Tag: UFC Fight Night 29

UFC Fight Night 29 Results: What Does the Win Mean for Jake Shields?

Jake Shields nabbed his second straight split-decision victory at UFC Fight Night 29. It was not the prettiest win, but what Shields fight is?
The veteran stepped up and took down Demian Maia, the No. 4-ranked welterweight in the division.
The question…

Jake Shields nabbed his second straight split-decision victory at UFC Fight Night 29. It was not the prettiest win, but what Shields fight is?

The veteran stepped up and took down Demian Maia, the No. 4-ranked welterweight in the division.

The question now is, what’s next?

Shields’ performances sent him into the middle of the pack after losing back-to-back fights against Georges St-Pierre and Jake Ellenberger. He moved back to middleweight for two fights, but decided to move back to 170 in June 2013.

There is no question that exciting fighters move up the ranks more quickly and garner more fan support, but there can be no denying Shields’ record. The aforementioned two losses were the only losses in the past eight years for Shields, and his level of competition has been higher than most.

Who has he beaten in that span? Yushin Okami, Carlos Condit, Mike Pyle, Paul Daley, Robbie Lawler, Dan Henderson and Martin Kampmann. There are several other tough, crafty veterans on that list as well. Shields has earned another premier bout for his next fight.

With a win over Maia, Sheilds will jump back in to the Top 10.

However, most of the division’s elite are already booked. Shields may have to wait for the UFC 167 fallout before getting his next opponent. It could be a blessing in disguise.

Depending on how the title picture shakes out in November, Shields could slip into a key fight in the division.

The fight with Maia showed just that.

Maia tore through the division. He out-grappled the likes of Rick Story and Jon Fitch as he went up the welterweight ladder. He was not able to do the same to Shields. It was the American who often found top position throughout the fight, and he also reversed position several times.

It was a grind for 25 minutes. A grind that Shields won.

His habit of dragging opponents into an ugly fight is not endearing, but it shows Shields’ ability to mask his deficiencies. If he can win another fight against an upper-echelon fighter, Shields will be right back in the title mix.

He’s earned that right.

Shields may not be the most exciting fighter in the division. He may not even be the most technically skilled.

Yet he wins. A lot.

That counts in the long run. He is without question one of the top 10 welterweights in the world, and he deserves a fight against another ranked opponent.

Shields may be one of the most underrated fighters in MMA history. His record speaks for itself, and the win over Maia meant a lot for his lasting legacy. It was just another elite fighter on Shields’ long resume.

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UFC Fight Night 29 Results: 5 Fights for Thiago Silva to Take Next

Thiago Silva rightfully belongs in the top 10 of the UFC’s light heavyweight division. He’s belonged there for a long time—at least since he burst on the scene as a talented young Brazilian in 2007 and went on to knock out his first f…

Thiago Silva rightfully belongs in the top 10 of the UFC’s light heavyweight division. He’s belonged there for a long time—at least since he burst on the scene as a talented young Brazilian in 2007 and went on to knock out his first four UFC opponents.

Since then, the only men he’s ever lost to have been title contenders in the past two years.

Of course, the fact that he still sits so far outside a title shot can be attributed to his difficulty passing drug tests. He’s failed two, both in fights he could have won clean.

Now he’s managed to put together another two straight wins with the pummelling of Matt Hamill at UFC Fight Night 29 on Wednesday.

The only reason Hamill didn’t end up as just another Silva knockout statistic was his sheer resilience. But outside of that, the Brazilian was far too devastating in his striking, as he’s often been for his opponents.

Silva’s come a long way since his fist career loss to Lyoto Machida, both in his maturity and versatility as a fighter. For that, he should be rewarded with a top-10 opponent, or as close to top 10 as possible. Here’s five possible choices.

