I was not amused by UFC 118. Not at all amused. While it had some shining moments, as a whole the event was pretty lackluster. But 7 decisions in 11 fights will do that. And here we go!
Frank Mir def. Mirko "Cro Cop" Filipovic via KO (knee) Rd 3
Prediction: I decided to be bold and predict that Cro Cop would outstrike Mir on the feet and use his takedown defense to keep things upright, leading to a gassed Mir being TKO'd in the 3rd round.
What happened: An utterly boring fight (that Mir was winning by default since Cro Cop was barely attacking) ended in abrupt and surprising fashion with less that a minute left in the fight, as Mir threw a knee that connected with Cro Cop's chin just as Cro Cop was trying to turn up the heat.
Thoughts: Like so many others, I thought this would be a helluva a fight. We were all wrong. Neither man wanted to engage. Cro Cop was content to do nothing more than think about striking a damn near immoble Mir; while Mir was obsessed with clinching against the cage. I was disappointed in both men (and I don't even like Mir), but mostly in Cro Cop, who instilled a little hope in me after his win against Pat Barry. Now I just want to see him retire. I'm glad Mir trashed his own performance, and props to Dana White for refusing him the KO of the night reward, even though it was the only knockout on the card.
Next for Mir: A rematch with Roy Nelson....because I want to see it. Realistically, the Mir from this fight might not destroy Minotauro Nogueira after all so maybe this rematch should finally materialize once Big Nog's knee heals.
Next for Filipovic: If it were up to me, Cro Cop would get an easy target, beat him into oblivion, and retire. But that probably won't happen. Give him someone beatable but exciting like Gilbert Yvel, who could either bring back a little of the old Cro Cop or retire him once and for all. I still like my idea better.
Ryan Bader def. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira via Decision (unanimous) Rd 3
Prediction: A replay of Nogueira's match up with Jason Brilz, except Bader would dominate enough to actually get the decision.
What happened: Bader used his wrestling somewhat sparingly and stuck to striking with Lil' Nog. While he looked good early on, his cardio problems resurfaced again, and he had his takedowns stuffed and was soundly outboxed by Nog in the last round. However, none of the judges cared about this and all of them scored the fight 30-27 for Bader.
Thoughts: I realize it was a close fight, but I really think Nogueira took the last two rounds (AT LEAST the 3rd). It's even more surprising to me that no one seemed at all annoyed by this. The majority of the last two rounds were Nog chasing Bader down and tagging him. Bader didn't do much with the takedowns he secured, but of course the judges treat them like fight ending bombs. But enough of that rant.
Next for Bader: There seems to be a lobby for Jon Jones, but Bader looked pretty bad against Nog and Keith Jardine (until he KO'ed him). I don't think he's at all ready for Jones. Rich Franklin could make for a good match up, or the winner of Tito Ortiz/Matt Hammill.
Next for Nogueira: I thought he looked relatively impressive in this fight, and shouldn't be dropped too much in the division. I like the idea of pitting him against he winner of Brandon Vera vs. Thiago Silva.
Chris Lytle def. Matt Serra via Decision (unanimous) Rd 3
Prediction: Serra's heavy hands and aggression would lead to him taking a close decision.
What happened: In a match that was about 98% boxing, Lytle used his superior hand speed and technique to dominate Serra on the feet. The second round in particular saw Serra rocked on a few occasions. No one was surprised to see Lytle's hand raised after 15 minutes.
Thoughts: Apparently I didn't give Lytle enough credit. I know he's got some of the better hands in the division, and a vastly underrated ground game, but I expected him to regress to a brawler and end up getting himself in trouble. He was one step ahead of Serra the whole way, and made a serious claim to being in the welterweight mix.
Next for Lytle: I like that he could face Jon Fitch to fight. Make it happen.
Next for Serra: It should be 155 lbs, but if he insists on staying at 170 he should put his boxing once again against Marcus Davis, OR we could maybe force him to actually use his grappling against the winner of Dennis Hallman vs Karo Parisyan.
Sean Sherk def. Evan Dunham via Decision (split) Rd 3
Prediction: Evan would use his reach to outstrike Sherk, who would continue to box with his T-Rex arms. Wouldn't be enough to put Sherk away, but it would be enough to take a dominant decision.
