Author: Matt Welch

UFC 136 Fight Card: Why You Should Give a Damn

It’s been 14 months since UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar made the first successful defense of his belt against B.J. Penn. Since then, we’ve had a whopping one title fight in arguably the UFC’s most competitive division.Fight o…

It’s been 14 months since UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar made the first successful defense of his belt against B.J. Penn.

Since then, we’ve had a whopping one title fight in arguably the UFC’s most competitive division.

Fight of the Year candidacy aside, January’s draw between Edgar and top contender Gray Maynard put the 155-pound ranks in a bit of a logjam.

Ten months later, Maynard and Edgar will settle the score in a bout that should be captivating the minds of fight fans far more than it likely is.

It’s a fitting description for the UFC 136 card as a whole, an offering that rivals any lineup the UFC has rolled out in recent memory.

Full of great fights with notable ramifications on their respective divisions, I couldn’t think of a better way to spend my weekend than to drive four hours south to the Toyota Center.

And that’s what I’ll be doing. As such, I’ve figured out why I should give a damn about this weekend’s card.

The better question, though, is why should you?

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Star-Rated and Weighted: The Final Say on UFC on Versus 6

Say what you will about his style, but UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz is generally a lock for an entertaining fight. Saturday was no different, as he and top contender Demetrious Johnson went toe-to-toe for 25 minutes, with spirited effort by …

Say what you will about his style, but UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz is generally a lock for an entertaining fight.

Saturday was no different, as he and top contender Demetrious Johnson went toe-to-toe for 25 minutes, with spirited effort by the challenger that ultimately fell short.

It helped further the 135-pound division’s trial-by-fury scramble to solve the riddle of Cruz, while at the same establishing the champ as the weight class’ gold standard.

In other action, Pat Barry and Stefan Struve left fans irritated, Anthony Johnson put the kibosh on Charlie Brenneman’s underdog story and Matt Wiman and Mac Danzig made us all look less manly by comparison.

So let’s run down one humble B/R writer’s musings from Saturday night’s fight card, and as an added bonus, let’s throw out some good ol’ * ratings in the end to put this sucker into perspective.

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UFC on Versus 6 and Why You Should Give A Damn

With the featherweight and bantamweight divisions still being sorted out, there are few certainties in a pair of weight classes so young into their development. There is at least one constant, though: UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz is a damn g…

With the featherweight and bantamweight divisions still being sorted out, there are few certainties in a pair of weight classes so young into their development.

There is at least one constant, though: UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz is a damn good fighter.

Saturday will answer the question of just how many people are willing to tune in and watch him.

On the heels of a Fight of the Year contender against Urijah Faber at UFC 132, Cruz goes from headlining pay-per-view to headlining Versus and the champion of just the second UFC title fight to air on free television.

Cruz jousts with Demetrious Johnson in an attempt to shed the label of “that guy who last fought Urijah Faber” and connect with fans in a way few at his weight class have been able to do.

Cruz and Johnson take center stage Saturday, but why else should you give a damn about the UFC’s sixth card on Versus?

 

Can “Mighty Mouse” teach us anything new about Dominick Cruz?

As the UFC’s bantamweight division continues to evolve, champion Dominick Cruz is approaching uncharted waters.

A win against Demetrious Johnson on Saturday would mark Cruz’s fourth successful title defense and a record-high for any prior 135-pound titleholder under the Zuffa banner. It’s been a dominant run too, with wins over Joseph Benavidez, Scott Jorgensen and Urijah Faber; neither of whom were able to establish a clear-cut blueprint on how to flummox the champion.

The 5’3” Johnson will be tasked with trying to solve the riddle of Cruz, one of befuddling footwork, pinpoint combo striking and a stout wrestling base.

Johnson presents a speed element lacked by Cruz’s past few opponents and how Cruz deals with that will dictate his success in this fight. Johnson’s striking obviously isn’t to the level of Cruz’s but he possesses one of the fastest shots in the division.

It’s forcing Cruz into a grappling affair that would best suit Johnson, but that’s easier said than done as getting a hold of Cruz while at the same time avoiding his myriad of offense has proved a woeful proposition for most.

For whatever technical errors Cruz makes with his head movement and what not, Johnson doesn’t appear to have the power to make him pay, nor the strength to grind out the converted featherweight so he’ll be relying on the speed of his takedowns, the balance of his top control and his ability to win scrambles as keys to victory.

As dominant as the champ has looked, Johnson brings a skill set with the pacing and physical intangibles that Cruz is yet to experience and as was the case with light heavyweight champion Jon Jones last weekend, I’m curious as to what Johnson can showcase that will give us a better understanding of just how good Cruz is.

 

Whose glaring flaw will be exploited first?

