You go to enough UFC events, you get a feel for the rhythm that they usually follow. From prelims to the Spike TV undercard to the main card to the main event, it’s a gradually building symphony of violence that follows a fairly predictable pattern.
But Saturday night’s UFC on FOX show was a completely different experience, for several reasons. It was essentially a nine-fight undercard, one right after the other, and then a main event that started at around 6:30 pm local time. By 6:45 we had our laptops packed up and press row was vacated. By 8 pm we were in the Honda Center media room, watching Pacquiao-Marquez while hammering away at our keyboards with one eye on the screen.
It was, in other words, a strange night. Like Dana White, I’m mostly just glad it’s over. Now we can get back to the normal fight night routine, which is at least exhausting in a familiar way. But first, the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between from the UFC on FOX debut.
Biggest Winner: Junior dos Santos
Say what you will about whether the quick finish was bad or simply not ideal for the UFC’s FOX debut, but you can’t blame JDS. Actually, I guess you could if you really wanted to, but you’d sound like a real jerk. It’s not his job to make fights last; his only concern was punching his opponent in the face until the referee told him to stop, and that’s exactly what he did. Right from the start dos Santos had no problem locating Velasquez’s face with his fist, and he did so without opening himself up for takedowns. He got away with a short night of work thanks to that big right hand of his. Considering the knee injury that he said he came into the fight with, that quick finish was the best-case scenario for “Cigano” even if it wasn’t exactly what the UFC hoped for. Now he’ll get to take some time, see to his injury, and wait for Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem to figure out who he’ll defend his brand new belt against. Who knows, maybe he’ll even become the rare heavyweight champ who can hang on to it for a little while.
Biggest Loser: Cain Velasquez
For starters, let’s ease up on the game plan criticism. The guy only got to fight for a minute. What, you thought he was going to shoot for a double-leg the moment “Big” John McCarthy got out of the way? Even if you want to get the fight to the mat, you can’t go into a heavyweight title bout telling yourself that you’ve got no prayer on the feet. Conceding that aspect of the fight to your opponent is a psychological kiss of death, so maybe we shouldn’t crucify Velasquez for daring to engage in even the briefest of striking exchanges with dos Santos. That said, the night couldn’t have gone much worse for the former champ. I’m not sure if the knee injury was worse than he let on, but he didn’t seem to have the intensity or the explosiveness that we’ve come to expect from him right out of the gates. Dana White put plenty of pressure on him to deliver the fireworks, so maybe it’s unfair of the UFC prez to then criticize Velasquez for not immediately turning the bout into a wrestling match. Velasquez seemed perfectly willing to try and give us the war we were promised, whether that was a good idea or not. Unfortunately for him, he ended up on the business end of the blitzkrieg.
Most Bizarre Sight: The Octagon’s Fresh Paint Job
Apparently the UFC and FOX felt that network TV viewers could handle seeing blood if it was coming out of a human being, but old plasma left over from the night’s previous bouts was more than they could bear. So after the Guida-Henderson bout had concluded and before dos Santos and Velasquez took the cage, a small crew of workers got out the paint and heat gun and erased those bloodstains before the FOX cameras caught sight of them. The thing is, the mat wasn’t even all that bloody. Sure, after nine fights some of the red stuff had spilled, but we’ve seen much worse inside the Octagon. Those “millions of new viewers” haven’t though, and as White said in the post-fight press conference, the UFC is looking to “ease into this.” Even if it means choking the poor cageside photographers with paint fumes.
Most Deserving of a Title Shot: Ben Henderson
Lately it’s seemed like nothing short of a dozen straight wins will earn you a crack at the lightweight belt, but Henderson has made the most of his three UFC bouts. After destroying Jim Miller and edging out a very game Guida, I don’t see how anyone could say he hasn’t earned his shot at Frankie Edgar. And, with Henderson’s all-around blend of skills, I don’t see how anyone could say this won’t be a thrilling bout when those two get together in Japan. At least you know that one will be televised.
Least in Need of a Title Shot: Clay Guida
The Duder might not like to hear it, but he’s probably never going to be a UFC champion. And that’s okay. Really, it is. He might not think so now, and he might not even think so ten years from now, but his legacy will be built on individual bouts rather than broad career achievements. His fights with Roger Huerta, Diego Sanchez, and this one with Henderson are battles that all of us (or at least those of us who actually saw them) will remember. Does it matter that he lost all three of those fights? Not really. That’s because when Guida gets an opponent he can exert his will on, the outcomes tend to be less spectacular. It’s when he fights superior, more gifted opponents that both are forced into a species of greatness. He doesn’t have to win them all to be loved by fans and admired by his peers. He doesn’t need a belt, either. No matter how badly he might want one.