What happened: The fight started off well for Sherk, as he went back to his vintage wrestling and ground n pound to open up a nasty cut above Dunham's eye. That would go on to be the most offense Sherk could muster, as Dunham caught Sherk in no less than 4 guillotine chokes and battered him with strikes in throughout the 3rd round. Apparently two judges were watching another fight, and gave it to Sherk.
Thoughts: I don't like to throw around the term "robbery" but this was a robbery. I was rooting for Sherk, but he definitely lost this fight. However, with this loss I can really say I'm sold on Evan Dunham. He has a bright future in the division, and the fact that his first career loss came this way is a shame.
Next for Sherk: He was supposed to fight Joe Stevenson ages ago. I think they should revisit it. If not that, a rematch with Kenny Florian.
Next for Dunham: He should stay around the top of the division. He should face a fellow near top-heap lightweight like Jim Miller or fellow unlucky loser Rafael dos Anjos.
Melvin Guillard def. Jeremy Stephens via Decision (split) Rd 3
Prediction: An absolute slugfest would end in a decision for Stephens.
What happened: In a much more tactical match than expected, Guillard used his superior speed and footwork to move in and out with well-timed punches. Stephens gave about as well as he got and was the aggressor for more of the bout. A close fight ended up with Guillard being awarded a split decision.
Thoughts: I honestly don't see the uproar over this decision. People seem to be very selective about whether a patient stick-and-move style is worthy of a decision. I'm not saying Guillard won the fight hands down, but judging from the responses I've seen it seems the consensus was that Stephens comfortably took the fight just because Guillard was being more defensive. I'd like to know what fight they were watching.
Next for Guillard: Willamy Freire, because they both dye their hair blond for some ridiculous reason....and I think that would be hilarious to watch. Seriously though, I think that would make a good match up, along with his next post match challenge: Takanori Gomi.
Next for Stephens: Ross Pearson would make for straight-up entertainment.
The Prelims
- C.B. Dollaway impressed the hell out of me with a beastly guillotine choke victory over a tough Joe Doerkson. I thought Dollaway would be a force in the middleweight division after his TUF stint and win over Jesse Taylor, but since then I was pretty underwhelmed. Another performance like this one and I think he could go places.
- Another impressive showing from Mitrione against a game Joey Beltran. Mitrione is proving to be an unlikely prospect out of the otherwise unimpressive TUF 10 house. Once he improves his ground game I think he can do great things at heavyweight.
- Thiago Tavares didn't miss a step after his long layoff in an impressive guillotine choke victory over Pat Audinwood. Hopefully he can hop back in the fray at lightweight and stay injury free.
- Mark Hunt needs to hang 'em up. I thought he'd have the sense to keep it off the ground against McCorkle since hes such a submission magnet, but he dove right down there instead of just staying with his strength. As per usual, he left his arm right out there for the taking and McCorkle took it. I really wanted to see Hunt make a comeback, and I hope he gets another chance after this crappy performance.
Okay, that's all folks. Nothing more to say here. OUT.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Dream 16 recap
The featherweights made Dream 16 a pretty solid event. That and the fact that my picks did pretty well. So without further ado....
Yusuke Kawaguchi def. James Thompson via Decision (split) Rd 2
Prediction: I've only come to expect the "Thompson Special": James comes out fast and hard in the opening minute of the fight, slows down, and gets KO'ed.
What happened: The one fight I expected to end early didn't. Thompson was wobbled several times during the fight due to some of the worst defense you'll ever see, but controlled a good portion of the fight. This wasn't enough for two of the judges, who awarded Kawaguchi the decision.
Thoughts: It was a close fight, but I thought Thompson won it. Apparently Japanese judges don't care about dominant positions (Thompson got full mount a few times in the fight). When the decision was announced Thompson threw up his arms and said, "What do I have to do?" He should already know you have to be Japanese to win decisions in Japan.
Next for Thompson: Watching more DVDs.
Mitsuhiro Ishida def. Akiyo Nishiura via Decision (split) Rd 2
Prediction: Much like Thompson, I can only expect the "Ishida Special": Ishida wrestles you to the ground and never lets go for 15 minutes. There's usually one moment where he gets hit and put in potential trouble, but it doesn't negate the dominance he asserted the rest of the fight.
What happened: Nishiura showed a lot of improvement in his ability to stay upright, as well as stand once he was taken down, but he still spent 85% of the fight dealing with Ishida's wrestling. And you know what that means.