As fun as these two can be to watch at times, both Pat Barry and Stefan Struve have proven to be very flawed fighters.

For Barry, the image of him tapping to a rear-naked choke, sans hooks, at the hands of Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic are as fresh as ever. A ferocious kickboxer by nature, Barry’s lack of grasp for the grappling game has hampered his ceiling at heavyweight.

Struve has a physical skill set that should make him far better than his UFC run indicates. Standing 6’11” with an 84-inch reach, Struve maintains distance as if he were the size of Demetrious Johnson. Still unable to take full advantage of his telephone pole-like limbs, Struve’s added propensity to take unnecessary risks on the feet have allowed opponents to feast on his otherwise brittle chin. The outcome has been some of the UFC’s more gruesome knockouts in recent memory.

Saturday’s co-main event is about who can capitalize on the glaring weakness of the other first, as this fight doesn’t appear destined for the scorecards.

Struve won’t win a striking battle but the least he can do is not let Barry close the distance as effortlessly as Junior Dos Santos and Roy Nelson managed to. If Barry does, Struve needs to clinch and drag the action to the mat by whatever means necessary.

I’m also curious to see Barry’s mindset after the Cheick Kongo loss, as he was knocked out for the first time in his career for being too reckless on his feet.

Does he take a more conservative approach against Struve, sit back and pick apart at the towering Dutchman with leg kicks?

Either way, it should be a doozy.

 

The Curious Case of Charlie Brenneman

For all the questions and subplots regarding the fighters on Saturday’s card, Charlie Brenneman may be the most fascinating of them all.

Seizing the opportunity of a lifetime, Brenneman was the benefactor of the Nate Marquardt fiasco at UFC on Versus 4, filling in as a last-minute replacement against Rick Story and upsetting the welterweight contender with a clear-cut unanimous decision win.

Like some, I’m skeptical of how good Brenneman is and think that his benchmark victory was aided somewhat by Story’s inability to adapt to the last-minute opponent change.

Here’s Brenneman’s chance to silence any doubters as Anthony Johnson is certainly a credible opponent and one that should provide a clearer picture of where Brenneman falls in the welterweight hierarchy.

Game-planning for Brenneman isn’t terribly difficult, with his primary objective being to grind opponents out with his tenacious wrestling. Brenneman’s damn good at it too, wearing down Jason High and even stealing the first round of his bout with Johny Hendricks before succumbing to strikes.

Johnson’s hulking frame will always leave questions regarding his gas tank should a fight of his ever carry on too long and it isn’t out of the question that Brenneman’s pace and conditioning will zap Johnson as easily as it did Story.

“Rumble” is a solid wrestler in his own right though, with tried-and-true power on the feet, to boot.  That’s the x-factor and if Brenneman can avoid Johnson’s one-hit-quit punches, he can go a long way towards validating the credibility built up after the Story fight.

 

Showing a little love to the Facebook prelims

If you plan on taking in the full UFC on Versus 6 experience, then you’ll be by the computer late Saturday afternoon for the preliminary bouts set to be streamed via Facebook.

There’s a bit of star power on these prelims, with the likes of Yves Edwards and Shane Roller looking to bounce back from losses, the UFC return of Josh Neer and the promotional debut of Mike Easton, most famously known for his controversial decision win over Chase Beebe in 2009.

Grappling wins should be apprised of the return of the “Sassangle,” as Paul Sass tangles with “The Ultimate Fighter 12” runner-up Michael Johnson. Sass has a bit of a Cody McKenzie syndrome in that he has finished all but three of his 11 opponents via triangle choke.

A master at pulling guard and drawing opponents into his comfort zone, Sass is a very game opponent for Johnson, who unfortunately saddles the guilt by association by having competed on an increasingly-inept TUF season.

Lastly, one fight I’m particularly curious to see is the opener between Joseph Sandoval and Walel Watson; not because I think either of these fighters are an immediate high-level prospect worth keeping an eye on, but as more of a sentimental bias in having seen Sandoval fight live.

A Shark Fights staple, Sandoval’s lone fight outside of the popular regional promotion came under the banner of Steele Cage MMA, a small-scale promotion in Frisco, Texas.

Sandoval competed in the co-main event of a Steele Cage card in August 2010 and put on easily the most entertaining show of the night, ripping through Douglas Frey with a second-round TKO behind a flurry of nearly 20 unanswered punches and knees.

I covered the event and seeing Sandoval now with a chance to make it in the UFC, color me curious to see just how far his game has come in a year’s time.