Win Most Likely to Be Overturned: Robert Peralta over Mackens Semerzier
Initially it looked like both Peralta and Semerzier landed almost simultaneous punches, but it was Semerzier who got the worst of it. Upon further review, it was clear that a clash of heads was the real culprit. Peralta didn’t do it on purpose, and the lump on his forehead (which sprang up immediately) tells you that he didn’t escape from it unscathed either. Still, it was pretty obvious that Semerzier got a one-way ticket to Queer Street thanks to something that was definitely not a legal strike, and that’s grounds for an appeal. In a just world, the result of this fight will get changed to a no contest.
Most Surprising: Alex Caceres
I was starting to wonder what the UFC saw in this kid, other than personality. He lost two straight after his stint on TUF, didn’t look very good in either bout, yet somehow still had a spot on the roster. But as it turns out, maybe he was just in the wrong weight class. Against Cole Escovedo in his bantamweight debut, “Bruce Leeroy” looked like an entirely different fighter. He kept Escovedo guessing on the feet, stymied his attacks all night, and had the confidence to throw some unconventional stuff out there in search of the victory. After winning the decision he showed up to the post-fight presser with an enormous grin on his face, looking like a kid who’d just been told that he was going to Disneyland (which just happened to be right down the street). I admit, it was refreshing to see a young fighter who actually seemed glad to talk to the media after a fight. Give him a couple years, though. See if he doesn’t change his mind about that.
Most Brutal Finish: DaMarques Johnson
He may not have earned the Knockout of the Night award for starching Clay Harvison in the first round, but he probably should have. I know, I know — there’s no small amount in politics involved in those, and the main event will get it over a prelim’er every time, but still. Johnson lunged in with a beautiful left uppercut that Harvison never saw, then followed up with a right hand that was so hard I almost expected Harvison’s childhood memories to come spilling out onto the mat. Granted, this was a fight Johnson was supposed to win, and win fairly easily, but it never hurts to make a memorable impression. Well, unless you’re Harvison. Then it hurts a lot.
You go to enough UFC events, you get a feel for the rhythm that they usually follow. From prelims to the Spike TV undercard to the main card to the main event, it’s a gradually building symphony of violence that follows a fairly predictable pattern.
But Saturday night’s UFC on FOX show was a completely different experience, for several reasons. It was essentially a nine-fight undercard, one right after the other, and then a main event that started at around 6:30 pm local time. By 6:45 we had our laptops packed up and press row was vacated. By 8 pm we were in the Honda Center media room, watching Pacquiao-Marquez while hammering away at our keyboards with one eye on the screen.
It was, in other words, a strange night. Like Dana White, I’m mostly just glad it’s over. Now we can get back to the normal fight night routine, which is at least exhausting in a familiar way. But first, the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between from the UFC on FOX debut.
Biggest Winner: Junior dos Santos
Say what you will about whether the quick finish was bad or simply not ideal for the UFC’s FOX debut, but you can’t blame JDS. Actually, I guess you could if you really wanted to, but you’d sound like a real jerk. It’s not his job to make fights last; his only concern was punching his opponent in the face until the referee told him to stop, and that’s exactly what he did. Right from the start dos Santos had no problem locating Velasquez’s face with his fist, and he did so without opening himself up for takedowns. He got away with a short night of work thanks to that big right hand of his. Considering the knee injury that he said he came into the fight with, that quick finish was the best-case scenario for “Cigano” even if it wasn’t exactly what the UFC hoped for. Now he’ll get to take some time, see to his injury, and wait for Brock Lesnar and Alistair Overeem to figure out who he’ll defend his brand new belt against. Who knows, maybe he’ll even become the rare heavyweight champ who can hang on to it for a little while.
Biggest Loser: Cain Velasquez
For starters, let’s ease up on the game plan criticism. The guy only got to fight for a minute. What, you thought he was going to shoot for a double-leg the moment “Big” John McCarthy got out of the way? Even if you want to get the fight to the mat, you can’t go into a heavyweight title bout telling yourself that you’ve got no prayer on the feet. Conceding that aspect of the fight to your opponent is a psychological kiss of death, so maybe we shouldn’t crucify Velasquez for daring to engage in even the briefest of striking exchanges with dos Santos. That said, the night couldn’t have gone much worse for the former champ. I’m not sure if the knee injury was worse than he let on, but he didn’t seem to have the intensity or the explosiveness that we’ve come to expect from him right out of the gates. Dana White put plenty of pressure on him to deliver the fireworks, so maybe it’s unfair of the UFC prez to then criticize Velasquez for not immediately turning the bout into a wrestling match. Velasquez seemed perfectly willing to try and give us the war we were promised, whether that was a good idea or not. Unfortunately for him, he ended up on the business end of the blitzkrieg.
