(1-0 over constrictive tanktops, 0-1 over actual competition. You will be missed, Gilbert. Photo courtesy of UFC.com)
The UFC continues to steamroll ahead with its massive roster cuts, Potato Nation. And while we are never one to praise the departure of a Zuffa employee (unless it’s Paul Daley, of course), we should at least be able to take comfort in the fact that there are no Jon Fitch level mind-bogglers for us to mourn this time around. However, the UFC’s most recent list of firings does feature — somewhat unsurprisingly — every TUF 17 alum who came up short in the season’s finale earlier this month, as well as a couple other guys who have had less than successful UFC runs as of late.
Taking out the trash is never fun, so let’s just get this thing over with…
(1-0 over constrictive tanktops, 0-1 over actual competition. You will be missed, Gilbert. Photo courtesy of UFC.com)
The UFC continues to steamroll ahead with its massive roster cuts, Potato Nation. And while we are never one to praise the departure of a Zuffa employee (unless it’s Paul Daley, of course), we should at least be able to take comfort in the fact that there are no Jon Fitch level mind-bogglers for us to mourn this time around. However, the UFC’s most recent list of firings does feature — somewhat unsurprisingly — every TUF 17 alum who came up short in the season’s finale earlier this month, as well as a couple other guys who have had less than successful UFC runs as of late.
Taking out the trash is never fun, so let’s just get this thing over with…
Philip De Fries: Otherwise known as the poor man’s Christian Morecraft, the submission specialist has seen his lights turned out in 3 of his past 4 fights — to Stipe Miocic, Todd Duffee, and most recently, Matt Mitrione. All three of those losses came in under 3 minutes. Despite his trio of vicious beatdowns, De Fries was able to score a pair of victories over Rob Broughton and Oli Thompson at UFC 138 and UFC on FOX 4, respectively.
Chris Spang: The Strikeforce veteran was only given one chance in the UFC and suffered a unanimous decision loss to fellow Strikeforce vet Adlan Amagov in a snoozer at UFC on FUEL 9 earlier in the month. Insert Leonard Garcia joke here.
Jimmy Quinlan, Gilbert Smith, Kevin Casey, Collin Hart, & Adam Cella: These TUF 17 alums suffered losses at the season finale to fellow castmates Dylan Andrews, Bubba McDaniel, Josh Samman, and Luke Barnatt, respectively. Cella, on the other hand, was choked out by Tor Troeng in the first round of their fight at UFC on FUEL 9.
Eh, still more exciting than the Rocky musical. Photo courtesy of Josh Hedges/Getty Images.
Let’s start off by stating the obvious: The last-minute main event of yesterday’s UFC on Fuel TV 9 was an anti-climactic ending to an otherwise gratifying afternoon of sanctioned violence. As hard as we tried to convince ourselves that Swedish prospect Ilir Latifi could be an interesting opponent for highly-regarded Strikeforce import Gegard Mousasi, the actual fight was completely unspectacular. This isn’t to say that either fighter deserves criticism for his performance, but rather, that this sort of thing will happen when a guy who earned a UFC contract by virtue of being willing to replace his injured training partner headlines an event on four days’ notice.
Despite walking out to the Rocky theme, it immediately became clear that a Balboa-esque upset – or even a Wepnerian display of resilience – was not in store for Latifi (though the cuts on his face were vintage Chuck Wepner). Latifi was completely incapable of avoiding Mousasi’s jab, which prevented him from getting close enough to The Dreamcatcher to actually put his wrestling prowess to use. As carefree as Mousasi looked – did he even blink during those rare occasions when Latifi landed punches? – he was in complete control throughout the bout, jabbing his way to a unanimous decision victory.
Eh, still more exciting than the Rocky musical. Photo courtesy of Josh Hedges/Getty Images.
Let’s start off by stating the obvious: The last-minute main event of yesterday’s UFC on Fuel TV 9 was an anti-climactic ending to an otherwise gratifying afternoon of sanctioned violence. As hard as we tried to convince ourselves that Swedish prospect Ilir Latifi could be an interesting opponent for highly-regarded Strikeforce import Gegard Mousasi, the actual fight was completely unspectacular. This isn’t to say that either fighter deserves criticism for his performance, but rather, that this sort of thing will happen when a guy who earned a UFC contract by virtue of being willing to replace his injured training partner headlines an event on four days’ notice.
