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The Good, Bad and Strange from Fight Night 29

The third quarter of the calendar year is officially underway as the UFC touched down for the sixth time in 2013 on for Fight Night 29.
The biggest promotion in MMA closed out their summer run with a bang as light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and Ale…

The third quarter of the calendar year is officially underway as the UFC touched down for the sixth time in 2013 on for Fight Night 29.

The biggest promotion in MMA closed out their summer run with a bang as light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and Alexander Gustafsson put on a Fight of the Year-caliber performance in Toronto. The first event to kick off what is set to be a chaotic run for the UFC to close out the year came when the Octagon returned to Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Wednesday.

The main event on the card featured a highly anticipated welterweight clash between two of the premier submission fighters in the sport when Demian Maia squared off with Jake Shields. The Brazilian had racked up three consecutive victories since dropping down to 170 pounds and the former Strikeforce middleweight champion was determined to bring that run to a grinding halt and re-establish himself as a title contender in the process.

With both fighters having such deep grappling credentials, the action playing out on the canvas was expected. Each had their moments throughout the five-round affair, but it was the Team Cesar Gracie fighter who earned the win via split decision on the judge’s scorecards.

While the top bout on the bill featured two fighters battling for a spot on the title radar in the welterweight division, the co-main event showcased two who were looking to break through into the elite level of the weight class. Highly touted prospect Erick Silva locked up with Dong Hyun Kim in a matchup that promised to send the winner up the ladder and the loser to be reshuffled in the divisional deck.

Despite taking a beating at the end of Silva’s striking, it was Kim who landed the shot that mattered as he scored a vicious knockout over the 29-year-old Brazilian in the second round.

In addition to the bigger names on the card, there was plenty of face-punching goodness to be found up and down the card.

Let’s take a look at the good, bad and strange from Fight Night 29.

The Good

Jake Shields

For the past decade Jake Shields has been one of the top-ranked fighters on the planet. The 34-year-old has championed multiple organizations throughout his career, but since joining the UFC in 2010, the San Francisco-based fighter has struggled to find stability.

Following a rare stretch of back-to-back losses in 2011, Shields appeared to have drifted out of title contention for the foreseeable future. Yet, if there is one attribute the savvy veteran has in large supply, it’s resilience and he’s been making strong moves back to the top with his recent performances.

The former Strikeforce middleweight champion picked up a crucial win on Wednesday against surging contender Demian Maia. The Brazilian submission ace had been storming through the division and Shields derailing that train will certainly serve to boost his stock in the bigger picture. With the victory over Maia, he is now 3-0-1 in his last four showings and has solidified his position as a title contender at 170 pounds.

Dong Hyun Kim

Staying in the welterweight division, Kim took a strong step to solidify himself as a potential threat to the 170-pound throne as well at Fight Night 29. The 31-year old picked up his third consecutive victory by knocking out power striker Erick Silva in the second round of their tilt. The win makes him successful in four of his last five showings and will guarantee his next challenge will come against one of the division’s best.

The bantamweight title picture is slowly crawling out of stasis as interim champion Renan Barao and champion Dominick Cruz head toward a unification showdown in early 2014. Yet, just below the title tier, the action as been in full swing for the past several months, and things took an interesting turn at Fight Night 29.

Raphael Assuncao and T.J. Dillashaw

He took a big step toward title contention when he edged out rising prospect T.J. Dillashaw via split decision to kick off the main card in Barueri. The Atlanta-based veteran rebounded from a slow start and was able to pick apart the Team Alpha Male fighter in the second round. For the most part, the final round was largely uneventful, but Assuncao still took the round on two of the judge’s cards.

Assuncao has looked impressive since dropping down to bantamweight and his victory over Dillashaw was the Brazilian’s fifth consecutive since joining the weight class in late 2011. In his post-fight interview with Jon Anik, the surging contender said he would like to fight the winner of the bout between Urijah Faber and Michael McDonald which is slated to go down at UFC on Fox 9 in December.