Most Bizarre Sight: The Octagon’s Fresh Paint Job
Apparently the UFC and FOX felt that network TV viewers could handle seeing blood if it was coming out of a human being, but old plasma left over from the night’s previous bouts was more than they could bear. So after the Guida-Henderson bout had concluded and before dos Santos and Velasquez took the cage, a small crew of workers got out the paint and heat gun and erased those bloodstains before the FOX cameras caught sight of them. The thing is, the mat wasn’t even all that bloody. Sure, after nine fights some of the red stuff had spilled, but we’ve seen much worse inside the Octagon. Those “millions of new viewers” haven’t though, and as White said in the post-fight press conference, the UFC is looking to “ease into this.” Even if it means choking the poor cageside photographers with paint fumes.
Most Deserving of a Title Shot: Ben Henderson
Lately it’s seemed like nothing short of a dozen straight wins will earn you a crack at the lightweight belt, but Henderson has made the most of his three UFC bouts. After destroying Jim Miller and edging out a very game Guida, I don’t see how anyone could say he hasn’t earned his shot at Frankie Edgar. And, with Henderson’s all-around blend of skills, I don’t see how anyone could say this won’t be a thrilling bout when those two get together in Japan. At least you know that one will be televised.
Least in Need of a Title Shot: Clay Guida
The Duder might not like to hear it, but he’s probably never going to be a UFC champion. And that’s okay. Really, it is. He might not think so now, and he might not even think so ten years from now, but his legacy will be built on individual bouts rather than broad career achievements. His fights with Roger Huerta, Diego Sanchez, and this one with Henderson are battles that all of us (or at least those of us who actually saw them) will remember. Does it matter that he lost all three of those fights? Not really. That’s because when Guida gets an opponent he can exert his will on, the outcomes tend to be less spectacular. It’s when he fights superior, more gifted opponents that both are forced into a species of greatness. He doesn’t have to win them all to be loved by fans and admired by his peers. He doesn’t need a belt, either. No matter how badly he might want one.
Win Most Likely to Be Overturned: Robert Peralta over Mackens Semerzier
Initially it looked like both Peralta and Semerzier landed almost simultaneous punches, but it was Semerzier who got the worst of it. Upon further review, it was clear that a clash of heads was the real culprit. Peralta didn’t do it on purpose, and the lump on his forehead (which sprang up immediately) tells you that he didn’t escape from it unscathed either. Still, it was pretty obvious that Semerzier got a one-way ticket to Queer Street thanks to something that was definitely not a legal strike, and that’s grounds for an appeal. In a just world, the result of this fight will get changed to a no contest.
Most Surprising: Alex Caceres
I was starting to wonder what the UFC saw in this kid, other than personality. He lost two straight after his stint on TUF, didn’t look very good in either bout, yet somehow still had a spot on the roster. But as it turns out, maybe he was just in the wrong weight class. Against Cole Escovedo in his bantamweight debut, “Bruce Leeroy” looked like an entirely different fighter. He kept Escovedo guessing on the feet, stymied his attacks all night, and had the confidence to throw some unconventional stuff out there in search of the victory. After winning the decision he showed up to the post-fight presser with an enormous grin on his face, looking like a kid who’d just been told that he was going to Disneyland (which just happened to be right down the street). I admit, it was refreshing to see a young fighter who actually seemed glad to talk to the media after a fight. Give him a couple years, though. See if he doesn’t change his mind about that.
Most Brutal Finish: DaMarques Johnson
He may not have earned the Knockout of the Night award for starching Clay Harvison in the first round, but he probably should have. I know, I know — there’s no small amount in politics involved in those, and the main event will get it over a prelim’er every time, but still. Johnson lunged in with a beautiful left uppercut that Harvison never saw, then followed up with a right hand that was so hard I almost expected Harvison’s childhood memories to come spilling out onto the mat. Granted, this was a fight Johnson was supposed to win, and win fairly easily, but it never hurts to make a memorable impression. Well, unless you’re Harvison. Then it hurts a lot.
It’s a little bit funny and a little bit sad that there are probably a million or more people who watched the UFC on Fox Saturday night — people who had never seen a UFC fight before — who came to the conclusion that Cain Velasquez is a bum.
Velasquez lasted only a minute before Junior Dos Santos finished him off with a right hand to the ear and several punches on the ground, and to the uninitiated it might have looked like Velasquez just isn’t all that good. But although we all have a tendency to overreact when a fighter suffers a dramatic knockout loss, let’s take a step back for just a moment to remember that Cain Velasquez is really, really good.
