Alexander Gustafsson dominated Vladimir Matyushenko in the UFC 141 pay-per-view main card with a TKO just 2:13 into the opening round.The young Swedish fighter made a statement that he is here to stay and is a real rising star in the UFC.”I was prepare…
Alexander Gustafsson dominated Vladimir Matyushenko in the UFC 141 pay-per-view main card with a TKO just 2:13 into the opening round.
The young Swedish fighter made a statement that he is here to stay and is a real rising star in the UFC.
“I was prepared for three hard rounds,” Gustafsson said via MMA Junkie. “Matyushenko is a very tough guy. I look up to him.
“It was a good punch. It was my day today. It’s been my dream to fight in Vegas, so this is the biggest win of my life.”
Gustafsson proved why he deserves a major fight for his next bout because he is a legitimate UFC star that is worthy of a shot at the title.
Gustafsson’s punches were just way too much for Matyushenko to overcome after the Swedish fighter came at his veteran opponent with great ferocity in the early going of the fight.
The convincing victory for Gustafsson helped him improve to 5-1 in UFC fights, 13-1 overall, and his UFC winning streak has been extended to four fights.
Gustafsson’s ability to overpower his opponent with quick and effective punches is simply so difficult to defend, and he is certainly someone to watch in the UFC going forward.
The UFC needs fighters such as Gustafsson who are young and exciting, and it will be fun to watch his career develop over the next year.
That’s what Joe Rogan said to Hendricks after his knockout victory over Jon Fitch at UFC 141, and it pretty well describes what has just happened in Hendricks’ MMA career: There’s now no doubt that Hendricks is one of the truly elite fighters in the welterweight division, and he might just be the welterweight with the best chance of dethroning the champion, Georges St. Pierre.
Am I getting ahead of myself there? Maybe. It’s going to be a while before Hendricks would get a title shot. With St. Pierre shelved by a torn ACL, the welterweight division is in a state of flux, with Carlos Condit facing Nick Diaz for an interim title in February, and the winner of that fight expected to face St. Pierre next.
But think for a minute about what it means that Hendricks just knocked out Jon Fitch in 12 seconds. Prior to Friday night, Fitch had built up a UFC record of 13-1-1, fighting inside the Octagon for a total of nearly three and a half hours, and no one had been able to finish him. Whether Fitch was beating good strikers like Thiago Alves, or getting beaten up by a great, well-rounded opponent in St. Pierre, the one thing Fitch was never in danger of doing was getting KTFO’d.
And that’s just what Hendricks did to him, with a vicious left hand to the jaw that knocked Fitch back so hard that the back of his head bounced off the canvas.
Hendricks said after the fight that he thought people didn’t respect his left hand, and that may be true: Hendricks is still often described as a wrestler above all, thanks to his status as a two-time NCAA champion. But that punch he landed to Fitch’s jaw informed everyone who didn’t already know that Hendricks has serious power in his hands.
It might be a while before Hendricks gets a shot at the title, especially if the UFC decides to hold Condit or Diaz until GSP is healthy. But looking at what Hendricks brings to the table, with his wrestling background and his punching power, you’d have to say that he’d be a real threat to beat St. Pierre if he ever gets that opportunity. Johny Hendricks has arrived as one of the elite welterweights in MMA.
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UFC 141 Notes — Watching Brock Lesnar‘s emergence as the UFC’s biggest star has been fun, but I’m not surprised that he announced his retirement after losing to Alistair Overeem. Lesnar is a millionaire many times over and doesn’t need to fight for the money. He tried MMA, had a lot of success, and has now lost twice in a row and needs to focus on his health. The UFC lost its biggest pay-per-view star, but the sport will be fine without Brock, just as Brock will be fine without MMA.
–It was great to see Dong Hyun Kim’s use of the same front kick that Anderson Silva used to knock out Vitor Belfort and Lyoto Machida used to knock out Randy Couture. Kim’s kick didn’t have quite enough power on it to knock out Sean Pierson, but it showed that Kim is working on diversifying his striking.