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Rousimar Palhares to Receive Additional Punishment for Unsportsmanlike Conduct

UFC Fight Night 29’s Rousimar Palhares is in very, very hot water surrounding his submission victory over Mike Pierce. The longtime middleweight (who made his welterweight debut tonight) scored an impressive 31-second submission victory with an excelle…

UFC Fight Night 29‘s Rousimar Palhares is in very, very hot water surrounding his submission victory over Mike Pierce. The longtime middleweight (who made his welterweight debut tonight) scored an impressive 31-second submission victory with an excellent ankle lock. 

While that’s all well and good, Pierce tapped immediately after it was locked up, but Palhares refused to let go, even as the referee tried to break up the two fighters. It was a move that drew an enormous amount of criticism from fans, media and fighters, and it is not even close to the first time Palhares has been in trouble for some extracurricular twisting on his signature submission.

He was suspended three months by the New Jersey State Athletic Commission at UFC 111 in 2010. He also allegedly did this twice more in 2007 during fights on the local circuit in Brazil.

For his poor sportsmanship and plain and simple recklessness, Palhares was denied a Submission of the Night bonus, in spite of being the only fighter on the card to win via submission (which cost him $50,000). Additionally, UFC president Dana White vowed additional punishment for Palhares, but wouldn’t get into any specifics quite yet.

It doesn’t end there, either. UFC executive Marshall Zelaznik commented that the commission that oversaw the card will be looking into the length of time Palhares held onto the ankle lock.

While we will have to wait to see how harsh the punishments are, it is good to see that something is being done. Palhares’ behavior was absolutely, unquestionably unacceptable, and he is a repeat offender. Knee injuries are absolutely devastating to an athlete’s livelihood, and Palhares is obviously trying to actively inflict them on opponents.

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UFC Fight Night 29 Results: The Real Winners and Losers from Maia vs. Shields

It was an unheralded card, stuck in the middle of the week, during the buildup to one of the UFC’s biggest events of the year. The UFC 166 rubber match between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos was hogging all the limelight. Fight Night 29 on Wednes…

It was an unheralded card, stuck in the middle of the week, during the buildup to one of the UFC’s biggest events of the year. The UFC 166 rubber match between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos was hogging all the limelight. Fight Night 29 on Wednesday night from Brazil would just have to make do.

Sometimes these sleeper cards really exceed expectations, giving the hardcore few a chance to gloat about the great night of fights all their friends missed. They’re packed head to toe with knockouts, submissions and excitement.

This was not one of those nights.

A snooze-fest between Jake Shields and Demian Maia headlined with each man seemingly content to battle over the nickname “the human blanket.” That was in the first three rounds, when they still had the energy to grapple on the mat. By the last 10 minutes, it was a battle to make it to the finish—both for the fighters and fans weary from a long day’s work.

Shields ended up edging Maia to take home a split-decision victory. Of course, sometimes an MMA fighter can lose ground with promoters and fans even in victory, especially in the case of a boring fight. Likewise, a loser on paper can win the hearts and minds of all who saw him compete.

Was Shields a winner? A loser? Or both? Click on to find out.

Disagree with my choices in either category? Let me hear it in the comments.

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UFC Fight Night 29: Twitter Reacts to Demian Maia vs. Jake Shields

Jake Shields and Demian Maia required all 25 minutes of the UFC Fight Night 29 main event to determine a winner. While the former, Shields, walked away with the decision win, the judges were not unanimous, and the Brazil crowd disagreed. 
It turns…

Jake Shields and Demian Maia required all 25 minutes of the UFC Fight Night 29 main event to determine a winner. While the former, Shields, walked away with the decision win, the judges were not unanimous, and the Brazil crowd disagreed. 

It turns out plenty of people on Twitter also disagreed, while others were eager to defend the decision. But, mostly, people just wanted to talk about the actual grappling between two of the better ground-fighters in MMA. 

Take a look at how Twitter reacted to the evening’s main event:

Some thought it was the worst of fights, others were enthralled (or at least claimed to be). What’d you think of the contest?

Mr. Shoman did not approve.

He earned the decision, but just barely. 