I’ll be shocked if Velasquez doesn’t fight for the UFC title again in the next couple of years. Velasquez will be back.
What makes me so confident in Cain? The fundamental reason is that Velasquez is simply one of the most talented heavyweights that MMA has ever seen. We’ve been hearing it since 2006, when Velasquez first decided to fight professionally: Everyone in the MMA world who saw him then agreed that he was the perfect physical specimen to become an elite MMA fighter. The strong wrestling base, the speed, the power, the athleticism. This guy is the total package. That hasn’t changed because of one bad night against Dos Santos.
The other reason I feel so sure that the 29-year-old Velasquez will be back is the other thing we’ve heard about Velasquez since Day One: He has a phenomenal work ethic. Velasquez isn’t the type to deal with a setback by packing it in. Velasquez is the type to get right back into the gym and immediately start working to get better.
The one caveat I should add there is that I think Velasquez may have been a bit out of shape for this fight. I spoke to Velasquez during his recovery from shoulder surgery, and he mentioned that he wasn’t able to run while his shoulder was immobilized, and that as a result he had gained weight. He came in at 249 pounds for the Dos Santos fight — five pounds heavier than he weighed against Brock Lesnar — and he looked puffier and less defined than he had previously. A big part of trusting in Velasquez’s work ethic is trusting that he’ll be in better shape for his next fight than he was against Dos Santos.
But I do trust that, and I trust that Velasquez is going to be competing for a UFC title again. The heavyweight division in the UFC is not particularly deep, and I’d probably pick Velasquez to beat anyone other than Dos Santos right now. If Velasquez gets back in the ring and gets better, there’s no reason to think he won’t earn a rematch with the man who’s just beaten him.
UFC on Fox notes — It’s too bad Fox decided only to broadcast one fight, because Ben Henderson‘s unanimous decision victory over Clay Guida deserved to be seen by more than just the hard-core fans who watched the online stream. Henderson put on a great show, and he’ll be a tough opponent for UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. Too bad that show was seen only by thousands online, instead of millions on Fox.
— The ending of the Robert Peralta–Mackens Semerzier fight was extremely unfortunate: The two men accidentally clashed heads, Smerzier took the worse end of the collision, and Peralta was able to capitalize and finish Semerzier off with punches. If referee Big John McCarthy had seen the accidental head butt he would have called a halt to the action to give Semerzier time to recover. But McCarthy missed it, and Peralta got the win.
— Ricardo Lamas is now 2-0 since dropping down to featherweight this year, and he’s looked great in both fights. He forced Cub Swanson to tap out to an arm-triangle choke on Saturday night.
UFC on Fox quotes — “I didn’t want to follow up. There’s no need to be an A-hole.” — DeMarques Johnson on why he let up before the referee stepped in after knocking out Clay Harvison.
— “I came in here the best I’ve ever been.” — Dustin Poirier, after forcing Pablo Garza to tap to a D’Arce choke. The 22-year-old Poirier is now 3-0 since dropping to 145 pounds, and I agree with his own assessment that he looked better than ever. He looks to me like a future featherweight champion.
Good call McCarthy deducted a point from Matt Lucas for losing his mouthpiece three times. That’s an unusual reason for a point deduction, but it was absolutely the right call: It’s every fighter’s responsibility to keep his mouthpiece in his mouth, and McCarthy enforced the rule properly. “You’ve got to keep your mouthpiece in your mouth,” McCarthy told Lucas, in an instruction that should be so obvious it doesn’t need to be said. Amazingly, Lucas lost his mouthpiece one more time after the point deduction.
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Bad call Aaron Rosa ended up beating Lucas by majority decision, 30-26, 30-26 and 28-28. I don’t know who the judge was who gave Lucas two of the three rounds against Rosa, but that judge couldn’t have been more wrong: The issue with the mouthpiece aside, Rosa clearly deserved to win the fight.
Stock up During his stint on The Ultimate Fighter, Alex Caceres was known more for his brash personality and his amusing nickname — Bruce Leroy — than for his ability to fight. But Caceres moved down to bantamweight and got the first win of his UFC career in a very impressive unanimous decision victory over Cole Escovedo. Caceres has always had a flashy striking style, but what I really liked about him on Saturday was that he showed off a much more sophisticated ground game than we had ever seen from him in the past. Bruce Leroy is heading in the right direction.