–Anthony Njokuani hasn’t evolved as a fighter at all: He’s still an exciting striker but a very rudimentary grappler. Until his takedown defense improves significantly, Njokuani is going to lose a decision to any good wrestler he faces, as he did to Danny Castillo.
UFC 141 Quotes
“I want to thank Donald Cerrone for the fight. Sorry about all the s–t that went down.” — Nate Diaz, leaving all the bad blood behind him after whipping Cerrone.
“Jacob Volkmann, an outstanding grappler. Not the best joke teller.” — Joe Rogan, after Volkmann made an unfunny joke about wanting to give President Obama a glassectomy. The UFC should tell Volkmann to leave the jokes to Rogan.
“He’s a good fighter, I look up to him, but I got the knockout. It was a good punch. It was my day to day. It was my dream to fight in Las Vegas and it was the biggest win of my life.” — Alexander Gustafsson after knockout out Vladimir Matyushenko, showing proper respect for an opponent 17 years his senior.
Good Call
We’re so used to bad judging in MMA these days that it sometimes comes as a surprise when all three judges get it right, but let’s credit the judges in the three Facebook preliminary fights, because all nine scorecards on those fights were right on the money: 29-28 for Diego Nunes over Manny Gamburyan, 29-28 for Jacob Volkmann over Efrain Escudero and 30-27 for Dong Hyun Kim over Sean Pierson.
Bad Call Herb Dean is usually one of the best referees in the business, but he made an absolutely horrible call by standing up Jacob Volkmann and Efrain Escudero in the middle of the third round of their fight. Volkmann had Escudero’s back on the ground and was working for a finish, and Dean inexplicably stopped them and stood them up.
Stock Up Volkmann is now 5-0 since moving down to lightweight. He doesn’t have the most crowd-pleasing of styles, and he hasn’t fought the highest quality of competition, but you can’t argue with five straight wins. It’s time for Volkmann to get someone in the Top 10, so we can get a feel for just how good he is.
Stock Down Gamburyan has now lost three straight fights, and he was never really able to implement his game plan against Nunes, who succeeded in keeping Gamburyan at distance and stopping Gamburyan’s takedowns. Gamburyan probably won’t lose his job in the UFC because the promotion needs as many recognizable fighters as it can get in the shallow featherweight division, but he’s fallen a long way since he was the division’s No. 1 contender.
Fight I Want to See Next Junior dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem. A great battle of two great heavyweight strikers. I can hardly wait.
That’s what Joe Rogan said to Hendricks after his knockout victory over Jon Fitch at UFC 141, and it pretty well describes what has just happened in Hendricks’ MMA career: There’s now no doubt that Hendricks is one of the truly elite fighters in the welterweight division, and he might just be the welterweight with the best chance of dethroning the champion, Georges St. Pierre.
Am I getting ahead of myself there? Maybe. It’s going to be a while before Hendricks would get a title shot. With St. Pierre shelved by a torn ACL, the welterweight division is in a state of flux, with Carlos Condit facing Nick Diaz for an interim title in February, and the winner of that fight expected to face St. Pierre next.
But think for a minute about what it means that Hendricks just knocked out Jon Fitch in 12 seconds. Prior to Friday night, Fitch had built up a UFC record of 13-1-1, fighting inside the Octagon for a total of nearly three and a half hours, and no one had been able to finish him. Whether Fitch was beating good strikers like Thiago Alves, or getting beaten up by a great, well-rounded opponent in St. Pierre, the one thing Fitch was never in danger of doing was getting KTFO’d.
And that’s just what Hendricks did to him, with a vicious left hand to the jaw that knocked Fitch back so hard that the back of his head bounced off the canvas.
Hendricks said after the fight that he thought people didn’t respect his left hand, and that may be true: Hendricks is still often described as a wrestler above all, thanks to his status as a two-time NCAA champion. But that punch he landed to Fitch’s jaw informed everyone who didn’t already know that Hendricks has serious power in his hands.