While he didn’t get the victory, Dillashaw’s efforts also need to be recognized here. The The Ultimate Fighter alum is still very early in his development as a mixed martial artist, and his battle with Assuncao will only help him improve as his career goes forward. The fight was close and could have gone either way, but a loss in this fashion won’t hurt Dillashaw’s stock in the bantamweight picture.

Chris Cariaso

He picked up a much needed win on Wednesday night. Despite finding success in the bantamweight fold, the scrappy Tuscon-based fighter had yet to find his footing at 125 pounds. That changed at Fight Night 29 as Kamikaze earned a second-round stoppage victory over Iliarde Santos.

The 32-year-old bounced back from a sluggish opening round to pick apart the Brazilian with his striking in the second frame, and with the win, Cariaso remains relevant as the flyweight division continues to take shape.

Yan Cabral

The highly touted submission ace made his official UFC debut against David Mitchell at Fight Night 29. After having to bow out of the second installment of The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil with a broken hand, the Nova Uniao product returned to action with force. He dominated Mitchell every step of the way throughout the 15-minute affair to pick up the unanimous decision victory.

The Bad

Thiago Silva

With all the talent involved in the pairing, his matchup with Matt Hamill should have been filled with positives. Unfortunately it was exactly the opposite.

Despite the heavy-handed Brazilian being one of the most dynamic finishers in the light heavyweight division, Silva has had issues outside of the cage that have continuously stunted his progress. While he appeared to be back on track after knocking out Rafael Calvacante at UFC on Fuel TV 10 back in June, the Team Blackzilians fighter came in heavy for this bout and missed weight by two pounds.

Matt Hamill

The Ohio native returned from his second hiatus/retirement in two years to face Silva at Fight Night 29. While the early stages of the fight featured some solid exchanges between the two fighters, the bout turned into a kickboxing match between two exhausted fighters.

Silva earned the unanimous decision victory on the judge’s scorecards, but the win will not do much for his stock. The Florida-based fighter has shown all the necessary to become a legitimate title contender at 205-pounds, but until he gets out of his own way, those opportunities will never materialize.

Mike Pierce

Despite having a solid amount of success in the welterweight division, Pierce has been fighting uphill the entire way. Lack of name recognition and a grinding style that has drawn more scorn than praise have kept the Oregon-based fighter from truly breaking through with the UFC fanbase.

Coming into his bout with Rousimar Palhares at Fight Night 29, Pierce had an opportunity to take a solid step in the right direction. Unfortunately for Pierce, he wasn’t able to capitalize on the situation as he suffered a first-round submission defeat at the hands of the Brazilian leg-lock specialist.

While Pierce is hardly the only fighter to fall victim to Toquinho’s specialty, the loss at this juncture of his career is crucial. He had collected four consecutive victories coming into the bout, but the loss against Palhares will kick the legs out from under the table in that regard. Losing a fight is never a plus in MMA, but the circumstances surrounding some fighters make losses carry more weight than others.

This was a fight Pierce could ill afford to lose and it will certainly push the 33-year-old back down the hill.

The Strange

The days of single disciplined fighters are long gone in MMA, but Palhares isn’t concerned with all that “well-rounded” business. The muscled Brazilian has made a career out of using leg-based submissions and on Wednesday night added Mike Pierce to his list of victims with a heel hook.

While Palhares has suffered knockouts and been finished in punishing fashion for his insistence on going for his opponent’s legs, it isn’t a trend he’s willing to break. The 33-year-old was looking for a fresh start by dropping to 170 pounds and earning a quick first-round submission over Pierce at Fight Night 29 will put some momentum behind those efforts.

Staying on the them of doing one thing and doing it well, the bout between Fabio Maldonado and Joey Beltran was figured to bring the ruckus. Both fighters are notorious for absorbing and dishing out large amounts of punishment and have made careers slinging leather inside the cage.

With those elements in place, a barn burner was all but guaranteed, but in the ever-unpredictable world of MMA, somehow something else transpired inside the cage. A technical battle was far from being expected, but rather than three rounds of “rock ’em, sock ’em” dustup, it turned into a sloppy fight filled with Beltran clinching and Maldonado posturing.