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UFC 135 Fight Card: Counting Bodies Like Sheeps to the Rhythm of the War Drums

The illustrious Jon Jones and the possible retirement of Matt Hughes will be dominating for the next week, with any and all other mixed martial arts reduced to a mere footnote. Do people even know that Bellator featherweight champion Joe Warren was bru…

The illustrious Jon Jones and the possible retirement of Matt Hughes will be dominating for the next week, with any and all other mixed martial arts reduced to a mere footnote.

Do people even know that Bellator featherweight champion Joe Warren was brutally knocked out in one minute’s time in his bantamweight debut on Saturday?

It’s easy to forgive though, as the UFC’s light heavyweight champion put on yet another virtuoso showing in the UFC 135 headliner against Quinton “Rampage” Jackson, sending fans and media alike into a frenzy of hyperbole and over-the-top praise.

That and more took center stage on Saturday night and now is the time for reflection on the so-so fight card that was.

 


Good luck, light heavyweight contenders

 

From the 0-2 Brad Bernard to the 20-5 Mauricio “Shogun” Rua—and the 12 fighters in between—they’ve looked one and the same when paired opposite UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones.

Former 205-pound kingpin Quinton “Rampage” Jackson looked no different Saturday night in succumbing to a fourth-round submission against Jones.

Only the second time Jackson has been submitted in his career, the rear-naked choke capped a thorough domination that went down just like any other Jones fight.

The level of difficulty hypothetically keeps shifting upwards for Jones, but the man can play the game and the results remain the same.

Entering Saturday’s fight, I wanted to see Jones tested. Unable to think of so much as a smidge of adversity along the course of Jones’ UFC career, I want to see where his heart’s at when he isn’t in the driver’s seat.

It’s a tenet that I think is mandatory if we’re going to put him among the Anderson Silvas and George St. Pierres of the world and Jackson was unable to aid in that pursuit.

Why? Because he was so thoroughly overmatched for all 974 seconds of Saturday’s main event that he had no way of doing so.

By nature, Jackson is a counterpuncher. And when there are no punches being thrown your way, you’re not given much room to counter. Come over the top with a counter shot following a leg kick, you say? Good luck, because Jones packs a pair of javelins for legs that kept Jackson at bay and unable to so much as sniff the chance at landing a clean, hard punch.

It was the lack of any fundamental boxing, a regular in Jones’ fights, that carried the day including the vicious kick to the shin, a staple in Silva’s arsenal, that is always a cringe-worthy strike when executed properly.

Jones’ ability to keep distance left Jackson lunging and wind-milling whenever the opportunity presented itself and the champ simply evaded, rinsed and repeated.

That’s not to totally sour Jackson’s evening as the defensive elements to his performance were solid. He was easily Jones’ most lofty task to put on the mat and Jackson blocked many high kicks while slipping many punches along the way.

But all the while, you could see Jones adhering to his playbook and just systematically breaking down Jackson as the rounds progressed, so much so that the mental game was already handily in Jones’ favor after a third round that saw “Rampage” unwilling to swing when Jones dropped his hands.

“Bones” put the finishing touches on another lopsided performance just 74 seconds into the fourth round, putting the entire contendership scene on notice and leaving us all yearning for when someone will finally humanize what has been an invincible UFC tenure for Jones.

Rashad Evans gets the next crack at Jones and following that, the winner of Rua/Dan Henderson would appear to be the next logical choice. There’s Lyoto Machida, the rising Phil Davis among others, but Jones will be favored heavily against any and all future challengers—with the exception of a potential superfight with Silva.

And after Saturday, you’d be hard-pressed to argue otherwise.

At long last, the 205-pound division appears to have found some stability.

 


Hang ‘em up, Matt?

 

Josh Koscheck helped wake up the Denver crowd with a one-round pasting of former welterweight champion Matt Hughes in the night’s co-main event.

The outcome was hardly a surprise as Koscheck entered the bout as nearly a 5-to-1 favorite and after waiting a few minutes to open up with his hands, capitalized on a Hughes’ miscue and walloped the Hall of Famer with hammer fists as the round nearly expired.

The win got Koscheck back in the win column after his shellacking at the hands of Georges St. Pierre and marked Hughes’ second consecutive loss. With this being the final fight on Hughes’ current UFC contract, naturally questions arose about his possible retirement.

Hughes didn’t exactly say yes or no when questioned by Joe Rogan (who may have been more distraught than anyone at the sight of Hughes losing; seriously, go back and listen to the defeat in Rogan’s voice calling that finish and his prolonged silence after the stoppage), saying that he wouldn’t retire but wanted to be put on the shelf for a bit.

I’m guessing that’s probably a hint that Hughes is ready to start mulling over his career options with the possibility of one final run through the octagon in a send-off fight.

As long as it’s kept to that, I’m totally content with Hughes’ career trajectory at this stage.

