After a lengthy hiatus I figure this was as good an event as any to return to the blog, as it had a nice mix of upsets and controversy. Let's get right down to it.
Jon Fitch and BJ Penn fight to a Majority Draw, Rd 3
Prediction: BJ starts strong in the first round, but Fitch fights through it and takes the latter two rounds for a come from behind, and likely controversial, decision win.
What Happened: After a competitive but clear first round for BJ, and a very close second that arguably could have gone either way, Fitch completely dominated Penn in the 3rd, drawing a 10-8 round on two scorecards. This proved to be the deciding factor of the bout, as those same two judges scored the bout a draw (the third judge had it 29-28 for Fitch).
Thoughts: I want to start by saying that I scored the fight 29-27 in favor of Fitch. I thought Fitch did enough in the second round to narrowly take the round, and although he never really had BJ in danger of being finished in the 3rd, something must be said about the complete and utter domination he displayed there. On the other hand, I see the draw ruling as fair, as round 2 was very close and it's not hard to imagine the judges giving it to Penn instead of Fitch. Fitch proved why he's the #2 welterweight in the world, and Penn proved that he certainly has more than enough left in the tank. With that said, this fight convinced me that given a rematch, Fitch would likely win since BJ probably won't catch him off guard like he did early in this fight.
Next for Fitch: A draw is as good a reason as any for a rematch, and as two top welterweights, some closure may be in the best interest of the UFC brass in order to figure out the title picture in the near future. If not, a Fitch/Condit match up makes a lot of sense.
Next for Penn: For as good as he looked in the first two rounds, the two problems that have plagued his entire career were still present: cardio and will. He gassed in the 3rd and looked all but resigned as Fitch smothered him from the top. If the rematch doesn't happen, Thiago Alves would be eager to play into his game.
Michael Bisping drf. Jorge Rivera via TKO (punches), Rd 2
Prediction: The Bisping Special: Bisping uses his superior speed, technique, and footwork to elude and pick apart his more knockout oriented opponent, mixing in some of his ground game to keep it interesting. Bisping via unanimous decision.
What Happened: Bisping exploited Rivera's complete lack of a ground game with takedowns to throw him off. Upon returning to his feet from one of these takedowns, Bisping threw a blatant illegal knee that connected flush. Rivera continued to fight and made it out of the first, despite clearly not being the same since the blow. Bisping eventually wore him down with punches and finished him against the cage in the second.
Thoughts: I hate situations like these. What if Bisping hadn't connected that knee? Would it had gone differently? I think Bisping would have still won, but it would have been a lot more competitive. The friction between the two leading up to and during the fight really clouds the idea of whether or not the knee was really intentional, and the fact that the outcome of this fight was likely affected by the illegal blow is unfortunate. What is even more unfortunate is Bisping's actions after the fight. Flame me all you want, but I had actually been starting to warm up to Bisping lately. He's shown vast improvements in his game since the loss to Dan Henderson and he's truly become a well rounded fighter. His attitude also appeared to get a tad better. Then not only does he deliver an illegal knee and allegedly flip off Rivera's corner while he's recovering, he gets in Rivera's face talking trash after he wins the fight and spits in the direction of Rivera's cornermen. I know this was an emotional fight for him, but those actions were uncalled for. Bisping is always quick to talk trash, and yet his opponents seem to be able to refrain from doing such actions to him, yet when someone calls him out he flies off the handle? Not very professional, Mike. You almost made me a fan. Almost.
Next for Bisping: Quite frankly, this was a fight Bisping could win, as has been the trend with him through much of his UFC tenure. It's not a knock on Bisping, but it's the truth. It's time for him to really step up. Since he's been so willing to test out his wrestling and ground game, Demian Maia would be a good fit for him. If he can take out Maia, he's really ready to start being a serious contender.
Next for River: This fight really highlighted just how pedestrian Rivera's takedown defense and ground game are, and it's something he really needs to work on if he wants to make it in the division. Still, pairing him with someone like Alan Belcher would make for an exciting fight.'
Dennis Siver def. George Sotiropoulos via Decision (unanimous)
Prediction: George would pull off a decision or late submission in a match everyone would find surprisingly competitive.
What Happened: Siver displayed crisp striking (as usual) and exponentially better takedown defense to shut down all of George's takedown attempts. After a dominant first round that saw Siver score two knockdowns, George adjusted his game a bit and was surprisingly competitive on the feet for the final two rounds. However, it wasn't enough and Siver took a clear decision.
Thoughts: Don't let my prediction fool you. I couldn't for the life of me figure out why so many people were thinking Siver was going to get steamrolled by Sotiropoulos. I knew the fight wouldn't be easy for George, but in the end I thought he'd be able to get Siver to the ground, and he couldn't. Once I saw Siver shuck him off like a child, I knew it was going to be a long night for George. I'm a fan of both, but I was kind of rooting for Siver because I have gotten behind his resurgence as of late. George doesn't have much to be ashamed of with his performance, and it's a good thing these holes in his game were exposed before he really moves up the ladder.
Next for Siver: Siver has earned a nice step up in competition, and Sean Sherk would be a great test of his newfound takedown defense, and a win would likely boost him into the top 10.
