(*Hello darkness, my old friend*…just to be clear, we’re referring to the darkness that accompanies being choked unconscious, not Jay Silva.)
To say that Kendall Grove has seen some ups and downs in his MMA career since winning the third season of The Ultimate Fighter would be an understatement. After defeating Ed Herman by ultra close unanimous decision to earn the coveted glass plaque, Grove would tack up two more submission wins over Chris Price and Alan Belcher. It seemed as if the lanky middleweight had the world in the palm of his hand, destined to follow Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans as the new breed of MMA stars to make their name off the show.
And then it all fell apart.
Grove would drop his next two via form of KO to Patrick Cote and Jorge Rivera, and though he would follow up the pair of losses with victories over Evan Tanner (R.I.P.) and Jason Day, we would never see Grove rise above the rank of gatekeeper in his UFC run. He would go 2-4 in his next six, and would be ousted from the UFC after dropping a UD to Tim Boetsch at UFC 130 in Boetsch’s middleweight debut.
After scoring a quick submission win and evening the score with Joe Riggs, Grove out grappled Japanese sensation Ikuhisa Minowa at a Pro Elite event last month that we here at CP gave an official score of “meh.” Would last night’s SCC 4 card house “Da Spyda’s” first three fight win streak since 2007?
(*Hello darkness, my old friend*…just to be clear, we’re referring to the darkness that accompanies being choked unconscious, not Jay Silva.)
To say that Kendall Grove has seen some ups and downs in his MMA career since winning the third season of The Ultimate Fighter would be an understatement. After defeating Ed Herman by ultra close unanimous decision to earn the coveted glass plaque, Grove would tack up two more submission wins over Chris Price and Alan Belcher. It seemed as if the lanky middleweight had the world in the palm of his hand, destined to follow Forrest Griffin and Rashad Evans as the new breed of MMA stars to make their name off the show.
And then it all fell apart.
Grove would drop his next two via form of KO to Patrick Cote and Jorge Rivera, and though he would follow up the pair of losses with victories over Evan Tanner (R.I.P.) and Jason Day, we would never see Grove rise above the rank of gatekeeper in his UFC run. He would go 2-4 in his next six, and would be ousted from the UFC after dropping a UD to Tim Boetsch at UFC 130 in Boetsch’s middleweight debut.
After scoring a quick submission win and evening the score with Joe Riggs, Grove out grappled Japanese sensation Ikuhisa Minowa at a Pro Elite event last month that we here at CP gave an official score of “meh.” Would last night’s SCC 4 card house “Da Spyda’s” first three fight win streak since 2007?
Nope. Unfortunately, Grove would suffer the SECOND technical submission loss of his career when he was choked out by fellow UFC veteran Jay Silva via second round arm-triangle. Yeah, that Jay Silva. Grove has faced Ricardo Almeida and Demian Maia and managed to make it out alive, so props are due to Jay. With the win, Silva improves to 8-5, and Grove falls to 14-10.
In the night’s co-main event, other fellow UFC veterans John Gunderson and Justin Buchholz engaged in a back and forth affair that saw Gunderson lock up a kimura in the third round to claim the promotion’s inaugural lightweight title. TUF 11 veteran Jamie Yager was also in action, and improved to 6-2 with a unanimous decision victory over Danny Davis Jr.
Full results from SCC 4 are below.
-Jay Silva def. Kendall Grove via Submission (Arm-Triangle Choke) at 1:52 of Round 2.
-John Gunderson def. Justin Buchholz via submission (Kimura)at 2:34 of Round 3.
-Jamie Yager def. Danny Davis Jr. via unanimous decision.
-Paulo Goncalves Silva def. Dominique Robinson via unanimous decision.
-Brandon Bender def. Marlin Weikel via submission (Triangle Choke) at 2:30 of Round 3.
-Walter Harris def. Anthony Hamilton via KO at 1:15 of Round 1.
-Jimmy Jones def. Joao Victor via submission (Rear-Naked Choke) at 3:49 of Round 3.
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.
(The power of YES!! compels you! Check out some of the meme-worthy photoshops over at The UG.)
Over the past week or so, the sports world has come down with a serious case of LINsanity, a now airborne disease that mimics the effects of Yellow Fever and is brought about by way of bereavement. Though it was the general consensus that this mind altering sickness originated with the uncanny rise of New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin, last night’s inaugural UFC on FUEL event opened our collective eyes to the virus’ true host: Diego fucking Sanchez.
