Filed under: UFCPerhaps the best thing we can say about UFC 130 is that it’s over. It started out as the event that would finally put the Frankie Edgar-Gray Maynard saga to rest, and it ended up with “Rampage” Jackson in a main event bout that even he …
Perhaps the best thing we can say about UFC 130 is that it’s over. It started out as the event that would finally put the Frankie Edgar-Gray Maynard saga to rest, and it ended up with “Rampage” Jackson in a main event bout that even he wasn’t terribly excited about.
But now that the dust has settled and the Octagon has been packed away one more time, let’s look back over Saturday night’s action to see whose stock soared and whose plummeted into the basement of the MGM Grand.
In the wake of UFC 130, here are your biggest winners, losers, and everything in between.
Biggest Winner: Brian Stann
Sure, it makes for a great storyline to see the former Marine beat somebody up on Memorial Day weekend, but forget that for a minute. Stann took on the Sengoku middleweight champ in a fight that was supposed to be a serious test of his skills, and he practically breezed through it with the perfect mix of poise and aggression. He didn’t lose his cool when he had Santiago hurt early. He didn’t lay back too much and let good opportunities slip by. He did exactly what he needed to do, and he got perhaps the biggest win of his career. He also pocketed a Fight of the Night bonus, which is a nice way of reminding everyone that you were one of the few bright spots on an otherwise forgettable fight card. Plus, $70,000 buys a lot of hot dogs and apple pie.
Biggest Loser: Roy Nelson
There’s no questioning his toughness or his ability to take a shot. But his cardio? That’s a different story. You never want to end a round by immediately doubling over and putting your hands on your knees like an out-of-shape businessman who was forced to take the stairs for the first time in ten years. Let’s just say it sends the wrong message. Nelson got overpowered and outworked by Frank Mir, but the worst part is that by the end he just seemed grateful to get out of there and go home. We’ve seen him go the distance before without looking like he needed to have a defibrillator handy in his corner, so I’m not sure what accounts for this poor showing. Whatever it is, he’d better figure it out quick. The UFC seems less inclined to give Nelson the benefit of the doubt that it has extended to others.
Least Compelling Case for a Title Shot: “Rampage” Jackson
The hard part about fighting a guy who the current champ already demolished is that it provides an unavoidable counter-example that your performance will be measured against. Everyone will recall that Jon Jones straight-up assaulted Hamill, while Jackson carried him the distance. Not that the fight was close, mind you. Jackson stuffed all Hamill’s takedowns and put some leather on his face whenever he felt like it. Trouble is, he didn’t feel like it quite enough down the stretch. He’d explode with a combo, wait to see if Hamill was still standing, then catch his breath before trying it again. It’s a competent showing, sure, but not the kind that screams out for a shot at the belt. Jackson is undoubtedly one of the best light heavyweights around, but that means people are going to expect more out of him than what he showed on Saturday night. Whether he has any interest in giving it to them remains to be seen.
Most Impressive in Defeat: Miguel Torres
If nothing else, Torres proved once and for all that you just can’t win a decision off your back in MMA. If it was at all possible, he would have done it on Saturday night with his many, varied attempts at a finish against an opponent who was content to hold on and maintain top position. You could argue that a takedown is an effective way of controlling the fight and dictating the action, so Demetrious Johnson won it fair and square – and you’d probably be right. At the same time, it was Torres doing most of the work to actually end the fight and/or make something interesting happen. It didn’t get him the victory, but it does get him a tip of the cap, for whatever that’s worth.
Least Impressive in Victory: Frank Mir
We know “Big Country” is tough to put away. The Junior dos Santos fight proved that much. But it never looks good when you have an opponent who is almost too exhausted to stand and you let him hang around for the full three rounds with his tongue practically hanging out of his mouth. At times it seems like Mir takes an unfair amount of criticism, particularly from Dana White. But then you stop and ask yourself, even after two straight wins over two name heavyweights, would I really want to see Mir anywhere near a title fight? Not unless he bought a ticket.