The Brazilian, Maldonado, took the victory via split decision on the judge’s scorecards and picked up his second consecutive win inside the Octagon.

Finally—and this is always a subject when UFC cards take place in Brazil—the host country’s fighters once again found victory at a high percentage when facing foreign opposition at Fight Night 29. Brazilian fighters won six out of the nine matchups when Brazilians were pitted against foreigners and tacked on more statistics to an already staggering number.

Duane Finley is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report.

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UFC Fight Night 29: Breaking Down the Fight Metric Stats for Maia vs. Shields

We all like FightMetric.
When there’s a-doin’s a-transpirin’ in a close fight, it’s the first place we’re heading on our second screens. At a glance, you can see who landed more strikes, more significant strikes, who went for more subs, whose takedowns…

We all like FightMetric.

When there’s a-doin’s a-transpirin’ in a close fight, it’s the first place we’re heading on our second screens. At a glance, you can see who landed more strikes, more significant strikes, who went for more subs, whose takedowns were on point.

Tonight’s main event, a matchup of two of the best grapplers in MMA in Jake Shields and Demian Maia, told a story in the stats just as it did in the cage.

Let’s take a look.

Striking

Demian Maia: 24 of 75 (32%) significant, 98 of 160 total

Jake Shields: 35 of 112 (31%) significant, 97 of 188 total

As is reflected in the numbers, even when he lost rounds Shields was more active with his striking. He was almost constant in his shots from guard and half-guard early on, and continually touched Maia with light strikes from all positions throughout the night. He probably pulled away in the fifth as a result of his striking on the feet as well.

Maia, on the other hand, was grossly less active as a result of spending much of the night against the cage or on his back. When he won rounds, he did it through positional dominance and aggression, not strikes.

In the end that wasn’t enough.

Takedowns

Demian Maia: 3 of 7 (43%)

Jake Shields: 1 of 12 (8%)

Interestingly, it was Maia who had more success in the takedown department, something many would have said was an advantage for Shields coming in given his background in wrestling. His unorthodox trips and throws, as they often have against wrestlers, proved fairly successful when he could get in range to use them.

The takedown success coupled with the number of times he managed to keep Shields at bay in his own right seemed like it might have been enough to steal the win, but the judges ignored the stats and went against the hometown hero.

Grappling

Demian Maia: 0/0 submission attempts, 1 guard pass, 0 reversals

Jake Shields: 0/0 submission attempts, 5 guard passes, 1 reversal

The area that the MMA world was most looking forward to when this fight was announced definitely didn’t disappoint, as the two traded positions and created scrambles for much of the night.

At the end of the day it was Shields with his more aggressive approach and constant thrust to pass guard that seized the day. He even threw in a crazy reversal that allowed him to escape Maia having his back in the third round, which looked like it badly troubled the BJJ ace.

If Maia won the takedown battle and Shields won the striking, it was the grappling stats that decided the fight. The decision might be controversial to some, but it’s definitely supported by FightMetric.

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UFC Fight Night 29: What We Learned from Dong Hyun Kim vs. Erick Silva

Following an otherwise lackluster start to the main card of UFC Fight Night 29, welterweight contenders Erick Silva and Dong Hyun Kim put on an incredible fight with an ending that was as dramatic as they come.
Silva landed at will early, while K…

Silva landed at will early, while Kim missed badly on several ill-advised spinning back elbows. But the Brazilian was taken down, and Kim managed to keep him there the rest of the first round.

The second round, however, was all Silva. That is, until the moment when the fight ended.

Silva battered Kim early, and a knockout seemed imminent. As he moved in for the kill, though, Kim slipped a strike and landed a brutal shot. Silva crumbled to the mat, and the fight was over in dramatic fashion.

