The BankAtlantic Center played host to the UFC on Friday night, as the rematch between Demetrious Johnson and Ian “Uncle Creepy” McCall headlined an action-packed fight card for UFC on FX 3. Johnson and McCall first met earlier this year …
The BankAtlantic Center played host to the UFC on Friday night, as the rematch between Demetrious Johnson and Ian “Uncle Creepy” McCall headlined an action-packed fight card for UFC on FX 3.
Johnson and McCall first met earlier this year in the first round of the flyweight tournament, with Johnson originally being announced as the winner by majority decision. However, we later found out that there was an error on the scorecards and the bout was actually a draw.
With a “sudden death” fourth round missed due to the incorrect scoring, the decision was then made to have a rematch headline the FX card on June 8. The bout was the first UFC card to ever feature flyweights in the main event.
That historic fight will be remembered, but it was only part of what made this a highly entertaining fight card. Here are the 10 most memorable moments from UFC on FX 3: Johnson vs. McCall.
(Highlights from the Silva-Brenneman bout, courtesy of Fox Sports)
Six hours of free televised fights seems like a gift from Zod, unless of course the first three hours suck. A few plodding decisions, amateur officiating, a never-ending commercial loop, and the requisite botched score cards marred the prelim bouts on Fuel. It was enough to stifle what little hope some had for the rest of the evening.
But for those who flipped the channel to FX still harboring the post-prelim blues, undercard openers Scott Jorgensen and Eddie Wineland took little time to erase any ill will and set the stage for an exciting night of action. After settling into the bout, Wineland began finding a home for his hands, sitting “Young Guns” down with a sharp jab. He’d plant Jorgesen on his back briefly with a trip before landing several more blows to close out the first frame. Having had his fill of leather in round one, Jorgensen turned it on in the second frame, hustling for takedowns and opening up a hatchet wound over Wineland’s eye with a glancing knee. But the extra effort and billowing blood only brought out the fire in Wineland, who stuffed several shots while looking for the knockout. He’d find it at the end of a big right hand uncorked in the last minute of the second round. Jorgensen was stunned as he hit the floor, unable to defend himself from the final blows Wineland rained down as the ref stepped in to wave him off. Wineland’s win reversed a two fight skid against two top opponents; now Jorgensen has his own pair of losses to shake off. The extra cash from the “Fight of the Night” bonus should make that task a little easier.
(Highlights from the Silva-Brenneman bout, courtesy of Fox Sports)
Six hours of free televised fights seems like a gift from Zod, unless of course the first three hours suck. A few plodding decisions, amateur officiating, a never-ending commercial loop, and the requisite botched score cards marred the prelim bouts on Fuel. It was enough to stifle what little hope some had for the rest of the evening.
But for those who flipped the channel to FX still harboring the post-prelim blues, undercard openers Scott Jorgensen and Eddie Wineland took little time to erase any ill will and set the stage for an exciting night of action. After settling into the bout, Wineland began finding a home for his hands, sitting “Young Guns” down with a sharp jab. He’d plant Jorgesen on his back briefly with a trip before landing several more blows to close out the first frame. Having had his fill of leather in round one, Jorgensen turned it on in the second frame, hustling for takedowns and opening up a hatchet wound over Wineland’s eye with a glancing knee. But the extra effort and billowing blood only brought out the fire in Wineland, who stuffed several shots while looking for the knockout. He’d find it at the end of a big right hand uncorked in the last minute of the second round. Jorgensen was stunned as he hit the floor, unable to defend himself from the final blows Wineland rained down as the ref stepped in to wave him off. Wineland’s win reversed a two fight skid against two top opponents; now Jorgensen has his own pair of losses to shake off. The extra cash from the “Fight of the Night” bonus should make that task a little easier.
Mike Pyle opened his bout with Josh Neer with a double leg takedown; he closed it with a crisp right to the jaw. Pyle took “The Dentist” down in the opening moments of the fight and spent the next few minutes peppering him with shots from above as the pair jockeyed for position on the ground. Neer worked his way back up to his feet, and although his attempt to take Pyle down was thwarted, the exchange left “Quicksand” on wobbly legs. Just like that the tides turned as Neer mounted an assault built on body shots that had Pyle in trouble against the cage. As Neer poured it on and created enough space to head hunt, Pyle countered with a short right hand that faceplanted “The Dentist” with seconds left on the clock. The killshot netted Pyle “Knock Out of the Night” honors (and the $40 g’s that come with it).
