Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) was back at it again, as the WME-IMG mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion staged UFC Fight Night 101 last night (Sat., Nov. 26, 2016) from inside the Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Headlining the event was a middleweight bout between Robert Whittaker and Derek Brunson which saw both men swing for the fences in an action-packed one-round fight that ended with Whittaker knocking out Brunson to earn his sixth straight win, fifth in the middleweight division.
Biggest Winner: Robert Whittaker
His fight against Brunson may not have received a lot of from the media or UFC public relations machine, seeing as how it was sandwiched between UFC 205 and UFC 206, but it was an exciting scrap, even if it didn’t go past round one. While both men came out aggressive, Whittaker proved to be more patient when the time called for it, as he countered Brunson’s strikes perfectly and ultimately ended him with a left counter hook, head kick and ground-and-pound (see it again here); pleasing the crowd in the process staying competing in the title race.
Runner (s) Up: Andrew Holbrook and Tyson Pedro
He may have been the massive underdog going up against Jake Mathews, but he managed to upset bookies after earning a hard-fought split decision victory. The win got him back into the win column after having his undefeated record snapped in his previous outing.
I have to give the newbie some love, as Pedro walked in to the cage confident, despite the fact that he was making his Octagon debut on free television with millions watching and thousands in attendance. The main card spotlight didn’t bother him one bit, surviving an early knockdown to come back and choke out Khalil Roundtree to remain undefeated at 5-0 (video highlights here). We may have a future contender on out hands.
Biggest Loser: Derek Brunson
Brunson suffered much criticism from Kenny Florian during the post-fight show for his over-aggressiveness in the bout, and overall carelessness, leading with his chin in order to put an end to the bout as quickly as possible. But, if you look back at Derek’s last four victories, that was the recipe for success, as he scored four consecutive first-round knockouts with his push-the-pace style. But, leading with his chin proved to be disastrous against a great counter- striker like Whittaker. It’s back to the drawing board for Derek, who will have a tough uphill climb in a very-competitive weight class.
For complete UFC Fight Night 101 results and coverage click here.