Following in the footsteps of UFC 148, Wednesday night’s UFC on Fuel show was put in a no-win situation. Everyone was coming off the high of seeing Anderson Silva prove once and for all that he was the better fighter. Trying to get hyped for a television event a few days later was difficult.
Fortunately for the fighters on the card, UFC continues to deliver the goods whenever it puts on an event. It was not an all-time classic show, nor did it have one legendary fight. But there were a lot of notable results to come out of San Jose.
Here are the biggest winners to come out of the fourth UFC on Fuel event.
Chris Weidman (def. Mark Munoz)
The middleweight division is starved for championship contenders after Silva’s TKO victory over Sonnen last Saturday.
Munoz was on his way to becoming the next challenger. All he needed was a victory over Weidman in the main event of UFC on Fuel.
Weidman did not comply, as he was able to score an impressive knockout victory in the second round. The win moved his record to 9-0 (5-0 in UFC). I don’t think he is ready for the spotlight yet, but he gave Dana White and Joe Silva something to think about.
James Te-Huna (def. Joey Beltran)
There may not be a lot of people who remember Te-Huna’s victory over Beltran, because it was the semi-main event of a Fuel show. But it should be one of the most memorable fights of the year.
It was a strong fight for both men, but Te-Huna particularly came out of it looking superhuman. Not only was he able to score a decision victory, but he did it with a broken hand and foot.
Te-Huna is on the rise in the 205-pound division. At 30-years-old, I don’t know just how high he can climb in the rankings and up the card. For one night, though, he was the story on a UFC event.
Andrew Craig (def. Rafael Natal)
If you are looking for a fight that is going to have serious ramifications on title pictures and various main events in the future, Craig defeating Natal is not the fight for you.
If you are a fan of mixed martial arts who just loves to see two fighters go at it with a spectacular finish, this was the fight for you. Sadly, you have to be watching on Facebook to see it happen.
Craig was losing the fight after the first round, though it was fairly close. In the second round, things really picked up. The finish was amazing, with Craig hitting a kick straight to Natal’s head, sending him down to the canvas in a heap.
A great finish to a fun fight.
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