(Ricardo Lamas helps Erik Koch re-enact the fire-extinguisher scene from Irreversible, which I will not be linking to, because it’s way too early in the morning, and it’s freaking horrible. / Photo via Getty Images)
We’d forgive you for getting Dustin Poirier and Erik Koch confused. Both are 24-year-old 5’9″ white guys with shaved heads, interestingtattoos, and nearlyidentical MMA records. Both were considered future title threats in the UFC featherweight division until recent losses set them back. The only real differences between the two men are Poirier’s three-inch reach advantage and Koch’s three-shade tan advantage. And logically, they’ll be meeting each other at UFC 164 (August 31st, Milwaukee) in the greatest “this guy looks like that guy” matchup since Miller vs. Healy.
(Ricardo Lamas helps Erik Koch re-enact the fire-extinguisher scene from Irreversible, which I will not be linking to, because it’s way too early in the morning, and it’s freaking horrible. / Photo via Getty Images)
We’d forgive you for getting Dustin Poirier and Erik Koch confused. Both are 24-year-old 5’9″ white guys with shaved heads, interestingtattoos, and nearlyidentical MMA records. Both were considered future title threats in the UFC featherweight division until recent losses set them back. The only real differences between the two men are Poirier’s three-inch reach advantage and Koch’s three-shade tan advantage. And logically, they’ll be meeting each other at UFC 164 (August 31st, Milwaukee) in the greatest “this guy looks like that guy” matchup since Miller vs. Healy.
When the UFC first began its relationship with Fox, the results were mixed. The first show had only a 64 second fight, and the next two shows – while solid – didn’t do so well in the ratings. Even as the cards themselves picked up on UFC on Fox 4 and 5, the production of the show was excessively drawn out and was tedious to watch at times. But UFC on Fox 6 showed just how good these cards can be. Packed with excellent, violent fights, and backed with the full might of the Fox marketing machine, this card was the first that fulfilled the potential of MMA on network television.
But let’s talk fights, shall we? I know the flyweights aren’t nearly as respected as they should be in some parts of the fight community, but if you’re still in those parts after last night’s performance, do us all a favor, stop reading and get the fuck out. Because what you just witnessed was one of the best, if not the best 5-round title fights in the promotion’s history. In an extraordinarily competitive fight, John Dodson took an early lead off the strength of his…well, strength. He landed a number of monster lefts that were able to knock Demetrious Johnson down, and showed how he is arguably the most exciting fighter in the entire division.
But it was for naught, because what Dodson has in excitement, Johnson has in sheer stamina, will and technique. He roared back in the latter rounds, particularly the championship rounds, delivering innumerable knees to the head, body and legs, mixing in takedowns, and consistently pushing forward. Dodson was unable to keep Johnson’s pace, and in the final round, Johnson unleashed vicious flurries as Dodson backed up. Though he never wilted, Dodson was defeated. Demetrious Johnson remained champion, and was able to deliver one of the better post-fight shout outs you’ll hear. While Benson Henderson may believe all things are possible through Christ (excuse me, “through CHRIST!!!”), Johnson appears to have sided with a more contemporary deity – the Xbox 360.
When the UFC first began its relationship with Fox, the results were mixed. The first show had only a 64 second fight, and the next two shows – while solid – didn’t do so well in the ratings. Even as the cards themselves picked up on UFC on Fox 4 and 5, the production of the show was excessively drawn out and was tedious to watch at times. But UFC on Fox 6 showed just how good these cards can be. Packed with excellent, violent fights, and backed with the full might of the Fox marketing machine, this card was the first that fulfilled the potential of MMA on network television.
But let’s talk fights, shall we? I know the flyweights aren’t nearly as respected as they should be in some parts of the fight community, but if you’re still in those parts after last night’s performance, do us all a favor, stop reading and get the fuck out. Because what you just witnessed was one of the best, if not the best 5-round title fights in the promotion’s history.
In an extraordinarily competitive fight, John Dodson took an early lead off the strength of his…well, strength. He landed a number of monster lefts that were able to knock Demetrious Johnson down, and showed how he is arguably the most exciting fighter in the entire division. But it was for naught, because what Dodson has in excitement, Johnson has in sheer stamina, will and technique. He roared back in the latter rounds, particularly the championship rounds, delivering innumerable knees to the head, body and legs, mixing in takedowns, and consistently pushing forward.