It might be a while before Hendricks gets a shot at the title, especially if the UFC decides to hold Condit or Diaz until GSP is healthy. But looking at what Hendricks brings to the table, with his wrestling background and his punching power, you’d have to say that he’d be a real threat to beat St. Pierre if he ever gets that opportunity. Johny Hendricks has arrived as one of the elite welterweights in MMA.
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UFC 141 Notes — Watching Brock Lesnar‘s emergence as the UFC’s biggest star has been fun, but I’m not surprised that he announced his retirement after losing to Alistair Overeem. Lesnar is a millionaire many times over and doesn’t need to fight for the money. He tried MMA, had a lot of success, and has now lost twice in a row and needs to focus on his health. The UFC lost its biggest pay-per-view star, but the sport will be fine without Brock, just as Brock will be fine without MMA.
–It was great to see Dong Hyun Kim’s use of the same front kick that Anderson Silva used to knock out Vitor Belfort and Lyoto Machida used to knock out Randy Couture. Kim’s kick didn’t have quite enough power on it to knock out Sean Pierson, but it showed that Kim is working on diversifying his striking.
–Anthony Njokuani hasn’t evolved as a fighter at all: He’s still an exciting striker but a very rudimentary grappler. Until his takedown defense improves significantly, Njokuani is going to lose a decision to any good wrestler he faces, as he did to Danny Castillo.
UFC 141 Quotes
“I want to thank Donald Cerrone for the fight. Sorry about all the s–t that went down.” — Nate Diaz, leaving all the bad blood behind him after whipping Cerrone.
“Jacob Volkmann, an outstanding grappler. Not the best joke teller.” — Joe Rogan, after Volkmann made an unfunny joke about wanting to give President Obama a glassectomy. The UFC should tell Volkmann to leave the jokes to Rogan.
“He’s a good fighter, I look up to him, but I got the knockout. It was a good punch. It was my day to day. It was my dream to fight in Las Vegas and it was the biggest win of my life.” — Alexander Gustafsson after knockout out Vladimir Matyushenko, showing proper respect for an opponent 17 years his senior.
Good Call
We’re so used to bad judging in MMA these days that it sometimes comes as a surprise when all three judges get it right, but let’s credit the judges in the three Facebook preliminary fights, because all nine scorecards on those fights were right on the money: 29-28 for Diego Nunes over Manny Gamburyan, 29-28 for Jacob Volkmann over Efrain Escudero and 30-27 for Dong Hyun Kim over Sean Pierson.
Bad Call Herb Dean is usually one of the best referees in the business, but he made an absolutely horrible call by standing up Jacob Volkmann and Efrain Escudero in the middle of the third round of their fight. Volkmann had Escudero’s back on the ground and was working for a finish, and Dean inexplicably stopped them and stood them up.
Stock Up Volkmann is now 5-0 since moving down to lightweight. He doesn’t have the most crowd-pleasing of styles, and he hasn’t fought the highest quality of competition, but you can’t argue with five straight wins. It’s time for Volkmann to get someone in the Top 10, so we can get a feel for just how good he is.
Stock Down Gamburyan has now lost three straight fights, and he was never really able to implement his game plan against Nunes, who succeeded in keeping Gamburyan at distance and stopping Gamburyan’s takedowns. Gamburyan probably won’t lose his job in the UFC because the promotion needs as many recognizable fighters as it can get in the shallow featherweight division, but he’s fallen a long way since he was the division’s No. 1 contender.
Fight I Want to See Next Junior dos Santos vs. Alistair Overeem. A great battle of two great heavyweight strikers. I can hardly wait.
LAS VEGAS — He came, he fought, he left. After a career that spanned just shy of 55 months and only eight fights, Brock Lesnar is calling it quits. So he says. So he declared after a TKO loss to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 on Friday night.
