Traveling down to Brazil to defeat fighters competing on their home turn inside the Octagon is a difficult task to accomplish, but CB Dollaway has been seemingly immune to the stigma.
On two previous occasions, The Doberman has traveled south of the equator and pulled off shocking upsets over two of Brazil’s most highly touted prospects. He was figured to get steamrolled by the likes of Daniel Sarafian and Cezar Ferreira, but the former Arizona State University wrestling standout is as game as they come inside the cage, and he derailed each prospect in impressive fashion.
While he edged out the muscle-heavy Sarafian via split decision, Dollaway snuffed out Vitor Belfort protege Mutante with a slick knockout just 39 seconds into the opening round. There was an immense amount of hype surrounding Ferreira heading into the tilt, but the Power MMA representative used his ever-improving striking to floor the Brazilian slugger and pick up the victory.
He would also go on to defeat Tristar product Francis Carmont, which made him successful in four of his last five showings in the middleweight ranks. Any time a solid stretch of that caliber is put together, a bigger name is going to come down the shoot the next time out, and for his troubles the 31-year-old Michigan native drew middleweight title challenger Lyoto Machida.
The two top-ranked middleweights were set to collide in the main event at Fight Night 58 in Barueri, Sao Paulo, Brazil on Saturday night. The Dragon came into the tilt fresh off a five-round war where he failed to dethrone champion Chris Weidman at UFC 175 back in July. A victory over Dollaway would put him right back in the thick of the hunt for another title opportunity.
That said, with the previous work Dollaway had already notched in Brazil, he was looking to add the biggest name to his resume. While the bout initially seemed to be a mismatch when announced a few months back, as the fight drew closer, the MMA community seemed to believe The Doberman might shock the Brazilian crowd once more. Yet, when the cage door closed, it was a lightning-quick assassination of sorts.
After the two fighters circled cautiously for a few moments, Machida unleashed a left body kick that landed flush on Dollaway’s rib cage and sent him reeling backward in severe pain. Once Dollaway hit the cage, Machida pounced without mercy and finished the bout in a flurry of brutality to pick up his third win in four attempts as a middleweight.
While the co-main event didn’t carry the same caliber of awkward appeal, the bout between Renan Barao and Mitch Gagnon held plenty of drama of its own. After the former bantamweight king missed weight and was pulled from his highly anticipated rematch with T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 177, The Baron came into Fight Night 58 looking to put himself right back into the title hunt at 135 pounds.
On the flip side, facing a former titleholder was the perfect platform for a hot prospect such as Gagnon to catapult himself into the next tier of the bantamweight ranks. The talented young Canadian came into Barueri on an impressive streak where he’d found victory in 10 of his last 11 showings, including a recent run where he’d notched four consecutive victories with all but one coming by way of the finish. Yet, there was no doubt Barao would be his toughest challenge to date, and it ultimately proved too tall a task for the Canadian.
While Barao didn’t dominate the surging prospect, he controlled the action throughout until he finished the fight with an arm-triangle choke midway through the final round. It was an effective, workman-like effort from the former champion, and one that will put him right back into the mix for a shot at the bantamweight title.
Let’s take a look at the good, bad and strange from Fight Night 58.
The Good
Ever since Machida has been competing inside the Octagon, he’s been one of the most dangerous strikers to compete in mixed martial arts. While he had a championship run and several attempts at regaining the 205-pound strap, The Dragon made the decision in 2013 to try his hand in the middleweight ranks.
The 36-year-old Brazilian karate master was an immediate contender upon dropping down into the 185-pound fold and notched two impressive victories over top-ranked competition to earn a shot at Chris Weidman’s divisional title. Yet, while he came up short in his five-round war with The All-American at UFC 175 back in July, Machida showed a far grittier side of his skill set. Whereas he had made a career out of not getting hit and being elusive, against Weidman he was forced to dig in and engage in a dogfight against the reigning champion.