Dodson was unable to keep Johnson’s pace, and in the final round, Johnson unleashed vicious flurries as Dodson backed up. Though he never wilted, Dodson was defeated. Demetrious Johnson remained champion, and was able to deliver one of the better post-fight shout outs you’ll hear. While Benson Henderson may believe all things are possible through Christ (excuse me, “through CHRIST!!!”), Johnson appears to have sided with a more contemporary deity – the Xbox 360.
In the co-main event, Glover Teixeira showed why the hype behind him isn’t a joke. “Rampage” Jackson came out motivated, and despite the snark put forth his way of late, he put up a fight. He mixed in hooks, low kicks, jabs, and had excellent head movement and defense throughout. Was he in the best shape of his life, as he claimed? No. But he presented a serious challenge to Teixeira, who throws mostly hooks, which Jackson excels in defending. And through the first few minutes of the first round, you could make the argument Jackson was winning the fight.
Then Glover decided it was time to use some world class grappling. Jackson’s takedown defense isn’t what it was, but then again, the wrestling in MMA isn’t what it was either. Teixeira transitioned beautifully between single legs, double legs and body locks during his takedowns, and that’s how he was able to drag Quentin down. And when he had him down, that’s where “Rampage” was helpless. He was able to return to his feet each time, save the last, but not before suffering ground and pound and fending off submission attempts.
On the feet, the fight remained competitive, though Glover was able to hurt Jackson at least twice. The best moment of the fight came in the second round, where Jackson and Teixeira engaged in a type of call-and-response boxing exchange, each man trading combinations and daring the other to fell him. It was a surreal test of skill and display of braggadocio from both men, and when Teixeira came on top after landing a serious body shot, you knew that the fight was over.
Jackson’s career in the UFC might be done now, but even in defeat he helped build a challenger – who realized he had to develop a jab against a an opponent with excellent boxing defense – in a division that he helped define for the better part of the past decade. Hopefully, he won’t end up as the next Gary Goodridge, but only time will tell.
I have mixed feelings about the bout between Anthony Pettis and Donald Cerrone. On one hand, I thought this was going to be the most exciting, competitive, back-and-forth fight of the night. (In other words, I thought it was going to be Fight of the Night.) That did not happen. But what did happen… what did happen was Pettis made Cerrone – who possesses arguably the best Muay Thai in the division – look like a nobody. He utterly annihilated him with superior boxing, footwork, a spinning wheel kick (that missed), a knee off the wall and finally a brutal liver kick that probably gave Bas Rutten a spontaneous erection, even if he wasn’t watching the fights. There’s not much to say here – Anthony Pettis deserves, and is getting, the next lightweight title shot after Melendez. He’s also the most exciting striker not named Anderson Silva.
On the first fight of the main card, Ricardo Lamas continued his tear in the featherweight division by brutally dispatching Erik Koch in the second round. After Koch attempted to capitalize on a Lamas slip, only to be taken down, Lamas rained devastation from above, smashing Kock with elbows and punches that opened up a brutal cut, squirting blood of its own accord. Koch, someone who was supposed to challenge Jose Aldo for the featherweight crown, was left with nothing but shattered dreams and blood. Lots and lots of blood. Lamas, on the other hand, might take his place as the next man in line for a shot.
Two notes from the undercard; one, Clay Guida did not deserve to win that fight. Hatsu Hioki, although he was on the bottom for most of the fight, controlled the entire fight with his guard and through submission attempts. He even did more damage than Guida on the feet. Judges continue to overrate takedowns that accomplish little to nothing for the fighter in top position. If it was Minotauro Nogueira on bottom, he’d have won. Because he’s Asian and relatively unknown, he lost. It’s unacceptable. On the bright side, T.J. Grant brought the pain to Matt Wiman. Grant dominated with brilliant Muay Thai before putting Wiman out of his misery with two beautiful standing elbows. Sadly, he didn’t manage to get KO of the Night because of Pettis’ liver kick, but he should get a fight with Jim Miller to find out who truly has the best ginger beard in the division.