It seemed almost ironic that after the post-fight interview that the cameras panned to a shot of Chuck Liddell in the crowd as I can’t help but fear that’s the path Hughes may be headed down if he feels he has two or three fights left in the tank.

At the heart of it, these are just two straight losses after a three-fight winning streak but it’s the way Hughes has suffered defeat that indicates the end of the road is approaching after a pair of violent knockout losses.

It’s nothing new to say that Hughes has no business competing with anyone even among the 10 best welterweights in the UFC, but nobody wants to see a fighter that legendary become a caricature of himself like some of his predecessors unfortunately have.

Give Hughes one final, winnable fight (Dennis Hallman, anyone?) to go out on a high note on and he’ll always have claim to the title as the sport’s first truly great welterweight and to this point, the second-best 170-pound mixed martial artist ever.

Nothing wrong with that at all.

 


Six grueling rounds


At UFC 131, Junior Dos Santos put on a sound, dominant thumping of Shane Carwin to solidify himself as the No. 1 contender to Cain Velasquez’s heavyweight title.

The level of Dos Santos’ performance also showed that he and Velasquez are a hefty tier above their heavyweight compatriots as far as talent, technique and sheer ability.

I’m not sure if either of the two were in attendance for Saturday’s card or even within 500 miles of Denver, but my appreciation for their respective games ballooned after seeing what else the UFC heavyweight division has to offer.

With all due respect to Mark Hunt, Ben Rothwell, Travis Browne and Rob Broughton, that has to be the most torturous stretch of back-to-back main card fights in recent UFC history.

I get the rationale for putting these fights on pay-per-view as both Browne and Hunt have knockout power and in Hunt’s case, his losses come in fairly short order (five of his past six losses lasted a combined five minutes, 53 seconds).

The expectation was a pair of quick, violent finishes and on we roll to Koscheck-Hughes. But you’re always going to be flirting with disaster if that doesn’t go according to plan because, at the end of the day, these guys are heavyweights of the 255-pound-plus variety.

In the case of Browne/Broughton, there was little question as to who the better fighter was; as expected, Browne was able to do as he pleased with an overmatched opponent.

But it was a far cry from the performances he turned in against James McSweeney and Stefan Struve.

Browne had his moments where he’d start to land with frequency but the second Broughton was able to defend or grab a wrist, the pace slowed and the result was a lackluster victory.

Rothwell’s showing had fans at the sports bar I caught the card at laughing late in the fight, as he looked positively dreadful after a solid opening round.

It’s really hard to be outclassed over 15 minutes by present-day Hunt but to the PRIDE veteran’s credit, he turned his best performance in years. Hunt didn’t look like a fish out of water off his back and showed strong enough defensive wrestling to keep the action upright where he could exploit his obvious striking edge over the steadily-gassing Rothwell.

Hunt came away as the standout in this tragic span of six rounds in two of the year’s worst UFC fights.

Yes, there’s always the chance that these fights end in highlight reel fashion like Browne-Struve, but the margin for error is magnified all the more because they’re mid-tier fighters in the UFC’s weakest division.

It has to be taken into account when mapping out a fight card and for all the momentum built up off Nate Diaz’s thrashing of Takanori Gomi, the wind was taken out of the sails in a heartbeat by pairing these two fights back-to-back.

 

 

Nate Diaz craps fireballs

 

Speaking of everyone’s favorite Stockton-based lightweight, holy crap.

One a night when Jones and bad heavyweight fighting dominated the action, one of the evening’s most impressive showing has become almost a footnote as Nate Diaz threw down the violence on Takanori Gomi.

Returning to lightweight after a four-fight stint at 170 pounds, Diaz looked as good as he ever has in dispatching of the admittedly faded Gomi.

We got the usual Diaz braggadocio mixed with fast, heavy and precise boxing that quickly reduced Gomi to a smattering of failed winging hooks.

If you saw Diaz’s route to victory requiring establishing his reach with a volume-heavy attack that would eventually frustrate Gomi into a mistake, then congratulations.

What I’m not sure was anticipated were the evil intentions behind every strike Diaz threw. His boxing looked more polished than anything showcased during Diaz’s last run at lightweight and did enough damage for Gomi to throw up the proverbial white flag by shooting for a takedown.

Diaz made a resounding return to 155 and as was the case last time, how far he can go with matter almost solely how he fares when paired up with a wrestler but until then, he’ll have performances like this to fall back on.

As for Gomi, unless the UFC is hell-bent on shoehorning him onto next year’s Japan card, there is no conceivable reason to keep him on the roster.

 

 

Oh, Aaron Riley


It felt like déjà vu in Saturday’s preliminary card finale, as Aaron Riley was yet again fed to another “Ultimate Fighter” winner.