After three bouts on the sport’s biggest stage, Erick Silva has yet to see the second round, and nothing’s proven able to stop him since late 2007—nothing but the rulebook, that is. Charlie Brenneman refused to join fans in admiring “Indio’s” dynamic standup, choosing the much wiser approach of working to get the dangerous striker onto his back. Whether the ref had late dinner reservations or a prescient awareness of “The Spaniard’s” fate, he did his best to curtail Brenneman’s relentless wrestling, but Charlie would not be denied. Brenneman’s successful takedowns would only give the Brazilian confidence in his ability to get back to his feet, while an unsuccessful one would give Silva the win. After stuffing a shot from his mop-topped foe, Silva gained back control, sunk in his hooks, and flattened Brenneman out with a rear naked choke, proving that his killer instinct isn’t limited to his scary standup. The tap-out victory earned Silva another step up in competition and the evening’s $40k “Submission of the Night” bonus.
Had we been able to carry over one dismal portion of the prelim action to the main event, it would have been the inept judging. After all, it was a mistallied scorecard that gifted us with a second bout between Ian McCall and Demetrius Johnson, and the prospect of another scoring error and yet another bout between these two would be a scandal that I would almost welcome. You could watch Johnson and McCall throw down on every UFC card and be entertained, and it’s a shame this wasn’t a five-round affair, but in the end it was a decisive win for “Mighty Mouse”. Johnson used his speed and improved grappling to outwork McCall in the first and third rounds. More importantly, he seems to have mastered the weight-cut problems that he blamed for his sluggish finish in the pair’s first meeting. There’s no need to wonder where Johnson goes from here—with the win he’ll face Joe Benavidez in the tournament final to crown the UFC’s first Flyweight Champion.
Main Card Bouts (on FX):
-Demetrious Johnson def. Ian McCall by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
-Erick Silva def. Charlie Brenneman by submission (rear naked choke) at 4:33, R1
-Mike Pyle def. Josh Neer by KO at 4:53, R1
-Eddie Wineland def. Scott Jorgensen by KO at 4:10, R2
Preliminary Bouts (on Fuel TV):
-Mike Pierce def. Carlos Eduardo Rocha by split decision (30-27, 30-27, 27-30)
-Seth Baczynski def. Lance Benoist by split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)
-Matt Grice def. Leonard Garcia by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
-Dustin Pague def. Jared Papazian by submission (rear naked choke) at3:21 , R1
-Tim Means def. Justin Salas by TKO at 1:06, R1
-Buddy Roberts def. Caio Magalhaes by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Preliminary Bouts (on Facebook):
-Henry Martinez def. Bernardo Magalhaes by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)
-Jake Hecht . Sean Pierson def. Jake Hecht by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Demetrious Johnson put an end to the controversy on Saturday night by clearly winning two of the three rounds in his rematch with Ian McCall to determine who will face Joseph Benavidez to become the.
Demetrious Johnson put an end to the controversy on Saturday night by clearly winning two of the three rounds in his rematch with Ian McCall to determine who will face Joseph Benavidez to become the first UFC flyweight champion. Johnson established the pace in the first round much in the same way he did in the first fight. Just like in the first fight, the most significant moment of the first round was a right hand. But this time, the punch dropped McCall instead of just wobbling him. Johnson also controlled the wrestling in the first round scoring an early takedown and stuffing all of McCall’s attempts to bring the fight to the mat. McCall came back strong in the second round managing to complete several takedowns. And although he was unable to keep Johnson down, just the threat of the takedown was enough to change the tone of the fight in the striking game and McCall was able to land more significant strikes. One of the judges awarded that round to Johnson for some reason but both of the other judges scored it for McCall, which was the proper scoring. Going into the third round, the fight was even but Johnson left no room for dispute as he clearly controlled the striking and scored the only takedown of the round. He landed several combinations and McCall became visibly frustrated as the round continued. By the end of the round, the outcome was obvious and Johnson clearly established himself as the fighter who deserves to compete against Benavidez for the title. The two battles between Johnson and McCall have set a high level of expectation for the title fight and if the five rounds between Benavidez and Johnson are anything like the six rounds between McCall and Johnson, the MMA community is certainly in for a treat. For McCall, this loss is a setback but he is still obviously one of the the best 125 pound fighters in the world and more than likely, he will get his chance to fight for the belt at some point.