Most Surprising: Rick Story
With a decision win over Thiago Alves in the UFC, Story joins a very exclusive club with some strict membership requirements. He did it with a game plan that played brilliantly to his own strengths while taking Alves’ mostly out of the equation, and he also proved that he can take a punch (or a knee) and keep right on coming. Alves is by far the best fighter Story has ever beaten, and he did it in a fight that really wasn’t even close on the scorecards. That’s six in a row for the young welterweight. He keeps this up, and things will get serious in his career very quickly.
Most Memorable: Travis Browne‘s KO
Whenever the 6’11” Struve gets knocked out it always makes for instant highlight reel material. Like a building being imploded, his collapse to the mat looks so awkward and takes so long that it makes a lasting impression on everyone who sees it. That’s bad news for Struve, but great news for Browne, who put himself on the map with a perfectly timed Superman punch. Even if he never does anything else with his MMA career, that knockout will live on in highlight packages for years. It should also instantly erase the bitter memory of Browne’s unimpressive draw with Cheick Kongo at UFC 120. Nothing like a crushing knockout to resurrect your reputation. Now let’s see what he can do with it.
Least Likely to Remain Employed: Kendall Grove
The decision loss to Boetsch marked his third defeat in four attempts. What’s worse, he was never really in the fight. It was takedown, top control, scramble to the feet, then rinse and repeat all night long. By the third round, everyone knew what Boetsch was going to do, yet Grove couldn’t even come close to stopping it. It made for a pretty boring fight, which didn’t do Boetsch any favors, but the only thing worse than winning a fight in that fashion is losing one the same way. Grove is now 7-6 in his UFC career. Most of the fighters he beat recently were later cut from the UFC, which tells you something. He’s been hovering over the chopping block for a while now. My guess is the ax is about to come down.
LAS VEGAS – Matt Hamill said he planned on breaking the will of Rampage Jackson in their main event at UFC 130 on Saturday. But when Hamill took a knee after the final horn, Jackson had turned the table.
Jackson warded off all of Hamill’s takedown attempts – despite coming into the fight with a fractured hand, he revealed at the post-fight press conference – and cruised to a unanimous decision victory. The win is likely to put Jackson in line as the top contender for Jon Jones’ light heavyweight title later this fall, provided his hand heals on pace.
But the boo birds were out several times during the night, including most notably the main and co-main events. With just three finishes going into the co-main and main, the fans appeared to want some excitement – and many seemed certain they didn’t get it in the last two bouts.After the fight, Jackson said he was disappointed he wasn’t able to score a knockout, which the fans seemed to want even more than he, but said he wasn’t about to blame it on his hand injury – which he said came from a drunken mishap with a friend in Japan.
“I was OK with my performance, (but) I wanted to do a little more,” Jackson said. “I knew I could stay on my feet. He had a great game plan, and I could tell he was setting me up to take me down. He had some great low leg kicks, and it made me not do what I wanted to do. I’m a little bit disappointed. I wanted a knockout. Matt’s never been knocked out before, and I took it as a personal challenge.”
Jackson said he fractured his hand last December in Japan, “drunken fooling around fighting my friend in the hallway.” And during training, he said he aggravated the injury. But he said even without the fracture, he doesn’t believe he would have been able to knock Hamill out.
“That guy’s got a hard head,” Jackson said. “I think Matt’s got a long future in this sport. I take nothing away from Matt – fractured hand or not, I still wouldn’t have knocked him out tonight. I think I needed a hammer. That guy can take a punch. I hit him with everything but the toilet.”
Hamill, who saw his five-fight winning streak snapped, said he thought he would be able to use his wrestling to take Jackson down. Hamill was a three-time Division III national champion wrestler.
“I was very surprised,” Hamill said. “My takedowns could have been better, but it was a good fight. I’ll probably feel it tomorrow. I wasn’t really happy with my performance. I’ll go back and try to learn from my mistakes. I gave 100 percent, and did all I could. But Rampage is a pretty good fighter.”
