Perennial UFC welterweight contender Jon Fitch has been known for two things throughout his 10-year career: 1. being a top five fighter at 170 pounds and 2. being one of the least entertaining fighters to watch. Fitch, a former captain of the Purd…
Perennial UFC welterweight contender Jon Fitch has been known for two things throughout his 10-year career: 1. being a top five fighter at 170 pounds and 2. being one of the least entertaining fighters to watch.
Fitch, a former captain of the Purdue wrestling team, has been known for his gritting, grinding style in the cage for as long back as anyone an remember.
In other words, Fitch is a “boring wrestler” in the cage who just wants to “lay and pray” for 15 minutes. No one wants to watch that.
However, after 16 bouts under the UFC banner, the American Kickboxing Academy standout looked like a new man against Erick Silva at UFC 153.
The first round saw Fitch utilize his takedowns and top control as expected, but he was much more aggressive on top, throwing strikes with an intensity and frequency that fight fans certainly were not used to seeing.
Despite being best known as a grappler, Fitch actually rattled the Brazilian prospect with an uppercut and an elbow on the feet before showcasing his skills on the ground.
Silva had a deep rear naked choke locked in after capitalizing on a Fitch mistake, but the Dave CamarilloGuerilla Jiu-Jitsu black belt showed practically superhuman submission defense by escaping the hold.
While this was nothing new for the Indiana native—this was his 24th submission successfully defended in the UFC—he then managed to take Silva’s back and looked to end the fight with an armbar as the round ended.
As intriguing as the first 10 minutes of the fight were, Fitch arguably looked most impressive in the bout’s final stanza.
Silva looked to be gassed out and Fitch wasn’t about to let opportunity pass him by. After getting the fight to the ground, Fitch was absolutely relentless with his ground and pound, landing an incredible 108 ground strikes in the final round.
To his credit, Silva did threaten Fitch with another deep submission attempt, locking up an arm-in guillotine, but the fight was essentially over once Fitch popped his head free and started raining down punches.
There is some debate as to whether or not the contest should’ve been stopped in the third, but everyone seems to agree that Fitch and Silva deserved nothing less than “Fight of the Night” honors.
Looks like Johny Hendricks knocking out Fitch at UFC 141 in just 12 seconds was the best thing to possibly happen to him at this point in his career.
After over four years without a fight bonus to his name, Fitch came into a hostile Rio deJaneiro environment and delivered, even if the match up went the distance.
A Jon Fitch unanimous decision victory worth watching? Who would’ve thought?
The bottom line though is that the new and improved 34-year-old has relentless ground and pound, great submissions and markedly improved striking.
Put the Martin Kampmann’s, Jake Ellenberger’s and perhaps even Carlos Condit’s of the welterweight division on notice because Jon Fitch is clearly back and better than ever.
Stephan Bonnar said something interesting in his pre-fight confessional. I am paraphrasing here, but it was to the tune of “Do you think I care about a belt if I beat Anderson Silva?” Why would he say such craziness?Because Anderson Silva is a walking,…
Stephan Bonnar said something interesting in his pre-fight confessional. I am paraphrasing here, but it was to the tune of “Do you think I care about a belt if I beat Anderson Silva?” Why would he say such craziness?
Because Anderson Silva is a walking, Portuguese-talking, front-kicking title all on his own.
Silva has progressed far beyond a mere champion. He has become an achievement. The highest achievement. Who will beat the unbeatable?
The middleweight title is little more than a trinket now. Icing on the cake. These fighters are stepping into the Octagon for something more. Something much grander.
They want to go down in history as the man who ended the reign of Anderson Silva. Being handed the belt would be dessert after an incredible bacon-wrapped steak dinner.
Every fighter dreams of being what Anderson Silva used to be. A champion renowned the world over. No one ever thinks they will become what he currently is. The greatest fighter to ever step into the cage. A ridiculous mix of skill and prowess.
That’s not to say a win over Silva would instantly make his usurper king of the cage, but it would certainly catapult him higher than any gold-plated belt could.
