Reflecting on UFC 145, one can only agree that that was an incredible way to break the fast of Zuffa-branded MMA action. Now that it’s all over, let’s take a moment to sort through the night’s biggest winners, losers, and everything in between. Oops, wrong site. So what five things did we learn from the event? Nope, that’s not right either. Here’s UFC 145’s MMA Stock Market The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Yeah, that’s it.
The Good
• Travis Browne. In a shrinking weight division, the undefeated “Hapa” continues his streak of dominance. After submitting Chad Griggs with an arm triangle choke in the first round, top-ten heavyweights are forced to pay this man some notice — especially now that he’s finishing opponents on the mat, which seemed to surprise Browne as much as anybody. Look for the big man to get a big step up in his next outing.
• Young Fighters Performing Like Veterans. Rory MacDonald and Jon Jones are two of the youngest fighters in the UFC, but you wouldn’t have been able to tell that purely from watching them in action Saturday night. At 22 and 24 respectively, the young guns showed us that virtuosity beats experience. Georges St. Pierre has praised MacDonald for a while now, going as far as saying that he will be the next Georges St. Pierre — a mighty high compliment considering the source. In all of his 14 pro bouts, “Ares” has only gone to a decision once. Even his one loss to UFC interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit came in exciting fashion and earned him a Fight of the Night bonus. The countdown has already begun. Liftoff is imminent. Hope this kid isn’t scared of heights.
Reflecting on UFC 145, one can only agree that that was an incredible way to break the fast of Zuffa-branded MMA action. Now that it’s all over, let’s take a moment to sort through the night’s biggest winners, losers, and everything in between. Oops, wrong site. So what five things did we learn from the event? Nope, that’s not right either. Here’s UFC 145′s MMA Stock Market The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Yeah, that’s it.
The Good
• Travis Browne. In a Brock Lesnar vs. Alistair Overeem: Where Are They Now?” href=”http://www.cagepotato.com/brock-lesnar-vs-alistair-overeem-where-are-they-now/” target=”_blank”>shrinking weight division, the undefeated “Hapa” continues his streak of dominance. After submitting Chad Griggs with an arm triangle choke in the first round, top-ten heavyweights are forced to pay this man some notice — especially now that he’s finishing opponents on the mat, which seemed to surprise Browne as much as anybody. Look for the big man to get a big step up in his next outing.
• Young Fighters Performing Like Veterans. Rory MacDonald and Jon Jones are two of the youngest fighters in the UFC, but you wouldn’t have been able to tell that purely from watching them in action Saturday night. At 22 and 24 respectively, the young guns showed us that virtuosity beats experience. Georges St. Pierre has praised MacDonald for a while now, going as far as saying that he will be the next Georges St. Pierre — a mighty high compliment considering the source. In all of his 14 pro bouts, “Ares” has only gone to a decision once. Even his one loss to UFC interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit came in exciting fashion and earned him a Fight of the Night bonus. The countdown has already begun. Liftoff is imminent. Hope this kid isn’t scared of heights.
As for the champion, Jon “Bones” Jones retained his 205 lb. strap after he carved out an elbow-shaped cave in Rashad Evans‘ forehead. Even with emotions running high and the world taking pause to watch genuine bitter enemies fight it out, Jones kept his composure and never once hinted at cracking under the brightest of spotlights. The fight was never really all that close, at least not as close as one would expect it to be with Bones fighting an opponent who’s former champion as well as a former sparring partner. Jones’ masterful performance in the Octagon on Saturday night makes me hope the UFC offers to pay for the funeral of his next opponent. I mean, the guy’s already left four former champions in body bags.
• Guys Who Make Rape Jokes Getting KTFO. I don’t care if it was a line from a hit TV show or not, rape is no laughing matter. Miguel Torres was cut from the UFC for his blunder, and re-signed after making a concerted effort to make amends for his transgressions. Though his debt to society had been paid, Michael “Mayday” McDonald — another impressive young up-and-comer — dished out his own brand of justice to the master of mullets. Defeating a former champ is always noteworthy, even if Torres is playing on the back nine, so to speak. One well-executed uppercut was all that was needed from McDonald to send the former WEC bantamweight champion to the canvas for the night. I bet Torres never saw that coming. Good thing everyone loves surprises.