Despite walking out to the Rocky theme, it immediately became clear that a Balboa-esque upset – or even a Wepnerian display of resilience – was not in store for Latifi (though the cuts on his face were vintage Chuck Wepner). Latifi was completely incapable of avoiding Mousasi’s jab, which prevented him from getting close enough to The Dreamcatcher to actually put his wrestling prowess to use. As carefree as Mousasi looked – did he even blink during those rare occasions when Latifi landed punches? – he was in complete control throughout the bout, jabbing his way to a unanimous decision victory.
Mousasi’s “standing lay-and-pray” (his words, not mine) may not have made for the most exciting fight, but his strategy was undeniably effective. A boring fight probably won’t advance Mousasi in the UFC’s official rankings as far as a devastating finish would have, but a loss to an unknown nobody would have certainly done irreparable damage to his credibility. It’s better to take an ugly victory than get reckless looking for a quick finish – especially against a wrestler you’ve only had a few days to prepare for.
One last thing before we move on to the rest of the card. For his performance against Mousasi, Ilir Latifi will be given another shot in the UFC. Considering he saved the main event from cancellation, this comes as a surprise to absolutely no one.
Elsewhere on the card…
– Despite winning the first round by utilizing an effective clinch, Ryan Couture was simply no match for the far more experienced Ross Pearson. Couture was ineffective outside of the clinch, and he was unable to take Pearson down. Once Pearson found his rhythm against the inexperienced Couture, he patiently waited for the right opportunity, and capitalized on it while Ryan Couture was getting back to his feet after a trip. With the victory, Pearson improves to 15-6 in his career. Not bad at all for a guy who fought on a broken foot. [Update: Turns out it wasn’t actually broken, just jacked up…]
The comparisons of Ryan to Randy – especially after what has only been Ryan’s eighth professional bout – aren’t exactly fair, but even Peyton Manning started off as “Archie’s boy.” Besides, when Natural Light (who is not actually called this, fortunately) landed a spot in the co-main event for his UFC debut, it was probably inevitable that fans would attribute this to his last name and his father’s career rather than the strength of his Strikeforce resume. This isn’t to say that Ryan Couture won’t develop into an outstanding fighter, but rather, that he isn’t quite there yet. It’ll be interesting to see how he rebounds from this loss.
– For all intents and purposes, Matt Mitrione vs. Philip De Fries appeared to be a classic loser leaves town match. The fact that it ended in less time than Bucky Boyd vs. The Tree seems to confirm this notion. And regardless of how much job security guys who stand and bang and make less than $50,000 to show typically have, knocking yourself out by running into your opponent’s hipbone just has to earn you a pink slip…right?
Look on the bright side, Philip: There’s a strong possibility that you’ll take home an award during this year’s Potato Awards. Granted, MMA Fail of the Year isn’t our most coveted award, but at least it’s something.
– Fight of the Night honors went to Brad Pickett and Mike Easton, who took part in a highly entertaining three round scrap. Pickett managed to take the fight by being the busier fighter, out-striking Mike Easton throughout the contest. Still, Easton managed to keep things close by taking Pickett down in the second round, and even managed to win the bout on one judge’s scorecard. I don’t see how one judge could give Easton the fight, but in the end, the right call was made.
– Diego Brandao looked more impressive last night than he has at any other point during his UFC career. Granted, that isn’t saying too much, but he looked like he has figured out how to pace himself while choking out Pablo Garza. Also from the main card, Swedish featherweight Akira Corassani kicked things off with a unanimous decision upset over Robbie Peralta.
– Knockout of the Night went to Irish phenom Conor McGregor, who absolutely crushed Marcus Brimage in his UFC debut, demonstrating he’s more than capable of living up to his hype. McGregor has already been given a spot on the UFC’s Fox Sports 1 debut in Boston this August. The bonus money couldn’t have possibly come at a better time for McGregor, who revealed during the post-event press conference that he had been receiving welfare leading up to the fight.