Main Card Results
Demetrious Johnson def. John Dodson via UD (48-47 x2, 49-46)
Glover Teixeira def. Quentin “Rampage” Jackson via UD (30-27 x2, 29-28)
Anthony Pettis def. Donald Cerrone via TKO (2:35, Round 1)
Ricardo Lamas def. Erik Koch via TKO (2:32, Round 2)
Preliminary Card Results
T.J. Grant def. Matt Wiman via KO (4:51, Round 1)
Clay Guida def. Hatsu Hioki via SD (29-28, 30-27, 28-29)
Pascal Krauss def. Mike Stumpf via UD (30-27 x3)
Ryan Bader def. Vladimir Matyushenko via SUB (0:50, Round 1)
Shawn Jordan def. Mike Russow via TKO (3:48, Round 2)
Rafael Natal def. Shane Spencer via SUB (2:13, Round 3)
David Mitchell def. Simeon Thoreson via UD (30-27 x3)
(Now there’s two guys you definitely wouldn’t want to trip over in a dark alley. / Photo via CombatLifestyle. For more photos from this set, click here.)
The UFC returns to FOX tonight, and the stakes are high: Can John Dodson become the fourth Ultimate Fighter winner to win a UFC championship? Will Rampage Jackson‘s final appearance in the UFC end in triumph or humiliation? Can Erik Koch regain his place as the #1 featherweight contender with a win over Ricardo Lamas, and will Anthony Pettis secure his own spot atop the lightweight contender ladder with a victory against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone?
But hey, enough damn questions — it’s time for some answers. CagePotato liveblogger Aaron Mandel will be providing round-by-round results from the UFC on FOX 6: Johnson vs. Dodson main card after the jump, beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and share your own feelings in the comments section.
(Now there’s two guys you definitely wouldn’t want to trip over in a dark alley. / Photo via CombatLifestyle. For more photos from this set, click here.)
The UFC returns to FOX tonight, and the stakes are high: Can John Dodson become the fourth Ultimate Fighter winner to win a UFC championship? Will Rampage Jackson‘s final appearance in the UFC end in triumph or humiliation? Can Erik Koch regain his place as the #1 featherweight contender with a win over Ricardo Lamas, and will Anthony Pettis secure his own spot atop the lightweight contender ladder with a victory against Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone?
But hey, enough damn questions — it’s time for some answers. CagePotato liveblogger Aaron Mandel will be providing round-by-round results from the UFC on FOX 6: Johnson vs. Dodson main card after the jump, beginning at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and share your own feelings in the comments section.
Good evening PotatoHeads, we’re a few minutes away from grappling robots which will signal the start of main card action on FOX. Congrats to Alex for his marathon, six fight live blog cherry popping with the prelims. We’ve got some great free fights tonight include a championship bout, a possible number one contender fight and some crowd pleasers. Stay tuned!
And the broadcast is off to a weird start with lots of technical difficulties and sound mishaps, fortunately there is a Bud Light commercial to cut to, this is the best sport on earth, people! Goldberg back to save us with functioning microphones and his best friend ever, Joe Rogan and the broadcast intro has begun.
Koch has a pretty intense fake tan that apparently he was sponsored to get, Lamas is the hometown fighter. Big John in charge of this one.
Erik Koch vs. Ricardo Lamas
Round 1- Fighters feelings each other out at the start in the center of the cage. Lamas tries a huge windmill kick that misses. Koch with a head kick of his own that is blocked. Punches and kicks from Koch are dodged and blocked by Lamas as they continue to feel each other out. Lamas shoots for a takedown and pins Koch to the cage. Koch sprawling and defending the takedown well. Lamas drags him down for a split second but Koch pops up and sprawls with his back against the cage again. Lamas continuing to hold Koch against the cage, jockeying for position. Koch continuing to defend in the clinch against the cage. They separate and return to striking distance. Lamas looking crafty with his kicks but they aren’t landing. Lamas lands a combo and clinches Koch against the cage again. Lamas gets a takedown but it doesn’t last more than five seconds, Koch is up and the round is over. I’d give it to Lamas on octagon control, not a lot of damage either way so far.
Round 2- Koch opens with a left. A few legs kicks from Lamas and now Koch puts Lamas against the cage. Lamas slips on a leg kick, Koch pounces but Lamas scrambles and ends up on top in guard. Lamas posturing and throwing down strikes. Lamas stacking Koch and dropping bombs, Koch bleeding badly as Lamas keeps pounding and Big John calls the fight.
Ricardo Lamas defeats Erik Koch via TKO, Round 2
Koch was cut terribly from only a few elbows and Lamas makes a case for himself at the top of the featherweight division. He thanks the hometown crowd and dedicates the win to his late grandparents.