Yes, it seems that ever since Diego suffered his first professional losses, which came in back-to-back fashion at the hands of Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch at UFC 69 and 76, the man has become consumed by a mixture of evangelical optimism and bipolar rage to the point of parody. As he made his way to the octagon for his main event clash with top contender Jake Ellenberger last night, it quickly became apparent that it was Sanchez who was in need of an exorcism, which made the Gregorian monk feel of his entrance appear all the more ironic.
(The power of YES!! compels you! Check out some of the meme-worthy photoshops over at The UG.)
Over the past week or so, the sports world has come down with a serious case of LINsanity, a now airborne disease that mimics the effects of Yellow Fever and is brought about by way of bereavement. Though it was the general consensus that this mind altering sickness originated with the uncanny rise of New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin, last night’s inaugural UFC on FUEL event opened our collective eyes to the virus’ true host: Diego fucking Sanchez.
Yes, it seems that ever since Diego suffered his first professional losses, which came in back-to-back fashion at the hands of Josh Koscheck and Jon Fitch at UFC 69 and 76, the man has become consumed by a mixture of evangelical optimism and bipolar rage to the point of parody. As he made his way to the octagon for his main event clash with top contender Jake Ellenberger last night, it quickly became apparent that it was Sanchez who was in need of an exorcism, which made the Gregorian monk feel of his entrance appear all the more ironic.
And for the first two and a half rounds, it looked like Sanchez’s mental state was really starting to have an adverse effect on his physical abilities. As in his fights with Martin Kampmann, B.J. Penn, and John Hathaway, Sanchez seemed content to charge head first into the quicker, more accurate punches of “Ingleburger,” getting rocked on more than one occasion as a result. Perhaps that is how sociopaths set up their takedowns, or perhaps he simply didn’t give a shit, because despite getting significantly outgunned on both the feet and the ground, Sanchez all but refused to alter his gameplan in the slightest. Due to the fact that Sanchez’s striking has not evolved to the level of his counterparts, we can expect to see a lot more of this in his future. No one will ever doubt “The Dream’s” chin, because that is the only thing about Sanchez that seems stable at this point in his career. However, when Sanchez managed to get Ellenberger’s back late in the third, we were treated to some vintage “Nightmare” ground-and-pound. This is, and has always been where the former lightweight title challenger thrives, and when he gets ANYONE on their back, they best prepare for a hellstorm of punches that can only be described as suffocating. If only he would do it more often.
The one thing I came away with from the Sanchez/Ellenberger scrap is that the UFC needs to decide on whether main event fights will be scheduled for three or five rounds, rather than catering this criteria to each event. If there had been two more rounds last night, Sanchez’s cardio could have very easily changed the outcome of the fight, as it was evident that Ellenberger was beginning to fade. It’s time to make the five round main event a standard, Dana, because if Munoz/Leben warranted it, how in the hell didn’t this fight?
As for Ellenberger, it seems that he is destined for either a rematch with Carlos Condit, depending on how long GSP will be out, or a possible match with the Koscheck/Hendricks winner to determine the true number one contender of the welterweight division. Our vote is for the former. His loss to Condit was both hotly contested and his only UFC loss to date, and after taking down two former title challengers in a row (granted, in different weight classes) he has clearly set himself apart from the rest of the pack, and deserves another crack at “The Natural Born Killer.”
In the night’s co-main event, Stefan Struve managed to utilize his superior ground game to finish off Dave Herman with strikes from the mount after dropping him in the second round. While undoubtedly a big win for Struve, the fight showed that his striking game, like Sanchez’s, is still a work in progress. The man stands at 6’11”, and despite this, has shown time and time again that he cannot keep his shorter opponents at bay. If GSP can use a jab to pick apart whoever he damn well pleases, then no one should be able to get within swinging distance of a “Skyscraper” like Struve, yet men as short as Roy Nelson have managed to find his off button as a result of his inability to maintain distance. If he ever wants to fight top of the division guys, he better learn to stick that jab, or suffer the consequences. Herman, on the other hand, might want to start buying into this whole “Jiu-Jitsu” thing, because his mount defense, which could only be described as “unorthodox” by announcer Kenny Florian, appeared to have been taught to him by Art Jimmerson.
Join us for part two this afternoon, in which we break down the rest of UFC on FUEL’s main card and a couple fights from the undercard as well.