With that experience in his back pocket, Machida came into his bout with Dollaway looking to make a statement and let the UFC know he’s eager to get right back into the title hunt. And less than a minute into the bout, he landed a devastating left body kick that emphasized just how dangerous he still is.
After the kick landed, Dollaway attempted to retreat, but Machida pounced and put his opponent away with a flurry against the cage. It was as dominant a performance as there can be between two top-level fighters, and Machida proved he’s the best sniper in the business.
Now, the bigger question comes in the form of what is next for the former light heavyweight champion. With Weidman set to face off with Vitor Belfort in early 2015, Machida is going to have to win another fight or two before he gets a crack at championship gold. Two big names floating out in the ether without opponents at the current time are Luke Rockhold and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza, and either matchup would make for an exciting bout for the recent title challenger.
Staying in the theme of former champions, Barao came into Fight Night 58 needing more than just a victory over Gagnon.
After the letdown and public humiliation he suffered after missing weight and then being pulled from his rematch with T.J. Dillashaw at UFC 177 back in August, The Baron had a lot to prove coming into his co-main event tilt on Saturday night. Questions lingered as to how the former champion would perform after suffering such a drastic setback, but the fighter once heralded as one of the pound-for-pound greats answered in definitive fashion by finishing Gagnon in the third round.
While the bout lacked the typical flash and wild offense that are expected out of a Barao fight, he worked an efficient game plan to control the fight and dictate the distance between him and his opponent. Any time Gagnon would wade in looking to throw some power in his direction, Barao would make him eat a stiff combination of counters that kept the talented young Canadian on his heels.
Once the final frame began, the Toronto native knew he needed to put Barao on the canvas, but that decision proved to be a costly one, as Barao swept position and locked on a fight-ending arm triangle that forced Gagnon to tap out.
With the victory, Barao not only put his career back on track but once again inserted himself in the heated race for a shot at the bantamweight crown. UFC President Dana White has already declared former champion Dominick Cruz as the next No. 1 contender, but with his win on Saturday night, Barao should be sitting right behind The Dominator in the grand scheme of things in the 135-pound race.
*** While he was facing an undefeated opponent in Elias Silverio at Fight Night 58, Rashid Magomedov came into Barueri with a bit of momentum of his own. The Dagestan-born lightweight had won 10 consecutive bouts coming into his tilt with the Brazilian on Saturday night, and he had every intention of keeping his streak alive.
While the first two rounds were filled with back-and-forth exchanges, Magomedov caught Silverio with a left hook late in the final round and pounded out the finish with three seconds remaining on the clock. Highlander has now won all three of his showings under the UFC banner and will get a bigger name from the lightweight ranks for his next bout.
*** Few fighters on the welterweight roster are more exciting to watch than Erick Silva. The talented Brazilian striker has quickly built a reputation for being a fierce finisher, but after a prolonged beating at the hands of Matt Brown back in May, questioned lingered as to how he would recover. Unfortunately for newcomer Mike Rhodes, the Team Nogueira fighter rebounded with force and made things look easy, as he put the Roufusport fighter to sleep with an arm-triangle choke one minute, 15 seconds into the opening round. The victory was Silva’s second successful showing in his past three outings.
*** Every card has a good old-fashioned slugfest on the lineup, and the donnybrook at Fight Night 58 went down between Daniel Sarafian and Antonio dos Santos Jr. The two former roommates and training partners met in the center of the Octagon and set about throwing with violent intentions. While each fighter had his moments of success, the bout was ultimately a short-lived affair, as Dos Santos Jr. suffered a dislocated finger on his left hand that forced the referee to wave off the action. Dos Santos Jr. protested the stoppage, but the end result was Sarafian emerging victorious by way of TKO via doctor stoppage.
*** Although his introduction to the UFC was as a short-notice sacrifice for Daniel Cormier, Team Reign representative Patrick Cummins has been establishing some traction in the UFC light heavyweight division. He has collected three consecutive wins inside the Octagon with his latest coming on Saturday night when he ground out highly touted grappling specialist Antonio Carlos Jr.