As for Silva, what does he even need the belt for these days anyway? The man takes vacations in the light-heavyweight pool as a way to wind down before he returns to his duties as the final boss in the middleweight division.
UFC 153 proved that he can take fights on short notice, in a different division, with a man who is notorious for taking punishment and not going down, and still win.
After this win over Bonnar, everyone is questioning which phenomenon Silva will take on next. Will it be the oft-mentioned GSP or the current favorite Jon Jones? Which of these men can do what seemingly no one else can? I think I have the answer.
Silva vs. The Undertaker in a Hell In The Cell match at WrestleMania. At this point, it’s the only logical fight left for the both of them.
If there is one thing you should never do before fighting Big Nog, it’s insult his jiu jitsu skills. The man is a legend when it comes to submissions.Throughout his entire fighting career, Big Nog has amassed 34 wins, with an incredible 21 of those com…
If there is one thing you should never do before fighting Big Nog, it’s insult his jiu jitsu skills. The man is a legend when it comes to submissions.
Throughout his entire fighting career, Big Nog has amassed 34 wins, with an incredible 21 of those coming by way of submission.
Dave “Pee Wee” Herman found that out the hard way at UFC 153 in their co-main event this weekend, as Nogueira locked up an armbar at 4:31 of the second round. It was a beautiful display of ground work.
Herman fought through an Americana attempt, as well as an armbar that forced Nogueira to give up his position.
A trip followed, and Nogueira landed in side control and quickly worked to achieve full mount. From there the end was near, as Big Nog is a master on the ground. He locked in the armbar and kept hold when Herman tried to roll his way out of it.
This victory was especially sweet for Nogueira for a number of reasons. It was his first win since knocking out Brendan Schaub at UFC 134. This past event also took place in Brazil, where the screaming, enthusiastic, hometown fans must have given Big Nog a boost.
Big Nog also proved that yes, jiu jitsu is still a very effective martial art. Despite Herman defending a few submission attempts early, the end was all but inevitable. The ending was picture perfect.
Herman wanted to prove to people that any kind of jiu jitsu didn’t work on him. But he learned a valuable and hard lesson from a master of the trade. Jiu jitsu does work, and Big Nog is a living testament to the lethality of the martial art.
If there’s a word that sums up UFC 153, it’s got to be “wow”. Anderson Silva gave another performance indicating that we do indeed live in the Matrix. Jon Fitch was in the most exciting fight of the night, and one of the best of the year. Big Nog submitted a man impervious to jiu-jitsu. Demian Maia choked/neck-cranked a man so hard he had a mini-hemorrhage and blood spurted out of his nose. And perhaps most impressive of all, Wagner Prado actually stopped a hat thief.
The bottom line is UFC 153 was an amazing card that delivered from top to bottom. Could it have been better if it had Frankie Edgar square off against Jose Aldo? Probably. But I’ll take another transcendental show from Anderson Silva any day of the week. And that’s exactly what his fight with Stephan Bonnar was. After a slip, Bonnar pressed Silva into the cage, presumably looking to wear the smaller fighter down. Silva wasn’t having any of it, offering a few knees, shoulder shrugs and nothing else. Bonnar backed away and then things got weird. Silva remained on the fence, hands down, encouraging Bonnar to hit him.
Now, I know Stephan Bonnar isn’t the world’s greatest striker. He’s never shown serious knockout power, and his technique has never been the best. But he’s still a 230 pound man who’s spent the majority of his adult life learning how to hurt people. He’s a professional fighter. And for about 4 minutes and 40 seconds last night, those facts didn’t amount to jack shit. Silva dodged, deflected or simply absorbed Bonnar’s offense for about two minutes, demonstrating what a black belt in Tae Kwon Do is worth against a man who seems to know what you’re going to do before you do. Then, Silva decided to end the fight. He tripped Bonnar, established some separation, and then connected with a debilitating, pin-point knee to the solar plexus. Bonnar – who had never been stopped with strikes before – collapsed and waited for the end to come. Mercifully, it did.