If he changes his mind once his body and his ego have both healed up, he won’t be the first. But if the 34-year-old former UFC heavyweight champ really has strapped on his last pair of 4XL gloves, what does his departure mean for the UFC and the sport of MMA? How will we remember Lesnar once we don’t have the former WWE star to kick around anymore?
For UFC president Dana White, the answer probably has at least a little something to do with dollars and cents. Despite his inexperience in the cage, Lesnar immediately became one of the top pay-per-view draws for the organization after signing on in 2007. Whether it was because fans wanted to see him win or desperately hoped to see him lose, he put butts in seats and money in the bank for the UFC. He may not have always been the easiest guy for the UFC brass to work with, but he was a dependable cash cow.
And now, just like that, he’s gone.
“I had no idea he was going to do that,” White told reporters at the post-fight press conference. “Am I surprised? No. Brock Lesnar’s made a lot of money in his career and he’s achieved a lot of things. Brock Lesnar came to me one night here at the MGM and pulled me aside and said, ‘I want to fight in the UFC.’ I laughed. He was 1-0, came from the WWE, and he brought a lot of excitement to the heavyweight division. What that man accomplished in a short amount of time with one [prior] fight is amazing. I get it. It doesn’t shock me, but I didn’t know.”
For the man who could turn out to be Lesnar’s final opponent, the news seemed to come as more of a surprise, and maybe even a bit of disappointment.
“I think he shouldn’t walk away, because love him or hate him, it’s always something when Brock’s fighting,” Overeem said. “…He’s a guy who goes for it. I think he achieved a lot in a short span, and it would be a shame if he stops now.”
And yet, the Lesnar who got battered and beaten by Overeem didn’t seem to be one who was burning up with an unquenchable competitive fire. He fought a reactive fight — one devoid of the raw aggression he’d displayed in his earlier bouts. He never committed to getting Overeem to the mat, and a few well placed body shots sent him scurrying for cover. When Overeem whipped his shin across Lesnar’s midsection, that was all it took to convince the former NCAA wrestling champ that it was time to cover up and go home, perhaps for the last time.
What does that ignominious end mean for Lesnar’s legacy? Odds are it will only solidify the oft-repeated criticism that he never really got comfortable with being hit. When Lesnar was on offense, he was a juggernaut that mowed down everything in his path. But when an opponent managed to turn the tables he tended to shy away from the blows, going from attack mode to full retreat in a few seconds.
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Some of that can be attributed to inexperience. After a pro debut against the thoroughly forgettable Min-Soo Kim, the bulk of Lesnar’s MMA education took place on the job. He fought many of the best heavyweights around without the benefit of a gradual build-up or even much cage time in which to get comfortable. He was a star from the very beginning, and he was held to an almost impossibly high standard. He was also paid accordingly, making his relatively short stint in the UFC a highly profitable one.
But if he really is done with the sport, will Lesnar be remembered as a great heavyweight, or simply a memorable one? There’s no denying his star-power, but did he accomplish enough to be known as anything more than a lightning rod with incredible athletic ability and raw physical potential?
It’s difficult to say, in part because it’s hard not to wonder what he might have accomplished had he not been laid low by diverticulitis at the height of his career. Instead of challenging Junior dos Santos earlier this year, Lesnar had to go under the knife to have 12 inches of his colon removed. It might not have had any bearing on his fight with Overeem, but his health struggles almost certainly influenced his decision to hang up the gloves when he did, and deprived him of precious time to carve out more of a fighting legacy for himself.
Lesnar was a man who came to MMA relatively late in life and now seems intent on leaving early. He was memorable, even if he fell short of true athletic greatness, and he brought mainstream attention to the sport at an important time in MMA’s evolution.
Maybe when we look back on his brief career, that’s what we’ll remember most. Not that he dominated or even that he stuck around long enough to find out what he was fully capable of, but that he did a lot in a very little time, and he left the sport in better condition than he found it. Maybe that’s enough for him to feel satisfied in retirement. Maybe it has to be. And sure, maybe all the money he made in the process doesn’t hurt either.
