline before even getting signed, I'd be all for him drawing someone like Florian, but anyone who's seen his last few fights can agree he wasn't ready for Florian. He needs to seriously work on his boxing and conditioning if he ever wants to reinvigorate his career.
As for Florian, make a match with Gray Maynard happen. Although I still don't think yet another title shot against BJ Penn would go much differently for Florian, he probably stands the best chance out of the present contenders. Oh, and that RNC totally deserved sub of the night; the finish and the moments leading up to it were things of beauty.
Roy Nelson def. Stefan Struve via TKO (punches), Rd 1
Not much to say here. Nelson blasted Struve in the face before he really got a chance to do anything. But on the plus side, just looking at the two of them square off was even funnier than I thought. Nelson seriously looked like a dwarf in there, and had to punch vertically to meet Struve in the face. Roy's boxing is really impressing me as of late, and he's added some heavy hands and solid boxing to his formidable gound game. I say give Roy one of the big boys next. Frank Mir or Minotauro could be entertaining. Struve is still just 22 years old, so he's got time on his side. I'd really like to see how he fares against another grappler.
Ross Pearson def. Dennis Siver via Unanimous Decision, Rd 3
Once again Pearson impresses the hell out of me with a great display of kickboxing. If there's one Brit I'd like to see become the first UFC champ from the UK, its this guy. Siver was impressive in his own right, showing a good chin and solid stand up as well, but he had nothing for Pearson, who had an answer for everything he threw. Would've liked to see Pearson finish this one, but Siver's a tough dude. Other than the ending, I pretty much called this one exactly. Just keep providing both of them with quality opponents and they'll continue producing bonus-winning fights.
Jorge Rivera def. Nate Quarry via TKO (punches), Rd 2
The WTF upset of the night right here. Went the exact opposite of how I expected. I expected Quarry to pick Rivera apart, but Rivera picked Quarry apart with his right hand. I mean Rivera just beat him up all over that cage. Props to Nate for even making it out of the first round, because he looked like he was done. He came out guns blazing in the 2nd, looking to turn the tide of the fight, but ended up eating more punches and went down again. I don't even know what to say about this one haha. Rivera looked focused and ready, and just took it to Nate. End of story.
Prelims
Andre Winner def. Rafaello Oliveira via Unanimous Decision, Rd 3
Didn't actually see this one, but from the reports Winner took home a solid decision by controlling the distance, using his superior stand-up and staying away from Oliveira's ground game. Time for Winner to come off of the undercard and face some better competition. I've been pretty impressed with him and it's time to see how he stacks up.
Jacob Volkmann def. Ronys Torres via Split Decision, Rd 3
Volkmann surprises me yet again. I thought he was a bit of a scrub against Thiago, he looked more solid in his defeat against Kampmann, and he looked even more improved in his must-win decision over Torres. Torres, on the other hand, has been looking anything but impressive. On paper he should've handled both Guillard and Volkmann, and they both made him look like a far cry from the touted prospect he came into the UFC as. Volkmann used his wrestling (finally) to dominate the fight. If they don't cut Torres after this bout, his next is a definite must-win.
Nik Lentz def. Rob Emerson via Unanimous Decision, Rd 3
I said in my predictions that unless Lentz brings his takedown game up to snuff, he'll lose the decision. Well, he did bring it up to snuff. And he didn't lose the decision. The takedowns were all he needed and all he did. Yawn.
Gleison Tibau def. Caol Uno via TKO (punches), Rd 1
VW Beetle vs. semi truck....who wins? Pretty much the same result when you put Uno, who could (and should) cut to 145 against Tibau, who could (and for his health, should) move up to 170. Uno stayed relatively competitive for the short time he was upright, but c'mon. There was no way he could really overcome Tibau's ridiculous power advantage. Once Uno was in trouble, there was no way he could keep Tibau off of him. However, For all the shit I talk about Tibau's crazy weight cutting and offense that revolves almost entirely around taking people down over and over again, I have to say that I was impressed with how improved his stand-up has gotten, and that he decided to show it off instead of use his normal boring takedown strategy. All the same, I don't find much fault in Tibau cutting so much (hey if you can make the weight, why not?), but I'm really disappointed in the matchmakers when they put on such blatant mismatches as this one.
Yushin Okami def. Lucio Linhares via TKO (doctor stoppage), Rd 2
I just realized I totally forgot about this fight in my predictions. I dunno how that happened. Well the prediction would've been Okami via dominant decision, but he did me one better by destroying Linhares on the feet to the point the doctors deemed him unfit to continue. Really impressed that Okami showed off some striking, even if it was against a grappler like Linhares. I really hope Okami can build himself up into the contender that so many blind fans thought he was before Chael Sonnen derailed his "Yushin Okami is the true #1 contender" hype train. Now with a more exciting win under his belt, lets get this guy on a main card!
As for those other two fights (which I didn't see), Charlie Brenneman did exactly to Jason High what I thought High would do to him, earning him the unanimous nod. Gerald Harris pulled off his second UFC win via TKO against Mario Miranda.
So I went 7-4 in my predictions. Not bad. I always tend to do a lot better with main cards (I went 3-1). Maybe because I know those fighters more.
