A few days ago, Uriah Hall was seen as unbeatable and quite possibly even a reincarnation of Anderson Silva, but after The Ultimate Fighter 17 finale, the world learned that he was only a man, nothing more or less.
Kevin Gastelum being crowned the season 17 winner hammered home the one true notion MMA fans either failed or neglected to realize: No fighter is ever invincible in MMA.
Heading into the fight, people weren’t talking about Gastelum‘s strong wrestling and super aggressive fighting style in comparison to Hall’s stand-up-heavy, finesse attack. The world was more enamored by Hall’s spinning hook kick knockout victory over Adam Cella and the orbital bone-crunching cross he landed on Bubba McDaniel on the The Ultimate Fighter 17 show.
Instead of looking at the style matchup, people looked at Gastelum as a final stepping stone for Hall to secure his place as the greatest contestant in the history of The Ultimate Fighter.
It wasn’t about “mentally breaking” for Hall, as UFC president Dana White put it in the post-fight press conference (via Shaun Al-Shatti, MMAFighting.com). Hall was finally matched up against a tough style he simply wasn’t able to overcome.
It doesn’t matter who a fighter is or what they have accomplished. Someone will always come along and upset the balance of power. There are just too many variables in the sport for one man to remain perfect.
UFC Hall of Famer Chuck Liddell’s kryptonite was always Quinton “Rampage” Jackson. BJ Penn looked otherworldly at lightweight until he ran into Frankie Edgar. Brock Lesnar was the unstoppable juggernaut in the heavyweight division, and then a guy by the name of Cain Velasquez burst onto the scene.
Silva, the very man Hall is being compared to, will also falter one day if he continues along his journey as a UFC champion. Someone had to fall so that Silva could have his time, and he’ll one day have to repay that gift to another young fighter.
The brunt of the entertainment derived from MMA stems from its unpredictable nature. With so many different aspects, there are a multitude of different outcomes that can occur on any given night. Unfortunately, Hall was taught this lesson in his first actual bout in the UFC.
Styles make fights, not names, but at only 28 years old, Hall still has plenty of time to get it right.
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