– Submission of the night went to Swedish lightweight Reza Madadi, who finished Michael Johnson via third round d’arce choke. Madadi improves his UFC record to 2-1, and his overall record to 13-3 with the victory.
– All end of the night bonuses were worth $60,000.
Full Results:
Main Card:
Gegard Mousasi def. Ilir Latifi via Unanimous Decision
Ross Pearson def. Ryan Couture via TKO (punches), 3:45 of Round Two
Matt Mitrione def. Phil De Fries via KO (punches), 0:19 of Round One
Brad Pickett def. Mike Easton via Split Decision
Diego Brandao def. Pablo Garza via Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke), 3:27 of Round One
Akira Corassani def. Robbie Peralta via Unanimous Decision
Preliminary card:
Reza Madadi def. Michael Johnson via Submission (D’arce Choke), 1:33 of Round Three
Tor Troéng def. Adam Cella via Submission (Rear-Naked Choke), 3:11 of Round One
Adlan Amagov def. Chris Spång via Unanimous Decision
Conor McGregor def. Marcus Brimage via TKO (Punches), 1:07 of Round One
Ryan LaFlare def. Ben Alloway via Unanimous Decision
Tom Lawlor def. Michael Kuiper via Submission (Guillotine Choke), 1:05 of Round Two
Papy Abedi def. Besam Yousef via Split Decision
Heading up today’s play-by-play is George Shunick, who will be sticking live results from the “Mousasi vs. Latifi” main card broadcast after the jump beginning at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT. Refresh the page for all the latest, and please throw down your own thoughts in the comments section. Thanks for being here. We definitely owe you one.
Heading up today’s play-by-play is George Shunick, who will be sticking live results from the “Mousasi vs. Latifi” main card broadcast after the jump beginning at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT. Refresh the page for all the latest, and please throw down your own thoughts in the comments section. Thanks for being here. We definitely owe you one.
Thanks to some technical difficulties, you’ve all be spared from an unnecessary snarky introduction paragraph. You lucky bastards. On that note, let’s get right into the action…
Akira Corassani vs. Robbie Peralta
Round 1
Both fighters come out tenatively. Corassani using feints and head movement, and lands a nice counter right. Corassani constantly moving, and lands a low kick. He evads a combo from Peralta. Low kick Corassani. Peralta rushes in and lands. As Goldie and Kenny Florian note, Corassani’s clearly benefited from training with Frankie Edgar. They exchange on the fence, and Peralta closes the distance. Lands a nice a uppercut and they clinch against the fence. They separate and Corassani lands a nice one-two. Peralta catches a kick and throws a nice knee. Big overhand right from Corassani. He looks for another, but it merely clips Peralta. Nice left from Peralta. Both land with strong punches. Corassani remains active with kicks. Now he rushes in for a takedown, but eats a knee for his efforts. They clinch along the fence. Peralta lands a solid knee and gains dominant position against the cage. They break and the round ends. 10-9 Corassani.
Round 2
Corassani circles, catches a kick and counters with a right hand. Peralta going for leg kicks now, and Corassani counters with his own. Corassani catches another kick and follows with the same counter. He defends a takedown from Peralta and grabs a Thai clinch. He lands a knee and they break. Corassani looks for an overhand right that grazes Peralta. Corassani lands a big left hook counter, but Peralta lands his own shortly after. He lands a HUGE left hook immediately after, and Corassani slowly drops. He returns to his feet, but Peralta clinches and lands some serious knees to the body. Corassani turns the tables, as he reverses position against the fence and works for a single leg. He almost lands a trip, but Peralta stands. Peralta lands a nice elbow in the clinch and begins to work the body. BIG SHOT from Corassani that leaves him out on his feet. It was the overhand right. They clinch, separate and Peralta lands a jab. Nice left hand from Corassani. Peralta lands a low kick at the bell. 10-9 Corassani in a close round.