If there’s a word that sums up UFC 153, it’s got to be “wow”. Anderson Silva gave another performance indicating that we do indeed live in the Matrix. Jon Fitch was in the most exciting fight of the night, and one of the best of the year. Big Nog submitted a man impervious to jiu-jitsu. Demian Maia choked/neck-cranked a man so hard he had a mini-hemorrhage and blood spurted out of his nose. And perhaps most impressive of all, Wagner Prado actually stopped a hat thief.
The bottom line is UFC 153 was an amazing card that delivered from top to bottom. Could it have been better if it had Frankie Edgar square off against Jose Aldo? Probably. But I’ll take another transcendental show from Anderson Silva any day of the week. And that’s exactly what his fight with Stephan Bonnar was. After a slip, Bonnar pressed Silva into the cage, presumably looking to wear the smaller fighter down. Silva wasn’t having any of it, offering a few knees, shoulder shrugs and nothing else. Bonnar backed away and then things got weird. Silva remained on the fence, hands down, encouraging Bonnar to hit him.
Now, I know Stephan Bonnar isn’t the world’s greatest striker. He’s never shown serious knockout power, and his technique has never been the best. But he’s still a 230 pound man who’s spent the majority of his adult life learning how to hurt people. He’s a professional fighter. And for about 4 minutes and 40 seconds last night, those facts didn’t amount to jack shit. Silva dodged, deflected or simply absorbed Bonnar’s offense for about two minutes, demonstrating what a black belt in Tae Kwon Do is worth against a man who seems to know what you’re going to do before you do. Then, Silva decided to end the fight. He tripped Bonnar, established some separation, and then connected with a debilitating, pin-point knee to the solar plexus. Bonnar – who had never been stopped with strikes before – collapsed and waited for the end to come. Mercifully, it did.
Plenty of people are clamoring for Silva to fight Jon Jones now. I’m not saying I wouldn’t be intrigued, but until both of them want to fight, it seems silly to speculate. Besides, Silva’s fights with people he considers his friends don’t seem to be the entertaining variety. (Even if said “friends” actually dispute their friendship.) Personally, though, I’d like to see him fight Chris Weidman. GSP is, in my opinion, too small for Silva, and is coming off ACL surgery anyway. Michael Bisping wouldn’t last a round. Weidman has the wrestling to make things interesting, and the standup to, at least, survive on the feet for a time. He’s earned his shot; give it to him. Bonnar, on the other hand, was already contemplating retirement. Perhaps it’s best he follow through on that. He’s accomplished all he’s going to in the sport, and he can look forward to a cozy, Chuck Liddell-esque position within the UFC.
In the co-main event… actually, I’m putting that on hold for the moment. Because we have to talk about the Jon Fitch-Erick Silva fight. It was probably the most anticipated fight on the card, which is odd for a Fitch fight. But it delivered in spades. I’ve never got the hate for Jon Fitch that so many fans seem to harbor – yeah, he’s not the most exciting fighter, but the fact that people criticize a guy for fighting to his strengths instead of fighting for their personal entertainment is simply irrational. But you couldn’t levy those criticisms at him this fight – Fitch turned his grinding style up to 11 and brought the fight to Silva. The first round was closely contested, but in Fitch’s favor. The second Silva actually won, largely through securing back control and sinking in a rear naked choke that would have submitted anyone not named Jon Fitch. In all honesty, I still have no clue how Fitch survived, but he did. And he made Silva pay in the third, getting dominant positions, including mount, and unloading with punches for virtually the entire round. (A round which should have been scored 10-8 and which, predictably, no judge scored 10-8.)
Fitch broke Erick Silva. There’s no other way to describe it. That doesn’t mean Silva won’t recover, however. He’s still extraordinarily talented, and Jon Fitch is still one of the best fighters in the division. It was a big step up in competition, and for the first two rounds, he held his own. But sometimes, that’s the difference between good and great. Silva will work on his game and comeback stronger. As for Fitch, perhaps he’s got one more run left in him. This fight certainly indicated he does.