Thoughts: Textbook Ishida here. I'm a fan, but the guy is one of the few Japanese guys that will lay n' pray if he can't assert much damage (this happens a lot). He did bust out some super awesome Kurt Angle double German suplex action though. I could go for more of that from him.
Next for Ishida: He's quietly working himself into the mix. I'd like to see him take on Norifumi Yamamoto or Kazuyuki Miyata, and see how he handles someone who can definitely outstrike him, and possibly prevent him from wrestling him to a decision.
Next for Nishiura: OR Nishiura can face Yamamoto. That would be fireworks.
Kazuyuki Miyata def. "Lion" Takeshi Inoue via Decision (unanimous) Rd 2
Prediction: Miyata would display enough striking to comfortable switch gears and frustrate Lion with his wrestling, winning a decision in the end.
What happened: I know my prediction was in the minority, but that's exactly what happened.
Thoughts: I was shaky on my choice of Miyata to take this match, but I had my reasons. Lion is a good striker with a decent ground game, but I didn't think he could take Miyata out standing or on the ground. Miyata's a juggernaut of a featherweight and I felt he could take Lion down at will, where his wrestling is more than good enough to negate Lion's ground game. As tough as Lion is, I could only see him losing via decision. Supporting my prediction was the fact that Lion just looked flat during the fight. I wouldn't be surprised if he was injured coming in. He's still a major featherweight player in Japan, so he should bounce back.
Next for Miyata: Kid Yamamoto or Mitsuhiro Ishida
Next for Inoue: Back to Shooto to work his way to a rematch with Hatsu Hioki.
Joachim Hansen def. Hideo Tokoro via Submission (triangle choke) Rd. 1
Prediction: Clearly a fight to help Hansen out of a 3-fight rut, Tokoro would have nothing for Hansen and get pounded out in the first.
What happened: It was a dominant performance for Hansen, but he decided to flex his submission skills instead. After locking in a topside triangle from the mount, he rolled it over, Tokoro surprisingly mustered up the power to slam him. The slam managed to break the hold, but Hansen immediately secured it even tighter, coaxing the tap.
Thoughts: I'm very glad to see Hansen back on the winning track. He might finally be used to the cut down to 145, and can get back to his old, brutal style. I'm a big fan of Tokoro as well, as he always comes to fight his heart out, but in this one a loss for him was the lesser of two evils. Two straight losses for Tokoro isn't good, but four straight losses for Hansen would be devastating.
Michihiro Omigawa def. Cole Escovedo via Submission (inverted armbar) rd 1
Prediction: Boldly predicted Omigawa by whatever he wants.
What happened: All Omigawa in this one. He decided to take the fight to the ground, where he was reversed and forced to go to guard. Escovedo didn't have much chance to mount offense, as Omigawa faked him out by working for a sneaky inverted armbar while controlling Cole's head. Needless to say, a tap followed closely.
Thoughts: Once again Omigawa proves why he's my favorite featherweight: he can take the fight to you everywhere. I'm sure the pain Escovedo felt was just as much a surprise to him as seeing him tap was to me. The armbar came out of nowhere, as Omigawa just looked to be adjusting his position. Keep the impressive wins coming.
Next for Omigawa: If Hiroyuki Takaya gets Bibiano Fernandez next, then Omigawa should get someone at the top of the heap as well. In reality they may want to try and put together a rematch with Marlon Sandro or Masanori Kanehara in Sengoku.
Hiroyuki Takaya def. Chase Beebe via Knockout (punches) Rd 1
Prediction: Beebe's superior wrestling would stifle Takaya's striking en route to a decision victory.
What happened: Beebe didn't get a chance to use that wrestling, as Takaya dropped him hard with a right hand and knocked him unconscious with follow up punches in 1:45.
Thoughts: Takaya's got dynamite in those hands! The guy is knocking out people left and right now, and is definitely in the elite of Japanese featherweights.
Next for Takaya: A title rematch with Bibiano Fernandez (which I hope he wins....I thought he narrowly edged Bibiano out in the first fight), although he really should be rematching the last man who beat him, Omiagawa, to prove who the real "center" of the Japanese featherweight division is.
Satoshi Ishii def. Ikuhisa Minowa via decision (unanimous) Rd 2
Prediction: Ishii would dominate Minowa with his judo, and Minowa's toughness would allow him to see the final bell.
What happened: See above.