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In the co-main, heavyweights Frank Mir and Roy Nelson put on an exciting first round before Nelson gassed in the second, with Mir not far behind. Mir dominated his fellow Las Vegas resident en route to a unanimous decision. And though he landed quite a few big shots, including knees to Nelson’s head, the fight often stalled out, eliciting stronger boos from the crowd as it went deeper.
The Jackson-Hamill fight also heard a few boos, especially as Hamill’s takedown attempts appeared to get slower and his striking attempts as he tired late in the fight were light.
But UFC president Dana White said after the post-fight press conference he didn’t have any problems with the card in general – though he maintained he continues to be unhappy with Mir’s performances.
“Was I thrilled with the main event and co-main? No,” White said. “But everything can’t be a knockout or submission. I think considering the time off Rampage has had, he looked good. He dominated, he gassed – but that’s all part of staying active and busy. I think people’s expectations are unreasonable sometimes. Guys will be fighting a great fight and you’ll hear people booing – it’s like they expect guys to get in a football stance and run across at each other. There’s skill, technique, game plans – there’s a lot of things involved.”
If White was disappointed in the two main fights, his spirits were likely lifted by the performance by Brian Stann in the pay-per-view’s opening bout. Stann delivered a TKO against Top 10 middleweight Jorge Santiago, getting the night’s loudest ovation on an emotional Memorial Day weekend for the military hero, a Silver Star winner.
“He’s on his way to becoming a superstar,” White said of Stann. “Chuck (Liddell) said, ‘When (Stann) fought in the WEC, I never thought he’d get to this level.’ But not only are his skills getting better, everything that comes out of his mouth is a home run. This guy’s going to be a superstar.”
UFC 130 was not without injuries, some of them perhaps significant in the scheme of future matchups – most importantly, Jackson’s fractured hand. Stann was at the post-fight press conference with a broken right thumb. White said Mir went to the hospital with a fractured jaw and rib, though Mir’s wife said on Twitter early Sunday morning Mir’s jaw was not broken but had complained about his bite after the fight. And Stefan Struve, Santiago, Michael McDonald and Rafaello Oliveira hospital all went to the hospital after their fights.
UFC 130 had a reported attendance of 12,816 fans for a $2.57 million gate. Last year’s Memorial Day weekend card, also at the MGM Grand, drew 14,996 fans with a $3.895 million gate and more than 1 million pay-per-view buys. That main event featured a grudge match between Jackson and Rashad Evans. The original main event of UFC 130 was to be a trilogy lightweight title rematch between champion Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, who fought to a draw at UFC 125. But both fighters were injured in training earlier this month and the fight was scratched.
LAS VEGAS – Matt Hamill said he planned on breaking the will of Rampage Jackson in their main event at UFC 130 on Saturday. But when Hamill took a knee after the final horn, Jackson had turned the table.
Jackson warded off all of Hamill’s takedown attempts – despite coming into the fight with a fractured hand, he revealed at the post-fight press conference – and cruised to a unanimous decision victory. The win is likely to put Jackson in line as the top contender for Jon Jones’ light heavyweight title later this fall, provided his hand heals on pace.
But the boo birds were out several times during the night, including most notably the main and co-main events. With just three finishes going into the co-main and main, the fans appeared to want some excitement – and many seemed certain they didn’t get it in the last two bouts.After the fight, Jackson said he was disappointed he wasn’t able to score a knockout, which the fans seemed to want even more than he, but said he wasn’t about to blame it on his hand injury – which he said came from a drunken mishap with a friend in Japan.
“I was OK with my performance, (but) I wanted to do a little more,” Jackson said. “I knew I could stay on my feet. He had a great game plan, and I could tell he was setting me up to take me down. He had some great low leg kicks, and it made me not do what I wanted to do. I’m a little bit disappointed. I wanted a knockout. Matt’s never been knocked out before, and I took it as a personal challenge.”
Jackson said he fractured his hand last December in Japan, “drunken fooling around fighting my friend in the hallway.” And during training, he said he aggravated the injury. But he said even without the fracture, he doesn’t believe he would have been able to knock Hamill out.