Earlier in the night, Erick Silva made it clear that he has to be considered a factor in the welterweight division as he proved to be too big and too explosive for Charlie Brenneman. Silva landed a knee early as Brenneman shot in for a takedown. Brenneman realized immediately the type of power he was facing and from that point on, he was desperate to get the fight to the mat. He succeeded several times but was unable to keep Silva down and his efforts always seemed to be delaying the inevitable. Silva stayed patient and waited for the right opportunity to explode on Brenneman. After the referee restarted the fight out of a stalemate against the fence, Silva landed a spinning back kick to the gut and followed it with another body kick. The kicks hurt Brenneman and he attempted a sloppy shot that resulted in him being turtled with Silva on his back. Silva slipped in his hooks and locked his arm under Brenneman’s neck with little resistance and earned the submission victory via rear naked choke. Silva never landed cleanly to Brenneman’s head but just the glancing blows and kicks to the body were enough to break Brenneman’s will. Silva will definitely face a stiff step up in competition in his next appearance and he has earned it with three first round finishes in his UFC career thus far. The only part of his game that hasn’t been tested is his cardio and it would be interesting to see what would happen if a stronger fighter employed Brenneman’s strategy and was able to draw Silva deeper into the fight. For right now, Silva is a fighter with a high ceiling and with the depth in the UFC welterweight division, we’ll soon find out how high that ceiling is.
In the second fight on the main card, Mike Pyle earned the most surprising result of the night. The win itself wasn’t a surprise but you could have won some serious money betting that he would finish the exceptionally durable Josh Neer with a first round one punch knockout. Pyle opened the fight exactly the way one would expect by taking Neer to the mat and trying to control him on the ground. And Neer responded by doing exactly what he always does in that position staying active with his guard and cutting Pyle with an elbow from his back. Neer managed to stand up and got after Pyle with his classic attack style of body punches, dirty boxing and standing elbows. Pyle seemed to be significantly hurt to the body as Neer pushed him back against the cage and looked for an opportunity to finish. In the middle of that assault, Pyle landed a clinical overhand right directly the jaw of Neer and knocked him out. Neer fell face down on the mat and Pyle walked away with one of the more impressive victories of his career. Pyle, now age thirty six, has won five out of six fights and while he’ll never be a championship contender, the UFC should be able to find him several more interesting fights. Neer will need to win in his next fight or he may once again find himself on the way out of the UFC, which is unfortunate because his fights are always entertaining.
Eddie Wineland opened the card by announcing that he is back as a serious contender in the bantamweight division. The defensive wrestling he worked so hard to perfect for his fights against Urijah Faber and Joseph Benavidez is now fully incorporated into his arsenal and with that accomplished, he was able to let his strikes flow freely just as he did earlier in his career. He came out aggressive from the opening bell against Scott Jorgensen and didn’t slow down until he finished the fight. He dropped Jorgensen in the first round with a counter jab establishing that he still has some of the best power in the division. He repeatedly stuffed his opponent’s takedown attempts as well and kept the fight in a standing position. Jorgensen was more competitive in the second round landing several good strikes and cutting Wineland in two places including a huge gash over the left eye. Wineland seemed initially distracted by the blood flowing into his eye but quickly adjusted and began to once again take the advantage in the striking game. He even managed to take down the former PAC-10 wrestling champion. The fight seemed to be turning into a classic three round brawl where both fighters would trade combinations but Wineland’s power proved to be too much for Jorgensen as he dropped him with a right hand and pounced to finish with ground and pound. The 135 pound title is currently tied up in an interim fight between Faber and Renan Barao and the winner of that fight will likely immediately face champion Dominic Cruz to unify the title. Possible opponents for Wineland after this victory could include Brian Bowles, Michael McDonald or Barao if he loses to Faber. For Jorgensen, this outcome definitely represents another step back. One interesting matchup for him going forward would be with Miguel Torres as both would be trying to rebound from recent losses. Whatever happens, this was a huge statement by Eddie Wineland.