Round 3
Corassani rushes forward and eats a counter left. He’s headhunting with that overhand now, and his movement has suffered. Peralta lands a leg kick. Then a right hand from Peralta followed by a big shot to the body. Corassani doesn’t like where this is heading and opts for the takedown. Peralta works for a kimura, to no avail. He manages to stand, but is immediately taken down via a trip. However, he stands, and they alternate position against the fence with nothing significant landing for either fighter. Corassani is cut, and works for a takedown, switching from double to single to double. It fails, but as Peralta tries to grab a Thai clinch and land a knee, he loses his balance and Corassani capitalizes with a takedown. He passes to half-guard and the round ends. 10-9 Corassani, who should take this unanimously.
30-27 on two scorecards and 29-28 on one for Akira Corassani. No surprise there, Corassani held an edge throughout most of the fight. What the hell is going on with Kenny Florian’s hair? It’s as if the front of his hair became self-aware and attempted to escape his scalp, only to be met with the cruel reality that it was unable to do so, though too stubborn to relinquish the hope of freedom. Which is a rather long-winded way of saying it looks really weird.
Diego Brandao vs. Pablo Garza
Not really sure what to think about this one. Brandao has the capability to finish, but he’s inconsistent. Garza’s getting on in mileage, but he’s got cardio, reach and skill on the ground. I suppose I’ll favor him.
Round 1
Brandao lands a solid low kick to start. Garza returns with a head kick, which is blocked. Brandao tries to close the distance with a leaping left hook, but it misses. He lands a solid left hook to right cross combo, though. Garza lands a solid low kick followed by a one-two. Brandao swarms, and eats a knee. Brandao grabs Garza and slams him to the ground with authority. Garza works from half-guard, but does not secure a sweep. Brandao passes to side control, landing short shots from the top. He sinks an arm triangle and Garza almost taps… and he does! Brandao secures the submission in arguably the most impressive performance of his career.
Brandao tells Kenny Florian’s Hair something about “Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu in the blood.” Didn’t really understand anything beyond that. Moving on, we get to see Marcus Brimage get his ass handed to him by Irish phenom Connor McGregor via brutal uppercuts.
Brad Pickett vs. Mike Easton
Mike Easton can an extraordinarily frustrating fighter to watch. He over-utilizes head movement and throws punches too far away to connect and rarely initiates any serious action. Fortunately, Brad Pickett will handle that last part. The man is dynamite personified. Should be a barnburner, with Easton perhaps playing the role of the barn.
Round 1
Picket lands a low kick. They both exchange low kicks. Picket lands a nice counter left hook. Pickett pushing the pace so far. Easton lands a nice kick to the mid section, but gets tossed down. He grabs and leg and works for a takedown, and they end up against the fence. Easton lands a nice knee, and then lands a trip against the fence. Pickett manages to stand on one hand, though, and stands. He lands two solid elbows and reverses position. They separate. Nice low kick from Pickett, then a jab. Nice left hook from Easton, misses with a high kick. Now Pickett looks for a takedown. Easton stops it and lands a high kick. They exchange jabs. Easton lands a combo, but Pickett answers. Easton lands a takedown under a punch from Pickett, but Pickett quickly stands. Both men land. Now Pickett works for a takedown and lands it. The round ends, and it was competitive. Not entirely sure who I’d give that to, so I’ll say 10-10.
Round 2
Easton lands a left hook followed by a right hand. He shoots for a takedown, but Pickett counters with uppercuts. Nice high kick from Easton, followed by a takedown attempt. He grabs a Thai clinch and lands some knees. Pickett with a nice body shot. They constantly exchange in the center of the ring. Pickett has really brought out the best in Easton. Uppercut-hook from Pickett. Pickett lands a double, but Easton pops right back up. They’re against the fence, and Pickett is working for another takedown and lands it. Before this fight, no one had managed to take Easton down. Still, Easton just pops back up and lands a nice knee. Pickett answers with a powerful combination against the fence. Easton shoots for another takedown and lands it. He passes to half-guard and works for a kimura. Pickett manages to stand, though. Pickett attempts another takedown but it’s stuffed. They exchange in the middle of the Octagon, but Pickett, tiring, backs into the fence and Easton follows. Big spinning elbow from Easton, but Pickett answers with BIG punches. They swing against the fence, both men landing heavily but Pickett gets the best shots in. Another close round. I’m really not sure who’s winning this right now, but I’ll lean Pickett slightly.