Dana White gets on the mic with Rogan to hype Aldo vs. Edgar on PPV next week. A lightweight barn burner looms as Cowboy Cerrone and Showtime Pettis get ready to meet in the cage.
Donald Cerrone vs. Anthony Pettis
Round 1- Pettis lands first with a big right. They exchange in a flurry and Cerrone gets him back. Cerrone lands with a knee as Pettis tries a cartwheel kick. Pettis in with a right and out quickly and opening up with strikes, seeming a bit more comfortable striking early. Pettis with some body kicks and a “Showtime knee” that seem to hurt Cerrone. Pettis crushes Cerrone with a left kick to the body, Cerrone drops and it is over, brutal liver kick finish, somewhere Bas Rutten is smiling.
Anthony Pettis defeats Donald Cerrone via TKO (body kick), Round 1
Pettis gets the Milwaukee fans in attendance pumped and makes it clear he’s not afraid to fight anyone. It turns out it’s his birthday and he asks for a title shot and a KOTN bonus from Uncle Dana as a present.
Next up we’ve got the potential UFC swan song of former light heavyweight champion Rampage Jackson who is taking on rising contender Glover Teixeira. Can Rampage rediscover his old knockout power and slam-based grappling or is the hungrier Teixeira going to be too much for him? Will Rampage get his wish for a stand-up battle? We’ll have answers to these burning questions of our time in a few minutes.
Quinton Jackson vs. Glover Teixeira
Round 1- Damn, I’m pumped for this, don’t know why but I am! Teixeira misses with an uppercut. Rampage slugs back but it’s blocked. Rampage moving his head well. Glover shoots in and takes him down and has Rampage’s back with hooks in, yikes. Glover is going for the arm triangle and switches back to the back mount. Rampage is up and firing away! Rampage ducks a strike and answers with a left hook, a glancing blow though. Head kick from Glover doesn’t land flush. Rampage with a combo of power strikes that Glover blocks. Huge strikes from both fighters that just miss. Rampage moving his head well and swaying out of the way. Glover lands a hook and Rampage answers back, he is throwing the left hook. Glover lands another hook and Rampage runs across the cage, maybe hurt a little. Glover wobbles Rampage and stalks him toward the cage. Rampage gets dropped as Glover pounces but can’t finish. Rampage back up but on wobbly legs as the round ends. 10-9 for Teixeira.
Round 2- Rampage seems to have cleared the cobwebs as Glover shoots and takes Rampage down to start the round. Glover in half guard as Rampage tries to hit a switch and fails. Glover passes to side control and drops some big elbows. Rampage back to his feet. Rampage throws a few big uppercuts as Glover answers back with a hook. The fighters briefly clinch and then back to striking distance. Glover is having success with the left hook. Body shot from Rampage. Uppercuts from Glover as Rampage defends with head movement. Rampage seems to be tiring. Rampage shoots for a takedown (ha!) that fails. Glover working some kicks. Fighters exchange some taunts and swing at each other. Big body shots from Glover as he keeps clubbing Rampage. Another 10-9 round for Glover.
Round 3- Touch of the gloves to start the final round. Glover lands another left hook and Rampage back with a stiff jab. Rampage putting together some combos. Teixeira shoots for a takedown and has it, pushing Rampage against the cage and working to mount from half guard. Teixeira dropping elbows and searching for an arm triangle. Rampage uses the cage to get up and they exchange again. Rampage swinging wildly and falls into a clinch. Glover with another left hook that finds its mark. Two minutes to go and Glover seems fresher. Teixeira gets a takedown with ease but Rampage pops back up. Rampage looks gassed as he absorbs some body shots. Rampage has his mouth wide open gasping for air as he throws wild strikes. Another takedown for Teixeira as he mounts and rains down strikes as time expires. Teixeira should take this one easily.
Glover Teixeira defeats Quinton Jackson via unanimous decision
Interesting, no interview for Glover or Rampage, maybe the UFC was worried about what Rampage would say.
And now it’s time for some gravity defying things done by 125 pound men. Dodson’s walk in proves that he absolutely won’t be testing positive for ADD meds. Johnson is an athletic little guy too, it’s hard to say who will have the advantage here, I can’t imagine either one gassing or slowing down, even if it goes the full 25 minutes. Here we go!