Stock down In 2007, Kid Yamamoto was considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Since 2007, Yamamoto is 1-4, including a unanimous decision loss to Darren Uyenoyama on Saturday. This fight was a beatdown: The judges scored it 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26, and I agreed with the judge who had it 30-26, as I thought Uyenoyama deserved a 10-8 for the first round. It’s sad to say this about Yamamoto, but he just doesn’t have anything left. Maybe the UFC will keep him around for one more fight on its Japan card in February, but if so, that will be his retirement match.
Fight I want to see next Junior Dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem. The winner of the upcoming fight between Overeem and Brock Lesnar gets the next crack at Dos Santos, and although I have nothing against Lesnar, I think Overeem would be a more interesting fight because I believe Overeem and Dos Santos are the two hardest hitters in the heavyweight division. Overeem vs. Lesnar takes place on December 30, and Overeem vs. Dos Santos is my way-too-early pick for Fight of the Year in 2012.
It’s a little bit funny and a little bit sad that there are probably a million or more people who watched the UFC on Fox Saturday night — people who had never seen a UFC fight before — who came to the conclusion that Cain Velasquez is a bum.
Velasquez lasted only a minute before Junior Dos Santos finished him off with a right hand to the ear and several punches on the ground, and to the uninitiated it might have looked like Velasquez just isn’t all that good. But although we all have a tendency to overreact when a fighter suffers a dramatic knockout loss, let’s take a step back for just a moment to remember that Cain Velasquez is really, really good.
I’ll be shocked if Velasquez doesn’t fight for the UFC title again in the next couple of years. Velasquez will be back.
What makes me so confident in Cain? The fundamental reason is that Velasquez is simply one of the most talented heavyweights that MMA has ever seen. We’ve been hearing it since 2006, when Velasquez first decided to fight professionally: Everyone in the MMA world who saw him then agreed that he was the perfect physical specimen to become an elite MMA fighter. The strong wrestling base, the speed, the power, the athleticism. This guy is the total package. That hasn’t changed because of one bad night against Dos Santos.
The other reason I feel so sure that the 29-year-old Velasquez will be back is the other thing we’ve heard about Velasquez since Day One: He has a phenomenal work ethic. Velasquez isn’t the type to deal with a setback by packing it in. Velasquez is the type to get right back into the gym and immediately start working to get better.
The one caveat I should add there is that I think Velasquez may have been a bit out of shape for this fight. I spoke to Velasquez during his recovery from shoulder surgery, and he mentioned that he wasn’t able to run while his shoulder was immobilized, and that as a result he had gained weight. He came in at 249 pounds for the Dos Santos fight — five pounds heavier than he weighed against Brock Lesnar — and he looked puffier and less defined than he had previously. A big part of trusting in Velasquez’s work ethic is trusting that he’ll be in better shape for his next fight than he was against Dos Santos.
But I do trust that, and I trust that Velasquez is going to be competing for a UFC title again. The heavyweight division in the UFC is not particularly deep, and I’d probably pick Velasquez to beat anyone other than Dos Santos right now. If Velasquez gets back in the ring and gets better, there’s no reason to think he won’t earn a rematch with the man who’s just beaten him.
UFC on Fox notes — It’s too bad Fox decided only to broadcast one fight, because Ben Henderson‘s unanimous decision victory over Clay Guida deserved to be seen by more than just the hard-core fans who watched the online stream. Henderson put on a great show, and he’ll be a tough opponent for UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar. Too bad that show was seen only by thousands online, instead of millions on Fox.
— The ending of the Robert Peralta–Mackens Semerzier fight was extremely unfortunate: The two men accidentally clashed heads, Smerzier took the worse end of the collision, and Peralta was able to capitalize and finish Semerzier off with punches. If referee Big John McCarthy had seen the accidental head butt he would have called a halt to the action to give Semerzier time to recover. But McCarthy missed it, and Peralta got the win.
— Ricardo Lamas is now 2-0 since dropping down to featherweight this year, and he’s looked great in both fights. He forced Cub Swanson to tap out to an arm-triangle choke on Saturday night.
UFC on Fox quotes — “I didn’t want to follow up. There’s no need to be an A-hole.” — DeMarques Johnson on why he let up before the referee stepped in after knocking out Clay Harvison.
— “I came in here the best I’ve ever been.” — Dustin Poirier, after forcing Pablo Garza to tap to a D’Arce choke. The 22-year-old Poirier is now 3-0 since dropping to 145 pounds, and I agree with his own assessment that he looked better than ever. He looks to me like a future featherweight champion.
Good call McCarthy deducted a point from Matt Lucas for losing his mouthpiece three times. That’s an unusual reason for a point deduction, but it was absolutely the right call: It’s every fighter’s responsibility to keep his mouthpiece in his mouth, and McCarthy enforced the rule properly. “You’ve got to keep your mouthpiece in your mouth,” McCarthy told Lucas, in an instruction that should be so obvious it doesn’t need to be said. Amazingly, Lucas lost his mouthpiece one more time after the point deduction.