“That guy’s got a hard head,” Jackson said. “I think Matt’s got a long future in this sport. I take nothing away from Matt – fractured hand or not, I still wouldn’t have knocked him out tonight. I think I needed a hammer. That guy can take a punch. I hit him with everything but the toilet.”
Hamill, who saw his five-fight winning streak snapped, said he thought he would be able to use his wrestling to take Jackson down. Hamill was a three-time Division III national champion wrestler.
“I was very surprised,” Hamill said. “My takedowns could have been better, but it was a good fight. I’ll probably feel it tomorrow. I wasn’t really happy with my performance. I’ll go back and try to learn from my mistakes. I gave 100 percent, and did all I could. But Rampage is a pretty good fighter.”
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In the co-main, heavyweights Frank Mir and Roy Nelson put on an exciting first round before Nelson gassed in the second, with Mir not far behind. Mir dominated his fellow Las Vegas resident en route to a unanimous decision. And though he landed quite a few big shots, including knees to Nelson’s head, the fight often stalled out, eliciting stronger boos from the crowd as it went deeper.
The Jackson-Hamill fight also heard a few boos, especially as Hamill’s takedown attempts appeared to get slower and his striking attempts as he tired late in the fight were light.
But UFC president Dana White said after the post-fight press conference he didn’t have any problems with the card in general – though he maintained he continues to be unhappy with Mir’s performances.
“Was I thrilled with the main event and co-main? No,” White said. “But everything can’t be a knockout or submission. I think considering the time off Rampage has had, he looked good. He dominated, he gassed – but that’s all part of staying active and busy. I think people’s expectations are unreasonable sometimes. Guys will be fighting a great fight and you’ll hear people booing – it’s like they expect guys to get in a football stance and run across at each other. There’s skill, technique, game plans – there’s a lot of things involved.”
If White was disappointed in the two main fights, his spirits were likely lifted by the performance by Brian Stann in the pay-per-view’s opening bout. Stann delivered a TKO against Top 10 middleweight Jorge Santiago, getting the night’s loudest ovation on an emotional Memorial Day weekend for the military hero, a Silver Star winner.
“He’s on his way to becoming a superstar,” White said of Stann. “Chuck (Liddell) said, ‘When (Stann) fought in the WEC, I never thought he’d get to this level.’ But not only are his skills getting better, everything that comes out of his mouth is a home run. This guy’s going to be a superstar.”
UFC 130 was not without injuries, some of them perhaps significant in the scheme of future matchups – most importantly, Jackson’s fractured hand. Stann was at the post-fight press conference with a broken right thumb. White said Mir went to the hospital with a fractured jaw and rib, though Mir’s wife said on Twitter early Sunday morning Mir’s jaw was not broken but had complained about his bite after the fight. And Stefan Struve, Santiago, Michael McDonald and Rafaello Oliveira hospital all went to the hospital after their fights.
UFC 130 had a reported attendance of 12,816 fans for a $2.57 million gate. Last year’s Memorial Day weekend card, also at the MGM Grand, drew 14,996 fans with a $3.895 million gate and more than 1 million pay-per-view buys. That main event featured a grudge match between Jackson and Rashad Evans. The original main event of UFC 130 was to be a trilogy lightweight title rematch between champion Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard, who fought to a draw at UFC 125. But both fighters were injured in training earlier this month and the fight was scratched.
Filed under: UFCIn a one-sided beatdown that showed the difference between a Top 10 heavyweight and a second-tier heavyweight, Frank Mir easily defeated Roy Nelson by unanimous decision at UFC 130.
The fight was never close, with Mir dominating the ea…
In a one-sided beatdown that showed the difference between a Top 10 heavyweight and a second-tier heavyweight, Frank Mir easily defeated Roy Nelson by unanimous decision at UFC 130.
The fight was never close, with Mir dominating the early going in the stand-up and then cruising to an easy victory on the ground late. It wasn’t much of an effort for Nelson, who was completely outclassed. The judges scored it 30-27, 30-27 and 30-26 for Mir.
“I’m feeling great,” Mir said. “How many times did I hit him in the face? What’s up with that guy’s chin?”