Champ Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson
Round 1- Let’s see if my touch typing skills can keep up with all of this action. John McCarthy looks like he could eat either of these guys, he is the ref, by the way. Dodson with a body kick to start and a left straight. Johnson with a leg kick. Overhand right from Johnson. Kick from Johnson but Dodson meets him with a left and briefly drops Johnson. Head kick from Johnson is caught and Dodson slams him down. Johnson pops up and they return to striking. Johnson is missing with a lot of strikes, Dodson is damn fast. Body kick from Dodson and a big left to follow as Johnson rushed in. Johnson looks for a takedown and slams Dodson down to the mat. Dodson works back to the feet and they clinch on the cage with Dodson in control now. Fighters separate and re-clinch as the round ends. I have no idea who won that round, Johnson got a takedown but Dodson made him miss on the feet and briefly dropped Johnson. This is why I’m a liveblogger and not a judge.
Round 2- Dodson with some strikes to open the round. Johnson shoots for a takedown and they clinch on the cage. Johnson get Dodson down against the cage but Dodson works back up and they separate. Leg kick from Johnson and he’s controlling the center of the cage. Good jab from Johnson but Dodson comes back with a left that drops Johnson again, he pops right back up. Another left from Dodson floors Johnson but he gets up again, Johnson is hurt and shoots in but Dodson defends. Dodson’s power advantage is evident at this point but can he keep it up? Another shot knocks Johnson down but it may have been more of a slip. Dodson is winning the striking exchanges and Johnson seems a bit fuzzed still. Dodson catches a kick and cracks Johnson in the face. Johnson seems to be recovering as the round ends, 10-9 Dodson in this one.
Round 3- Jumping karate kick from Dodson looks cool but doesn’t land. Leg kicks from Johnson. Dodson catches Johnson with a left and Johnson keeps kicking away at his legs. Johnson shoots for a takedown and eats a knee as Dodson defends the takedown well. Dodson takes a big knee to the groin and Rogan gleefully asks to see a replay. Dodson is ready to go and they restart as Rogan rants about mother nature’s designing of the male body. Flying knee by Dodson goes OVER Johnson’s head. Straight left catches Johnson but he seems to be taking it well, obviously in excellent shape. Leg kicks from both fighters as haymakers from Dodson miss. Body kick from Dodson hurts Johnson. Johnson eats a punch but gets a takedown. Dodson with a loose butterfly guard and scoots to the wall to walk back to his feet. Johnson keeps his down and throws him back to the center of the cage. Johnson working some ground and pound to try to slow Dodson. They are back to the feet with Johnson throwing knees and punches and putting Dodson against the cage again. 10-9 Johnson in this round. It’s time for the championship rounds and Johnson seems the tiniest bit more fresh, we’ll see how the next rounds play out.
Round 4- Leg kicks from Dodson. Johnson has not slowed at all while Dodson is looking to hit a home run. Takedown by Johnson, but Dodson pops right back up. Johnson knees Dodson while he is down and Big John stops the fight, checks out Dodson and asks him to look at him with his bad eye that got kneed. ”Am I ugly?” McCarthy asks Dodson! No point deduction and they restart. Dodson is fired up and throwing with bad intentions but Johnson is relentless, shooting in again for a takedown and pushing the pace. They are against the cage with Johnson working for a takedown. Back to the center and Johnson pushes for another takedown. Dodson is playing cat and mouse with his hand up and down as Johnson chooses to knee the body instead. Johnson is like a robot kneeing Dodson over and over to the body and head from the clinch. Dodson is cut and Johnson is taking over. Big elbow from Johnson as they separate and Dodson seems to be wilting, Johnson is as fresh as he was at the start. 10-9 Johnson here but it might be two rounds each going into the fifth.
Round 5- This round could be the decider and they hug in the center of the cage to start. Johnson gets a clinch again and takes Dodson down this time. Johnson striking as Dodson works back to the feet. Johnson has his back against the cage and climbs up on Dodson to rain strikes down! Dodson initiates a clinch again as Rogan notes how incompetent the judges might be as he prepares for a controversial decision. Dodson now working for a takedown but Johnson is defending well. Dodson does get the takedown but Johnson is like a whack-a-mole and pops up yet again. Johnson keeping up a furious pace on Dodson and he has Dodson hurt against the cage. Johnson trying to unload but Dodson ties him up. Thai plum for Johnson and he knees the face. Dodson breaks away and smiles, honestly. More knees from Johnson and Dodson is bleeding from the nose. The fight ends with Johnson kneeing Dodson in the face and I think Johnson will take this on the judges scorecards due to his unbreakable cardio and strong performance in the later rounds.
