Rashad Evans def. Phil Davis via Decision (Unanimous), Rd 5
What Happened: Evans more or less dominated Davis everywhere; out-striking, out-wrestling, and out-grappling him for a large majority of the 25 minute encounter. Davis looked solid in the first round, but a takedown by Evans off of a Davis kick followed by a mounted crucifix tempered Davis' striking and wrestling considerably. The result was a lopsided decision for Evans.
Thoughts: I said it when the fight was originally booked (followed by relief when Davis pulled out due to injury), and I said it again when the fight was re-booked: Davis is not ready for a huge push. This fight was a nice gauge of where he is, but I didn't have much doubt Evans would just be too seasoned and well-rounded for Davis at this point. It's a shame this was a 5-rounder, and not Sonnen vs Bisping, because the first round showed us exactly what the rest of the fight would look like. Nonetheless, it was a learning experience for Davis, as his holes have been exposed and defined, so he'll know what to focus on and improve. Davis has the potential to be a major title contender; his time just isn't now. Evans looked solid and showed he has the conditioning to go 5 rounds, as he has recently been known to slow down considerably around the 3rd round in fights.
Next for Evans: A light heavyweight title tilt with current kingpin Jon Jones.
Next for Davis: Now that he has a better idea of what he needs to improve on to be a top 205er, Davis should still be fighting upper-mid level guys. He could take on the loser of the upcoming Quinton Jackson vs Ryan Bader fight, or take on a solid upper level gatekeeper in the division like Forrest Griffin or Rich Franklin.
Chael Sonnen def. Michael Bisping via Decision (Unanimous), Rd 3
What Happened: Sonnen relentlessly pressured Bisping, who spent too much time in close quarters to really let his footwork dictate the fight. Not too much damage was done to either man, and Bisping kept the fight off the ground for extended periods in the first two rounds, but in the third round Sonnen took him down and put his stamp on the fight. His takedowns and control granted him a close decision.
Thoughts: Bisping looked very good overall in the fight, and I'm glad for that because I've always said people disrespect his skills just because they don't like his personality. Bisping has always had impeccable all around skills; technical stand up, solid takedown defense, and crafty guard, and a great ability to get back to his feet. He showed pretty much all of this against Sonnen, and hopefully people will finally give him his respect even in defeat since he made the fight much more competitive than many thought he would. Sonnen was his usual aggressive self, though he looked considerably less polished in the stand up than he usually does. However, his flailing technique did get him on the inside throughout the fight, so I can't knock him too much; but he will need to bring a bit more to the table against Silva.
Next for Sonnen: His workmanlike victory gives him his much desired rematch with the reigning middleweight champion Anderson Silva, and Sonnen will need to bring his A game, because the fight is likely to take place in Brazil.
Next for Bisping: Bisping put on a solid performance, and shouldn't fall far down the ladder. A fight with fellow runner-up Demian Maia; a fight that was originally scheduled for this event before Munoz pulled out 11 days prior with an elbow injury.
Chris Weidman def. Demian Maia via Decision (Unanimous), Rd 3
What Happened: In a rather tepid bout, Weidman used well-placed takedowns to take a decision, almost by default. The two were almost even on the feet, with Weidman edging Maia out with slightly cleaner striking, and they were mostly a stalemate on the ground.
Thoughts: Worst fight on the card, by far. Both men looked exhausted partway through the 2nd round, and were winging slow looping shots at each other. Maia resorted for shooting lazy takedowns from feet away, and in general just looked lethargic. Weidman took the fight on 11 days' notice and had to cut a lot of weight so he has a bit of an excuse for the performace, but what about Maia? He had a fight scheduled the entire time and still looked to have terrible cardio. Terrible fight.
Next for Weidman: Although it wasn't a very impressive performance, it's easily the most important win of his career, and will likely vault him into the mix. Rousimar Palhares would make for a great match up. Weidman's not afraid to go to the ground with great grapplers, and we should see how that eagerness plays off against a man who could wear a necklace of legs.
Next for Maia: A perplexedly bad performance for Maia, and that's saying something considering the fact that he hasn't overwhelmingly impressed in quite some time. Having split his last four and gone to decision in his last seven, he has not looked the same since his first career loss: a knockout against Nate Marquardt. He has played things very safe since then, preferring positional control and distance striking to taking risks to finish as he did before. It may draw parallels to Georges St. Pierre post-Matt Serra knockout; except St. Pierre hasn't lost since adopting that style. Maia needs to get back to basics, and he'll need a step down to get back on track. CB Dollaway or Dongi Yang might be appropriate to get him back on track. Or better yet, what's Jason Miller doing?
Evan Dunham def. Nik Lentz via TKO (Doctor Stoppage), Rd 2
What Happened: A wild and entertaining fight saw both fighters have their moments, scoring shots standing and working their wrestling. Lentz eschewed his usual methodical grinding approach in favor for an all-out brawl. After a back and forth 2 rounds which saw Dunham land some hard elbows in the guard before the bell, the fight was up for grabs heading into the third. Unfortunately, a bad cut under Lentz's left eye was rapidly swelling his eye shut, and the cageside doctor had to call the bout.
