There wasn’t a lot to get excited about prior to UFC 161.
Looking back and allowing the results to set in overnight, there isn’t much to look back at to dispel those early preconceptions.
UFC 161 was what it was—a lackluster card pieced together with replacement additions to the co-main events and underwhelming storylines.
In the Octagon, there were several competitors who were especially disappointing. We’ll take a look at a few whose performances left something to be desired in Winnipeg.
Dan Henderson (Loss via split decision: 28-29, 29-28, 28-29)
There’s no getting around it. Dan Henderson is a legend in the Octagon. But that doesn’t put the 42-year-old above scrutiny.
He wasn’t necessarily outclassed by “Suga” Rashad Evans during his split-decision loss at UFC 161. It was a close, hard-fought bout that ended with the former champion on the wrong side of a very close decision.
However, it was disappointing to see his performance in the third and final round. His one-dimensional striking nearly earned him the victory early in the action, but he could muster little to keep the pace with Evans throughout.
Questions about Henderson’s future with the UFC are certainly valid after the outcome of this one.
Roy Nelson (Loss via unanimous decision: 27-30, 27-30, 27-30)
Roy “Big Country” Nelson was propelled into co-main event status with a chance to increase his bargaining power with the UFC by winning a fourth consecutive bout.
Things didn’t go as planned.
Nelson, who is 1-4 lifetime in the UFC in matches that go past the first round, was spent even before the end of the first round. He absorbed 137 strikes—the most anyone has ever taken in the Octagon without being knocked out, according to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto.
After his poor showing in Winnipeg, though, you have to wonder whether or not Dana White will extend the contract offer—or any—like the one he made prior to the bout.
“We offered him a deal for more money,” White said, according to Okamoto, “..and Roy said, ‘That’s not enough.’”
After looking out of shape and unprepared to take on Stipe Miocic, he may have sealed his own fate with the promotion.
Pat Barry (Loss via Round 1 TKO)
Getting knocked out in the first round by a wrestler is never a good thing for a heavyweight. Barry is an exciting and explosive striker in his own right, but he was outgunned by Shawn Jordan in a fight that was never close at UFC 161.
This latest setback, Barry’s sixth UFC loss, was the third time the heavyweight has been defeated in such fashion.
Questions about his toughness and ability to take a punch against the heavy punchers in the heavyweight division are certainly valid. Those will disappear if he can prove he can stand toe-to-toe and go blow-for-blow with the competition.
He didn’t do that, again, at UFC 161. It’s too bad, too, because Barry is a pretty exciting fighter to watch.
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