Demetrious Johnson defeats John Dodson via unanimous decision
Mighty Mouse remains the only UFC Flyweight champ so far. I predict that these guys will meet again, maybe many more times. Johnson will win most of the time but I can see Dodson getting a (T)KO at some point down the road. Great night of fights, two finishes, two exciting decisions. Thanks for hanging out.
“Eric was so excited to work with our athletes that he decided to come in of his own accord and speak to our guys on the day of their fights. So he’ll be backstage with them, getting them mentally ready to put on the best show they can. It’s going to be awesome,” head coach Duke Roufus says.
“Eric is a huge influence in my life, and has been a daily motivation to me.”
Thomas recently went to Milwaukee to get Duke Roufus’ boys (check out video of the talk above) all wound up. We suppose the idea that “when you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, you will succeed,” that Thomas preaches has a more literal-than-usual meaning and application for pro fighters, so the pairing makes sense.
What we’re wondering, though, is how much motivational shouting fighters can take back stage. Burt Watson may not take kindly to having to share platitude air space with another guy. We’ll keep you apprised of any beef that may or may not develop tonight backstage at UFC on Fox 6.
“Eric was so excited to work with our athletes that he decided to come in of his own accord and speak to our guys on the day of their fights. So he’ll be backstage with them, getting them mentally ready to put on the best show they can. It’s going to be awesome,” head coach Duke Roufus says.
“Eric is a huge influence in my life, and has been a daily motivation to me.”
Thomas recently went to Milwaukee to get Duke Roufus’ boys (check out video of the talk above) all wound up. We suppose the idea that “when you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, you will succeed,” that Thomas preaches has a more literal-than-usual meaning and application for pro fighters, so the pairing makes sense.
What we’re wondering, though, is how much motivational shouting fighters can take back stage. Burt Watson may not take kindly to having to share platitude air space with another guy. We’ll keep you apprised of any beef that may or may not develop tonight backstage at UFC on Fox 6.
Answer: Helwani’s shoes, because at least Koch gets paid to wear that shit. (“Shout out to Sun Seekers Milwaukee.”) Videos courtesy of YouTube.com/MMAFighting.
Answer: Helwani’s shoes, because at least Koch gets paid to wear that shit. (“Shout out to Sun Seekers Milwaukee.”) Videos courtesy of YouTube.com/MMAFighting.
(“Thanks Jay. Joining me now backstage is none other than…uh…wait a minute. You’re Anderson Silva’s son, right?”)
If you’ve been watching the NFL playoffs on FOX over the last couple weekends, you’ve surely noticed the frequent UFC promos throughout the broadcasts hyping a “World Title Fight” on January 26th between “Johnson and Dodson.” At no point is the word “flyweight” ever mentioned — because that would be a turnoff to casual fans, I guess? — and in most of the live promos I’ve seen, Demetrious Johnson and John Dodson‘s first names aren’t even included. Basically, they’re hoping that the mere promise of a “title fight” will be enough to lure some football fans into tuning in this Saturday night, even if those viewers have no idea who the headliners are, or what belt they’ll be fighting for specifically.
It’s a problem, because TV ratings and buyrates are so closely tied to who’s headlining each event. Instead of perhaps making Rampage vs. Teixeira or Cerrone vs. Pettis the headliner, the UFC is choosing to keep things vague (“world title fight!” “Johnson!”) and hope for the best. We’ll see if that proves to be the right decision, or if the ratings will plunge compared to the strong showing of UFC on FOX 5. I know the UFC wants to pump up its budding flyweight division, but I can’t help wondering if they’re doing themselves a disservice when there’s so little heat around that weight class. Could they re-consider their “championship fight always gets the main event” policy down the road?
Since I’ve been thinking about this lately, I’ve decided to present my own rundown of which fights I’m actually looking forward to this weekend. If you see things differently, please hurl some abuse at me in the comments section. Let’s begin…
(“Thanks Jay. Joining me now backstage is none other than…uh…wait a minute. You’re Anderson Silva’s son, right?”)
