ICYMI: Here’s an absolute banger of a muay Thai fight between 17 year old phenom Sangmanee Sor Tienpo (red shorts) and tough as nails journeyman Hong Thanonchai Tor Sangtiennoi (blue shorts) that went down last week. I’ll let BloodyElbow’s Kyle McLachlan brief you on the significance of this absolutely incredible fight:
Sangmanee, once considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, is a four weight stadium champion. He has won the 105lb Lumpinee championship, and the Rajadamnern title at 108, 112 and 115lbs. A true phenom, he is a technical fighter with very good hands who has aspirations of representing Thailand in amateur boxing at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
2014 looked to be a great year of continued success for Sangmanee. He won the one-night four man tournament put on by Petyindee promotions, in which he came out on top of three of the very best fighters in Muay Thai today (Superbank, Superlek and Sam-A) but since then he has gone on the very worst run of his career, being dropped by a big punch and losing to Sam-A, then losing decisions to Thaksinlek Kiatniwat in both May and June.
Yesterdays bout was a quick turnaround for Sangmanee, and Thanonchai, a very strong competitor who has faced many top fighters in the 126lb division, was likely to be a stern test but a way to get back on track for Muay Thai’s teenage superstar.
Without giving too much away, let’s just say that the fight wasn’t nearly as easy for Sor Tienpo as it was supposed to be.
So…(Muay Thai) Brawl of the Year? Muay Thai Brawl of the Year. #WeekofDanga
ICYMI: Here’s an absolute banger of a muay Thai fight between 17 year old phenom Sangmanee Sor Tienpo (red shorts) and tough as nails journeyman Hong Thanonchai Tor Sangtiennoi (blue shorts) that went down last week. I’ll let BloodyElbow’s Kyle McLachlan brief you on the significance of this absolutely incredible fight:
Sangmanee, once considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, is a four weight stadium champion. He has won the 105lb Lumpinee championship, and the Rajadamnern title at 108, 112 and 115lbs. A true phenom, he is a technical fighter with very good hands who has aspirations of representing Thailand in amateur boxing at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
2014 looked to be a great year of continued success for Sangmanee. He won the one-night four man tournament put on by Petyindee promotions, in which he came out on top of three of the very best fighters in Muay Thai today (Superbank, Superlek and Sam-A) but since then he has gone on the very worst run of his career, being dropped by a big punch and losing to Sam-A, then losing decisions to Thaksinlek Kiatniwat in both May and June.
Yesterdays bout was a quick turnaround for Sangmanee, and Thanonchai, a very strong competitor who has faced many top fighters in the 126lb division, was likely to be a stern test but a way to get back on track for Muay Thai’s teenage superstar.
Without giving too much away, let’s just say that the fight wasn’t nearly as easy for Sor Tienpo as it was supposed to be.
So…(Muay Thai) Brawl of the Year? Muay Thai Brawl of the Year. #WeekofDanga
Let’s be honest here. No one saw last night coming. No one. That’s not to say that nobody believed Alexander Gustafsson was capable of beating or challenging Jon Jones, although those people were probably Swedish, rabid Jones-haters, or height aficionados. But no one predicted that Gustafsson would take the fight to Jones in such a complete manner that in addition to being the first man consistently hurt the champion, he would become the only man to ever land a takedown on Jones in the UFC. And if there was some visionary out there who managed to foresee this twist of fate, he didn’t expect the next wrinkle; that Jones, bent but unbroken, would rise to this challenge in the final two rounds with an onslaught that the challenger seemed to persevere through with only sheer will holding him up. When all was said and done, UFC 165 saw the best light-heavyweight title fight in history, possibly the fight of the year and most significantly, the birth of a rivalry between two young fighters in the sport’s marquee division.
So, first things first…I might have been a little hasty in dismissing Alexander Gustafsson. If there’s some small solace to take in being so incredibly wrong, it’s that there was plenty of company in that regard. The UFC focused on the challenger’s height as opposed to any of his actual skills — although to hear Dana White tell it, that’s because “he’s so tall” was considered a better selling point for UFC fans than constructing an intricate narrative contextualizing Gustafsson and his abilities within the history of Swedish combat sports. (In other words, the UFC thinks its fans are stupid. They’re not entirely wrong.) Others focused on Gustafsson’s relative lack of competition, or his performances relative to those of Jones’s. Almost every pundit came away with the same conclusion; this was Jones’s fight to lose.