Here’s what we learned from the contest:

What We’ll Remember About This Fight:

That comeback knockout. Kim was on the brink of getting stopped and was fading fast. That very well could’ve been the last chance for Kim to salvage the contest, and that’s exactly what he did. Sign the Knockout of the Night check, Dana. Might as well sign the Fight of the Night checks as well.

What We Learned About Dong Hyun Kim

This fight appeared all but over for Kim. Silva was landing with ease, and the Brazilian appeared heavily fatigued. But Kim, who was tiring fast himself, displayed just how much of a threat he is at all times. Unfortunately, the larger sample size displays that his striking needs work. His only striking offense on the feet came with that crushing blow, and he’ll need to improve in the stand-up if he wants to continue his climb.

What We Learned About Erick Silva

Silva could be a champion one day, or he could be the next Josh Grispi. Every time he seems to break through into contention, Silva gets smothered by a wrestler or—even worse—knocked out by one. The Brazilian has huge potential, and he is a very dangerous striker. We’ve known that for some time. But we’ve learned he has further adjustments to make before we can consider him a legitimate title threat.

What’s Next For Dong Hyun Kim

The main event of UFC Fight Night 29 features Jake Shields and Demian Maia, and the winner of this fight could be the next top contender. But the winner would also be perfect for Kim. Maia defeated Kim via TKO (injury) a year ago, leaving them with some unfinished business. But if the UFC looks to go a different route, the winner of Nate Marquardt vs. Hector Lombard at UFC 166 would be a nice matchup.

What’s Next For Erick Silva

Silva is a tough fighter to place, considering that fight against Kim very well could’ve gone his way if that single punch hadn’t landed. Tarec Saffiedine would be an interesting matchup if the former Strikeforce champ could ever get healthy, while Silva could also face the loser of Josh Koscheck vs. Tyron Woodley, assuming that fighter isn’t released following UFC 167.

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UFC Fight Night 29: What We Learned from Matt Hamill vs. Thiago Silva

UFC Fight Night 29 continued its underrated parade of tilts with a light heavyweight bout between perennial contender Thiago Silva and veteran wrestler Matt Hamill. The bout wasn’t exactly a barnburner, but it showed that Hamill still has heart and Sil…

What We’ll Remember About This Fight

Realistically not that much. It was another fight on another card, something that you’ll see on Wikipedia in a year-and-a-half and say, “Oh yeah, I forgot they fought.”

You might remember the unusual sight of Thiago Silva wailing on a coma victim in the last minute, though.

What We Learned About Matt Hamill

Nothing we didn’t already know. At 37 years old, he’s not a contender, already retired once and simply doesn’t have the tools to be at the top of the division anymore. There are guys that he’ll beat, but the list is getting shorter every day he gets closer to 40.

He might be in love with his striking a little too much after changing camps, and perhaps he could have stolen one with a little more wrestling and a little more gas in the tank. He didn’t have a hard time taking Silva down, and had only a marginally harder time keeping him there when he did.

Something to consider if he decides to fight again.

What We Learned About Thiago Silva

Similarly, we more re-learned than learned about Silva this time out. He has a penchant for not taking lesser opponents seriously, and that may have been the case against Hamill.

He basically took the fight because no one in the top 10 was available, and given that he missed weight and sort of casually peppered his way to a win, it’s hard not to think this was a tougher fight to prepare for than if it had been against someone relevant.

Still, if he’s ever going to move up the ranks at the pace of his considerable skill, he needs to overcome such issues.

What’s Next for Hamill

Possibly retirement. Sure, he looked alright against Silva until he faded in the third round, but what’s he fighting for at this point? Was anyone clamoring for him to come back when he retired the first time? Hardly.

It’s time to go home.

What’s Next for Silva

A bout with a top-10 guy is a must, maybe after a meeting at the UFC office about professionalism. After being popped for steroids, popped for pot and missing weight this time out, the Brazilian is obviously his own worst enemy.

Depending on scheduling, a returning Gegard Mousasi or the winner of Evans-Sonnen at UFC 167 could make sense.