The first round showed Mir at his best, repeatedly using a Thai clinch to knee Nelson, and then executing a beautiful throw to put Nelson on his back in the final minute of the first round.
Early in the second Mir went for a single-leg takedown and got it, again putting Nelson on his back and ending up in his half guard. Mir wasn’t able to do much to Nelson on the ground, but it was clear he could put Nelson there whenever he wanted.
In the third the fight started to get dull, as Mir continued to show that he could control Nelson any way he wanted to. In improving his professional MMA record to 16-5, Mir put on a one-sided beatdown, and he could be getting close to heavyweight title contention again.
As for Nelson, who falls to 14-6, it was an ugly performance for a fighter who needs to take his conditioning seriously and step up his game. Nelson is a popular and well-liked fighter, but he hasn’t won a fight in 14 months. He’s not in Mir’s league.
Filed under: UFC, NewsLAS VEGAS – The near-lovefest that has become UFC 130 came to a partial stop Friday at the official event weigh-ins at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Main event fighters Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Matt Hamill each weighed in at …
LAS VEGAS – The near-lovefest that has become UFC 130 came to a partial stop Friday at the official event weigh-ins at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Main event fighters Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and Matt Hamill each weighed in at 205 pounds for their bout, then engaged in the afternoon’s most intense staredown. It was a stark contrast to Wednesday’s press conference, where the two shared a couple light moments on stage even before their staredown photo op.
When the fight was booked, Jackson was vocal about not having much interest in the fight. But after Hamill said he planned to break the former light heavyweight champion’s will, Jackson took a new level of motivation. And Wednesday’s cordiality went out the window Friday in favor of a forehead-to-forehead showcase, Hamill’s hands up and Jackson’s at his sides.
Hamill told emcee Joe Rogan that the fight against Jackson will be the most important fight of his career.
“This is the biggest opportunity for me to help my career,” Hamill said. “I know from Day One he didn’t want to fight me, but I promise you one thing – it’s going to be a good fight.”
Jackson, who doesn’t have a knockout win since his UFC 92 victory over Wanderlei Silva, promised fans he’s looking for a finish against Hamill, and that Hamill’s comments about breaking his will got him amped up.
“It motivated me to train extra hard,” Jackson said. “I was already training hard ’cause it’s been a while since I knocked anyone out. But I’m ready to put on a show for you guys and get a knockout.”
Co-main event heavyweights Frank Mir and Roy Nelson, though, continued to be almost playful about their fight. The two Las Vegas residents, who share many mutual friends and sometimes train together, each weighed in at 260 pounds, and fought back smiles as they squared off.
Making his return to the UFC after an absence of four and a half years, Jorge Santiago, who most recently was Sengoku’s middleweight champion, weighed in at 185 on the nose for his middleweight fight with military hero Brian Stann. Stann was 186 on a Memorial Day weekend card that he has said will be emotional for him as a veteran. That bout opens Saturday’s pay-per-view.
And despite trouble making weight in the past, Thiago Alves weighed in at 170 pounds for his welterweight bout against Rick Story, who was also 170 and brings a five-fight winning streak into the event.
UFC 130 airs live on pay-per-view at 9 p.m. Eastern on Saturday and is preceded by a pair of fights on Spike TV at 8 p.m. In addition, three preliminary card fights will air on Facebook at 6:20 p.m.
The official weigh-in results are below:
Main Card
Quinton Jackson (205) vs. Matt Hamill (205)
Frank Mir (260) vs. Roy Nelson (260)
Stefan Struve (255) vs. Travis Browne (247)
Thiago Alves (170) vs. Rick Story (170)
Brian Stann (186) vs. Jorge Santiago (185) Spike TV Prelims
Miguel Torres (135.5) vs. Demetrious Johnson (135.5)
Kendall Grove (185) vs. Tim Boetsch (186) Facebook Prelims
Gleison Tibau (155) vs. Rafaello Oliveira (155)
Michael McDonald (136) vs. Chris Cariaso (135)
Renan Barão (135) vs. Cole Escovedo (135)
Filed under: UFCRoy Nelson will step into the Octagon with Frank Mir on Saturday night at UFC 130, but before he does he’ll take some time out of his schedule on Thursday night for a live chat with MMAFighting.com readers.