Next for Sotiropoulos: Both George and Evan Dunham were somewhat close to title shots before getting knocked off by guys people thought they would handle (for Dunham it was Melvin Guillard), and I think they should square off to see who still belongs near the top of the heap.
Brian Ebersole def. Chris Lytle via Decision (unanimous)
Prediction: A very eventful fight would end with Lytle snaring a submission in the 2nd or 3rd round.
What Happened: Lytle just couldn't find his rhythm against the unorthodox Ebersole, and ate a hard knee on the chin that dropped him in the 2nd. He fought valiantly, but was just outworked by Ebersole's wrestling and stout submission defense. Lytle, holding true to his reputation of being one of the most durable guys in the game, suffered his 16th decision loss.
Thoughts: This one wins upset of the night, surpassing Siver/Sotiropoulos. Lytle was originally supposed to face the ranked Carlos Condit, and many figured he would run through Ebersole, a journeyman who has a few good wins but lost to most decent competition he's faced. Ebersole had none of it, as he threw Lytle off balance with his quirky stand up, effective wrestling, and surprisingly androit submission defense. I was pulling for Lytle to continue his career rebirth, but it wasn't to be. It'll be interesting to see where he goes next.
Next for Ebersole: Ebersole is in an interesting position because Lytle's name was being thrown around in the title contender pool if he were to be successful against Condit. Now that Ebersole has beaten Lytle, where does this put Ebersole? Should he get someone higher up than Lytle? I'm thinking perhaps, and maybe that should be Jake Ellenberger. If not, Carlos Eduardo Rocha, who was recently defeated by Ellenberger could provide an interesting match up.
Next for Lytle: Lytle's situation is just as difficult, but with Johny Hendricks needing an opponent, Lytle may be a good fit, and hopefully his takedown defense will have improved.
Kyle Noke def. Chris Camozzi via Submission (rear-naked choke), Rd 1
Prediction: Noke would have the upper hand for most of the fight, but it would remain competitive for the most part. Noke takes a decision or late submission.
What Happened: Camozzi looked good improved standing for the brief amount of time the fight last ed there, then Noke jumped all over him and locked in a tight RNC.
Thoughts: I have to say, I was a bit miffed when Camozzi got that decision of Dongi Yang so I got a bit of satisfaction out of seeing him get handled the way he did. Either way, Noke looked good and got a nice win in front of the hometown crowd.
Next for Noke: I'm gonna have to agree with Sherdog and say pair him up with Court McGee. They're keeping it all in the family with the TUF 11 guys, so why stop now?
Next for Camozzi: He still holds a respectable 2-1 UFC record, and just found himself in a bad position early in this fight. I say a match up with Nick Ring (if they're treating him as the loser in his BS decision win over Riki Fukuda), or Fukuda (if they treat him as the loser).
Prelim Notes
-Ross Pearson was just good enough to take a decision from the experienced Spencer Fisher. He didn't quite pick Fisher apart the way he did his opponents previous to his loss to Cole Miller, but he still has time to work on his game. Fisher was game the whole time and made it a close one.
-Alexander Gustafsson showed great composure and an improved all around game in escaping early trouble on the ground from hometown favorite James Te Huna to immediately take him down, mount him, and slap on a rear-naked choke in the first. Aside from his loss to the surging Phil Davis, Gustafsson has looked very impressive, and could have a bright future in the division.
-Nick Ring defeated Riki Fukuda via straight up robbery. A case could be made for giving Fukuda all three rounds, and if not that, then definitely the latter two. Not only does poor MMA judging need to be addressed, but why is it that Asian fighters so often get screwed in the UFC? If it's not a BS decision it's brutal matchmaking or screwing out of title shots. I doubt it's some racial conspiracy, but it definitely raises my eyebrow. I only hope that the UFC brass treats Fukuda as if he won, or allows him to start from scratch (maybe even a rematch).
-Anthony Perosh showed what he can do at his natural weight class and dominated Tom Blackledge on the ground en route to a rear-naked choke victory halfway through the first.
-Tiequan Zhang used his newfound favorite submission, the guillotine choke, to choke 11 year veteran Jason Reinhardt unconscious in 48 seconds. Reinhardt may have run up a gaudy 20-1 record (all finishes) before entering the UFC, but he seemed to be brought in as a winnable fight for Zhang.
-Mark Hunt finally put an end to his woeful losing streak and scored on of the most gangstafied knockouts in recent memory over Chris Tuchscherer. After tagging him repeatedly in the first round of the fight, Hunt opened up a nasty cut on Tuchscherer's left eyelid, that almost caused the fight to be stopped. Not long after the restart, Tuchscherer ran right into a Hunt uppercut that sent him crashing to the canvas. Hunt knew he had the fight won as soon as the blow connected, and walked away raising his hands in victory, not even bothering to check and see whether Chris was actually done. Hunt knows what kind of power he has in his hands, and obviously knows what it feels like when a knockout punch connects.
-In the only fight I didn't see, Curt Warburton handed Maciej Jewtuszko his first career loss with takedowns and top control. I guess thats a very mild upset.
All in all it was a pretty decent event. The draw in the main event may have left a sour taste in some people's mouths, but the fights were solid overall. Next up on the agenda: UFC Live3 - Sanchez vs Kampmann, which looks like it could turn out to be a damn good card.
-