• Matt Brown’s Testicular Fortitude. Brown fought a game opponent in Stephen Thompson whose famed karate was key in busting up Brown’s face, but was virtually useless when the fight hit the mat. Nonetheless, as the fight progressed into the final minutes of the third round, Thompson landed a 1-2 combo and nearly won the fight. Goldie and Rogan insisted that Brown was in trouble, hurt, rocked and various other synonyms. If half of what they said was true, then maybe “Immortal” is more than just a nickname for Matt Brown.
• Brendan Schuaub’s Chin. It’s no coincidence that all three of Brendan Schaub‘s losses have come by way of (T)KO. Some guys can take a punch, others can’t. Either the Colorado native needs to work on a different game plan for heavy hitters, or he should make reservations at Sharmar Village Care Center.
• Rashad Evans’ Unwillingness to “Go for Broke.” Being down four rounds to none is the definition of having one’s back against the wall. You cannot retreat. You have no other recourse than to fight your heart out, risking life and limb, and another embarrassing KO face, for the chance to wear UFC gold once again. This is your chance to prove what you’ve been saying for over a year to be true. Pop quiz hotshot, what do you do? WHAT DO YOU DO? In the case of Rashad Evans, ‘nothing’ is answer.
• The MMA Live Curse Returns. Miguel Torres and Rashad Evans, both former ESPN MMA Live co-hosts, walked away in defeat at UFC 145. Some say it’s because their opponents were just that damn good or that the difference in reach was an insurmountable disadvantage for Rashad. Others, however, blame a completely provable, totally natural curse from a few years back — which we conveniently never mention unless it benefits us.
The Ugly
• That Color Blind Ref. I swear the referee for the Bocek/Alessio fight was wearing a pair of UPS pants. Although still not as big of a wardrobe malfunction as this (SFW), it was certainly distracting.
Reflecting on UFC 145, one can only agree that that was an incredible way to break the fast of Zuffa-branded MMA action. Now that it’s all over, let’s take a moment to sort through the night’s biggest winners, losers, and everything in between. Oops, wrong site. So what five things did we learn from the event? Nope, that’s not right either. Here’s UFC 145’s MMA Stock Market The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Yeah, that’s it.
The Good
• Travis Browne. In a shrinking weight division, the undefeated “Hapa” continues his streak of dominance. After submitting Chad Griggs with an arm triangle choke in the first round, top-ten heavyweights are forced to pay this man some notice — especially now that he’s finishing opponents on the mat, which seemed to surprise Browne as much as anybody. Look for the big man to get a big step up in his next outing.
• Young Fighters Performing Like Veterans. Rory MacDonald and Jon Jones are two of the youngest fighters in the UFC, but you wouldn’t have been able to tell that purely from watching them in action Saturday night. At 22 and 24 respectively, the young guns showed us that virtuosity beats experience. Georges St. Pierre has praised MacDonald for a while now, going as far as saying that he will be the next Georges St. Pierre — a mighty high compliment considering the source. In all of his 14 pro bouts, “Ares” has only gone to a decision once. Even his one loss to UFC interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit came in exciting fashion and earned him a Fight of the Night bonus. The countdown has already begun. Liftoff is imminent. Hope this kid isn’t scared of heights.
Reflecting on UFC 145, one can only agree that that was an incredible way to break the fast of Zuffa-branded MMA action. Now that it’s all over, let’s take a moment to sort through the night’s biggest winners, losers, and everything in between. Oops, wrong site. So what five things did we learn from the event? Nope, that’s not right either. Here’s UFC 145′s MMA Stock Market The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. Yeah, that’s it.
The Good
• Travis Browne. In a shrinking weight division, the undefeated “Hapa” continues his streak of dominance. After submitting Chad Griggs with an arm triangle choke in the first round, top-ten heavyweights are forced to pay this man some notice — especially now that he’s finishing opponents on the mat, which seemed to surprise Browne as much as anybody. Look for the big man to get a big step up in his next outing.