While Shoe Face did a noble job of attempting to find openings throughout the three-round tilt, Cummins’ top pressure proved to be too much, as he picked up the unanimous-decision victory.
*** Marco Rogerio de Lima put on another impressive showing on Saturday night. The Brazilian powerhouse made short work of veteran Igor Pokrajac, as he dusted The Duke in the early goings of their tilt at Fight Night 58. Pokrajac decided to go toe-to-toe with de Lima and paid a painful price for it. With the knockout, Pezao picked up his second consecutive victory under the UFC banner and pushed his running total to six straight fights without visiting the loss column.
*** First impressions inside the Octagon are crucial for a fighter, and Renato Moicano made the most of his UFC debut against Tom Niinimaki at Fight Night 58. While the fight had its slow moments, Moicano took over the action in the second frame as he locked on the fight-ending rear-naked choke to submit Niinimaki and pick up the victory. It was a hard-fought scrap and one that proved Moicano will be a solid addition to the featherweight ranks in the coming year.
*** Hacran Dias came into his bout with Darren Elkins in desperate need of a victory. The Nova Uniao product had dropped back-to-back showings coming into Saturday night and needed to best the Indiana native in order to get things back on track. While there was nothing pretty about his performance, Dias outworked Elkins en route to picking up the unanimous-decision victory, which was his first win since defeating Yuri Alcantara at UFC 147 back in May of 2012.
*** One would be hard-pressed to find a more embattled fighter than Tim Means. The Dirty Bird has a track record that includes being shot, overcoming drug addiction and spending time behind bars. Yet, the Oklahoma native has continued to press forward and is finding his footing on the sport’s biggest stage. The Albuquerque transplant edged out Marcio Alexandre Jr. on the scorecards to pick up his second win in his past three showings since returning to the UFC back in May.
*** Before coming to mixed martial arts, Vitor Miranda was an accomplished kickboxer, and he flexed those muscles when he dusted promotional newcomer Jake Collier to kick off the action at Fight Night 58. A lot of expectations had surrounded the former RFA champion in Collier, but the Brazilian striker landed a beautiful head kick to put his opponent on the mat and then finished off the action with a flurry of punches to pick up his first UFC victory.
The Bad
No fighter on the card at Fight Night 58 needed a win more than Igor Pokrajac.
The Duke had failed to reach the win column in his past four showings coming into Saturday night, and he desperately needed to turn things around against heavy-handed Brazilian Marcos Rogerio de Lima. Unfortunately for Pokrajac, his woes inside the Octagon would continue as he suffered a brutal first-round knockout. While there is no exact formula to what dictates a fighter losing his spot on the UFC roster, the Croatian striker hasn’t had his hand raised inside the Octagon since defeating Fabio Maldonado back in May of 2012.
A run of that caliber will not spell good things for Pokrajac. He will most likely find himself on the outside looking in at the UFC following his poor performance on Saturday night.
The Strange
Brazil is a strange environment for many reasons. In addition to the raucous crowds rallying into frenzied “death chants” for foreigners coming into their realm to face their countrymen, modern luxuries like air conditioning are not common in the country that is widely regarded as the birthplace of mixed martial arts.
While high temperatures inside Brazilian arenas have been issues that competitors have faced in the past, on Saturday night in Barueri, the fighters were forced to work at a balmy 96 degrees. That’s madness by all measurable standards, and it had to be draining for every fighter who stepped inside the Octagon.
With a large list of events already on the docket for the upcoming 2015 schedule, hopefully the UFC can scout out several locations that already come with central air intact.
Keeping with the theme of the year to come, Fight Night 58 marked the final event of what was a jam-packed schedule for 2014. The most prominent organization in mixed martial arts put on 45 events for fight fans around the world to enjoy. While the constant flow of live events made life hectic for those of us who make a living covering the action inside the cage, it was also a sign that the UFC’s global push is not going to slow down any time soon.