(Diego Sanchez is like the movie Inception: A dream inside of a nightmare inside two more dreams which are actually nightmares. Photos courtesy of MMAJunkie.com)
All fighters made weight at yesterday’s UFC on FUELTV weigh-ins, which seemed to sail by at a faster pace than normal. Maybe it was the lack of name power, or perhaps it was the absence of the usual drama and near brawls that we have become accustomed to over the past few weeks. In either case, it was a reserved, quiet evening for all participants involved. Except Diego Sanchez. He doesn’t do “reserved.”
Instead, we were treated to what appeared to be a night of MMA fighters mimicking the looks of pseudo-celebrities. Sean Loeffler came out posing as the singer from Crazy Town, making it rain on the audience like they were the 2 a.m. shift at Scores, and Jonathan Brookins stuck with the Geico Caveman look that has gotten him some fine honeys up to this point. But the most bizarre shift in appearance undoubtedly went to Ed Herman, who pulled off Neil Fallon TO PERFECTION.*
Join us after the jump for the full weigh in video and results.
(Diego Sanchez is like the movie Inception: A dream inside of a nightmare inside two more dreams which are actually nightmares. Photos courtesy of MMAJunkie.com)
All fighters made weight at yesterday’s UFC on FUELTV weigh-ins, which seemed to sail by at a faster pace than normal. Maybe it was the lack of name power, or perhaps it was the absence of the usual drama and near brawls that we have become accustomed to over the past few weeks. In either case, it was a reserved, quiet evening for all participants involved. Except Diego Sanchez. He doesn’t do “reserved.”
Instead, we were treated to what appeared to be a night of MMA fighters mimicking the looks of pseudo-celebrities. Sean Loeffler came out posing as the singer from Crazy Town, making it rain on the audience like they were the 2 a.m. shift at Scores, and Jonathan Brookins stuck with the Geico Caveman look that has gotten him some fine honeys up to this point. But the most bizarre shift in appearance undoubtedly went to Ed Herman, who pulled off Neil Fallon TO PERFECTION.*
(skip to 17:12 for the start, unless you REALLY want to hear Jay Glazer’s breakdown of the card, which starts at 10:00.)
Main Card (on Fuel TV): -Diego Sanchez (170) vs. Jake Ellenberger (170)
–Stefan Struve (256) vs. Dave Herman (234)
–Aaron Simpson (186) vs. Ronny Markes (185)
-Stipe Miocic (240) vs. Phil De Fries (241)
–T.J. Dillashaw (136) vs. Walel Watson (135)
-Ivan Menjivar (135) vs. John Albert (135)
Preliminary Bouts (on Facebook):
–Jonathan Brookins (145) vs. Vagner Rocha (145)
-Buddy Roberts (184) vs. Sean Loeffler (185)
-Anton Kuivanen (156) vs. Justin Salas (155)
-Tim Means (155) vs. Bernardo Magalhaes (155)
The prelims for the event are set to kick off tonight around 6:20 p.m. EST on Facebook, with the FUEL broadcast beginning at 8:00 p.m.
*To any, let’s call them “new” viewers of CP, I do not actually believe the fighters were trying to mimic these celebrities. That would be just silly. Glad I could clear that up.
(A preview of Gustafsson’s placement on the list? There’s only one way to find out.)
A great man once said that geology was the study of pressure and time. That man’s name was Red, and although he was simply using the phrase as a metaphor for prison life, he could’ve just as easily been talking about hype. Because hype, not unlike geology, has the ability to form diamonds from coal, and just as easily crush the greatest boulders into dust.
As MMA fans, we know the hype game more than any; if we’re not prematurely declaring it “The_____Era,” then we’re likely discrediting legends of the sport, even going as far to say that their wins never held any validity in the first place. Sounds insane, doesn’t it? Well, welcome to the world of cyberhype, the deadliest, fastest spreading strand of hype there is. And as with Kei$ha and CSI spin-offs, there is little we can do to stop this disease, so instead we’ll just try and act like we were into it before it got popular.
Here are five of the hottest prospects in the UFC, ranked in order of how long we knew about them before you did.
5. Stephen Thompson Last three fights: (W) Dan Stittgen via KO, (W) Patrick Mandio via UD, (W) William Kuhn via UD
There isn’t much we can say about Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson that his kickboxing and MMA records don’t. The man has strung together 63 consecutive wins in mixed competition, most recently starching Daniel Stittgen ^ at UFC 143. The hype surrounding Thompson has been overlooked by some, and will be put to the test when he takes on TUF 7 vet Matt Brown at UFC 145.