• Young Fighters Performing Like Veterans. Rory MacDonald and Jon Jones are two of the youngest fighters in the UFC, but you wouldn’t have been able to tell that purely from watching them in action Saturday night. At 22 and 24 respectively, the young guns showed us that virtuosity beats experience. Georges St. Pierre has praised MacDonald for a while now, going as far as saying that he will be the next Georges St. Pierre — a mighty high compliment considering the source. In all of his 14 pro bouts, “Ares” has only gone to a decision once. Even his one loss to UFC interim welterweight champion Carlos Condit came in exciting fashion and earned him a Fight of the Night bonus. The countdown has already begun. Liftoff is imminent. Hope this kid isn’t scared of heights.
As for the champion, Jon “Bones” Jones retained his 205 lb. strap after he carved out an elbow-shaped cave in Rashad Evans’ forehead. Even with emotions running high and the world taking pause to watch genuine bitter enemies fight it out, Jones kept his composure and never once hinted at cracking under the brightest of spotlights. The fight was never really all that close, at least not as close as one would expect it to be with Bones fighting an opponent who’s former champion as well as a former sparring partner. Jones’ masterful performance in the Octagon on Saturday night makes me hope the UFC offers to pay for the funeral of his next opponent. I mean, the guy’s already left four former champions in body bags.
• Guys Who Make Rape Jokes Getting KTFO. I don’t care if it was a line from a hit TV show or not, rape is no laughing matter. Miguel Torres was cut from the UFC for his blunder, and re-signed after making a concerted effort to make amends for his transgressions. Though his debt to society had been paid, Michael “Mayday” McDonald — another impressive young up-and-comer — dished out his own brand of justice to the master of mullets. Defeating a former champ is always noteworthy, even if Torres is playing on the back nine, so to speak. One well-executed uppercut was all that was needed from McDonald to send the former WEC bantamweight champion to the canvas for the night. I bet Torres never saw that coming. Good thing everyone loves surprises.
• Matt Brown’s Testicular Fortitude. Brown fought a game opponent in Stephen Thompson whose famed karate was key in busting up Brown’s face, but was virtually useless when the fight hit the mat. Nonetheless, as the fight progressed into the final minutes of the third round, Thompson landed a 1-2 combo and nearly won the fight. Goldie and Rogan insisted that Brown was in trouble, hurt, rocked and various other synonyms. If half of what they said was true, then maybe “Immortal” is more than just a nickname for Matt Brown.
• Brendan Schuaub’s Chin. It’s no coincidence that all three of Brendan Schaub’s losses have come by way of (T)KO. Some guys can take a punch, others can’t. Either the Colorado native needs to work on a different game plan for heavy hitters, or he should make reservations at Sharmar Village Care Center.
• Rashad Evans’ Unwillingness to “Go for Broke.” Being down four rounds to none is the definition of having one’s back against the wall. You cannot retreat. You have no other recourse than to fight your heart out, risking life and limb, and anotherembarrassing KO face, for the chance to wear UFC gold once again. This is your chance to prove what you’ve been saying for over a year to be true. Pop quiz hotshot, what do you do? WHAT DO YOU DO? In the case of Rashad Evans, ‘nothing’ is answer.
• The MMA Live Curse Returns. Miguel Torres and Rashad Evans, both former ESPN MMA Live co-hosts, walked away in defeat at UFC 145. Some say it’s because their opponents were just that damn good or that the difference in reach was an insurmountable disadvantage for Rashad. Others, however, blame a completely provable, totally natural curse from a few years back — which we conveniently never mention unless it benefits us.
The Ugly
• That Color Blind Ref. I swear the referee for the Bocek/Alessio fight was wearing a pair of UPS pants. Although still not as big of a wardrobe malfunction as this (SFW), it was certainly distracting.
At long last, we’re finally going to find out if watchingJon Jones and Rashad Evans fight is as entertaining as discussing it. The two light-heavyweight rivals — who sport similar haircuts, completely by coincidence — will settle their beef at the end of tonight’s UFC 145 main card, backed by a supporting lineup that includes Rory MacDonald vs. Che Mills, Brendan Schaub vs. Ben Rothwell, and Miguel Torres vs. Michael McDonald.