Thoughts: Ishii's application of his judo and positional control in MMA is great to see. We just need to see him apply something else besides that as well. He dominated Minowa for the entire 15 minutes, but barely did any damage. Conversely, All Minowa has are his patented leglocks, and while those will work against lumbering oafs with limited skill, someone with the skills of Ishii won't fall for them. The fact that Ishii didn't outweigh him by a million pounds was no help either. This greatly limited Minowa's usual speed and stamina advantage, and it proved that Minowa can't hang with real (see: non-freakshow) heavyweights.
Next for Ishii: A real heavyweight hopefully. Actually, I'm not all that interested.
Next for Minowa: Bring on the next giant freakshow.
Shinya Aoki def. Marcus Aurelio via Decision (unanimous) Rd 2
Prediction: Aoki controls and out-grapples Aurelio to a decision.
What happened: See above.
Thoughts: I'm not sure why so many thought Aoki would sub Aurelio quickly. They seem to forget that Aurelio is a good BJJ black belt himself. I know Aoki is definitely the better of the two, but I give Aurelio enough credit to at least hang with him for a bit. Not much else to say, other than that Aoki's ground n pound looked better than it has in the past.
Next for Aoki: Hopefully a rematch with Gilbert Melendez in Japan....not that it will go any differently.
Jason Miller def. Kazushi Sakuraba via Submission (arm triangle choke) Rd 1
Prediction: A completely unnecessary match ends with Mayhem winning a dominant decision due to Saku's toughness.
What happened: Miller dropped some savage ground and pound early on in the fight (which of course Sakuraba just took without blinking), and easily slapped on an arm triangle. Sakuraba tapped quickly.
Thoughts: This was just sad to watch, but Miller said he'd be the first to (legitimately) sub Sakuraba, and that's exactly what he did. There was a time where I would have thought Sakuraba give Miller problems, but he's just so over the hill now. I cringed every time he took a shot from Miller, and was actually relieved when he locked in the choke. It almost seemed as though Sakuraba had never encountered an arm triangle because he barely tried to defend at all, and I hope that's the case, and not that his brain is so far gone he didn't think to react. Anyway, pointless match. Glad Saku didn't get pounded to burger meat though.
Next for Miller: I really want to see him fight Nick Diaz.
Next for Sakuraba: I hope to God it'll be retirement, but who am I kidding? He'll probably take several more fights, and I just hope they're against nobodies that he can beat.
Gegard Mousasi def. Tatsuya Mizuno via Submission (rear-naked choke) Rd 1
Prediction: Mousasi handles Mizuno, and wins however he sees fit.
What happened: It was more difficult than most thought, but after showing off some nice new wrestling skills Mousasi took Mizuno's back and quickly tapped him with the RNC.
Thoughts: I knew Mizuno would put up at least somewhat of a fight, as he's definitely not lacking in the heart department, but he really has nothing for Mousasi. He's still really developing as a fighter, and this loss shouldn't be viewed as a big setback for him.
Next for Mousasi: Maybe a rematch with Muhammad Lawal to determine who fights Rafael Cavalcante next.
Phew. And there you have it. Decent card, and hopefully Dream can muster up another and not go spiraling out of business. PEACE.
Yusuke Kawaguchi def. James Thompson via Decision (split) Rd 2
Prediction: I've only come to expect the "Thompson Special": James comes out fast and hard in the opening minute of the fight, slows down, and gets KO'ed.
What happened: The one fight I expected to end early didn't. Thompson was wobbled several times during the fight due to some of the worst defense you'll ever see, but controlled a good portion of the fight. This wasn't enough for two of the judges, who awarded Kawaguchi the decision.
Thoughts: It was a close fight, but I thought Thompson won it. Apparently Japanese judges don't care about dominant positions (Thompson got full mount a few times in the fight). When the decision was announced Thompson threw up his arms and said, "What do I have to do?" He should already know you have to be Japanese to win decisions in Japan.
Next for Thompson: Watching more DVDs.
Mitsuhiro Ishida def. Akiyo Nishiura via Decision (split) Rd 2
Prediction: Much like Thompson, I can only expect the "Ishida Special": Ishida wrestles you to the ground and never lets go for 15 minutes. There's usually one moment where he gets hit and put in potential trouble, but it doesn't negate the dominance he asserted the rest of the fight.
What happened: Nishiura showed a lot of improvement in his ability to stay upright, as well as stand once he was taken down, but he still spent 85% of the fight dealing with Ishida's wrestling. And you know what that means.