(A preview of Gustafsson’s placement on the list? There’s only one way to find out.)
A great man once said that geology was the study of pressure and time. That man’s name was Red, and although he was simply using the phrase as a metaphor for prison life, he could’ve just as easily been talking about hype. Because hype, not unlike geology, has the ability to form diamonds from coal, and just as easily crush the greatest boulders into dust.
As MMA fans, we know the hype game more than any; if we’re not prematurely declaring it “The_____Era,” then we’re likely discrediting legends of the sport, even going as far to say that their wins never held any validity in the first place. Sounds insane, doesn’t it? Well, welcome to the world of cyberhype, the deadliest, fastest spreading strand of hype there is. And as with Kei$ha and CSI spin-offs, there is little we can do to stop this disease, so instead we’ll just try and act like we were into it before it got popular.
Here are five of the hottest prospects in the UFC, ranked in order of how long we knew about them before you did.
5. Stephen Thompson Last three fights: (W) Dan Stittgen via KO, (W) Patrick Mandio via UD, (W) William Kuhn via UD
There isn’t much we can say about Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson that his kickboxing and MMA records don’t. The man has strung together 63 consecutive wins in mixed competition, most recently starching Daniel Stittgen ^ at UFC 143. The hype surrounding Thompson has been overlooked by some, and will be put to the test when he takes on TUF 7 vet Matt Brown at UFC 145.
4. Che Mills Last three fights: (W) Chris Cope via TKO, (W) Marcio Cesar via KO, (W) Magomed Shikshabekov via UD
Former Cage Rage Welterweight champ Che “Beautiful” Mills had a rough start to his UFC career, falling to a heel hook in a preliminary match on the ninth season of The Ultimate Fighter to eventual season winner James Wilks. In the time since, however, Mills has gone 7-2, including wins over Jake Hecht and the above destruction of Chris Cope. Fun Fact: He also holds a pair of (T)KO wins over current DREAM Welterweight champion Marius Zaromskis. Mills will be squaring off against Rory MacDonald at UFC 145 in a match that will truly show us what he’s made of. Speaking of “Ares”…
With his solid submission prowess, aggressive and diverse striking attack, and powerful wrestling base, it’s hard to really spot a weakness in Macdonald’s game. The only blemish on his record came via last second TKO loss to current welterweight interim champ Carlos Condit, in a match that many would argue he was ahead on going into the third round. We hate to speak in cliches, but the sky is the limit for this kid. In fact, we imagine he’ll be getting a much deserved rematch with Condit in the not-to-distant future. Unless Che Mills has something to say about it, of course.
(Apparently after this loss, Max Holloway decided to change his nickname from “Lil’ Evil” to “Blessed,” likely because taking Jens Pulver’s nickname REALLY lets opponents know where your weakness lies.)
Aside from bitterly dividing fans on what exactly constitutes a fight, UFC 143 left us with a lot of unanswered questions. Should Carlos Condit consider a nickname change?* Will Dustin Poirier get the next shot at Jose Aldo?** Is Nick Diaz really calling it quits?*** Though only time will truly calm our concerns, we’re going to make some bold predictions for Saturday’s winners and losers nonetheless, because that’s how we do things ’round here. Check out our matchmaking picks below, and let us know what you think in the comments section.
Nick Diaz: Perhaps the most impressive thing about Nick Diaz is that, despite his intellectual shortcomings, he maintains an ability to instill fear into whomever he fights. His cardio, striking attack, and Jiu Jitsu are second to none and just plain SCARY, but it is the man’s confidence, his willingness to relentlessly pursue and trade with anyone, that breaks even the strongest of competitors. Going into a fight with Diaz, you know you aren’t going to submit him, and you know it’s damn near impossible to knock the SOB out, so what the fuck are you supposed to do?
(Apparently after this loss, Max Holloway decided to change his nickname from “Lil’ Evil” to “Blessed,” likely because taking Jens Pulver’s nickname REALLY lets opponents know where your weakness lies.)
Aside from bitterly dividing fans on what exactly constitutes a fight, UFC 143 left us with a lot of unanswered questions. Should Carlos Condit consider a nickname change?* Will Dustin Poirier get the next shot at Jose Aldo?** Is Nick Diaz really calling it quits?*** Though only time will truly calm our concerns, we’re going to make some bold predictions for Saturday’s winners and losers nonetheless, because that’s how we do things ’round here. Check out our matchmaking picks below, and let us know what you think in the comments section.