Not only that, but he lost in similar fashion as yet another doctor stoppage does Riley in, this time against TUF 13 winner Tony Ferguson.

Following the same blueprint employed by that of Ross Pearson, Ferguson handled the scrappy Riley on the feet, uncorking the veteran’s jaw with a well-placed long-range uppercut.

It was the most significant strike landed in a first round that saw Ferguson pick up right where he left off after thumping Ramsey Nijem.

While Riley is anything but a credible indication of Ferguson’s potential at lightweight, this was still a more inspiring performance than those turned in by fellow TUF winners Court McGee and Jonathan Brookins last weekend.

Ferguson’s fortunate in that his boxing is fast and tight enough to pose problems, while also mixing in impressive head movement. If he’s able to hone his wrestling to the level where he can keep fights upright, then he’ll be stick around in the UFC.

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UFC 135: Jon Jones, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson and Why You Should Give a Damn

Make no mistake about it, the mixed martial arts scene is rolling as it enters the fall.Last weekend’s UFC Fight Night 25 card set the wheels in motion for four straight weekends of UFC action. This Saturday marks the second of those four cards, …

Make no mistake about it, the mixed martial arts scene is rolling as it enters the fall.

Last weekend’s UFC Fight Night 25 card set the wheels in motion for four straight weekends of UFC action.

This Saturday marks the second of those four cards, as Jon Jones and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson headline UFC 135.

Matt Hughes and Josh Koscheck clash in a welterweight co-main event, and familiar names like Nate Diaz, Takanori Gomi and Ben Rothwell decorate the undercard.

It’s a card littered with fighters both young and old, some vying to give us a glimpse of the future while others yearn for that one last run towards relevancy.

Which begs the question, just why should you give a damn about this weekend’s card? 

 

How will Jon Jones handle the pressure?

Make no mistake about it, nobody is under more pressure at UFC 135 than your light heavyweight champion.

Since dethroning Mauricio “Shogun” Rua of the belt back in March at UFC 128, the hyperbole and expectations lauded upon Jon Jones by fans and media outlets alike have reached a level that I’m not sure there’s much precedence for.

Hardly a shocker, given the evolution of social media.

On one hand, you’ve got pundits proclaiming Jones as the most talented fighter in the history of MMA, and on the other hand, people clamoring for him to square off with Anderson Silva this instant.

All this for a 24-year-old without so much as four years of pro experience.

That’s not to say Jones hasn’t performed at a level that would warrant such hype. As such, the champion enters his first title defense looking to further justify the praise.

Make no mistake about it, the UFC feels like they’re sitting on a goldmine.

They’re marketing him as such, with Jones already making the rounds in Bud Light and K-Swiss commercials we’ve all seen.

They’ve got a young champion with a fan-friendly skill set and someone who, by all means, isn’t shy about being in front of the cameras.

With a renowned draw like Brock Lesnar’s shelf life in MMA being anything but a certainty these days, it feels like Jones is being positioned as Dana White’s hopeful poster child for American MMA.

That’s a lot of weight to drape over the shoulders of someone who’s still a baby to the fight game.

Anything prior to main event time is simply an hors d’oeuvres in anticipation to what Jones’ encore will be following his dismantling of “Shogun.”

There were still skeptics about Jones entering the Rua fight, but by the size of those betting lines, fans and oddsmakers are anticipating Jones to not just win, but to do so in decisive fashion.

All this against a former champion who’s lost two fights in the last six years and been a mainstay in the Top 5 of one of the UFC’s most talent-rich divisions; and for a belt that hasn’t successfully been defended since UFC 75.

Yeah, no pressure. 

 

Can Quinton Jackson humanize the champion?

I don’t think Quinton Jackson beats Jon Jones on Saturday night.

But to listen to people size up this matchup, you’d think “Rampage” was Thales Leites to Jones’ Anderson Silva.

Make no mistake about it, Jackson has a very clear path to victory, because he’s right—Jones’ chin is still largely untested.

It’ll mean wading through the champ’s octopus-like reach, but one of the best subplots in the makeup of this bout is just how Jones will react if Jackson connects with a clean, heavy hook.

When someone attains a status that both Georges St-Pierre and Silva have, and one we all want Jones to achieve, his performances are scrutinized even more.

It’s all about humanizing the fighter, because while we all would love to believe that St-Pierre and Silva are invincible, we know they’re not.

And we want to see how they react when their weaknesses are exposed.

We haven’t seen that with Jones yet because, frankly, he’s yet to meet his Chael Sonnen.

He hasn’t endured a fight like that where he is put on the defensive, and eventually we’re going to find out.

Gone are the days of fighting the Matt Hamills and Brandon Veras of the world, because we’re assured Jones is getting an elite-level opponent each fight for as long as he holds that belt.