Round 3
Both man land left hooks following slips Spinning back kick from Easton. Pickett remainging active with punches, while Easton lands a solid knee to the midsection. Easton now seems to be tiring as well. Overhand right from Pickett. Easton lands a takedown, but Pickett reverses and ends up in Easton’s guard. Huge moment in this fight. It’s the first time Pickett’s managed to keep Easton down. Easton is not terribly active from the bottom, and Pickett manages to pass to half-guard. Works short punches from the top, and begins to posture up. As Easton turns, Pickett gains a body lock and SLAMS him once Easton stands. Pickett working a front headlock now, as Easton turtles, waiting for an opportunity to stand. Easton stands and lands a solid left hook. Uppercut from Pickett. He pumps his jab again and lands a big right. Pickett lands a solid knee. They exchange for the final twenty seconds, each man landing big shots. Excellent fight. 10-9 Pickett in the final round, and I believe that will be enough to win him the fight. Still, let’s see what the judges have to say…
29-28 for Easton, 30-27 for Pickett and 30-27 Brad Pickett’s Hat tells Kenny Florian’s Hair that his coaches probably weren’t pleased with his hyper-aggressive style and shouts out to his fellow English pub regulars. Good on him. Weird scores, but in a way they’re understandable. Still, the right guy won.
Matt Mitrione vs. Philip De Fries
Can we take a minute to talk about how terrible Kid Rock’s Harley commercial is? “I can’t hear you over the rumble of my freedom”? Expect that to be the campaign slogan for a fringe Tea Party Republican Presidential candidate in 2016. You heard it here first. Anyway, heavyweights…
Round 1
De Fries shoots for a takedown, but it’s stuffed. De Fries inexplicably crumples on another takedown attempt and Mitrione swarms brutally. Fight’s over, but I have no idea what happened. Heavyweights, bro.
Philip De Fries appears to have KO’d himself by running into Matt Mitrione’s hipbone. Hopefully there won’t be a post-fight interview with Kenny Florian’s Hair after this one. Although it would be hilarious if this somehow won KO of the Night. (Connor McGregor would not find this nearly as amusing.)
They do an interview. Matt Mitrione pretends to speak through his translator, Chris Lytle. Groan. Then he says he almost got arrested last night. And he speaks really fast. Well, that’s that. Now we get treated to a solid fight between Michael Johnson and Reza Madadi to pass the time.
[CONSPIRACY INTERMISSION]
Vadim Finkelstein at a UFC event? Fedor vs. Anderson Silva at MSG in 2013. It’s happening. After all, it’s impossible that a wealthy Russian MMA promoter would be unable to obtain his own tickets to an MMA event on his own, just because he enjoys the sport.
Ross Pearson vs. Ryan Couture
Gotta feel bad for Ryan Couture. Has a legacy he can’t possibly live up to, and he’s probably going to get lamped by Ross Pearson. Hey, at least he’s in the co-main event!
Round 1
Couruew shoots for a takedown and gets a body lock. He pushes Pearson into the fence, and works some short knees. Pearson reverses position, but only momentarily. He is unable to extricate himself from the cage, as Couture continues to throw knees. Couture works for a double leg, but to no avail. Couture lands a nice elbow and some more knees, then switches for a single. He lands it, but Pearson stands immediately. They’re back on the fence, but finally separate. Right from Pearson is blocked. A high kick from Pearson is blocked. Couture answers with a front kick. A spinning back kick from Couture. (Never thought I’d type that.) Still, most of Couture’s stanup is ineffective. Pearson lands a flying knee, but as a result is back with his back on the fence. Big knee from Pearson from Pearson, though, causes a separation. He follows with a big left hook. He did the most damage, but I’d still favor Couture in that round. 10-9 Couture, but Pearson has the momentum.