Whereas 45 events and a batch of The Ultimate Fighter tournaments laced throughout made the term “oversaturation” a common element in the dialogue of fight fans and MMA media, the busy schedule certainly kept the year moving at a rapid pace. There were several months where a fight card took place every weekend, and some where the occasional Wednesday show made it seem as if there was a new UFC event on deck at every turn. And for the most part there was, but whether that was a good or bad thing is a subjective matter.
Nevertheless, with the UFC’s recent “Time is Now” press conference and release of the tentative schedule for the year ahead, 2015 is set to have a similar feel to the year that is drawing to a close in just a few weeks. That said, whereas 2014 saw some of its biggest and high-profile fights fall apart due to injury, the UFC is putting a lot of its firepower at the front of the line to start the year. A handful of champions and challengers and the promotion’s biggest draws are slated to compete in the first two months of the new year, and if those fights come to fruition (fingers crossed) 2015 could be the biggest year for the UFC and fight fans in quite some time.
Then again, strange things happen in the chaotic realm of MMA, and I don’t want to be the one to jinx anything by expressing the rabid amount of excitement that is building up for high-caliber bouts like Jon Jones vs. Daniel Cormier and Chris Weidman vs. Vitor Belfort. Those fights simply have to happen, and if they don’t, well, let’s not even pretend there’s a possibility they can’t happen.
Fight Night 58 put the cap on a 45-event run that certainly had its fair share of ups and downs, but it once again proved the biggest promotion in MMA could endure last-minute bout changes and injuries to champions.
That said, here is to hoping the dreaded injury bug goes the way of the cicada and burrows itself down into the ground for the next 17 years.
Perhaps the strangest aspect of the event came when the UFC announced that former light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson had been re-signed and will compete under the UFC banner again in 2015. The heavy-handed veteran was last seen competing inside the cage for Bellator, but things had apparently stalled out in the transition between former CEO Bjorn Rebney and new front man Scott Coker.
Or at least it seems that way.
According to Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter, Jackson has a binding contract with Bellator that is still intact. Yet, he went ahead and signed with the UFC, which is surely going to cause some legal issues between the two promotions. Furthermore, it all seems strange for a fighter who put on a streak of lackluster showings where he was defeated on three consecutive occasions before being released from the UFC in 2013.
Following that move, he was signed by Bellator, where he proceeded to pick up three consecutive victories, with his most recent coming against Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal at Bellator 120 back in May. Yet, in the aftermath of his victory over the former Strikeforce champion, Jackson fell into relative limbo as he waited for his next bout to materialize…a bout that isn’t going to come under the Viacom umbrella now that he’s signed with the UFC.
Or at least he’s going to try to fight for the UFC. Contracts are ugly business, and if Viacom isn’t willing to just let Jackson go, then the former Pride veteran could expect to see far more time in the courtroom than the Octagon in 2015.
Finally, in a fantastic turn of strangeness, Fox Sports 1 just happened to lose the live feed from Brazil in the moments leading up to the co-main event between Renan Barao and Mitch Gagnon. The television cut to black, and suddenly the promo for UFC 173 hit the screen. Pre-fight snippets from Daniel Cormier and Dan Henderson hit the screen followed by quick sound bites from Renan Barao and then-challenger T.J. Dillashaw.
Needless to say, confusion reigned supreme in the Twitterverse as fight fans were left wondering if the final two fights on the card would be seen. Fortunately for both the UFC and Fox Sports 1, the feed would be recovered a minute later, and all would carry on as planned. Yet, for a live-action event to disappear into television limbo for a solid chunk of time, how could it be classified as anything other than strange?
That’s just how wacky this sport can be, folks. As a result, this category of this column nearly writes itself.
Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. All quotes are obtained firsthand unless noted otherwise.
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