And as great as everything looks when Jones is in control, throwing opponents around the cage and working his dynamic standup, we all know the clichéd definition of a champion is how he responds to adversity.

I hope we get closer to finding out that answer on Saturday. 

 

Is this the end of the road for Matt Hughes?

Saturday marks the last fight on the current contract of former welterweight champion Matt Hughes.

As such, much of the intrigue in Hughes’ co-main event tilt with Josh Koscheck will largely lie in the bout’s aftermath.

Is this the last time we’ll see Hughes in the octagon? What if the former champ is able to eke out one last run for relevancy at 170 pounds?

I think it all boils down to Hughes’ mindset, which may very well ride on just how he performs opposite Koscheck.

We’ve seen guys whose competitive fire hinders their ability to know when it’s best to step away (see Liddell, Chuck).

It leaves fans yearning for one more vintage showing from said fighter and a performance that may never come.

Hughes is far from Liddell’s situation though, as his loss to B.J. Penn was his first defeat since 2008’s upset to Thiago Alves.

It took five losses over a six-fight, three-year span for Liddell to hang it up with all but one of those losses coming by way of knockout.

At it stands, Penn’s the only fighter to recently turn the lights out on Hughes, but what if Koscheck replicates that outcome on Saturday?

Would that be enough for Hughes to ride off into the sunset, or will it not be until he’s been bested by the Paulo Thiagos of the world that he realizes it’s time to go?

A knockout loss on Saturday is very much a possibility too, as Hughes’ standup defense isn’t getting any better, and Koscheck is always one overhand right away from victory.

Couple that with the discrepancy in wrestling ability for both fighters at this stage of their careers—Koscheck’s ability to get back to his feet against Georges St-Pierre was the most impressive note in his performance against the champ, in my opinion, and the chance for Hughes to replicate his finish of Ricardo Almeida might be his only chance at an upset.

Either way, the end of the road for Hughes doesn’t appear to be too far off.

How he handles that part in his career, well, we’d love for him not to become a caricature of himself like some of his peers. In the end, it’s a career trajectory best left for him to decide.

Hopefully, if nothing else, his performance against Koscheck gives fans a clear picture of where Hughes stands at this point in his career. 

 

Does Takanori Gomi have anything left in the tank?

Speaking of faded veterans, while a loss for Matt Hughes could signal him stepping away from the cage, a loss for Takanori Gomi might put the former PRIDE lightweight champ out of a job.

We all know Gomi’s best days are behind him, and those clamoring for a run through the UFC probably came about four years too late for a 32-year-old.

And at this rate, we’re just waiting for Gomi to show us anything in the way of competitiveness.

Flaky performances where he looked overmatched against Kenny Florian and Clay Guida bookended a quick knockout of Tyson Griffin—a bout that, while joyous for PRIDE loyalists, showed that if Gomi is to find the win column these days, it’s going to need to be in quick fashion before his opponent can settle in.

The lightweight division’s former kingpin is being given anything but an easy finish Saturday night in Nate Diaz, a fighter whose calling card throughout his UFC career has been resiliency.

For Gomi, he’d be apprised to keep the action standing where he’ll have to wade through Diaz’s heavy volume-striking attack with hopes of uncorking one of his trademark hooks.

Gomi does have the luxury in being the better wrestler of the bunch, so for as much of an edge as Diaz may have on the ground, I’m skeptical in his ability to lure the action there.

What differs, though, is his heart and ability to rally from the brink of defeat.

Able to keep his distance and pepper the Japanese figher with jabs, Florian made Gomi look fairly out of his element on the feet, forcing Gomi to uncork single, looping punches that missed way more often than not.

Diaz’s style is relentless and built to wear an opponent down over time.

If Gomi is put on the defensive early, that may be all Diaz needs to obtain the mental edge necessary to replicate the efforts mustered by his brother, Nick, a few years ago.

And if that were the case, it would just be the latest chapter in an otherwise disappointing UFC run for Gomi; a run that may only be extended if the UFC is hell-bent on getting him into action for the promotion’s return to Japan next year.

Otherwise, there really isn’t much else for Gomi to offer at 155 pounds.

Hopefully, he gives fans reason to believe otherwise on Saturday. 

 

How will Tony Ferguson stack up among his predecessors?

For any readers who dug to the deepest trenches of B/R to find my recap of last weekend’s UFC Fight Night 25, you’ve read of my skepticism about the respective performances and careers of “The Ultimate Fighter” winners Jonathan Brookins and Court McGee.

In general, the arrow isn’t exactly pointing up on the past few seasons of TUF alums and whether it’s fair or not, Season 13 winner Tony Ferguson is guilty by association.