Thoughts: Once known for boring and plodding (and winning) in his fights, Lentz has to have gained some new fans with his new risk taking style. However, it has yet to give him a victory in his last 3 fights. It's unfortunate that this fight had to be stopped because he may have very well been up 2 rounds to none on the cards. Dunham looked impressive and scrappy as usual, and overcame his usual slow start to turn it on in the second. Both guys looked like solid 155ers tonight, and although Dunham walked away with the W, Lentz put on a great performance; and still walked away with some extra change after winning Fight of the Night. Odd that some people still label Lentz boring when 2 of his last 3 fights have won the award.
Next for Dunham: Dunham is working his way back to the top 10 after hitting a snag, and continues to look solid. I mentioned after UFC 142 that Edson Barboza needs to face someone well rounded, who has the skills to really test his wrestling as well as his submissions; Dunham may be that guy.
Next for Lentz: I'll be angry if Lentz is cut after this loss. Even though he's hit a rough patch, you can't deny the fact that he went unbeaten in his first 7 UFC fights. On top of that, he has finally shed his "boring" label in a lot of people's eyes. Now he just needs to find that happy medium that allows him to be exciting and win at the same time. Lentz's last few fights have really brought forth the notion that the size he gives up works against him. Although he's got great technique and wrestling, bigger guys have been able to take him down fairly regularly as well. A drop to 145 may be in order, where he won't be at a size disadvantage and his wrestling may be even more effective. If he stays at 155, I'd actually like to see him take on George Sotiropoulos. Where has that guy been?
Lavar Johnson def. Joey Beltran via KO (Punches), Rd 1
What Happened: Johnson showed his reach, size, and power advantage early, dropping Beltran with a body punch in the opening seconds. From there it was all Johnson; landing stiff jabs almost at will and battering Beltran around the cage. Beltran found his mark with a few combinations, but nothing of significance. Johnson went in for the kill at the end of the first round, drilling Beltran with uppercuts until he was out on his feet and slowly slumping down face-first on the canvas.
Thoughts: I knew Johnson would be coming in the bigger man, but I honestly expected Beltran to weather the early storm and turn it up. Johnson has shown questionable cardio and takedown defense, and an utter lack of a ground game. For his UFC debut he seemed relaxed and confident, managing a more deliberate pace while still scoring with big punches. It was an unexpectedly impressive performance from him. Beltran just couldn't get it together, and his normally granite chin just couldn't stand up to the power Johnson wields. It was the first time he'd ever been stopped by strikes, and it was a doosey.
Next for Johnson: I know he's coming off a loss, but the thought of Johnson vs Shane Carwin looks pretty awesome. Not that it would make too much sense. Perhaps the winner of the upcoming Stefan Struve vs Dave Herman fight, or Gabriel Gonzaga if they want to see if his wrestling or ground game have really improved.
Next for Beltran: Tough loss for Beltran, but I think he could live to fight another day in the UFC. He could take on fellow loser on the night, John Olav Einemo. Better yet, he did drop a considerable amount of weight for this fight and he's still carrying some extra heft. It would be smart for him to try the cut to 205.
The Prelims
Mike Russow def. John Olav Einemo via Decision (Unanimous), Rd 3
Russow takes home a workmanlike decision with little action. It was the stinker on the card until Maia-Weidman took that title by lopsided decision. Einemo showed flashes of goodness, but conditioning as well as experience problems prevented him from capitalizing on some opportunities. Russow has quietly put together quite the streak (4 straight in the UFC; 11 straight overall), but his style probably won't endear him to fans. Einemo shows promise, but needs to work on his cardio and clean up some iffy grappling tendencies he brings into the sport with him.
Cub Swanson def. George Roop via TKO (Punches), Rd 2
These two brought it like I knew they would, and I actually had this long tabbed as fight of the night until Dunham-Lentz came along and snatched that away. It started off well for Roop, who used his range well to keep Swanson from landing well, but Swanson soon started to find his range and take advantage of Roop's questionable defense. In the second he answered that questionable defense by landing an absolute bomb that sent Roop's mouthpiece rocketing out of his face, the end was academic.
Charles Oliveira def. Eric Wiselt via Submission (Modified Calf Slicer), Rd 1
Oliveira's featherweight debut didn't last long, and neither did Eric Wisely's streak of not being finished in 6 defeats. Oliveira quickly went to work on a heel hook, and once that was defended, he locked up the leg and grabbed a hold of Wisely's back, pulling him down while still triangling the trapped leg. This interesting variation on the calf slicer left Wisely to live up to his name nad choose to opt out of the fight before risking major damage. Not only did Oliveira take home Submission of the Night, but now enjoys the distinction of owning the first and only calf slicer victory in UFC history. So in case you're not familiar with a calf slicer:
Michael Johnson def. Shane Roller via Decision (Unanimous), Rd 3
Honestly I picked Roller to take this one because Johnson is good at finding ways to lose, but he looked very much improved in this fight. His stand up was sharper and his footwork was on point, leaving Roller constantly a step behind him. However, he almost live up to his aforementioned reputation in the 3rd when he allowed Roller to take his back, lock in a body triangle, and threaten him with chokes and shots from back mount. In the end, Johnson kept his composure and survived to take home the decision based on winning the first 2 rounds.
Chris Camozzi def. Dustin Jacoby via Submission (Guillotine), Rd 3
The only fight of the night I wasn't able to see, this one mostly gets a mention because I dismissively predicted that Camozzi would win by submission in the 3rd round...and he totally did. Why can't I predict more of the fights I actually care about so flawlessly?
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