If you’ve been watching the NFL playoffs on FOX over the last couple weekends, you’ve surely noticed the frequent UFC promos throughout the broadcasts hyping a “World Title Fight” on January 26th between “Johnson and Dodson.” At no point is the word “flyweight” ever mentioned — because that would be a turnoff to casual fans, I guess? — and in most of the live promos I’ve seen, Demetrious Johnson and John Dodson‘s first names aren’t even included. Basically, they’re hoping that the mere promise of a “title fight” will be enough to lure some football fans into tuning in this Saturday night, even if those viewers have no idea who the headliners are, or what belt they’ll be fighting for specifically.
It’s a problem, because TV ratings and buyrates are so closely tied to who’s headlining each event. Instead of perhaps making Rampage vs. Teixeira or Cerrone vs. Pettis the headliner, the UFC is choosing to keep things vague (“world title fight!” “Johnson!”) and hope for the best. We’ll see if that proves to be the right decision, or if the ratings will plunge compared to the strong showing of UFC on FOX 5. I know the UFC wants to pump up its budding flyweight division, but I can’t help wondering if they’re doing themselves a disservice when there’s so little heat around that weight class. Could they re-consider their “championship fight always gets the main event” policy down the road?
Since I’ve been thinking about this lately, I’ve decided to present my own rundown of which fights I’m actually looking forward to this weekend. If you see things differently, please hurl some abuse at me in the comments section. Let’s begin…
#1: Donald Cerrone vs. Anthony Pettis (LW, main card): It’s the rare combination of “guaranteed banger” and “legitimately important.” Two elite-level lightweights who are known for consistently thrilling fights face off to determine who’s possibly next in line on the contender ladder after Gilbert Melendez. As far as I’m concerned, this is Saturday’s real main event.
#2: Quinton Jackson vs. Glover Teixeira (LHW, main card): I’m not as drunk on the Glover kool-aid as some of you — at least not yet — but man, oh man, do I want Rampage to get creamed. I’m tired of the constant bullshit, and I just want this story to end — particularly with a savage KO that defies any post-fight excuse-making.
#3: Erik Koch vs. Ricardo Lamas (FW, main card): I’m a big fan of Erik Koch, and it’s great to see him back after a 16-month layoff, trying to regain his place in the featherweight title picture. It’s also been interesting to see how Lamas has progressed from WEC mid-packer to undefeated UFC contender over the last couple years. My expectations are high for this one.
#4: Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson (FlyW, main event): As we learned in our first Databomb, finishing rates are strongly correlated to weight class — which should help explain why Demetrious Johnson hasn’t finished an opponent since 2010. And even though Dodson’s last flyweight match ended in a TKO against Jussier Formiga, everything that led up to that TKO was kind of awful. My relative lack of enthusiasm for this fight comes from the feeling that I already know how it will end: With Johnson earning a unanimous decision after five rounds that are so frantically-paced that the action becomes an undistinguishable mess of motion. And that’s what the UFC’s flyweight division has lacked for me, so far — the element of surprise.
#5: Ryan Bader vs. Vladimir Matyushenko (LHW, FX prelims): Two wrestlers who are coming off losses, and will likely be throwing bombs at each other’s heads. The result might not have a big impact on the light-heavyweight division, but it’ll have a serious impact on the fighters’ careers.
#6: Clay Guida vs. Hatsu Hioki (FW, FX prelims): I don’t expect a repeat of Guida’s much-reviled performance against Gray Maynard, but then again, Hioki hasn’t exactly been lightning in a bottle during his time in the UFC. The idea of Guida at 145 pounds is compelling, and he’s usually fun to watch, but I’m not expecting a Fight of the Night here by any means.
#8: Matt Wiman vs. TJ Grant (LW, FX prelims): Grant is on a three-fight win-streak at lightweight, and Wiman pulled off a very unexpected and impressive submission of Paul Sass in his last fight. Sure, I’ll watch this.
#9 (tie): Mike Stumpf vs. Pascal Krauss, Rafael Natal vs. Sean Spencer (WW+MW, FX prelims): I don’t think I’d be able to pick any of these guys out of a lineup. I know that Krauss is German, and that Sean Spencer is a first-timer — and that’s about the extent of my commitment to these fights.
#11: Simeon Thoresen vs. David Mitchell (WW, Facebook prelim): I honestly can’t remember the last time I watched a Facebook prelim. It’s been a while. That’s not going to change this weekend.