That was completely incorrect. In the first round, Gustafsson got in his face, pressured Jones backwards as he landed punches. He took the fight to Jones. It was a smart strategy; Jones likes to keep his distance while he’s standing up through kicks, and moving in takes away the range required to successfully land those kicks. However, this normally comes with a caveat; moving in puts a fighter in danger of being taken down by Jones, which is the last thing they want. But Gustafsson didn’t let that deter him; in fact, he landed the first takedown attempt of the fight, the first in UFC history against Jones. It turned out there was a reason for his confidence. Throughout the fight, try as he might, Jones could not take Gustafsson down. For all the talk you hear about how fighter X is “in the best shape of his life” or “has shown massive improvements,” it rarely rings true. But Gustafsson was the exception to the rule last night.
(A torn-up Jon Jones spins for an elbow during his title-fight war against Alexander Gustafsson in Toronto. / Photo via Esther Lin, MMAFighting.com)
Let’s be honest here. No one saw last night coming. No one. That’s not to say that nobody believed Alexander Gustafsson was capable of beating or challenging Jon Jones, although those people were probably Swedish, rabid Jones-haters, or height aficionados. But no one predicted that Gustafsson would take the fight to Jones in such a complete manner that in addition to being the first man consistently hurt the champion, he would become the only man to ever land a takedown on Jones in the UFC. And if there was some visionary out there who managed to foresee this twist of fate, he didn’t expect the next wrinkle; that Jones, bent but unbroken, would rise to this challenge in the final two rounds with an onslaught that the challenger seemed to persevere through with only sheer will holding him up. When all was said and done, UFC 165 saw the best light-heavyweight title fight in history, possibly the fight of the year and most significantly, the birth of a rivalry between two young fighters in the sport’s marquee division.
So, first things first…I might have been a little hasty in dismissing Alexander Gustafsson. If there’s some small solace to take in being so incredibly wrong, it’s that there was plenty of company in that regard. The UFC focused on the challenger’s height as opposed to any of his actual skills — although to hear Dana White tell it, that’s because “he’s so tall” was considered a better selling point for UFC fans than constructing an intricate narrative contextualizing Gustafsson and his abilities within the history of Swedish combat sports. (In other words, the UFC thinks its fans are stupid. They’re not entirely wrong.) Others focused on Gustafsson’s relative lack of competition, or his performances relative to those of Jones’s. Almost every pundit came away with the same conclusion; this was Jones’s fight to lose.
That was completely incorrect. In the first round, Gustafsson got in his face, pressured Jones backwards as he landed punches. He took the fight to Jones. It was a smart strategy; Jones likes to keep his distance while he’s standing up through kicks, and moving in takes away the range required to successfully land those kicks. However, this normally comes with a caveat; moving in puts a fighter in danger of being taken down by Jones, which is the last thing they want. But Gustafsson didn’t let that deter him; in fact, he landed the first takedown attempt of the fight, the first in UFC history against Jones. It turned out there was a reason for his confidence. Throughout the fight, try as he might, Jones could not take Gustafsson down. For all the talk you hear about how fighter X is “in the best shape of his life” or “has shown massive improvements,” it rarely rings true. But Gustafsson was the exception to the rule last night.
But for all that, the champion remained the champion at the end of the night. It was a close decision; most members of the media had it 48-47 for Jon Jones, giving him the 2nd, 4th and 5th rounds. There’s a case to be made for Gustafsson taking the first three, or for a draw, but given Jones’ performance in the championship rounds, this was the most just decision. The champion survived Gustafsson’s assault, a bad cut over his right eye, and possibly a shattered foot, and almost managed to finish Gustafsson at the end of the fourth round with elbows and knees. He easily took the fifth over an exhausted Gustafsson, retained his title and promptly left for the hospital, with Gustafsson soon to follow. It was a war of heart and technique that not only was an extraordinary main event, but fundamentally reshaped the expectations of the entire division.
(The agony, exhaustion, and disappointment of defeat. Photo of the Year candidate by Esther Lin, MMAFighting.com. Click for larger version.)
Where once Glover Teixeira was assured of a title shot following this fight, he will now probably — hopefully — have to wait. Gustafsson more than deserves a rematch following that fight, and as he and Jones are both a mere 26 years of age, it will hopefully be the first of many. However, injuries could easily play a factor in the UFC’s matchmaking. It’s impossible to tell just when either man will return to the Octagon until the full extent of their injuries are revealed. In the meantime, consider Jon Jones’s possible ascension to heavyweight on a hiatus; if Alexander Gustafsson roughed him up this badly, I shudder to think what would happen if he was face to face with Cain Velasquez. It should also prove interesting when Daniel Cormier drops down from heavyweight — if he can — to inject some Olympic-caliber wrestling into the division. But until then, this new, unexpected rivalry will be more than sufficient to propel the light-heavyweight division forward.