I admit, my exposure to Ferguson is a bit limited, as I was out of TUF 13 very early in the game (I stuck around only to see the show’s semifinals and finals).

So what I took away from Ferguson is that he’s got a very slick, relaxed boxing game that exploited his TUF compatriots with ease.

His finale performance against Ramsey Nijem showcased some power to boot.

He’s being eased into the crowded waters of 155 with a winnable bout Saturday, as fans will be reminded that, yes, Aaron Riley is still competing in the UFC.

We’ve seen Riley in this role before, as the sacrificial lamb to a TUF winner, as he was Ross Pearson’s first bout after besting Andre Winner.

Riley’s a veteran who’s very difficult to finish, and that kind of resiliency alone should make for a game test for Ferguson.

But Riley’s also an opponent who, if Ferguson is to be taken seriously as a lightweight, he should beat.

Under that pretense, I expect him to win. So, I’m more concerned with just how he performs.

Part of the allure of TUF is the perception that it can bring any upstart prospect to prominence as it did for fighters like Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans.

Those days have long since passed as the last relevant series winner produced by that show was Ryan Bader, whose stock is anything but high right now.

As I said, whether it’s his fault or not, Ferguson’s going to be lumped in with the Efrain Escudero and the James Wilks’s of the world until he gives fans reason to believe otherwise.

Perhaps Saturday will be Ferguson’s first step towards debunking that reputation.

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The Final Say on UFC Fight Night 25: Ellenberger Dazzles, TUF Champs Underwhelm

 Finally, the UFC welterweight title picture looks just a wee bit more interesting these days.As if the move of former Strikeforce 170-pound champion Nick Diaz and the rise of Carlos Condit weren’t enough to breathe a bit of life into champ …

 Finally, the UFC welterweight title picture looks just a wee bit more interesting these days.

As if the move of former Strikeforce 170-pound champion Nick Diaz and the rise of Carlos Condit weren’t enough to breathe a bit of life into champ Georges St-Pierre’s steady dismantling of the welterweight hierarchy, a new contender was born on Saturday.

Also, a pair of “The Ultimate Fighter” champions graced the cage in bouts that admittedly left a bit to be desired, but told us a little bit more on where each fighter stacks up in their respective divisions.

That, coupled with Alan Belcher’s stellar return to action, made for an up-and-down night of fighting that was already going to be overshadowed by Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s fight with Victor Ortiz—and trust me, form most certainly held on that one.

Nevertheless, what can we take away from UFC Fight Night 25: Battle of the Bayou?

 

Jake Ellenberger Has Arrived

First off, I commend Jake Shields for even taking this fight despite the loss of his father a few weeks back and what effects that unfortunate circumstance had on his preparations or mindset entering last night are something only he can divulge.

I don’t think it’s fair to use that as a means of downplaying what was the breakout performance of surging welterweight contender Jake Ellenberger’s career.

That was some violence he threw down on Shields, plain and simple.

Shields fought as he should, working for the takedown and trying to lure the action into his comfort zone. The Nebraskan subsequently shrugged him off.

And Shields stuck with that mindset, trying to get inside and just two minutes in, took the brunt of a brutal clinch exchange with Ellenberger, eating a knee and crumpling to the mat.

We all know Ellenberger has power—just watch his knockouts of “Pele” Landi-Jons and Sean Pierson for proof. Meshing that with his upper-body strength and ability to keep the action upright can be a lot to handle for anybody at 170 pounds. It was just nice to see it finally put into practice against an elite-level opponent in Shields.

Inevitably, the parallels to welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre’s performance against Shields are going to come up. If someone wants to argue that St-Pierre is fighting a more protective, harm-free style these days, there’s plenty of evidence to suggest so.

I expected St-Pierre to wallop Shields and seeing Ellenberger do so is just another feather in his cap moving forward, as he now positions himself to be likely one win away from a title shot.

The ramifications for next month’s Nick Diaz-B.J. Penn bout just got much bigger and the outcome could very well dictate just what happens next with Ellenberger. If Penn wins, are fans really clamoring for GSP-Penn III or would they prefer St-Pierre defending against the guy who just wrecked a fighter the champ couldn’t finish?

Either way, it’s a good time to be Jake Ellenberger.

 

Court McGee is the Homeless Man’s Forrest Griffin

That was my stance entering this fight and after that prosaic display of fighting, that remains the case.

I don’t think Court McGee is a great fighter by any means or even a pretty good one. He’s decent in areas but not enough to be considered a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none kind that someone like Rich Franklin might be branded as.

McGee’s the homeless man’s version of former light heavyweight champion Forrest Griffin; a fighter who aside from his TUF lineage, would never be mistaken amongst his division’s most talented of fighters but made the most out of what limited skills he had and got by on heart, toughness and just out-working his opponents.

