No new fights tonight? Oh well, just argue about old ones with us instead as Mania’s March MMAdness’ Round of 32 continues.
Day 1 Results | Day 2 Results | Day 3 Results | Day 4 Results | Day 5 Results| Day 6 Results | Day 7 Results | Day 8 Results | Day 9 Results
Day 10 Results:
- Jon Jones vs. Alexander Gustafsson 1 (#4) defeats Shogun Rua vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (#36) with 70 percent of Maniac votes
- Yair Rodriguez vs. Chan Sung Jung (#52) defeats Nick Diaz vs. Takanori Gomi (#20) with 52 percent of Maniac votes
- Israel Adesanya vs. Kelvin Gastelum (#12) defeats Gilbert Melendez vs. Diego Sanchez (#12) with 60 percent of Maniac votes
- Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard 2 (#5) defeats Nick Diaz vs. Paul Daley (#28) with 60 percent of Maniac votes
The Cinderella run continues for our No. 52 seed as Yair Rodriguez vs. Chan Sung Jung once again upends an all-time-great brawl. These two were actually tied at 107 votes apiece before a late surge put the underdog on top.
Match 9: Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar 1 (#2) vs. Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje (#31)
VS.
Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar 1 lived up to its lofty seed with a one-sided thrashing of No. 63 seed Junior dos Santos vs. Stipe Miocic, claiming 237 out of 271 votes. Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje predictably had to work a little harder, but still left no doubt in its victory over No. 34-ranked Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin.
Now this is a bit of an apple to apple comparison, isn’t it? Reckless disregard for defense, faces getting turned into hamburger meat, and countless moments that would make a stereotypical broadcaster demand to know, “how much more can they take?” abound. One’s got history on its side and the other a finish, but it’s all brutality in the end .
Match 10: Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler 1 (#18) vs. Robert Whittaker vs. Yoel Romero 2 (#15)
VS.
The sequel may have bowed out in the first round, but Eddie Alvarez and Michael Chandler’s inaugural meeting proved too much for No. 47-ranked Roger Huerta vs. Clay Guida to handle. Robert Whittaker vs. Yoel Romero 2, meanwhile, reaped the massively under-seeded No. 50 Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway 2 with little trouble.
Which do you prefer, the vicious slobber knocker between a gritty striker and a brick-fisted wrestler or, well, you get the joke. Both fights featured brutal knockdowns, sudden momentum swings, inhuman grit, and everything else you could ask for in a proper brouhaha.
Match 11: Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (#10) vs. Matt Hughes vs. Frank Trigg 2 (#23)
VS.
A light arrival to the bracket didn’t stop Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk from dominating its opening matchup, holding No. 55 Georges St-Pierre vs. B.J. Penn 1 to just 22 percent of the popular vote. Hughes and Trigg, though not quite as dominant, still throttled No. 42-ranked Forrest Griffin vs. Rampage Jackson by 36 points to secure a berth in the next round.
Zhang vs. Jedrzejczyk was five rounds of tightrope action, while Hughes vs. Trigg 2 was a burst of movie-climax drama. The former doubled your heart rate for 25 minutes, the latter tripled it for four. How do you take your drama?
Match 12: Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard 3 (#26) vs. Mark Hunt vs. Bigfoot Silva 1 (#7)
VS.
Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard 3 joined its second installment in the Round of 32 by overpowering the 90 minutes of nail-biting tension that was No. 39-ranked bout between Kazushi Sakuraba vs. Royce Gracie. On the other side, five rounds of Heavyweight slobber knocking proved more powerful than one as Mark Hunt vs. Bigfoot Silva 1 sent No. 58-seeded Andrei Arlovski vs. Travis Browne home with 72 percent of the vote.
What sounds more appealing to you, medium-sized guys beating years out of each others’ lives or profoundly large guys beating years out of each others’ lives? Bigfoot may be the size of Edgar and Maynard combined, but both fights offered enough bone-crushing action to please even the most discerning of violence enthusiasts.
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.