LAS VEGAS — He came, he fought, he left. After a career that spanned just shy of 55 months and only eight fights, Brock Lesnar is calling it quits. So he says. So he declared after a TKO loss to Alistair Overeem at UFC 141 on Friday night.
If he changes his mind once his body and his ego have both healed up, he won’t be the first. But if the 34-year-old former UFC heavyweight champ really has strapped on his last pair of 4XL gloves, what does his departure mean for the UFC and the sport of MMA? How will we remember Lesnar once we don’t have the former WWE star to kick around anymore?
For UFC president Dana White, the answer probably has at least a little something to do with dollars and cents. Despite his inexperience in the cage, Lesnar immediately became one of the top pay-per-view draws for the organization after signing on in 2007. Whether it was because fans wanted to see him win or desperately hoped to see him lose, he put butts in seats and money in the bank for the UFC. He may not have always been the easiest guy for the UFC brass to work with, but he was a dependable cash cow.
And now, just like that, he’s gone.
“I had no idea he was going to do that,” White told reporters at the post-fight press conference. “Am I surprised? No. Brock Lesnar’s made a lot of money in his career and he’s achieved a lot of things. Brock Lesnar came to me one night here at the MGM and pulled me aside and said, ‘I want to fight in the UFC.’ I laughed. He was 1-0, came from the WWE, and he brought a lot of excitement to the heavyweight division. What that man accomplished in a short amount of time with one [prior] fight is amazing. I get it. It doesn’t shock me, but I didn’t know.”
For the man who could turn out to be Lesnar’s final opponent, the news seemed to come as more of a surprise, and maybe even a bit of disappointment.
“I think he shouldn’t walk away, because love him or hate him, it’s always something when Brock’s fighting,” Overeem said. “…He’s a guy who goes for it. I think he achieved a lot in a short span, and it would be a shame if he stops now.”
And yet, the Lesnar who got battered and beaten by Overeem didn’t seem to be one who was burning up with an unquenchable competitive fire. He fought a reactive fight — one devoid of the raw aggression he’d displayed in his earlier bouts. He never committed to getting Overeem to the mat, and a few well placed body shots sent him scurrying for cover. When Overeem whipped his shin across Lesnar’s midsection, that was all it took to convince the former NCAA wrestling champ that it was time to cover up and go home, perhaps for the last time.
What does that ignominious end mean for Lesnar’s legacy? Odds are it will only solidify the oft-repeated criticism that he never really got comfortable with being hit. When Lesnar was on offense, he was a juggernaut that mowed down everything in his path. But when an opponent managed to turn the tables he tended to shy away from the blows, going from attack mode to full retreat in a few seconds.
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Some of that can be attributed to inexperience. After a pro debut against the thoroughly forgettable Min-Soo Kim, the bulk of Lesnar’s MMA education took place on the job. He fought many of the best heavyweights around without the benefit of a gradual build-up or even much cage time in which to get comfortable. He was a star from the very beginning, and he was held to an almost impossibly high standard. He was also paid accordingly, making his relatively short stint in the UFC a highly profitable one.
But if he really is done with the sport, will Lesnar be remembered as a great heavyweight, or simply a memorable one? There’s no denying his star-power, but did he accomplish enough to be known as anything more than a lightning rod with incredible athletic ability and raw physical potential?
It’s difficult to say, in part because it’s hard not to wonder what he might have accomplished had he not been laid low by diverticulitis at the height of his career. Instead of challenging Junior dos Santos earlier this year, Lesnar had to go under the knife to have 12 inches of his colon removed. It might not have had any bearing on his fight with Overeem, but his health struggles almost certainly influenced his decision to hang up the gloves when he did, and deprived him of precious time to carve out more of a fighting legacy for himself.
Lesnar was a man who came to MMA relatively late in life and now seems intent on leaving early. He was memorable, even if he fell short of true athletic greatness, and he brought mainstream attention to the sport at an important time in MMA’s evolution.
