One man flourished and one man floundered tonight, as Michael Kuiper downed Jared Hamman with a vicious barrage of punches to clinch his first UFC victory.
In a fight of the night contender, Kuiper and Hamman threw hands for the better of two rounds before Hamman was conquered by the Dutchman. It was a fight that pleased the fans in Denver and had MMA fans gasping for air.
What we’ll remember about this fight
The slugfest that ensued. Hamman and Kuiper left it all in the cage for UFC 150. If this fight is not the best of the night, that means the one that is better be an all-time classic.
What we learned about Kuiper
Kuiper showed tonight that he has vicious stand-up game to go with his solid judo base. We did not get to see his full MMA game in his debut against Rafael Natal, but tonight we definitely saw his full arsenal.
What we learned about Hamman
Hamman needs to learn some striking defense, because using his chin to cushion blows is not going to win him many fights. He is as tough as they come, but he is far too careless when trading punches.
What’s next for Kuiper
Kuiper had a good win, but he needs to continue developing. Maybe a fight against a recovering middleweight like Patrick Cote would be a good challenge for Kuiper.
What’s next for Hamman
Hamman will may be cut, seeing as he has lost two in a row. If not, a bout with the loser of Jake Shields-Ed Herman would be a good bout for him.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com