Round 2
Pearson immediately takes the center of the Octagon and lands a jab. Nice right hand from Pearson. And another. Pearson is clearly more comfortable this round. Nice left hook from Pearson, but Couture lands a solid knee then initiates a clinch. They’re against the fence, and Couture lands a solid knee. Both men work to the body and Couture lands a solid combination punctuated by a left hook. Pearson uses an excellent slip land a body shot, then a strong right cross. Another body shot from Pearson. Couture shoots for a takedown, but it’s stuffed. Nice right from Couture. Nice left hook from Pearson. Right to the body from Pearson. Pearson catches a Couture kick and takes him down. As Couture stands, Pearson catches him with a right straight, and he rocks Couture! Pearson is unrelenting and brutalizes Couture, who drops, turtles and the referee steps in. Ross Pearson wins in emphatic fashion.
Pearson tells KFH he broke his foot prior to the fight when he kicked his coaches elbow. Which is a pretty miserable injury to have. Kudos to him. And now time for the main event…
Gegard Mousasi vs. Ilir Latifi
Personally, I favored Mousasi over Gustafsson when that fight was announced. Needless to say, the late minute replacement hasn’t done much to shake my confidence in “The Dreamcatcher.” (But that nickname… ugh.) Still, imagine if Latifi – a 20-1 underdog – could pull off the upset. Latifi enters to the “Rocky” theme, winning the Most Obvious Entrance of the Evening Award. KFH says Latifi could come out of nowhere, “like Daniel Cormier” before he beat Antonio Silva. I’m sorry, people knew who Daniel Cormier was before he beat “Bigfoot.” Let’s not pretend otherwise. Mousasi enters with the countenance of a man who just really, really wouldn’t mind if you would just let him grab 10 more minutes of sleep before he has to go about his day.
Round 1
Low kick from Mousasi. Jab from Mousasi. Another low kick. Latifi fires back, though, even if he doesn’t connect. Latifi goes for a takedown, but it’s stuffed and he finds himself against the fence. They break. not mch action, just Mousasi stalking Latifi. Low kick from Mousasi, followed by a one-two. Another jab snaps Latifi’s head back. Latifi looks for a huge overhand, but misses by a mile. He lands a nice counter left hook, though. Right hand from Mousasi, who’s beginning to loosen up. Another right lands. Left kick lands to Latifi’s leg. Mousasi doubles on his jab. He continues to push Latifi back. Another jab. Latifi goads him on, but Mousasi doesn’t care. He continues to jab away as the bell sounds. 10-9 Mousasi.
Round 2
Mousasi just goes back to throwing his jabs. And they’re still landing. Latifi lands a left, but it doesn’t faze Mousasi. Another jab from mousasi. It’s the story of the fight so far. Goes to the body with it now. Big right from Latifi. Again, Mousasi is unfazed. Mousasi lands a nice left hook, and Latifi thinks better of exchanging. Mousasi lands a right straight and sprawls on Latifi’s takedown attempt. Latifi’s face is getting bloodied now from these jabs. He is relentless. Nice low kick from Mousasi. More jabs. Unending jabs. Infinite jabs. Latifi may have injured his right hand somehow. 10-9 Mousasi.
Round 3
Jab. Low kick from Latifi. Jab. Right cross from Mousasi followed by a low kick. High kick misses from Latifi. Jab. Jab. Jab-cross. Low kick from Latifi. Jab. Jab to the body. Jab. Jab. Jab-cross. Jab. Low kick from Mousasi. And another. Jab. Latifi throws a nice right hand. Jab. Jab from Latifi! Jab. Jab. Jab. Jab. Jab. Low kick, Latifi. Jab. Mousasi walking aroun with his hands at his waist. Jab-cross. Jab. Jab. Cross. Jab. Latifi’s face is horrendous. Mousasi went for a low kick, Latifi catches it, and Mousasi just decidees to fall down. He has a conversation with his corner, but Latifi doesn’t take too kindly to that. He lands some solid shots, stands and eats a major upkick for his trouble. The round ends, 10-9 Mousasi. Apparently, this is only three rounds, so to the judges we go…
Mousasi wins 30-27 on all cards. He tells KFH he was injured and had a cold. He mentions he may have been guilty of the standup equivalent of lay-and-pray. Ilir Latifi’s face begs to differ. Anyway, that’s it for tonight today! Enjoy your evenings, Potato Nation.