OK, now we’ll get to the co-main event. Basically, you don’t want to fight Big Nog in Brazil. And if you do, you don’t want to be Dave Herman. I’m not sure who came up with Herman’s game plan of “get punched in the face repeatedly and exchange takedowns with one of the most dangerous jiu-jitsu artists in the division,” but damn if Herman didn’t follow it to perfection. He spent the entire first round doing exactly that, getting hit flush in the face on numerous occasions. (This fight, if anything, did not lend any credibility to Brandon Schaub’s already suspect chin.) Why Herman, who possessed a distinct reach advantage, decided not to jab at all is a mystery to me.
It cost him in the second, where Nog was able to floor him with a left hook, achieved mount, and eventually secured a fight-ending armbar over the man who claimed that “jiu-jitsu doesn’t work.” As it turns out, it does, and it probably just handed Herman his walking papers after his third straight loss. Nogueira, on the other hand, wants a top-10 fighter. Give him Stefan Struve, Antonio Silva or Fabricio Werdum, and let the remaining two fight each other as well.
Glover Teixeira lived up to the hype. He tagged Fabio Maldonado early on, took him down, and did his best Donkey Kong imitation for the next four minutes. But Maldonado is made of something tougher than ordinary human beings. He somehow survived, stood, wobbled and then proceeded to tag a fatigued Teixeira with a left hook that wobbled him. But he was unable to capitalize, and was subjected to more of the same over the next round. Finally, the ringside doctor called for the stoppage in between the second and third rounds. Maldonado protested, but it was the right call. He won’t be cut simply because of how tough he was, but it’s unclear where he should go from here. Teixeira, however, needs to fight a big name at 205. Phil Davis or Shogun should fit the bill, if Lyoto Machida and Dan Henderson fight as intended.
There isn’t much to say about the Wagner Prado-Phil Davis fight, other than that Wagner Prado did this, a feat unequaled in UFC history. Unfortunately for Prado, stopping the notorious Brazilian hat-thieves was his only accomplishment of the night, and he was dominated by Davis for their entire fight. The end came in the second, as Davis transitioned from an arm-triangle into a front headlock and then an anaconda choke, forcing Prado to submit. Prado was visibly upset afterwards. He’ll probably get another shot in the UFC; there’s no shame in being out-grappled by Phil Davis. I’d say Davis should take on Ryan Bader next, but winners get winners, so give him Shogun or Teixeira instead.
Finally, Demian Maia’s turning into a force at 170. I’m not surprised he beat Rick Story, but I’m surprised how easily he took him down and kept him down. Once Story was on the ground, it was only a matter of time. Maia took his back and sunk in an absolutely brutal RNC/neck crank, which caused blood to erupt from Story’s nose and mouth. Maia’s much stronger at 170 than he was at 185. If only Jake Shields hadn’t tested positive for something, that would have been the match-up to make. Since he has… hell, give him Jon Fitch. That should be interesting.
Maia took home submission of the night, while Fitch and Silva took home fight of the night. Knockout of the Night went to Rony Jason’s second round TKO over Sam Sicilia. Anderson Silva probably deserved the award, but he’s made enough money as it is. I doubt he minds the decision. Other brief thoughts; Fernando Yamasaki is a terrible referee. Madadi should’ve won his fight. The referee should have probably taken a point from Wagner Prado for holding the fence, but I understand his desire to leave Brazil with all his limbs intact. The chick who had “Erick Silva” tattooed on her forearm is probably rethinking her decision, and many of her life’s decisions, right about now.