Overshadowed by the main event was another title fight in the bantamweight division between Renan Barao and Eddie Wineland. The first round was what you would expect from any fight in the division; technical, compelling, and relatively well-matched. Then in the second round, Barao uncorked a spinning side kick that landed square on Wineland’s chin. Wineland was sent to the ground where Barao followed with punches as his opponent turtled, forcing a stoppage and allotting himself a brief moment to celebrate his accomplishment through the medium of dancing. (He made the most of it.) Wineland complained the stoppage was premature, and he’s not entirely incorrect, but he was out of it and offered little defense when he had to. For his efforts, Barao won Knockout of the Night and will probably meet a returning Dominick Cruz in a title reunification bout, unless Cruz’s knee manages to blow itself out for a third time.
On the rest of the card, Brendan Schaub secured a d’arce choke that put Matt Mitrione to sleep in the first round. Francis Carmont took an uneventful decision over Costa Philippou. Khabib Nurmagomedov showed off his wrestling yet again in dispatching the game Pat Healy over three rounds. (He then proceeded to lend his Dagestani headgear to Joe Rogan for the post-fight interview.) Submission of the Night went to Mitch Gagnon for putting Dustin Kimura to sleep with a guillotine choke. You can guess what won Fight of the Night. It was the fight that established a rising star beyond what anyone could have expected, reaffirmed the mettle of a champion and established the beginning of a new era for the light-heavyweight division.
Full UFC 165 results:
PPV MAIN CARD
– Jon Jones def. Alexander Gustafsson via unanimous decision (48-47 x 2, 49-46)
– Renan Barao def. Eddie Wineland via TKO, 0:26 of round 2
– Brendan Schaub def. Matt Mitrione via technical submission (d’arce choke), 4:06 of round 1
– Francis Carmont def. Costa Philippou via unanimous decision (30-27 x 2, 30-26)
– Khabib Nurmagomedov def. Pat Healy via unanimous decision (30-27 x 3)
FOX SPORTS 1 PRELIMINARY CARD
– Myles Jury def. Mike Ricci via split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
– Wilson Reis def. Ivan Menjivar via unanimous decision (29-28 x 3)
– Stephen Thompson def. Chris Clements via KO, 1:27 of round 2
– Mitch Gagnon def. Dustin Kimura via technical submission (guillotine choke), 4:05 of round 1
FACEBOOK PRELIMINARY CARD
– John Makdessi def. Renee Forte via KO, 2:01 of round 1
– Michel Prazeres def. Jesse Ronson via split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
– Alex Caceres def. Roland Delorme via split decision (29-28 x 2, 28-29)
– Daniel Omielanczuk def. Nandor Guelmino via KO, 3:18 of round 3
The suits on Wall Street keep whispering about a ‘Halloween indicator‘ and how now is not a time to sell; rather we should sit back and let our riches mount. Call it what you will, but millions watched UFC on FOX and UFC 139 and concluded the same thing: Most fighter’s stocks are rising steadily. Even if you’re not sure which is the true Fight of the Year from this weekend — Dan Henderson vs. Marucio Rua or Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler — you’ll know how to safeguard your hypothetical MMA portfolio’s worth after playing another round of ‘Buy, Sell, Hold’.
Stephan Bonnar: Buy
It’s hard to believe that any TUF veteran could take nearly a year off from the sport and return with the engine firing on all cylinders, but Stephan Bonnar did just that. The BJJ schooling he dished out was almost as surprising as his apology to Josh Koscheck for making those damn shirts. Even that wasn’t the most unexpected thing to happen; one judge gave the ‘American Psycho’ a 30-25 victory. Grab hold of any unclaimed stock before he starts getting big fights and Dana declares him “in the mix.”
(In a way, we were all the “Screaming PRIDE Lady” that night. / Photo courtesy of Esther Lin, MMA Fighting)
The suits on Wall Street keep whispering about a ‘Halloween indicator‘ and how now is not a time to sell; rather we should sit back and let our riches mount. Call it what you will, but millions watched UFC on FOX and UFC 139 and concluded the same thing: Most fighter’s stocks are rising steadily. Even if you’re not sure which is the true Fight of the Year from this weekend — Dan Henderson vs. Marucio Rua or Eddie Alvarez vs. Michael Chandler — you’ll know how to safeguard your hypothetical MMA portfolio’s worth after playing another round of ‘Buy, Sell, Hold’.
Stephan Bonnar: Buy
It’s hard to believe that any TUF veteran could take nearly a year off from the sport and return with the engine firing on all cylinders, but Stephan Bonnar did just that. The BJJ schooling he dished out was almost as surprising as his apology to Josh Koscheck for making those damn shirts. Even that wasn’t the most unexpected thing to happen; one judge gave the ‘American Psycho’ a 30-25 victory. Grab hold of any unclaimed stock before he starts getting big fights and Dana declares him “in the mix.”