Yup, lunch-pail terms out the wazoo.

That’s essentially what McGee did against Dongi Yang in the evening’s co-main event.

Was it pretty? Nope, in fact, it was boring until Yang stuck McGee with a left hook in the third round and as Joe Rogan succinctly put it, a fight broke out.

McGee used superior technique and conditioning to outlast Yang, a fighter whose cardio has never been much to write home about.

McGee stayed on the attack, overcame being dropped for the second time in as many fights and now rolls to 3-0 in the UFC.

He’s a sympathetic figure for his life story and it’s damn hard not to root for the guy given his rise from obscurity during TUF.

In the end, all this performance did was instill one bland shade of apathy.

 

Praise Jeebus, the Refs Got It Right!

I can’t be the only one who was having flashbacks to Randy Couture-Brandon Vera at UFC 105 with Jonathan Brookins’s strategy on Saturday.

The first of the two TUF champions to grace the cage, Brookins was fixated to the fence in his bout with Erik Koch as if somebody planted a magnet in his body.

It certainly adhered to the scoring tenet of cage control with the converted lightweight doing his best to impose his size advantage, but what exactly did Brookins do during his time clinching alongside the cage with Koch that improved his chances of winning the bout? What effective offense amounted from his strategy?

None, or at least, very little.

Mix in a nice clinch elbow and a knee or two along the way, but it was just one failed takedown after another for Brookins. At distance, Koch made good on his advantage in the standup with heavy one-two combos and leg kicks, while Brookins still hasn’t learned how to sway and defended strikes with the oh-so subtle whipping back of his head.

It was the kind of fight that someone at home might score in Koch’s favor 30-27 or 29-28, only to hear Bruce Baffer rattle off a trio of 29-28 cards for Brookins.

Fortunately, we were spared that routine, as all three judges were correct in awarding Koch the bout for being the more efficient offensive fighter. Side note, it’s still not a good thing when you’re relieved that the judges properly scored a fight.

I have nothing against the concept of Brookins’s strategy, so long as a fighter does something with it. Brookins’s Plan A failed him, without a Plan B, he seemed content to just ride out the action against the fence and it cost him in the end.

As far as what his path looks like down the road?

This is essentially the same fighter we saw against Michael Johnson. Brookins’s standup doesn’t appear to have really evolved offensively or defensively and although he can still rip off a mean lateral drop, if he can’t get the takedown, he’s going to be in trouble.

 

Well At Least Jon Jones and Quinton Jackson Won’t Be Debating Each Other

The UFC gave fans something other than the customary mid-show, paint-by-numbers, generic sit-down interview to hype the upcoming Jon Jones-Quinton Jackson light heavyweight title fight.

What’s generally a fast-forward-worthy occasion with me missing many a cliché about each fighter being in the best shape of their careers and the like, Joe Rogan played mediator between champion and challenger.

It’s a smart move on the UFC’s part because it’s much easier to build hype when there’s a perceived animosity between the two fighters and this accomplished that.

But let’s be honest, this was anything an eloquent exchange between Jones and Jackson, with plenty of stammering and nervous speak from both sides, which I guess adds to the authenticity of the matter in the end.

Rogan addressed the allegations of Jones having a spy in “Rampage’s” camp, asked them each how the fight was going to go down and in the end, this was probably a more effective promotional tool than just doing the usual 1-on-1 interview with each fighter.

Just be fortunate it’s a fight that will settle the grudge between Jones and Jackson and nothing more.

 

Keep an Eye on Lance Benoist

Four fighters made their UFC debuts on Saturday night’s card.

Although watching 22-year-old Lance Benoist wake up the New Orleans crowd alongside Matt Riddle, you wouldn’t have been able to tell that Benoist was the late replacement in the fight.

Benoist staved off a third-round rally by Riddle to procure a unanimous decision on the night’s preliminary card, taking the first two rounds on all three judges’ scorecards.

Now 6-0 overall, Benoist overwhelmed the more seasoned Riddle early on in a first round highlighted by a slick kimura hip sweep after being taken down early on. On the feet, Riddle’s never been the most evasive of fighters and that much was apparent with Benoist opening the fight with a hard cross as the precursor to an aggressive offensive attack that bested Riddle more times than not.

Riddle has his chances though, chiefly after landing a flush knee that began emptying blood from Benoist’s nose like a faucet.

The newcomer kept his wits about him though, working a positionally dominant second round prior and staying out of enough trouble off his back in the third round to seal the decision.

Riddle’s no world-beater, and his nine-fight career is one of inconsistency, but color me impressed by that kind of resolve for a fighter with just five pro fights under his belt making his UFC debut.

I’m curious to see what Benoist’s encore is.

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