Main Card Results
Anderson Silva def. Stephan Bonnar via TKO (4:40, Round 2)
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Dave Herman via SUB (4:31, Round 2)
Glover Teixeira def. Fabio Maldonado via TKO (Doctor’s Stoppage, Round 2)
Jon Fitch def. Erick Silva via UD (30-27, 29-28 x 2)
Phil Davis def. Wagner Prado via SUB (4:29, Round 2)
Demian Maia def. Rick Story via SUB (2:30, Round 1)
Preliminary Card Results
Rony Jason def. Sam Sicilia via TKO (4:16, Round 2)
Gleison Tibau def. Francisco Trinaldo via UD (29-28 x 3)
Diego Brandao def. Joey Gambino via UD (30-27 x 3)
Sergio Moraes def. Renee Forte via SUB (3:10, Round 3)
Chris Camozzi def. Luiz Cane via UD (29-28 x 3)
Christiano Marcello def. Reza Madadi via SD (30-27, 29-28, 28-29)
Anderson Silva is now 16-0 in the UFC. His winning streak is the longest in UFC history and nearly twice as long as his closest competitor. (Georges St-Pierre has nine.)After seeing the Spider dominant in yet another performance, there is no question t…
Anderson Silva is now 16-0 in the UFC. His winning streak is the longest in UFC history and nearly twice as long as his closest competitor. (Georges St-Pierre has nine.)
After seeing the Spider dominant in yet another performance, there is no question that the Team Nogueira fighter is the greatest fighter to ever step foot in the Octagon.
With UFC 153 in the history book, here is a look at some of the key takeaways from Saturday’s main event.
MMA Fighting caught up with Dana White last night in Rio after UFC 153 to dig into topics not fully explored during the post fight presser and the Prez had some interesting things to say. The most ear-catching thing for us came near the end of the interview when White said that the UFC was hoping to have suspended heavyweight Alistair Overeem fight for the title against the winner of Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos as soon as he was cleared to.
Overeem came to the UFC in late 2011 and earned a title shot after stopping former champion Brock Lesnar in the first round. This, of course, came after he led the Nevada State Athletic Commission on an international goose chase as they tried to get him to complete his pre fight drug tests.
Then as he was nearing his next fight, Alistair tried to run out on a random drug test conducted by the commission and then, when he ultimately did take it, failed. As a result, he’s currently suspended.
MMA Fighting caught up with Dana White last night in Rio after UFC 153 to dig into topics not fully explored during the post fight presser and the Prez had some interesting things to say. The most ear-catching thing for us came near the end of the interview when White said that the UFC was hoping to have suspended heavyweight Alistair Overeem fight for the title against the winner of Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos as soon as he was cleared to.
Overeem came to the UFC in late 2011 and earned a title shot after stopping former champion Brock Lesnar in the first round. This, of course, came after he led the Nevada State Athletic Commission on an international goose chase as they tried to get him to complete his pre fight drug tests.
Then as he was nearing his next fight, Alistair tried to run out on a random drug test conducted by the commission and then, when he ultimately did take it, failed. As a result, he’s currently suspended.
Whatever your opinion on the complex issue of performance enhancing drugs in sports and Alistair’s case in particular, it is notable that the UFC has apparently decided not to set a larger statement about how they do or do not push athletes who have repeatedly had issues with athletic commission testing. The UFC’s stance, at least when it comes to the marketable Overeem, seems to be that once his suspension is over he would have served his time and is entitled to the title shot he earned nearly a year ago. Or at least that they are entitled to the main event that they already invested so heavily in themselves before he messed it up.
On the note of the UFC defending embattled fighters, White also told MMA Fighting that he had no regrets about defending lightweight Jeremy Stephens so staunchly. White rightly said that, one way or the other, Stephens’ case will be decided in court and that all he was trying to do was get him bailed out in order to make his living as the fighter awaited his day in court.
White was reluctant to speak about Strikeforce, but he did call it a mess. This portion of the interview is alla bout reading between the lines and speculation, at least until folks get answers from Lorenzo Fertita, who White basically said should get all the questions about the messy Strikeforce situation.
The UFC President also touches on his coming surgery and Eddie Alvarez. Its a good one so check it out above.
Stephan 