Live, round-by-round results from the UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans pay-per-view broadcast will be collecting after the jump starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT, courtesy of CagePotato flyweight liveblog champ Aaron Mandel. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and let us know your thoughts in the comments section. Now take our hand, Constant Reader, and follow us into the abyss…
Live, round-by-round results from the UFC 145: Jones vs. Evans pay-per-view broadcast will be collecting after the jump starting at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT, courtesy of CagePotato flyweight liveblog champ Aaron Mandel. Refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest, and let us know your thoughts in the comments section. Now take our hand, Constant Reader, and follow us into the abyss…
Alright, it’s time for the action to start in Atlanta!
John Alessio VS. Mark Bocek
Round 1- Bocek takes the opening round, my cable provider sucks ass, now I’m live, sorry PotatoHeads!
Round 2- Redhead vs. blonde action here as Alessio tries to have more UFC success than his first few runs. Bocek’s striking does not look good, Alessio tags him on the feet. Bocek shoots for a double leg and pins Alessio against the cage as he completes the takedown. Bocek working in Alessio’s guard, trying to pass. Elbows from the top by Bocek who is much more comfortable on the ground. More elbows from Bocek as he works into half guard. Bocek moves into side control and looks very slick on the ground. Alessio hip escapes back into half guard as Bocek continues to work some strikes and hunt for submissions. Alessio escapes and they are back on the feet. Bocek’s leg kicks look very slow, not sure why he’s throwing so many of them. Alessio working some strikes on the feet as Bocek shoots for another takedown. Alessio clinches up and defends the takedown. Round ends and it’s a close one.
In between rounds Alessio’s corner unleashes a string of aggressive curse words to encourage his fighter, which impresses Rogan!
Round 3- Bocek is likely up two rounds at this point. Alessio comes out throwing as they engage on the feet. Alessio with some strong jabs, repelling Bocek’s takedown attempts. Bocek gets an easy takedown and takes Alessio’s back with hooks. Bocek stays heavy on Alessio’s back with a body triangle working some ground and pound. Bocek is bloodied up but in total control on the ground and sort of resembles a battle extra from “Lord of the Rings”. Alessio with a nice escape and they are back on the feet again with two minutes left. Bocek with a sloppy takedown attempt and Alessio working kicks, but they look too casual. Bocek times the kick and shoots another takedown. Bocek works to the back but Alessio comes out the back and they are on the feet again with now one minute left. Bocek clinches Alessio against the cage and Alessio has to make something big happen in a hurry here. Bocek sticks to Alessio as the round winds down and Bocek cruises to what will certainly be a decision victory.
This looks to be a tailor-made comeback fight for Hominick as Yagin has done nothing in his UFC career to deserve this fight.
Round 1- Hominick makes it through the first ten seconds, longer than his previous bout with the Korean Zombie lasted, so he must be thrilled! Hominick looks must bigger than Yagin. Yagin clips Hominick on the feet and looks quick with his hands. Good leg kick from Yagin. Both fighters are feeling each other out early. Hominick has very technical striking but Yagin is staying in the pocket successfully throwing punches and kicks. Yagin drops Hominick and pounces looking for the finish! Hominick defends and recovers guard but Yagin is pounding away. Hominick is back on his feet but his face is cut up and bruised badly already. Yagin swings with a wild spinning back kick and I wonder if he gassed himself out trying to finish Hominick early. Hominick may still be dazed but he’s hanging in there and Yagin is slowing slightly as the round ends. Round one goes to Yagin.
Round 2- Yagin throwing big power shots while Hominick is much more technical and conservative with his strikes as they trade on the feet. Hominick peppering Yagin with a jab. Yagin throws another wild spinning kick that misses badly. Yagin drops Hominick again and he looks badly hurt but survives on the ground. Yagin is really fast in addition to his obvious power as he makes me eat my pre-fight words. Hominick is recovering and tying Yagin up in his guard. Hominick’s face is messed up. Yagin throws another spinning kick as they return to the feet. Hominick is landing much more frequently but when Yagin lands Hominick is getting dropped. Yagin again looks tired from trying to finish Hominick, just as in the first round. Hominick working some strong shots to the body of Yagin. Another round for Yagin as we head to the third.
