March MMAdness: Day 12 - The Round Of 32 Continues! | UFC Betting Sites

Want to maintain social distancing and still be anti-social? Join us for the finale of Mania’s March MMAdness’ Round of 32 and argue in the comments to your hearts’ content.

Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar 1 (#2) defeats Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje (#31) with 59 percent of Maniac votes
Robert Whittaker vs. Yoel Romero 2 (#15) defeats Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler 1 (#18) with 52 percent of Maniac votes
Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (#10) defeats Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg 2 (#23) with 75 percent of Maniac votes
Mark Hunt vs. Bigfoot SIlva 1 (#7) defeats Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard 3 (#26) with 58 percent of Maniac votes

The right-hand bracket continues to favor the favorites; indeed, Kongo vs. Barry remains the only lower seed to score an upset on that side.

Match 13: Dan Henderson vs. Shogun Rua 1 (#3) vs. Wanderlei Silva vs. Brian Stann (#30)

VS.

A 200-vote margin carried “Hendo” and Shogun past No. 62 seed Tony Ferguson vs. Lando Vannata, ending the out-of-nowhere classic’s run before it could even begin. Conversely, sheer violence carried the day for Wanderlei Silva and Brian Stann against a five-round war of attrition in No. 35-ranked Daniel Cormier vs. Alexander Gustafsson.

It feels oddly fitting that Shogun wound up facing his former mentor, Wanderlei, in this bracket. Both certainly lived up to their Chute Boxe pedigrees, taking (and inflicting) horrendous damage on their respective opponents. Which one sacrificed enough brain cells for your liking?

Match 14: Eddie Alvarez vs. Justin Gaethje (#19) vs. Anthony Pettis vs. Benson Henderson 1 (#14)

VS.

In the matchmaking equivalent of putting two trains on course for a headlong collision, Eddie Alvarez vs. Justin Gaethje proved too much for its fellow three-round war for the ages, Yancy Medeiros vs. Alex Oliveira. On the other side, No. 51-ranked Carlos Condit vs. Rory MacDonald nearly overcame a 37-seed disadvantage, but couldn’t quite put away the latest and greatest fight from World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC).

Alvarez and Gaethje have brutality on their side, plus the race-against-time tension of “The Underground King” trying to put away “The Highlight” before his leg gave out. Pettis and Henderson have more defined momentum swings, much more work on the ground, and the secret weapon that is the “Showtime Kick.” How does one scientifically weigh these respective merits? Hell if I know … that’s y’all’s job!

Match 15: Clay Guida vs. Diego Sanchez (#11) vs. Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry (#43)

VS.

Hall of Fame credentials proved more than even “The Natural-Born Killer” could slay as Clay Guida vs. Diego Sanchez dominated No. 54-seeded Carlos Condit vs. Rory MaCDonald in its first match up. Cheick Kongo vs. Pat Barry, on the other hand, happily killed both a tournament and personal favorite when it upset No. 22-ranked Justin Gaethje vs. Michael Johnson.

Fifteen minutes of mayhem versus 30 seconds of pure, undiluted insanity. Guida and Sanchez had what could actually be called a mixed martial arts (MMA) match, complete with the standard ingredients of striking, wrestling and grappling. Kongo and Barry had a very brief, very improbable session of rock-em-sock-em robots. It’s apples and oranges, to be sure, but asymmetrical comparisons are kind of the name of the game here.

Match 16: Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung 1 (#27) vs. Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 1 (#6)

VS.

The blast from WEC’s past ended “El Cucuy’s” tournament hopes with a 24-point victory over No. 38-ranked Tony Ferguson vs. Edson Barboza, bringing “The Korean Zombie” to 3-0 in the Round of 64. Anderson Silva vs. Chael Sonnen 1 likewise triumphed handily in its clash of title fights with No. 59-seeded Georges St-Pierre vs. Johny Hendricks.

In terms of pure carnage, these two aren’t even close. That’s because Garcia vs. Jung is an absolute carnival of blunt force trauma, while Silva vs. Sonnen 1 was a one-sided but only sparingly enthralling battle up until its legendary finish. Still, a strong narrative is a force multiplier when it comes to memorability and a Hollywood-worthy comeback is hard to argue against. But, what fun would arguing be if it was easy?

Also, to reiterate, spread the word, share socially … do whatever grassroots / viral “Get Out The Vote” campaign needed to ensure your favorite fights advance to the next round. Complaining in the comments section about seeding and whatnot will not impact the results and will just make you look like an unappreciative dick.

Same time tomorrow, Maniacs.

Be sure to also check out our March MMAdness archive — which includes the entire bracket — to catch up on the tournament right here.