The UFC on FX 3 main card was electric.
All four fights turned out to be excellent bouts, and the main-event rematch between Demetrious Johnson and Ian McCall in which Johnson pulled out a win was as thrilling as their first.
But many of these fighters could have earned bonuses tonight. Even those who lost to KO, like Josh Neer and Scott Jorgensen, put up tremendous efforts and fought hard right up until their respective losses. Those fighters who did receive bonuses earned them tonight and left fans looking for similar performances in the future.
Submission of the Night: Erick Silva
From the beginning, it looked like Silva was going to end up on the ground. His KO power was feared coming into the match, but Charlie Brenneman knew that Silva had to be on the mat if he was to be defeated.
In the first round, Silva’s striking game seemed hindered by Brenneman’s defense and takedown attempts. Finally, Brenneman had dropped for a takedown and got Silva down.
Silva’s ability to move to Brenneman’s back and sink a rear naked choke for the win by submission was impressive and laudable, earning every bit of the UFC on FX Submission of the Night bonus.
Knockout of the Night: Mike Pyle
Tonight’s card had two fantastic knockouts, but ultimately Pyle’s KO of Josh Neer was rewarded most.
Pyle had been shaken earlier in the fight by some of Neer’s shots. But he regrouped even while Neer had Pyle falling back to the fence, and Pyle pulled off a fantastic right hand to Neer’s jaw that dropped the fighter instantly.
Perhaps more impressive than Pyle’s punch itself was his ability to make a powerful knockout blow while dancing on the edge of defeat. When your defense is a short, strong right that KOs your opponent, you earn Knockout of the Night; Pyle is absolutely deserving.
Fight of the Night: Eddie Wineland vs. Scott Jorgensen
This bantamweight fight between Wineland and Jorgensen was a tough match for both fighters, but neither seemed ready to quit until one or the other was unable to go on.
Wineland arranged this by a win over Jorgensen via knockout—one for which he could have easily taken knockout of the night on any other night. Even in his loss, Jorgensen was relentless. He traded blows with Wineland, took a number of huge shots, landed some himself and persistently attempted to take the fight to the ground to use his strong wrestling against Wineland’s striking.
But even when Jorgensen couldn’t successfully use his wrestling game, he quickly got to his feet and the fighters traded blows again. It was an exciting, relentless effort that earned both fighters a $40,000 bonus for Fight of the Night.
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