Both fighters were coming off of losses that put them on uncertain ground in the bantamweight division, and they both fought like it. While Scott Jorgensen’s striking was fairly effective, Eddie Wineland’s power eventually got the best of J…
Both fighters were coming off of losses that put them on uncertain ground in the bantamweight division, and they both fought like it. While Scott Jorgensen’s striking was fairly effective, Eddie Wineland’s power eventually got the best of Jorgensen and he won by KO in Round 2.
What we’ll remember about this fight:
Wineland’s powerful punch to KO Jorgensen will remain a highlight focus from this fight, but it likely hurt Jorgensen’s reputation more than it helped Wineland’s. It was the first time Jorgensen has been finished—an impressive feat that makes the finish all the more memorable.
What we learned about Eddie Wineland:
Wineland does have the striking to make some headway in the UFC’s bantamweight division; something his 0-2 record in the UFC before this win left us questioning. His KO here was impressive, and it definitely gives him some momentum (and allows him to keep his job).
Even if the fight would have gone to decision as his last two losses against Uriah Faber and Joseph Benavidez had, Wineland likely would have pulled the win here. However, much of his success seemed heavily based on Jorgensen’s weaknesses.
In the end, though, Wineland fought a great fight against a tested opponent.
What we learned about Scott Jorgensen:
Jorgensen is dangerously close to becoming a gatekeeper figure for the bantamweight division. His last two losses were against some incredible fighters: Renan Barao and Dominick Cruz. His loss tonight, however, didn’t seem to have the same flavor as those.
For one, he couldn’t land the takedown past Wineland’s striking. Furthermore, his stand-up often left him taking some serious strikes from his opponent. He proved he can still take a hit and keep moving, but the fact that he lost by KO—though it may end up being a mere statistic—leaves a question mark.
What’s next for Wineland:
He’ll be moving up in ranking, and perhaps a fight against Brian Bowles could settle both Wineland’s strengths against Jorgensen and Bowles’ loss against Faber.
What’s next for Jorgensen:
It’s hard to say, given the state of the bantamweight division, he’ll likely fight someone like Michael McDonald for a chance to re-establish his veteran presence.
The main card of the UFC’s third card on FX is almost upon us, and we’re sure that you’re almost just as interested as we are. But don’t let the lack of big men and big names get you down- we still have some interesting fights on our hands. Eddie Wineland battles Scott Jorgensen for bantamweight relevance, Josh Neer looks to maintain his momentum in the welterweight division against Mike Pyle, Erick Silva looks to establish himself as The Next Next Big Thing against Charlie Brenneman and Ian McCall meets Demetrious Johnson in The Most Anticipated Rematch of the Night to determine who advances in the UFC’s Flyweight tournament.
Okay, so on paper it’s nothing to write home about. But it’s free fights on a Friday night, okay? Look, we know you don’t have plans or anything, so stop pretending to be Mr. Popular and join us after the jump for round-by-round results and commentary. Handling tonight’s action will be Seth Falvo, who promises that there will be no more obscure professional wrestling references this evening. Please stand by.
The main card of the UFC’s third card on FX is almost upon us, and we’re sure that you’re almost just as interested as we are. But don’t let the lack of big men and big names get you down- we still have some interesting fights on our hands. Eddie Wineland battles Scott Jorgensen for bantamweight relevance, Josh Neer looks to maintain his momentum in the welterweight division against Mike Pyle, Erick Silva looks to establish himself as The Next Next Big Thing against Charlie Brenneman and Ian McCall meets Demetrious Johnson in The Most Anticipated Rematch of the Night to determine who advances in the UFC’s Flyweight tournament.
Okay, so on paper it’s nothing to write home about. But it’s free fights on a Friday night, okay? Look, we know you don’t have plans or anything, so stop pretending to be Mr. Popular and join us after the jump for round-by-round results and commentary. Handling tonight’s action will be Seth Falvo, who promises that there will be no more obscure professional wrestling references this evening. Please stand by.
Remember when I used to have witty things to say? Me neither. Let’s get crackin’.
Eddie Wineland vs. Scott Jorgensen
Round One: No glove touch here, as Wineland looks to control the center of the cage early. Nice right hand by Wineland, but Jorgensen lands a stiff jab that stops Wineland from following up with anything. Jorgensen attempts to clinch, but Wineland gets away. Another nice right hand from Wineland. Leg kick Jorgensen. Wineland drops Jorgensen with a stiff jab, but Jorgensen clinches up and looks for a takedown. Nice trip though by Wineland, who ends up in Jorgensen’s guard. They’re back up, and Wineland is using his jab well to keep Jorgensen outside. They exchange punches, with both guys landing as this round comes to an end.
