UFC 162 featured some pretty dominating performances in the main card. Whether it was Chris Weidman defiantly beating Anderson Silva or Cub Swanson showing what good conditioning can do, it was an entertaining main card.
We’ll break down the main card bouts and analyze why the winners won below.
Cub Swanson vs. Dennis Siver
Despite losing the first round, Cub Swanson dominated this match, showing better endurance and conditioning than Dennis Siver.
Siver was able to get Swanson on the mat in the first round, where he took care of business pretty easily.
But that was about the only highlight for Siver. He missed on three other attempts on takedowns. Swanson was simply faster, and his right uppercut was working nicely, as he hit on 47 of his strikes. Siver‘s lack of conditioning really showed, as he deteriorated pretty quickly as the match went on.
Silver got worse as the match went on. After hitting on 26 percent of his strikes in the first round, he hit just 16 percent in the second round and only 12 percent in the third and final round.
Swanson’s speed was the key here, and it made for a relatively easy win, even after losing the first round.
Mark Munoz vs. Tim Boetsch
Mark Munoz has dealt with injuries, but he was really impressive in his win over Tim Boetsch.
Using his ground-and-pound game, Munoz simply tired out Boetsch, who ran out of steam by the end.
Munoz made Boetsch his punching bag, and after the first set, Boetsch really had no chance.
Munoz hit on 132 strikes, while Boetsch only hit on 50. Munoz was also dominant in takedowns, with five compared to just one for Boetsch.
All things considered, it was an easy match for Munoz, who once again proved the value of conditioning and aggressiveness.
Tim Kennedy vs. Roger Gracie
Tim Kennedy dominated Roger Gracie in his unanimous-decision win. Kennedy fought out of a choke hold in the first round, which marked the beginning of the end for Gracie.
In fact, the choke hold, albeit unsuccessful, was Gracie’s best moment. Kennedy was faster, had better conditioning and was more effective on the mat.
Gracie couldn’t take advantage of his glorious opportunity in the first round. After that, he was really overmatched in the stand-up part and really struggled on the mat.
Kennedy hit on a remarkable 101 strikes, while Gracie hit on just 14. Gracie was only able to attempt 31 strikes.
Kennedy was solid in all facets, making this a pretty easy win for him.
Frankie Edgar vs. Charles Oliveira
Frankie Edgar gave up some size but used plenty of savvy to beat Charles Oliveira.
Oliveira put up a good fight. He matched Edgar’s conditioning and held his own on the wall.
Still, Edgar was just better than Oliveira, using his speed, footwork and strong takedowns to win. He connected on 55 percent of his strikes, and Oliveira was unable to complete a takedown. Edgar converted two-of-five takedowns.
There’s a bright future of Oliveira, but Edgar was just too much in this match.
Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva
What was supposed to be the match of the night turned into a bit of a dud.
Weidman beat Silva by knockout just over one minute into the second round.
Silva was taunting Weidman, dancing in and out of Weidman‘s fist, but eventually Weidman connected and the match was over.
Silva may have been overconfident or maybe just ignorant of Weidman‘s talent.
But Weidman was very smart, winning the opening round on points, where he earned a takedown, one of two for Weidman for the match. Silva, by comparison, did not have any takedowns.
It seems like Weidman finally figured Silva out. He didn’t buy Silva’s head games and proved that it’s pretty easy to beat Silva.
Weidman also hit on six more strikes that Silva, including the one that ended the match. Weidman was allowed 55 strikes, and while he only hit on 26, the amount of strikes indicates how much Silva was goading Wediman into hitting him.
This turned out to be a bad strategy, as Weidman finally hit hard enough to lead to a knockout.
Weidman could become the next UFC star, as he wins with both skill and intelligence.
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