Nick Diaz: Perhaps the most impressive thing about Nick Diaz is that, despite his intellectual shortcomings, he maintains an ability to instill fear into whomever he fights. His cardio, striking attack, and Jiu Jitsu are second to none and just plain SCARY, but it is the man’s confidence, his willingness to relentlessly pursue and trade with anyone, that breaks even the strongest of competitors. Going into a fight with Diaz, you know you aren’t going to submit him, and you know it’s damn near impossible to knock the SOB out, so what the fuck are you supposed to do?
Where Nick’s problem lies, however, is in his ability to adapt, to set a game plan. Nick Diaz wants to fight like Nick Diaz, against Nick Diaz, and it’s why many of us love the guy. But when anyone who won’t adhere to this type of fight is looked at as a bitch (at least in his eyes), why not start matching Diaz up against those who just want to throw down? Screw the championship aspirations; let’s just assign Diaz to barnburner only match-ups against willing brawlers from this day forward. If he doesn’t want to accept the fact that many people with a title shot in mind are going to avoid his kind of fight at all costs, he best just move on, or abandon title hopes altogether. I say give him Diego Sanchez, regardless of whether or not he beats Jake Ellenberger. Their first meeting was a classic, and the second will be no different.
Fabricio Werdum: Aside from lighting up Roy Nelson’s face like it was the 4th of July, Werdum proved last weekend that he deserved to be ranked amongst the heavyweight division’s elite, so it’s time to give him a legit contender. Matter of fact, why not an ex-champion? Cain Velasquez is coming off a disappointing first round KO loss to Junior Dos Santos, the same man responsible for KO’ing Werdum right out of the UFC back in 2008 (yes, it has been THAT LONG already). Cain will be looking to show the world that he can take a punch, and Werdum’s most recent performance shows that he is more than willing to dish them out.
Roy Nelson: Shane Carwin. If he can survive that man’s punches, then we may just have to look into whether or not Nelson’s chin is on PEDs. Otherwise, give Nelson some time off and let him attempt a cut to 205, because he doesn’t really have anywhere to go in the heavyweight division in terms of contendership. He’s simply too small to be fighting guys like Werdum, and would get absolutely mangled by the Alistair Overeems of the division.
Mike Pierce: Most people were too busy arguing over the Diaz/Condit decision to notice that Mike Pierce got the worst screw job of them all on Saturday night. Despite thoroughly out-striking Josh Koscheck, Pierce found himself on the wrong end of yet another close decision as a result of a couple takedowns that Kos did absolutely nothing with. It’s pretty evident at this point that Pierce is much better than most of us have given him credit for, and should get a good name for his next fight. We like Rick Story, who is coming off a decision loss to Martin Kampmann at UFC 139, for Pierce’s next opponent. A win wouldn’t propel either party to the top of the contender list, but would be a solid victory regardless.
Josh Koscheck: I don’t know…Jon Fitch maybe? Koscheck’s win did fuck all for him in terms of moving up those pointless rankings lists, and his one-dimensional striking attack surely isn’t going to win him a title anytime soon. His recent split with AKA opens up the Fitch fight, and I, for one, would just like to see two guys from that camp quit playing BFFs and fight. What’s Mike Swick doing these days?
Renan Barao: After dominating a former contender in Jorgensen the way Barao did, it’s safe to say the kid is ready for the ultimate step up. If wins over Eddie Wineland and Takeya Mizugaki can get Urijah Faber a shot at Dominick Cruz, then Barao has easily earned one with his wins over Jorgensen, Brad Pickett, and Cole Escovedo, after those two settle their beef, of course. If he doesn’t want to wait that long, give him the winner of Torres/McDonald, granted he is able to walk away injury free.
Dustin Poirier: He was originally set to face Erik Koch at this event, and the fight makes more sense than ever now. Winner gets a title shot. Make it happen, Sean.
Ed Herman: Herman has looked better in his most recent octagon run than he ever did after placing second in the TUF 3 finals. His striking is ever-improving (though a little reliant on the 6), he can take a hell of a shot, and he packs a slick submission game to boot. Pairing him off against the winner of the Brian Stann/Alessio Sakara match would be a great litmus test for the comeback kid.