Round Two: Nice takedown by Jorgensen, although Wineland immediately gets back up. Jorgensen lands a knee as Wineland gets up. Leg kick Jorgensen. Wineland lands a nice straight right, and another. Both guys are bleeding, or maybe Jorgensen’s hair dye is just running (Wineland is definitely cut though from that knee). Jorgensen lands a takedown, but once again Wineland immediately gets back up. Nice jab by Jorgensen. Wineland is having a lot of success landing that right hand, even though Jorgensen isn’t getting rocked by any of them. Nice exchange here, but it’s interrupted as Wineland’s mouth guard almost falls out. We’re back on, and Wineland finally manages to drop Jorgensen with one of those right hands. Some follow-up ground and pound and that’s all she wrote. Yep, that definitely isn’t hair dye running down Jorgensen’s face now.
Eddie Wineland def. Scott Jorgensen by KO, 4:10 of Round Two
So these are some lovely commercials, huh guys? Oh man, another Adam Sandler movie? I can’t wait to watch that, said nobody ever.
Mike Pyle vs. Josh Neer
Round One: They come out swinging, although neither guy lands anything of significance. Nice takedown by Pyle, who ends up in Neer’s guard. Pyle tries to pass to side mount, but Neer uses his butterfly guard and attempts a knee bar. Pyle is now back in Neer’s guard, throwing some punches. Neer attempts a triangle, but Pyle is out and back in Neer’s guard. Both guys are back up now, and Neer is landing some nice knees in the clinch. Neer looks to have Pyle hurt, as he throws some punches to Pyle’s body and has Pyle backing up. Neer goes in for the kill, but out of nowhere Pyle lands a vicious, if not desperate right hand that knocks Neer out cold!
Ladies and gentlemen, I do believe the word I’m looking for is “dicknailed”. As in, that poor young man they call “The Dentist” just got dicknailed.
Mike Pyle def. Josh Neer via KO, 4:56 of Round One
Erick Silva vs. Charlie Brenneman
Round One: They touch gloves, as Brenneman looks for a takedown and gets kneed in the face for his effort. Silva looks for a spinning back kick, but Brenneman earns a takedown. Silva is back up, but Brenneman stays on him. Brenneman gets another takedown, but Silva is looking for some foot locks. Brenneman escapes, and pushes Silva against the cage looking for a takedown. He fails, and they’re free. Brenneman lands a nice cross, and earns another takedown. Once again, Silva is almost immediately up, although he is rewarded for his efforts by being pushed into the cage by Brenneman. Brenneman works his wall and stall, as the crowd boos loudly. They’re separated, and Silva throws another spinning back kick. Silva is showing little respect for Brenneman’s hands, as he’s holding his quite low and throwing a lot of spinning kicks. Silva gets Brenneman down, takes his back, sinks in the rear naked choke and earns the tap.
Textbook finish there by Silva. May we now dub him the Next Next Big Thing? We’ll discuss that more tomorrow.
Erick Silva def. Charlie Brenneman via submission (rear naked choke), 4:33 of Round One
If the rest of this card was any indication, we’re in for one hell of a main event. Great fights all around. And now, for the rematch we’ve been waiting for.
Demetrious Johnson vs. Ian McCall
Round One: They touch gloves, and we’re underway. Leg kick McCall. Head kick attempt from Johnson. They clinch, and Johnson ties up McCall against the cage, earning a double leg takedown. McCall is back up, and we’re back in the center of the cage. Leg kick Johnson, followed up by a 1-2. Head kick attempt by McCall. Johnson lands a huge right hand that drops McCall, and Johnson is in McCall’s guard. Johnson grabs McCall’s back as McCall gets back up, but “Uncle Creepy” avoids the takedown, lands a knee and we’re back in the center of the cage. McCall now has Johnson against the cage and looks for a takedown, but Johnson immediately escapes. Nice hook from McCall, as Johnson attempts a takedown. Great job by McCall reversing the takedown, as both guys get back to their feet. McCall lands a nice hook, and Johnson looks for a takedown as this round comes to an end. Good start to this fight.