Maybe when we look back on his brief career, that’s what we’ll remember most. Not that he dominated or even that he stuck around long enough to find out what he was fully capable of, but that he did a lot in a very little time, and he left the sport in better condition than he found it. Maybe that’s enough for him to feel satisfied in retirement. Maybe it has to be. And sure, maybe all the money he made in the process doesn’t hurt either.
The UFC has been promoting UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem as “the biggest fight of the year” and after two heavyweights weighed in at a combined 529 fights, they were right. The event featured Lesnar’s return after over year-long bout w…
The UFC has been promoting UFC 141: Lesnar vs. Overeem as “the biggest fight of the year” and after two heavyweights weighed in at a combined 529 fights, they were right.
The event featured Lesnar’s return after over year-long bout with diverticulitis. The former champion had battled the disease before, but finally received surgery to fix it for good. He claimed he was back and he would need to prove it against one of the top heavyweights in the world, Alistair Overeem.
Speaking of Overeem, UFC 141 also featured Octagon debut of the former Strikeforce, Dream and K-1 champion. “The Reem” is perhaps the best striker in the heavyweight division and the contrast between his and Lesnar’s styles made for a very intriguing fight.
In the end, it was Overeem who shocked the world by sending Lesnar into retirement with a crazy knockout win.
But although “The Reem” might have been the big winner from the night, he wasn’t the only winner. In fact, many of the real winners and losers from tonight’s event weren’t even fighting on the card.
Here were the real winners and losers from UFC 141.
When we saw Ross Pearson in August, he was engaged in a tremendous fight against Edson Barboza at UFC 134. He ended up losing a split decision, but Pearson walked away from the Octagon with absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.Pearson fought anothe…
When we saw Ross Pearson in August, he was engaged in a tremendous fight against Edson Barboza at UFC 134. He ended up losing a split decision, but Pearson walked away from the Octagon with absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.
Pearson fought another great fight at UFC 141 on Friday night, but this time he was able to walk away with a unanimous decision victory against Junior Assuncao.
It didn’t start well for Pearson, though. He gave up his back to Assuncao in the first round and had to wriggle his way out of it to get back on his feet. As the round ticked down, it became more and more apparent that Pearson was going to have to do something to salvage the round.
And he did. When Assuncao moved to score another takedown, Pearson got him square in the body with a kick. That got Assuncao’s attention, and Pearson escaped the first round without further damage.
At the start of the second round, Pearson immediately looked to turn the tide of the fight. He came out aggressively trying to land punches and kicks. Eventually, he was able to get Assuncao with a punch to his body.
Assuncao was able to reestablish himself, but he left the second round with a cut under his eye.
The third round started in much the same way as the second. Pearson came out swinging, but this time Assuncao was ready for him. He nailed him with a sharp jab and immediately went looking for takedowns. When his takedowns failed, he was cognizant to settle for strikes.
But with roughly two minutes remaining, Pearson caught Assuncao with a knee to the face. That opened the door for Pearson to land a flurry of hard hits, and Assuncao was lucky he could still stand by the time the third round came to an end.
Pearson hardly dominated the fight, but it was clear enough to the judges that he got the better of Assuncao throughout the three rounds. The unanimous decision was an easy call, though Assuncao didn’t seem too thrilled with it.
So after losing two of his last three bouts, Pearson is back on the winning path. It’s certainly worth noting that his bout with Assuncao was his first at Featherweight. Now that he has a win in his pocket, perhaps he’ll start making some noise within the division.
One win doesn’t necessarily equal a trend. But until further notice, Pearson is trending upwards.
LAS VEGAS — He came, he fought, he left. After a career that spanned just shy of 55 months and only eight fights, 
When we saw Ross Pearson in August, he was engaged in a tremendous fight against Edson Barboza at UFC 134. He ended up losing a split decision, but Pearson walked away from the Octagon with absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.