After dominating Jon Fitch in his last fight, Maia appeared to be on the brink of a title run at 170. Big step back after tonight. 

Those two fights also went 25 minutes, though Shields didn’t pick up a win against GSP.

Seems just about everyone knew this fight was going the distance. The Shields pick was a little tougher.

Regardless of his struggling takedown offense, Shields still managed to gain top position on the ground early and often against Maia. 

Shields, never the most gifted athlete to step foot in the cage, can grind with the best of them. 

 

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UFC Fight Night 29 Results: Palhares Denied Post-Fight Award

Wake up! 
Demian Maia and Jake Shields are done laying on each other, guys. 
UFC Fight Night 29 fizzled with a lackluster main event between two welterweight grappling wizards, but the rest of the card was…okay. 
The night was garnishe…

Wake up! 

Demian Maia and Jake Shields are done laying on each other, guys. 

UFC Fight Night 29 fizzled with a lackluster main event between two welterweight grappling wizards, but the rest of the card was…okay. 

The night was garnished with an absolutely vicious Knockout of the Night, a cringe-worthy Submission of the Night (or was it?), and an entertaining back-and-forth tilt between bantamweight contenders tossed around in a salad of disappointment. 

Let’s see who pleased the fans and walked home with inflated pockets. 

 

Knockout of the Night: Dong Hyun Kim

You didn’t see this one coming. You just didn’t. 

I know anything can happen in mixed martial arts, but when Dong Hyun Kim faced the powerful youngster Erick Silva in the co-main event at UFC Fight Night 29, fans and critics foresaw one of two outcomes: 

1) Erick Silva would finish Dong Hyun Kim.

2) Dong Hyun Kim would smother Erick Silva, out-grappling him to a unanimous decision. 

Instead, we were treated to: 

3) Erick Silva lays the beatdown on Dong Hyun Kim in Round 2, nearly finishing him before eating a crushing overhand left from the “Stun Gun” that flattens him and sends him to the land of the unconscious. 

Yeah, or that. 

Dong Hyun Kim, enjoy your $50,000 bonus. You have earned it. This was by far the most exciting moment of the entire event. 

 

Submission of the Night

There was one submission at UFC Fight Night 29, and it was brutal. 

Former middleweight Rousimar Palhares debuted at welterweight against Mike Pierce, and he went to work quickly. 

In Round 1, Palhares secured a disgusting heel hook that left Pierce writhing in pain, tapping frantically for the referee to halt the contest. 

Pierce tapped. And he tapped. 

The referee intervened. 

Pierce continued to tap. 

Palhares would not let go of the submission, something that has earned him a suspension in the past. 

After eight (I counted) taps from Pierce, including three after the referee was clearly trying to break up the fight, Palhares released his hold. 

That is inexcusable—a point recognized by the UFC, as they denied Palhares his post-fight bonus. 

For being a poor sport, Mr. Palhares, you lose out on $50,000. 

Maybe you should just be a decent person next time. 

 

Fight of the Night

Raphael Assuncao and T.J. Dillashaw showcased everything beautiful about MMA in their bantamweight tilt, and each man received a hefty post-fight bonus for his effort. 

The two 135-pound standouts struck, grappled and wrestled their way to a Fight of the Night performance, pleasing fans and putting the bantamweight division on notice in the process. 

While Assuncao emerged victorious in the fight, Dillashaw showed off plenty of skills that prove he is an elite 135-pounder in the sport’s deepest promotion. 

These calls are tough to argue, as Kim’s knockout was clearly the finest of the evening, and Palhares‘ submission deserved disqualification based on his unsportsmanlike activity. 

The only debate I see comes with the Fight of the Night, where Joey Beltran and Fabio Maldonado hosted an entertaining, back-and-forth slugfest as anticipated. 

Still, Assuncao and Dillashaw were much more technical and a better representation of the sport’s finest athletes, so they are slightly more deserving for the award, in my opinion. 

What do you think? Do you agree with the post-fight bonuses? Sound off, and we’ll discuss. 

 

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