Round Two: McCall blitzes Johnson at the start, and earns a takedown. Johnson is down momentarily, but McCall can’t keep him there. McCall wobbles Johnson with an uppercut, but he can’t capitalize. Johnson now has McCall against the cage and lands a few knees before McCall switches position. We’re back to the center of the cage, with Johnson attempting to blitz McCall, although nothing lands. We have a leg kick catch Johnson low, so now we have a break in the action. The break is short lived, and we have a glove touch as soon as we’re back on. McCall earns a takedown off the break, but once again, he can’t keep Johnson down. McCall attempts to take Johnson’s back, eventually getting it and scoring a suplex. Johnson gets up and catches McCall with a nice straight right, pinning McCall against the cage and throwing knees. Nice spinning elbow from McCall, and we’re back in the center of the cage. With forty five seconds left in this round, Johnson lands a nice uppercut and looks to clinch, but McCall escapes. Head kick attempt by McCall, who earns a nice throw as this round comes to an end.
Round Three: They trade punches, as McCall clinches up and lands a few knees. Head kick attempt by McCall, followed by a takedown attempt. Johnson lands a knee on McCall, but Uncle Creepy gets Johnson against the cage and looks for a takedown. Johnson is out, and now earns a takedown against the cage. He grabs McCall’s back, and almost lands a huge straight right as McCall escapes. Great knee there by McCall. Johnson catches a leg kick and lands a few punches. McCall now manages to get Johnson against the cage, and tries for another foot sweep. Jump knee by McCall. McCall has Johnson back against the cage, as the two exchange knees. Johnson escapes, and lands a straight right and a nice teep. McCall once again has Johnson against the cage, and lands a knee. With thirty seconds left, Johnson gets McCall against the cage and works for a takedown. McCall attempts another foot sweep as this round comes to an end.
It appears that there won’t be another round. Tough fight to score. This one could go either way.
Official Result: Demetrious Johnson def. Ian McCall via Unanimous Decision
Johnson calls McCall the toughest guy in the UFC, even tougher than the entire bantamweight division. We’re reminded to play Xbox 360, and Johnson is out. McCall says he’s sorry for the loss, we’re reminded that this won’t be the end of Uncle Creepy in the UFC (Wait, does that mean someone out there thought he’d get cut if he lost?!) and we’re all done here.
Enjoy your evenings, everyone. We’ll have plenty to discuss tomorrow.
McCall vs. Johnson Five years ago, I wasn’t sure whether the UFC audience would ever evolve to the level where a fight between 125 pounders could headline a card. On Friday night, we’ll find out.
McCall vs. Johnson
Five years ago, I wasn’t sure whether the UFC audience would ever evolve to the level where a fight between 125 pounders could headline a card. On Friday night, we’ll find out if we’ve reached that point. This fight has every storyline needed to sell a main event. Demetrius Johnson and Ian McCall are two of the best fighters in the world at their weight. They fought in March on the UFC on FX 2 card and battled to one of the most bizarre results in UFC history. The fight was announced a split decision victory for Johnson but upon reexamination of the cards after the fight, someone was outed as not having the first grade math skills to add up the judges scorecards. The fight had actually been scored a draw. Had everyone’s math skills been in order at the end of the fight, that result would have resulted in a sudden victory fourth round. Instead, we get a rematch to determine who moves on to face Joseph Benavidez for the right to be the first ever 125 pound champion in UFC history. I’m sure the fourth round in March would have been exciting television but three more rounds between these two can’t be considered anything other than a win for the fans.
In so many ways, these fighters are startlingly similar. Both have wrestling backgrounds and are explosive athletes. Both have used that explosive athleticism to develop excellent striking skills. Both move fluidly through transitions in all positions and neither is easy to contain for any period of time. The first fight was so even that it was nearly impossible to score. Johnson had a slight edge in the striking exchanges in the first round but McCall countered with two takedowns. Johnson managed to land a right hand that briefly staggered McCall and on my scorecard, I used that as a tiebreaker to give the first round to Johnson. The second round was where the judging ran into problems. If a 10-10 round was ever fought, that was it. But under the 10 point must system, someone has to win the round. I gave it to Johnson based on literally nothing other than a completely subjective feeling. The third round was the most dominant round for either fighter with McCall taking Johnson’s back and nearly finishing him with ground a pound. And this is where the 10 point must system went from being a problem to basically being a farce. If we follow the system exactly, that was a 10-9 round for McCall and based on my card, Johnson should win the fight. But that’s ridiculous because McCall was infinitely more dominant in the third than Johnson was in the second. So I, being a judging rebel, made the third round a 10-8 round for McCall so that it would be a draw, which is exactly what one of the judges at the event did. And I applaud him for it. Unfortunately, the person adding up his card apparently needs a calculator to handle two digit addition and we now find ourselves in this position.