Although Stipe Miocic‘s quick knockout of previously undefeated heavyweight Philip De Fries may have netted him the $50,000 Knockout of the Night bonus, our pick for sweetest KO went to Jonathan Brookins, who proved that not every Brazilian has the femur mangling leglock ability of Rousimar Palhares when he ground-and-pounded Vagner Rocha into oblivion inside the first two minutes of their preliminary card match-up. Not many of us knew what to make of Brookins after he dropped a UD to Eric Koch back in September of 2011. The fight proved that Brookins’ wrestling could in fact be thwarted, and that his striking had not made the leaps and bounds it needed to in order to balance things out. Last night’s fight was made to be a test of both.
Well, if anyone is still doubting the power in Brookins’ hands, they should probably shut right the hell up. Brookins did what Donald Cerrone, or any of Rocha’s previous opponents for that matter, couldn’t, and shut off his light switch with a series of increasingly punishing strikes before the ref managed to step in. To be honest, it was kind of scary to see that someone as docile and plain daffy as Brookins had the capacity for such brutality. And just as Brookins resembles the missing evolutionary link between man and ape, he was able to evolve in his own right, to connect one of the missing links in his game, and should be applauded for it. Not only did his knockout save a Facebook card that was luke warm at best to begin with, it made up for the fact that the Loeffler/Roberts match was cancelled after Loeffler rolled his ankle in the pre-fight warm up. Talk about shit luck.
Although Stipe Miocic‘s quick knockout of previously undefeated heavyweight Philip De Fries may have netted him the $50,000 Knockout of the Night bonus, our pick for sweetest KO went to Jonathan Brookins, who proved that not every Brazilian has the femur mangling leglock ability of Rousimar Palhares when he ground-and-pounded Vagner Rocha into oblivion inside the first two minutes of their preliminary card match-up. Not many of us knew what to make of Brookins after he dropped a UD to Eric Koch back in September of 2011. The fight proved that Brookins’ wrestling could in fact be thwarted, and that his striking had not made the leaps and bounds it needed to in order to balance things out. Last night’s fight was made to be a test of both.
Well, if anyone is still doubting the power in Brookins’ hands, they should probably shut right the hell up. Brookins did what Donald Cerrone, or any of Rocha’s previous opponents for that matter, couldn’t, and shut off his light switch with a series of increasingly punishing strikes before the ref managed to step in. To be honest, it was kind of scary to see that someone as docile and plain daffy as Brookins had the capacity for such brutality. And just as Brookins resembles the missing evolutionary link between man and ape, he was able to evolve in his own right, to connect one of the missing links in his game, and should be applauded for it. Not only did his knockout save a Facebook card that was luke warm at best to begin with, it made up for the fact that the Loeffler/Roberts match was cancelled after Loeffler rolled his ankle in the pre-fight warm up. Talk about shit luck.
Ivan Menjivar and TUF 14′sJohn Albert kicked off the main card by engaging in one of the wildest back and forth rounds that you will see this year, trading punches, kicks, knees, and submissions at an astonishing rate. A tip of the hat is also due to Albert for having the gusto to attack Menjivar in the fashion he did, going for omaplatas, heel hooks, and triangle/armbar variations on the more experienced grappler at every opportunity. That said, it appears his submission defense is not quite up to par with that of his offense. Albert had Menjivar on the defensive following a left hook/head kick combo, and looked like he would finish “The Pride of El Salvador” with a barrage of knees, one of which was blatantly illegal. But he made a huge mistake when he went for that guillotine, which gave Menjivar all the space he needed to flip the script and put Albert on his back, a shift in momentum that would lead to the the fight ending rear-naked choke, and a $50,000 Submission of the Night bonus for Menjivar. We would call it a rookie mistake by Albert, but even the most seasoned of veterans have made it.