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Bad call Aaron Rosa ended up beating Lucas by majority decision, 30-26, 30-26 and 28-28. I don’t know who the judge was who gave Lucas two of the three rounds against Rosa, but that judge couldn’t have been more wrong: The issue with the mouthpiece aside, Rosa clearly deserved to win the fight.
Stock up During his stint on The Ultimate Fighter, Alex Caceres was known more for his brash personality and his amusing nickname — Bruce Leroy — than for his ability to fight. But Caceres moved down to bantamweight and got the first win of his UFC career in a very impressive unanimous decision victory over Cole Escovedo. Caceres has always had a flashy striking style, but what I really liked about him on Saturday was that he showed off a much more sophisticated ground game than we had ever seen from him in the past. Bruce Leroy is heading in the right direction.
Stock down In 2007, Kid Yamamoto was considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Since 2007, Yamamoto is 1-4, including a unanimous decision loss to Darren Uyenoyama on Saturday. This fight was a beatdown: The judges scored it 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26, and I agreed with the judge who had it 30-26, as I thought Uyenoyama deserved a 10-8 for the first round. It’s sad to say this about Yamamoto, but he just doesn’t have anything left. Maybe the UFC will keep him around for one more fight on its Japan card in February, but if so, that will be his retirement match.
Fight I want to see next Junior Dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem. The winner of the upcoming fight between Overeem and Brock Lesnar gets the next crack at Dos Santos, and although I have nothing against Lesnar, I think Overeem would be a more interesting fight because I believe Overeem and Dos Santos are the two hardest hitters in the heavyweight division. Overeem vs. Lesnar takes place on December 30, and Overeem vs. Dos Santos is my way-too-early pick for Fight of the Year in 2012.
Filed under: UFC, NewsLightweight contender Clay Guida was the highest earner with a $74,000 purse at Saturday’s The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale in Las Vegas, according to the salaries reported by the UFC to the Nevada state athletic commission.
Lightweight contender Clay Guida was the highest earner with a $74,000 purse at Saturday’s The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale in Las Vegas, according to the salaries reported by the UFC to the Nevada state athletic commission.
Guida made $37,000 to show and another $37,000 as a win bonus for his decision over Anthony Pettis. Former WEC champion Pettis took home $10,000 in the loss.
Filed under: UFCI’ve always wondered what Ultimate Fighter winners do with their cut-glass trophies. It looks like something you might get for being the most improved player on a high school water polo team, so I’d be surprised if too many recipients h…
I’ve always wondered what Ultimate Fighter winners do with their cut-glass trophies. It looks like something you might get for being the most improved player on a high school water polo team, so I’d be surprised if too many recipients have it displayed prominently in their homes.
I keep expecting to see one show up on Ebay, but then who would buy it? I have no idea, but maybe Tony Ferguson will get a chance to find out. He’s our latest reality show winner, joining a diverse group that has had wildly varied post-grad results.
So what does Ferguson’s win mean, and how far has Anthony Pettis fallen after putting his title shot on the line against Clay Guida? The answers to those questions and more await you, as we sort through the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between after the TUF 13 Finale.
Biggest Winner: Clay Guida
Any lightweight who has ever considered a strategy that involves tiring Guida out only needs to look at him bouncing around in the post-fight interview after three hard rounds to know what a bad idea that is. Against Pettis, Guida showed that a non-stop motor and a wealth of quality experience to draw upon is sometimes all you need to get your hand raised. The decision victory was Guida’s 29th win and his 40th pro fight overall. Even Guida would probably agree that Jim Miller deserves to be ahead of him in line for a crack at the belt, but “The Carpenter” is definitely in the conversation now. What he lacks in sheer talent, he makes up for with work ethic and a willingness to get right in your face and stay there all night. How can you not root for a guy like that?
Biggest Loser: Anthony Pettis
Pettis gets this distinction less for his performance than for what it cost him. He didn’t fight poorly, but all it took was fifteen minutes on a Saturday night for him to go from number one contender to the middle of a crowded pack. Not that it needs to be anything more than a minor setback in the long run. He’s young and has a lot of potential, but Guida showed us all that there are some holes in his game. Some of that is just inexperience. He caught a big break in the third round, yet couldn’t capitalize on it. It’s also possible that he’s trying to force those crowd-pleasing kicks a little too much, which resulted in more interesting misses than useful hits against Guida. He lost his title shot with the defeat, but it’s not the end of the world. If he uses it as a learning experience, this will be nothing more than a speed bump in a promising career.