Kyle Kingsbury: Sell it like a dog with fleas
When Kyle Kingsbury comes to mind, so does the letter ‘O’ – as in Outclassed, Outworked, and Oxymoron. Not once did this guy look like he belonged in the Octagon despite his four-fight win streak since losing his UFC debut against “Filthy” Tom Lawlor at the Ultimate Fighter 8 finale. Do not let critics scare you into keeping an underperforming stock by calling you a prisoner of the moment. After all, this is mixed martial arts where you’re only as good as your last fight.
Martin Kampmann – Buy
While some would argue that Martin Kampmann should be riding a five-fight win streak right now — with his previous decision losses to Jake Shields and Diego Sanchez falling somewhere between “questionable” and “straight bullshit” — the truth is that the Hitman was one pitch away from being struck out. Just like baseball, MMA has its own set of unwritten rules, one of which is ‘three losses and you’re cut’, unless you’re Dan Hardy. Thankfully for the Danish fighter, he decoded the opponent’s signals, managed to hit a solid line drive, and made it on base. Keep your eye on this guy; big things are on the horizon.
Rick Story – Hold, Please
There are still a few chapters yet to be written about Rick Story‘s mixed martial arts career. What seemed at first to be a low comedy is now looking more like a familiar tragedy. The hype train derailed after Story was dominated by late replacement Charlie Brenneman at UFC Live: Kongo vs. Barry. Being fully aware that Story took that fight a little less than a month after defeating Thiago Alves, I still don’t like this investment at the moment because everything has to go right to make the stock go to the next level, and that’s a very tough call in this particular environment. Maybe he should listen to Joe Rogan going forward; at least he could tell Rick that giving up your back in the third round is not the wisest decision.
Urijah Faber – Buy it like they’re giving it away from free
Dominic Cruz will defend his Bantamweight title against “The California Kid” in a rubber match after Urijah Faber took out top contender Brian Bowles via submission. If it seems like we’re experiencing deja vu it’s because these two took Fight of the Night honors this past summer at UFC 132, a mere four months ago. Faber methodically picked his opponent apart and managed not to break his hands in the process. Kudos are in order. It won’t matter if he beats Cruz this time around just as it won’t matter if he never wins a belt in the UFC. People love this guy and so should you. TCKUF is MMA’s version of MEG.
Brian Bowles – Dump it like a Kardashian
Brian Bowles‘ calm acceptance of not being “one of the cool kids” is like me being okay with not being nominated for Journalist of the Year in the sense that any other reaction is complete nonsense and no amount of objection to the contrary would do a damn bit of good. The fear of breaking his hands again alone is enough to make the former champion hesitant and uncomfortable fighting the same style that lead to him headlining fight cards. I doubt he will ever be a legitimate contender again; for this reason I’m dumping all BB stock I own and suggest you do likewise.
Cung Le – Hold
I find it difficult to fault the Hollywood action star/three-time Wushu World Championships bronze medalist/2007 Kung Fu Artist of the Year/Former Strikeforce Middleweight Champion/lover of many slashes for coming up short in his UFC debut. Those pesky Octagon jitters are real, knowmsayin? Questionable stoppage or not, Cung Le was not going to win that fight. It just wasn’t meant to be, which leads me to the rest of the fighters on the UFC 139 PPV…
Wanderlei Silva, Dan Henderson, and Shogun Rua – Buy, Buy, Buy
Three former champions from PRIDE, Strikeforce, and UFC, all of whom are future Hall of Famers, looked defeat in the eyes and declared that they would not go down without a fight. “The Axe Murderer” got clipped, went down, and came back to welcome the aforementioned Cung Le to the big show the proper way — by punching and kneeing him into a bloody pulp. There’s a certain country in the Pacific Ocean that is just dying to see Wanderlei Silva return to the Land of the Rising Sun that will undoubtedly yield massive short term dividends.
Immediately after, Dan Henderson and Maurico “Shogun” Rua battled it out in what Dana White says is one of the top three fights in MMA history. Despite the initial reaction of the masses after seeing undefeated Michael Chandler choke out Eddie Alvarez for the Bellator lightweight championship, Hendo vs. Shogun is quite possibly the single best fight anyone has ever had the privilege of watching. Both men were rocked, bloodied, and generally pretty banged up entering the final round, one that never would have happened if Josh Rosenthal had his way. Henderson may have got the ‘W’, but both are winners in the eyes of the fans, even if some insist the fight should have been ruled a draw requiring an immediate rematch.
Load up on these fighters’ stock if you want to avoid being beaten with a stick — or worse! Until next time….