I see I forgot to mention in the first aftermath piece that Sanchez/Ellenberger took FOTN. Fifty large could buy Diego that Coronado’s cross he’s always wanted, if only it didn’t BELONG IN A MUSEUM!!
Following the Menjivar/Albert match, TUF 14 bantamweight runner-up T.J. Dillashaw used his superior grappling prowess to grind out a unanimous decision over the lengthy Walel Watson. From the opening bell, it was pretty evident that Dillashaw wanted nothing to do with Watson’s striking game, and considering the manner in which he lost to John Dodson, this seemed understandable. Threatening with a rear-naked choke on several occasions throughout the first round, Dillashaw continued to take Watson down at will over the next two, utterly dominating him and walking away with a 30-25, 30-25, 30-26 unanimous decision.
Speaking of numbers, one thing we would like to compliment the UFC on was their usage of the strike counting graphic that would pop out of the clock every so often. It gives you something to consider when personally judging each fight, and in our opinion, will help casual fans gain an appreciation for one aspect of the ground game. So touche, UFC. Touche.
Oh yeah, and Ronny Markes had a successful middleweight debut, managing to overcome being nearly finished in the first round to out grapple Aaron Simpson and snag a split decision victory. With the win, Markes improves to 2-0 in the octagon and is now the biggest middleweight since Anthony Johnson.
(DON’T MOVE ROB! There is the biggest hornet on your nose right now!)
A battle between undefeated heavyweights Stipe Miocic and Philip De Fries has recently been booked for the UFC’s upcoming debut on FUELTV, which transpires February 15th at the CenturyLink and Cornmeal Center in Omaha, Nebraska.
After starting off his professional career with five straight (T)KO victories, all coming within the first two rounds, Croatian-born Stipe Miocic scored a second round leglock submission over Bobby Brents to earn himself a call from the UFC. In his debut, Miocic would handle tough veteran Joey Beltran with a deft combination of leg kicks and takedowns en route to a unanimous decision victory. Though his choice to sport the same checkerboard trunks as the legendary Mirko Cro Cop would earn him the ire of many keyboard warriors across the nation, a win over De Fries, specifically a head kick KO, would certainly give him some breathing room. De Fries, on the other hand, had finished all of his opponents (excluding a No Contest against Dave Wilson) via submission before making his UFC debut, where he scored his own unanimous decision win over Rob Broughton at UFC 138.
(DON’T MOVE ROB! There is the biggest hornet on your nose right now!)
A battle between undefeated heavyweights Stipe Miocic and Philip De Fries has recently been booked for the UFC’s upcoming debut on FUELTV, which transpires February 15th at the CenturyLink and Cornmeal Center in Omaha, Nebraska.
After starting off his professional career with five straight (T)KO victories, all coming within the first two rounds, Croatian-born Stipe Miocic scored a second round leglock submission over Bobby Brents to earn himself a call from the UFC. In his debut, Miocic would handle tough veteran Joey Beltran with a deft combination of leg kicks and takedowns en route to a unanimous decision victory. Though his choice to sport the same checkerboard trunks as the legendary Mirko Cro Cop would earn him the ire of many keyboard warriors across the nation, a win over De Fries, specifically a head kick KO, would certainly give him some breathing room. De Fries, on the other hand, had finished all of his opponents (excluding a No Contest against Dave Wilson) via submission before making his UFC debut, where he scored his own unanimous decision win over Rob Broughton at UFC 138.
After original opponent Eric Koch was forced to withdraw from their bout citing an unknown injury, featherweight wrecking machine Dustin Poirier was in need of an opponent to continue the four fight win streak he had built up starting back at WEC 52, which had included brilliant wins over Pablo Garza and Josh Grispi. It has been reported that fellow UFC on FOX victor Ricardo Lamas has stepped up to the challenge and will meet Poirier at UFC 143, which goes down February 4th from the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas and features an interim welterweight championship bout between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit.
Lamas has built up a two fight streak of his own in his time under the Zuffa banner, following up a head kick TKO over Matt Grice with the aforementioned UFC on FOX win over Cub Swanson via second round arm triangle.