According to Vegas, Johnson is a -150 favorite at the moment with McCall at +130. I’d like to know how they arrived at those lines. As far as I can see, this is a classic pick ‘em fight. These fighters are absurdly well-rounded with their strengths being in the same areas. I expect to see a similar fight to the one we saw in March. Johnson will be slightly better in the striking exchanges with McCall barely coming out ahead in the grappling. The only way either fighter will be able to gain a clear advantage is if McCall can get Johnson to the ground and somehow keep him there, which seems unlikely. If I start looking deeper for advantages, Matt Hume is one of the best coaches an in MMA. He has an entire three rounds of fight tape to study and develop a gameplan for Johnson to utilize. Team Oyama where McCall trains is a great camp but nobody other than Greg Jackson has the mind for the sport that Matt Hume has. Johnson will absolutely have the perfect strategy going into the fight. Whether or not he can execute it will be determined at fight time. Anyone willing to say that either fighter is a clear favorite didn’t watch the first fight closely enough. The only sure thing is that on Friday night, we will get a winner to face Joseph Benavidez for the title. But don’t be surprised if the outcome leaves fans calling for a trilogy.
Eddie Wineland vs. Scott Jorgensen
Both fighters will be looking to rebound from losses in their last UFC appearance in this battle to see who can earn their way back into title contention. Eddie Wineland has lost his last two fights to Urijah Faber and Joseph Benavidez while former WEC bantamweight champion Scott Jorgensen lost in his most recent fight against phenom Renan Barao.
Despite back to back losses, Wineland cannot be dismissed. Both of those fights were against the highest level of competition. Faber will be fighting for the interim 135 pound title in his next fight and Benavidez awaits the winner of the main event to determine the 125 pound champion. Wineland was competitive in both fights and while he lost decisively, he was not dominated. He greatly improved his wrestling going into the Faber fight and continued that improvement into the Benavidez fight. However, he was unable to translate his defensive wrestling into offensive attacks. He seemed so focused on sprawling and defending against takedowns that he was not nearly as aggressive with his striking as he had been in previous fights. Wineland is one of the better strikers in the division and needs to let his hands go if he is going to find success against Jorgensen. After his last two performances, he should be confident enough in his defensive wrestling to let his striking game flow knowing that his instincts will allow him to sprawl if Jorgensen shoots. For Wineland to earn the victory, he needs to combine the defensive ability he showed in his recent fights with the offensive ability that he has displayed throughout his career. If he can do that, his opponent could be in for a long night.
Jorgensen is also coming off a loss to a top tier fighter. Renan Barao will be fighting Urijah Faber in the aforementioned interim bantamweight title match. Losing to Barao is nothing to be ashamed of but if Jorgensen expects to get back into title contention, he needs to defeat Wineland. As a former champion, Jorgensen has all the skills to get back to that level and a win on Saturday night would be the first step in that direction. Jorgensen has an excellent collegiate wrestling background and has been successful putting most opponents on their backs although he did struggle with Barao. But the real improvement in his game in recent years has been in his striking and look for him to show off those skills against Wineland. Expect him to be willing to stand with Wineland for as long as he feels comfortable. If he begins to feel threatened or if Wineland starts to seize an advantage, that’s when we could see the takedowns come into play. Jorgensen should have an advantage in that area and if he can’t control the fight on the feet, he should be able to control it on the mat.
Jorgensen is the clear favorite going into this fight at -210 with Wineland at +175. That line seems about right as a victory for Wineland would definitely be an upset. But that doesn’t mean it can’t happen. Wineland will need to keep the fight standing and outstrike Jorgensen, which he is capable of doing. But if he shows the same tentative approach on the feet that he’s showed in recent fights, Jorgensen will pick him apart. And even if he brings his best striking into the cage, Jorgensen should be able to mix in some wrestling to work his way to victory.
Both fighters were coming off of losses that put them on uncertain ground in the bantamweight division, and they both fought like it. While 