Best Prospect: Tony Ferguson
He can wrestle and he can swat – a combination that makes him a man to be taken seriously. If we’ve learned anything from 13 seasons of TUF, however, it’s that winning the show is not quite the career-crowning achievement it’s made out to be. What it is, is a nice start for Ferguson and a chance to develop in the UFC with a little more slack than most new hires get. That’s why I wouldn’t recommend calling out guys like Amir Sadollah. While there are benefits to being proactive about matchmaking, the TUF winner usually gets to ease into the big time a little more gently. I don’t want to say he should expect an easy fight in his first post-TUF appearance. There aren’t many of those to be found in the UFC. But there are easier fights out there, and with them, a chance to get comfortable in the Octagon. Just because you’re a reality TV hero, it doesn’t mean the roads are all paved with gold now. Just ask Efrain Escudero.
Least Certain Future: Ramsey Nijem
He looked great on TUF, but all it took was one lunging left hook from Ferguson to stiffen him up like stale toast. He’s obviously got talent, but he also seems like he might not be quite ready for the UFC just yet. He’s now 4-2 in his career, and his most high profile wins were reality show exhibition bouts. He might still turn into a legitimate UFC fighter, but he’d better do it soon. It doesn’t take much to go from TUF finalist to TUF footnote. Just ask Kris McCray. And Vinny Magalhaes. And Luke Cummo. And…you know what? I think you get it.
Biggest Win Under Dire Circumstances: Ed Herman
After losing three of his last four and sitting out with a recurring knee injury for nearly two years, Herman was desperate for a big victory. Knocking out a tough opponent like Tim Credeur in less than a minute is a good way to get back on the map. Herman should consider it a temporary stay, and one possibly aided by the fact that Credeur had been out of action nearly as long as he had. Now Herman has to hope that he’s more successful in his comeback than he was before his initial injury.
Most Disturbing Trend: Ken Stone‘s recent KO’s
He was on the business end of a brutal slam knockout back in December, then got pounded out by Scott Jorgensen in the first round on Saturday night. Two scary knockouts in a row – all in a six-month span – is never good for your career prospects, but it’s even worse for your brain. While we still don’t know a ton about knockouts and long-term brain health, we do know that it’s a bad sign when a fighter keeps ending bouts asleep on the mat, especially when the knockouts start to come easier and easier. Maybe Stone could take some time off and reevaluate. Even if he doesn’t want to, it’s quite possible that the Zuffa contract axe will do it for him.
Most in Need of a Step Up in Competition: Kyle Kingsbury
The decision over Maldonado was his fourth straight victory in the UFC. Now that his skills have caught up to his size and natural athleticism, he seems like a guy who might actually go places in the light heavyweight division. It’s hard to know for sure though, since the UFC keeps giving him opponents who are all at roughly the same level. Jared Hamman, Ricardo Romero, Fabio Maldonado – all are tough guys, but it’s not exactly a steady climb in quality of competition. Now’s the time to throw Kingsbury into the deep water and find out if he can swim.
Least Convincing Effort: Josh Grispi
It’s strange to think that not so long ago, this guy was considered a credible challenger for Jose Aldo’s title. The fighter who showed up to face George Roop on Saturday looked like a man who would have preferred to be almost anywhere else. It’s never a good sign when your cornermen are all but begging you not to quit between rounds. He made it into the third, but just barely, and he didn’t need much encouragement to crumble up and collapse after Roop hammered him with a body shot. Any fighter is going to have his good nights and bad nights, but Grispi has fallen off hard lately. Might be time to sit down with his coaches and talk about what he’s really trying to accomplish here.
Filed under: UFC, StrikeforceClay Guida beat Anthony Pettis on Saturday night. Of course he did. When it comes to MMA, Guida is an unrelenting energy field that shakes up everything in his path, and while he took a big step forward in his own career, h…
Clay Guida beat Anthony Pettis on Saturday night. Of course he did. When it comes to MMA, Guida is an unrelenting energy field that shakes up everything in his path, and while he took a big step forward in his own career, he only served to further muck up the waters of the UFC lightweight division. As you probably know, before Saturday, Pettis was the No. 1 contender in waiting, and just needed to get past Guida at the TUF 13 Finale to keep his place in line. As often seems to be the case when fighters risk their shot at gold, he fell short, and now must rebuild his resume while his name falls out of the contenders’ conversation.
In a sport that is constantly looking forward, we always want to know who is next, and right now, that is a question with no answer. The only thing we know is that Gray Maynard is supposed to get the next title opportunity against Frankie Edgar, probably in the late summer or early fall.