Roy Nelson will step into the Octagon with Frank Mir on Saturday night at UFC 130, but before he does he’ll take some time out of his schedule on Thursday night for a live chat with MMAFighting.com readers.
The live chat is your opportunity to ask Nelson whatever you want about his fight with Mir, his training camp, his long MMA career, what’s next for him or any other subject you’d like.
Filed under: UFCLAS VEGAS – Much is being made in the buildup to UFC 130 on Saturday about the friend vs. friend heavyweight bout between Frank Mir and Roy Nelson.
Make no mistake – the two Las Vegas natives and residents and frequent training partne…
LAS VEGAS – Much is being made in the buildup to UFC 130 on Saturday about the friend vs. friend heavyweight bout between Frank Mir and Roy Nelson.
Make no mistake – the two Las Vegas natives and residents and frequent training partners are far from enemies. But as Nelson said Wednesday, let’s not take this whole “friends” thing too far.
“It would be different if we were really friends – best friends,” Nelson told MMA Fighting prior to the press conference for Saturday’s pay-per-view at the MGM Grand. “There’s a difference between business acquaintances and friends. I consider a friend any time we eat together at the same restaurant, or he’s eaten at my house or I’ve eaten at his house. We train together – jiu-jitsu. It’s like (a reporter) who interviews me – does that mean we’re friends too?”
Thirty minutes later on the press conference dais, the two seemed chummy enough. And they even mock-hugged before their pose-down photo op. But Mir said for this particular fight, it affects more than just the two of them in the cage – it’s the people in their inner circles.
“In this situation with Roy, it’s difficult because we have a lot of mutual friends,” Mir told MMA Fighting. “James Johnson is in his corner on Saturday night – the guy was one of my groomsmen in my wedding! So we have a lot of mutual relationships where I might not be his best friend, but we have mutual best friends that go back and forth.”
And that, Mir said, affected how he approached the fight – not wanting to make any comments about Nelson, even in jest, that their mutual friends would take the wrong way.
“I think I’ve kind of kept, on purpose, any kind of poking or badgering to a minimum, not because I didn’t want to fight him,” Mir said. “I know Roy gets it. I get it. It’s the close friends around us that I worry about that I’m going to have to see 20 years from now, people who are a godfather-of-my-kids-who-train-with-him type of scenario.”
Nelson (15-5, 2-1 UFC), the Season 10 heavyweight winner of “The Ultimate Fighter,” beat Mir eight years ago in a grappling tournament that had slipped under most radars until it was dredged up from the archives after the fight was booked. But both have acknowledged they’re two completely different fighters than back then.
Mir, Nelson and UFC president Dana White joked Wednesday about the fight booking causing mini-battles over gym schedules and who would wear what color shorts on Saturday. But Mir (14-5, 12-5 UFC) said despite not having any lunch dates planned with Nelson, he’s still traversing new territory with this fight.
“This will be the closest I’ve ever been to any of my opponents,” Mir said. “I’m cordial with everybody – I try to be. But it’s a fight.”
Nelson said in this particular case, it all just comes down to one thing: Friendship may be friendship, but business is business.
“It’s just one of those things,” Nelson said. “You’d prefer to fight somebody that you really would rather derail their whole career. I have no ill will toward Frank. But it is what it is, and if the UFC wants you to fight whoever, then that’s what you do to get paid.”
Perhaps the best thing we can say about UFC 130 is that it’s over. It started out as the event that would finally put the Frankie Edgar-Gray Maynard saga to rest, and it ended up with “Rampage” Jackson in a main event bout that even he wasn’t terribly excited about.
LAS VEGAS – 
In a one-sided beatdown that showed the difference between a Top 10 heavyweight and a second-tier heavyweight, Frank Mir easily defeated 
LAS VEGAS – The near-lovefest that has become 
Roy Nelson
LAS VEGAS – Much is being made in the buildup to