Thoughts: Textbook Ishida here. I'm a fan, but the guy is one of the few Japanese guys that will lay n' pray if he can't assert much damage (this happens a lot). He did bust out some super awesome Kurt Angle double German suplex action though. I could go for more of that from him.
Next for Ishida: He's quietly working himself into the mix. I'd like to see him take on Norifumi Yamamoto or Kazuyuki Miyata, and see how he handles someone who can definitely outstrike him, and possibly prevent him from wrestling him to a decision.
Next for Nishiura: OR Nishiura can face Yamamoto. That would be fireworks.
Kazuyuki Miyata def. "Lion" Takeshi Inoue via Decision (unanimous) Rd 2
Prediction: Miyata would display enough striking to comfortable switch gears and frustrate Lion with his wrestling, winning a decision in the end.
What happened: I know my prediction was in the minority, but that's exactly what happened.
Thoughts: I was shaky on my choice of Miyata to take this match, but I had my reasons. Lion is a good striker with a decent ground game, but I didn't think he could take Miyata out standing or on the ground. Miyata's a juggernaut of a featherweight and I felt he could take Lion down at will, where his wrestling is more than good enough to negate Lion's ground game. As tough as Lion is, I could only see him losing via decision. Supporting my prediction was the fact that Lion just looked flat during the fight. I wouldn't be surprised if he was injured coming in. He's still a major featherweight player in Japan, so he should bounce back.
Next for Miyata: Kid Yamamoto or Mitsuhiro Ishida
Next for Inoue: Back to Shooto to work his way to a rematch with Hatsu Hioki.
Joachim Hansen def. Hideo Tokoro via Submission (triangle choke) Rd. 1
Prediction: Clearly a fight to help Hansen out of a 3-fight rut, Tokoro would have nothing for Hansen and get pounded out in the first.
What happened: It was a dominant performance for Hansen, but he decided to flex his submission skills instead. After locking in a topside triangle from the mount, he rolled it over, Tokoro surprisingly mustered up the power to slam him. The slam managed to break the hold, but Hansen immediately secured it even tighter, coaxing the tap.
Thoughts: I'm very glad to see Hansen back on the winning track. He might finally be used to the cut down to 145, and can get back to his old, brutal style. I'm a big fan of Tokoro as well, as he always comes to fight his heart out, but in this one a loss for him was the lesser of two evils. Two straight losses for Tokoro isn't good, but four straight losses for Hansen would be devastating.
Michihiro Omigawa def. Cole Escovedo via Submission (inverted armbar) rd 1
Prediction: Boldly predicted Omigawa by whatever he wants.
What happened: All Omigawa in this one. He decided to take the fight to the ground, where he was reversed and forced to go to guard. Escovedo didn't have much chance to mount offense, as Omigawa faked him out by working for a sneaky inverted armbar while controlling Cole's head. Needless to say, a tap followed closely.
Thoughts: Once again Omigawa proves why he's my favorite featherweight: he can take the fight to you everywhere. I'm sure the pain Escovedo felt was just as much a surprise to him as seeing him tap was to me. The armbar came out of nowhere, as Omigawa just looked to be adjusting his position. Keep the impressive wins coming.
Next for Omigawa: If Hiroyuki Takaya gets Bibiano Fernandez next, then Omigawa should get someone at the top of the heap as well. In reality they may want to try and put together a rematch with Marlon Sandro or Masanori Kanehara in Sengoku.
Hiroyuki Takaya def. Chase Beebe via Knockout (punches) Rd 1
Prediction: Beebe's superior wrestling would stifle Takaya's striking en route to a decision victory.
What happened: Beebe didn't get a chance to use that wrestling, as Takaya dropped him hard with a right hand and knocked him unconscious with follow up punches in 1:45.
Thoughts: Takaya's got dynamite in those hands! The guy is knocking out people left and right now, and is definitely in the elite of Japanese featherweights.
Next for Takaya: A title rematch with Bibiano Fernandez (which I hope he wins....I thought he narrowly edged Bibiano out in the first fight), although he really should be rematching the last man who beat him, Omiagawa, to prove who the real "center" of the Japanese featherweight division is.
Satoshi Ishii def. Ikuhisa Minowa via decision (unanimous) Rd 2
Prediction: Ishii would dominate Minowa with his judo, and Minowa's toughness would allow him to see the final bell.