But beyond that, it’s anyone’s guess.
Much will depend on what happens between now and Edgar-Maynard III, whenever that might be. For example, Jim Miller is supposed to face Ben Henderson at the UFC on Versus show scheduled for August 14. Miller has won seven straight fights, including two finishes in a row. A win over Henderson would make it difficult to discount his chances, and even harder to say he doesn’t have the current best resume out of all the hopefuls.
Amazingly, the only two career losses of Miller (20-2) came against Edgar and Maynard, respectively, giving the UFC an easy storyline to push regardless of which man wins. But all that, of course, is dependent on Miller himself winning first. Given Henderson’s wrestling prowess and ability to stay out of submissions, that’s no sure thing.
Guida, of course, has his own case to make. He’s now won four in a row with his win over Pettis. While he received some criticism for his somewhat conservative performance in the win, to be fair we must note that Guida had finished three opponents in a row before that.
Now here’s the problem. Even if you say one of those guys is definitively above the other, either of them could lose before a date with the Edgar-Maynard winner ever gets made. As we noted, Miller’s already got an upcoming bout set up, and Guida might also take another fight while he’s waiting for the champ and No. 1 contender to finish off their trilogy. The UFC has cards to fill, and Guida isn’t exactly known for saying no to fights.
We don’t have a specific date for Edgar-Maynard because the champ is still recovering from a back injury, and so we can’t yet assume he’ll be ready to go, even by the fall. No one except Maynard is likely to sit around and wait for him, and even he only for so long. Until then, we’ll be forced to play the speculation game.
Aside from Miller and Guida, things get really interesting. Who else is in the running? Among UFC fighters, you’d have to say that Melvin Guillard — winner of four straight, and six of his last seven — is probably the next closest, while Dennis Siver — 6-1 in his last seven — also has an argument.
Other possibilities? How about Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez? With its recently announced Nick Diaz vs. Georges St-Pierre, champion vs. champion fight, the UFC opened a Pandora’s box, giving us free reign to speculate about these types of possibilities. If it is the best fight, or the fight people most want to see, the UFC will have no choice but to consider it. Given the depth of the division, it seems less likely than pulling Diaz into the octagon, but it’s not an impossibility.
So, to recap, as it stands in early June, Miller, Guida, Guillard, Siver and Melendez are the five likeliest challengers. But there are far too many variables involved in any decision about who’s next, making any guesswork premature. Instead, we’ll be forced to wait and see how things play out. The opportunity is there for the taking, and Guida just fired the latest shot, so it’s up to the rest of the hopefuls to respond or be left behind. Until then, we get to sit around, debate, and play amateur matchmaker. But that’s half the fun of our sport anyway. The lightweight division is suddenly the wild, wild west, a land of opportunity and possibility. Hitch a ride on your respective war wagon, but come armed with patience. It’s going to be a long and bumpy ride on the way to the gold rush.
Filed under: UFC, FanHouse Exclusive, NewsClay Guida defeated former No. 1 contender Anthony Pettis via unanimous decision at Saturday’s TUF 13 Finale, but according to UFC president Dana White, the dominant win didn’t help “The Carpenter” secure a li…
White told MMA Fighting on Saturday that Jim Miller “is still ahead of [Guida]” in the organization’s lightweight rankings despite Guida’s win on Saturday night.
Miller (20-2) has won his last seven fights in a row. He is scheduled to meet Ben Henderson at UFC on Versus 5 on Aug. 14 in Milwaukee.
Current lightweight champion Frankie Edgar was scheduled to defend his title against Gray Maynard at last week’s UFC 130, but injuries suffered by both fighters forced the bout to be canceled. It has yet to be rescheduled, but White said last week that he hopes to rebook it in the fall.
Miller’s only two losses have come against Maynard and Edgar. The AMA Fight Club member lost to Maynard at UFC 96 in March 2009 and dropped a unanimous decision to Edgar at Reality Fighting 14 in November 2006.
You go to enough UFC events, you get a feel for the rhythm that they usually follow. From prelims to the Spike TV undercard to the main card to the main event, it’s a gradually building symphony of violence that follows a fairly predictable pattern.
Most Bizarre Sight: The Octagon’s Fresh Paint Job
Most Surprising: Alex Caceres
It’s a little bit funny and a little bit sad that there are probably a million or more people who watched the 
Lightweight contender 
I’ve always wondered what Ultimate Fighter winners do with their cut-glass trophies. It looks like something you might get for being the most improved player on a high school water polo team, so I’d be surprised if too many recipients have it displayed prominently in their homes.
Clay Guida