Round 3- Both guys faces are bloodied up but Hominick is starting to resemble his alien doppelganger that appeared in his Aldo fight. Yagin pumps the crowd up as he works for a huge upset as the round begins. Striking exchanges between the two are pretty even as Hominick is trying to turn up the pace. Hominick is starting to get the better of the striking exchanges, which he needs to do in my opinion to have any shot at winning the fight. Hominick is working a stiff jab that is hurting Yagin and cutting him up but I don’t know if that will finish him. Hominick needs to take a page from Yagin’s playbook and throw some power punches. Two minutes left in the round. Yagin is getting tagged now and loses his mouthpiece but fires back with a minute left. These guys are throwing down! Yagin looked to be hurt but is still in there and firing back. The round ends with Hominick in charge but I don’t think it was enough as we go to the judges scorecards.
Huge upset win for Yagin and it’s now three straight losses for Hominick.
Miguel Torres vs. Michael McDonald
This fight is a great test for both fighters in the bantamweight decision. Does McDonald have what it takes at such a young age to compete with the top guys and does Torres have another title run in him?
Round 1- Both fighters tentative at the start. McDonald the more active striker at the outset. McDonald unleashes a flurry on Torres but most of it is blocked as Torres uses footwork and head movement to circle away. McDonald throws very heavy uppercuts but they haven’t landed flush yet. Torres’ mouthpiece comes out and Herb Dean stops the action to replace it WITHOUT RINSING IT as Goldberg mentions the five-second rule. McDonald drops Torres with a huge uppercut and he is out before he hits the mat. Huge KO for McDonald and there is no doubt he is for real.
Michael McDonald defeats Miguel Torres via knockout.
Ben Rothwell VS. Brendan Schaub
This is a must-win fight for both guys. Will Rothwell turn into a walking zombie like he did in the Hunt fight or can he put his new physique to use and touch the questionable chin of Schaub.
Round 1- Rothwell looks intense and the fighters touch gloves to start. Rothwell eats some heavy shots from Schaub but clinches up and throws some knees. Spinning elbow from Schaub lands and puts Rothwell in trouble but as Schaub swarms, Rothwell drops him out cold with a left hook! Wild exchange and career saving win from Rothwell.
Ben Rothwell defeats Brendan Schaub via knockout
Rory MacDonald VS. Che Mills
Rory MacDonald is in a situation akin to similarly named Michael McDonald and has a huge platform to make a name for himself in the co-main event tonight. Speaking of which, if I beat Chris Cope could I get in a co-main event too?
Round 1- MacDonald looks intense at the start. Mills with some low kicks but has his chin exposed. Mills cracks MacDonald with a punch as they clinch against the cage. Mills cracks MacDonald again with an uppercut and MacDonald immediately shoots in for a takedown which he gets rather easily. MacDonald unloads some huge ground and pound which he throws with amazing accuracy. A huge shot from a postured up MacDonald lands on Mills as MacDonald slides easily into side control. Mounted crucifix for MacDonald who appears to be light years ahead of Mills on the ground. MacDonald pounding away from the mounted crucifix as Mills lies there bleeding and looking confused. Mills tries to escape and shakes the crucifix but has MacDonald in side control. Mills’ face is a bloody mess. MacDonald moves into full mount and pounds away as Mills rolls and gives up his back. HUGE punches by MacDonald as he works for a rear naked choke. The round ends with Mills’ cheekbone doing a better job of escaping his face than Mills’ did off his back.
Round 2- Wasn’t sure if Mills would answer the call for round 2 but he does, a total warrior. MacDonald grabs a single leg and effortlessly takes Mills down and starts pounding away again. Yet another cut is opened up on Mills’ face as MacDonald is in side control working toward full mount. Full mount for MacDonald and he quickly transitions to Mills’ back. MacDonald unloads another flurry and Mills turns away in pain and agony as the ref mercifully steps in and stops this one.
Mills looked good during his brief time on the feet but had no answer for MacDonald on the ground. MacDonald got tagged on the feet but was never in real trouble and will probably get a big name for his next fight.