What happened: See above.
Thoughts: Ishii's application of his judo and positional control in MMA is great to see. We just need to see him apply something else besides that as well. He dominated Minowa for the entire 15 minutes, but barely did any damage. Conversely, All Minowa has are his patented leglocks, and while those will work against lumbering oafs with limited skill, someone with the skills of Ishii won't fall for them. The fact that Ishii didn't outweigh him by a million pounds was no help either. This greatly limited Minowa's usual speed and stamina advantage, and it proved that Minowa can't hang with real (see: non-freakshow) heavyweights.
Next for Ishii: A real heavyweight hopefully. Actually, I'm not all that interested.
Next for Minowa: Bring on the next giant freakshow.
Shinya Aoki def. Marcus Aurelio via Decision (unanimous) Rd 2
Prediction: Aoki controls and out-grapples Aurelio to a decision.
What happened: See above.
Thoughts: I'm not sure why so many thought Aoki would sub Aurelio quickly. They seem to forget that Aurelio is a good BJJ black belt himself. I know Aoki is definitely the better of the two, but I give Aurelio enough credit to at least hang with him for a bit. Not much else to say, other than that Aoki's ground n pound looked better than it has in the past.
Next for Aoki: Hopefully a rematch with Gilbert Melendez in Japan....not that it will go any differently.
Jason Miller def. Kazushi Sakuraba via Submission (arm triangle choke) Rd 1
Prediction: A completely unnecessary match ends with Mayhem winning a dominant decision due to Saku's toughness.
What happened: Miller dropped some savage ground and pound early on in the fight (which of course Sakuraba just took without blinking), and easily slapped on an arm triangle. Sakuraba tapped quickly.
Thoughts: This was just sad to watch, but Miller said he'd be the first to (legitimately) sub Sakuraba, and that's exactly what he did. There was a time where I would have thought Sakuraba give Miller problems, but he's just so over the hill now. I cringed every time he took a shot from Miller, and was actually relieved when he locked in the choke. It almost seemed as though Sakuraba had never encountered an arm triangle because he barely tried to defend at all, and I hope that's the case, and not that his brain is so far gone he didn't think to react. Anyway, pointless match. Glad Saku didn't get pounded to burger meat though.
Next for Miller: I really want to see him fight Nick Diaz.
Next for Sakuraba: I hope to God it'll be retirement, but who am I kidding? He'll probably take several more fights, and I just hope they're against nobodies that he can beat.
Gegard Mousasi def. Tatsuya Mizuno via Submission (rear-naked choke) Rd 1
Prediction: Mousasi handles Mizuno, and wins however he sees fit.
What happened: It was more difficult than most thought, but after showing off some nice new wrestling skills Mousasi took Mizuno's back and quickly tapped him with the RNC.
Thoughts: I knew Mizuno would put up at least somewhat of a fight, as he's definitely not lacking in the heart department, but he really has nothing for Mousasi. He's still really developing as a fighter, and this loss shouldn't be viewed as a big setback for him.
Next for Mousasi: Maybe a rematch with Muhammad Lawal to determine who fights Rafael Cavalcante next.
Phew. And there you have it. Decent card, and hopefully Dream can muster up another and not go spiraling out of business. PEACE.
Monday, September 20, 2010
The UFC Cuts Efrain Escudero
'The Ultimate Fighter' season 8 winner Efrain Escudero has been released from the UFC, and says he's already been courted by Strikeforce and Bellator.
“Hello true fan I was released by the Ufc today speaking to strikeforce and bellator. Taking a week off and make my way back!”
-Efrain Escudero via Twitter
And there you have it. This one comes as a bit of a shock to me, although he did come in overweight in his last fight against rising star Charles Oliveira in addition to losing the bout via 3rd round submission. With a 3-2 record in the octagon, and both losses coming despite competitive performances, I thought he'd have to suffer at least another loss before they cut him. However, Escudero is still a young and talented guy, so the UFC probably just wants him to pick up some wins (and maybe better strategy, as he's not exactly overflowing with it) in other orgs. If he's talking to Bellator and Strikeforce he could be met with a few quality fights that'll be worth his while.
I could see him signing with Strikeforce (despite the Latin-friendly nature of Bellator) particularly because they seem to like signing the fat trimmed by the UFC, but they also have some good match ups for him as well. Escudero plans to take a week off before making a decision as to where he will end up.
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