Frank Mir snatched Todd Duffee’s soul with a massive left hook and added new validity to his resurgence in the UFC heavyweight division. The legend scored a first-round KO win in the main event of UFC Fight Night 71 in San Diego Wednesday night.
The UFC’s official Twitter account accurately captured the feeling most fans had after this short, but sweet brawl was over:
Ben Fowlkes of USA Today seemed to know he needed to appreciate the scrap while it lasted:
Here’s the punch that got everyone so excited, per Fury’s Fight Picks:
Most expected Mir to try to take the fight to the ground, but he stood in the pocket from the beginning and exchanged with his powerful opponent.
Both men tasted the other’s power in the opening moments, but Mir’s shots appeared to have the most impact. The final blow was a perfectly timed counter left hook that knocked Duffee out cold and sent him face first to the canvas.
When it was over, Mir had this to say, per MMA Fighting:
Duffee wasn’t interviewed after coming to, but on the Fox Sports 1 broadcast, you could hear him tell referee John McCarthy, “He caught me with a good shot.”
Um, yeah.
At 36 years old, Mir proved he’s still got a lot left in the tank. In his last two fights, he’s shown improved boxing that only augments his superior submission skills. The win gave him a remarkable 14 finishes in his storied career.
Could he beat the likes of Cain Velasquez, Junior dos Santos or even champion Fabricio Werdum? Probably not, but I’m not sure any other heavyweight in the world would have a decided edge on him right now.
Duffee’s ceiling seems apparent, and he went crashing into it with this loss. His chin and fight IQ just aren’t up to par to be a serious contender in the heavyweight division.
The co-main event was also a lopsided, but exciting bout.
El Cucuy Terrorizes The Punk
Tony “El Cucuy” Ferguson was dynamic and destructive en route to his unanimous-decision win over Josh “The Punk” Thomson. Ferguson mixed in some flashy defensive tactics that included dive rolls, fancy footwork and more to clearly separate himself from Thomson athletically.
From a technical standpoint, Ferguson befuddled Thomson with a variety of kicks, punches and elbows. Sportz Visionz has the one-sided fight stats:
In the second round, Ferguson badly hurt Thomson with a punch and nearly finished him. Thomson was able to escape the onslaught, but he finished the round with his face a crimson mess.
In the third round, a hard elbow opened another gash, but remarkably, Thomson was able to survive. MMA journalist Danny Segura summed this bout up nicely:
Though he came in ranked 11th in the division, there aren’t more than four fighters who can legitimately claim to be better than El Cucuy. Without question, he is ready to move into the top five in the lightweight division.
According to MMA Fighting, Ferguson said this will be his year. Frankly, it’s hard to disagree with him.
Here’s a look at all of the results from Wednesday night’s card, Fight Night bonuses, the DraftKings numbers and disappointing performances:
Fight Night Bonuses
Mir and Ferguson Cash In
Per the UFC, Mir and Ferguson did what main event and co-main event attractions are supposed to do: They put on the top performances of the night:
Mir was a no-brainer choice, but I applaud the decision-makers for honoring Ferguson. While Lyman Good and Kevin Lee both had finishes, Ferguson’s performance came against an elite-level fighter.
Thus his unanimous-decision win deserves more respect.
Jouban and Dwyer Put on a Show
Alan Jouban won a unanimous decision over Matt Dwyer, but he had to work for it. After a shaky first round that saw him dropped from a right hand and lose a point for an illegal knee, Jouban cranked up the intensity in the second and third frames to earn the decision.
While Jouban won, Fox Sports UFC felt both he and Dwyer deserved “kudos:”
During the course of the first round, the two men had exchanges like this one, per the UFC:
In the second round, Jouban had a shot to finish Dwyer. He gave it all he had and even landed this Tekken-like cartwheel kick to Dwyer’s neck, per the UFC. Watch out, Eddy Gordo.
With all of those memorable moments, it’s no wonder the two men took home the Fight of the Night bonuses.
Biggest Losers
Mo Mo the No-Show
Marion Reneau had a chance to do a lot of things in her fight with Holly Holm Wednesday night. She accomplished none of them.
The 38-year-old had an opportunity to push the hyped Holm to prove she has what it takes to be a legitimate contender. MMA Fighting was just one member of the fight community who was let down in this regard:
Reneau is a brown belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, but we saw no takedown attempts. She came in with five straight wins and some momentum of her own, but this disappointing performance lets all of the air out of her balloon.
At her advanced age for the sport, you have to wonder if this was Reneau’s last chance to make a serious move toward a title shot.
Enough Duffee
It’s going to be really hard to take Duffee seriously as a contender moving forward. That’s no disrespect to Mir; he’s a future Hall of Famer. Still, Duffee wasn’t submitted by Mir—which would have been easier to understand. Instead, he was beaten at his own game in a slugfest.
If Duffee can’t win that type of fight, what kind of bout can he win against a good heavyweight?
DraftKings Spin
Mir Brings Home the Bank
For just $8,900, Mir delivered the biggest fantasy number. His 111 DraftKings points bested impressive showings from both Lyman Good and Kevin Lee. Mir was clearly the best value pick of the card.
Biggest Dud
We hate to keep picking on Duffee, but his DK salary was $10,500 and he delivered just 4.5 points in the main event.
If you had him on your team as I did, we shall weep together.
What’s Next?
It’s a quick return for the UFC as Thales Leites and Michael “The Count” Bisping will headline UFC Fight Night 72 from Glasgow, Scotland, Saturday night. Leites has won three straight fights, including a thrilling submission victory over Tim Boetsch at UFC 183 in January.
Another win would keep the Brazilian climbing toward a potential title shot in the middleweight division. Ever the up-and-down contender, Bisping is coming off of a win himself.
The 36-year-old from Manchester knocked off CB Dollaway in his last fight to rebound from a submission loss to Luke Rockhold in November 2014. Expect the crowd to be firmly behind the Brit in this scrap. Sunderland native Ross Pearson faces American veteran Evan Dunham in a co-featured bout that could easily be Fight of the Night.
See you then.
All DraftKings salaries and point references per DraftKings.com
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