Rory MacDonald defeats Che Mills via technical knockout
It’s main event time now. The amount of buildup and hype for this fight has been off the charts. When the cage door closes, can the fight itself live up? One thing worth noting is how loose Jones has looked every time he’s been shown on camera in the locker room. I, for one, think Jones will win, but I have some doubt in the back of my head about him being too cocky now and clowning around. Video montages, walk ins, fighter introductions and then it’s go time!
Round 1- Jones and Rashad both coming out in cat mode! Jones goes to the body early and thinks about dropping for a shot but separates. Jones throwing kicks, Evans looks tentative. Rashad’s reach deficit is apparent as it looks hard for him to get inside. Rashad lands a combination there and Jones appears to take it well. More kicks from Jones. Head kick lands from Jones but Evans appears to take it well. Leg kick from Jones and he’s using his legs to maximize his reach advantage and control distance. Jones throwing a lot of kicks. Elbow to Evans face from Jones. Body shot from Jones. Evans seems to be content to wait for counter striking opportunities here in the first. Jumping body kick from Jones. A superman punch and two quick body kicks from Jones who is controlling the action early. Evans in counter mode, leg kick to Jones head and Jones is staggered! Jones shoots and then clinches. Round ends with Rashad in charge but I think Jones takes the round.
Round 2- Clinch between the two early and then they separate. Jones looks way more tentative now as they both swing and miss in the center of the cage. Jones tries a front upkick that misses. Evans taunts Jones after a flurry misses, Jones does not react. Stiff jab from Jones lands on Evans. Elbow from Jones from short range looks painful. Jones rocks Evans with another elbow that staggers Evans. Evans clinches and tries to clear the cobwebs. Another push-away elbow from Jones but Evans seems to be recovering. More elbows from Jones. Jones is using this short elbow a lot and concludes with a flying knee and a left hook that rocks Evans right as the round ends. That round goes to Jones.
Round 3- Jones the aggressor as the round begins. Evans lands a huge overhand right on Jones but Jones seems to take it well. Evans appearing more confident. Jones may be hurt but Evans is not pushing the pace. Jones lands a head kick. This is a great fight, my heart rate is tripping out! Lots of momentum swings and back and forth action. Evans’ boxing looks really tight. Jones rocks Evans with a flying knee and follows it with a body kick and another flying knee. Rashad counters with a punch. Hard body kick from Jones. Evans with a sloppy shot and they clinch. Jones looks to be wearing Evans down but he is staying in range of Rashad’s power shots. Jones ends the round with two kicks and I think Jones took that round.
Round 4- We are in the championship rounds, baby!!! Strikes in the center of the cage from both fighters. Spinning elbow attempt misses from Jones. Evans looks for a takedown that is easily stuffed by Jones. Jones catches a kick and throws a right hand down the middle that lands. Jones controlling the action here, Evans has done very little. Evans is looking to throw his right hand and not much else at this point. Jones is hopping like a rabbit towards Evans but the action has slowed in this round. Jones stops a takedown attempt and tries a front choke before giving it up and throwing some knees. Rashad has a “welt” on the side of his head that looks more like a dent in his skull, probably from the round two elbows. Shoulder strikes from the standing clinch by Jones, you read that right, yes. Jones shoots in but can’t complete the takedown as the round ends with Jones in charge.
Round 5- Evans looks tired compared to Jones at the start. Jones throwing jabs to start the round. Evans has to stop Jones to win at this point. Jones is snapping Evans head back with jabs and mixes in a body shot for good measure. Jones dancing around a little and just slips a huge right hand from Evans. Jones is standing right in front of Evans not moving much but lands a huge right. Jones landing some kicks and elbows while Rashad swings wildly and misses. Evans misses with a spinning back fist and eats a flying knee for his trouble. In the clinch and Jones muscles Evans against the cage. Jones lands a left and separates. Jones initiates a clinch again and flings Rashad to the ground with ease and tags him on the ground. Rashad separates and gets up but finds himself in the clinch eating knees from Jones again. Thirty seconds left and Rashad flings some bombs. For no reason known to man, Jon Jones pulls guard and defends against Evans’ ground and pound as the round ends.
We go to the judges and Jon Jones should retain his title here with a dominant win over Rashad Evans.
Jon Jones defeats Rashad Evans via unanimous decision