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UFC Fight Night 29: What We Learned from Joey Beltran vs. Fabio Maldonado

UFC Fight Night 29 featured welterweight grappling artists Demian Maia and Jake Shields in the night’s main event, but two slug-first, defend-later light heavyweights squared off in the night’s most high-octane contest.
Joey Beltran and Fabio Mal…

Joey Beltran and Fabio Maldonado showcased heart, chin and a willingness to throw leather that left the Brazilian crowd roaring in appreciation.

Don’t be surprised if this fight goes down as the Fight of the Night.

What we’ll remember about this fight

Maldonado’s swag. The volume of punches. The fun.

This fight delivered everything we expected in terms of pure brawly goodness, and both fighters flashed moments of success and supreme bravado.

Maldonado was the more technical boxer, however, a fact which earned him the judges’ nod. Coupled with his Anderson Silva-esque (I’m stealing your terms, Mike Goldberg) game plan of backing himself into the cage for Beltran’s convenience, Maldonado ensured a fun, fan-friendly contest.

Beltran, to his credit, landed some hard punches that would have dropped a lesser man, but his stamina and technicality was simply not enough to overcome the Brazilian on this evening.

What we learned about Beltran

Beltran does not possess the necessary skills to crack the UFC light heavyweight’s upper echelon. In fact, I’m not even sure he is UFC quality.

He couldn’t knock Maldonado out, and he had nothing else to fall back on to lead himself to a much-needed victory.

That said, he’s fun to watch. (But we already knew that.)

What we learned about Maldonado

Like with Beltran, we did not learn much about Maldonado in this fight.

He ripped body shots, withstood punching barrages and exhibited a technical display of boxing prowess (as usual).

Nothing new here, folks.

What’s next for Beltran?

If the UFC does not cut him (and that’s a big “if”), look for Beltran to take on a super low-level light heavyweight like Matt Hamill (if he loses later on the card and sticks around) or the loser of UFC 167’s matchup between Robert Drysdale and Cody Donovan.

What’s next for Maldonado?

The winner of the Thiago Silva vs. Matt Hamill seems fair. Maldonado did not exactly catapult his stock with this performance.

Yes, it was fun, but he showed little that makes me think he can hang at the higher levels of the UFC’s 205-pound division.

Like MMA, heavy metal or life’s general absurdities? Follow @HunterAHomistek

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UFC Fight Night 29: What We Learned from Rousimar Palhares vs. Mike Pierce

UFC welterweight Rousimar Palhares earned a convincing win over Mike Pierce at UFC Fight Night 29, and he did so with his signature submission.
An aggressive Pierce charged the Brazilian right out of the gate, forcing a scramble against the cage. Palha…

UFC welterweight Rousimar Palhares earned a convincing win over Mike Pierce at UFC Fight Night 29, and he did so with his signature submission.

An aggressive Pierce charged the Brazilian right out of the gate, forcing a scramble against the cage. Palhares attempted one leg lock before standing, only to drop down for another.

Though Pierce had escaped the first submission attempt, Palhares‘ pressure proved too much on the next attempt, forcing a quick tap. Palhares snapped a two-fight losing streak in the process.

Here’s what we learned:

What We’ll Remember About This Fight

Another Palhares leg lock. He’s done it several times before, and opponents ought to know better at this point than to risk their lower limbs against “Toquinho.” But even if he is most famous for his leg locks, Palhares continues to force opponents to submit to them, as if fighters aren’t convinced that the locks are all that good. Again he reminds us that they are.

What We Learned About Rousimar Palhares

We already knew that Palhares was a wizard on the ground, and his leg locks have always been the most feared in the sport. So the heel hook submission win over Pierce was not all that surprising. Did we learn anything about the Brazilian then? All we can say at this point is that Palhares is extremely competitive against fighters outside the top 10 or top 15 in the welterweight division, as this win shows. He just can’t seem to break through into contention.

What We Learned About Mike Pierce

Pierce actually had a strong gameplan in this one, rushing forward early in an attempt to get to Palhares. The last three times Palhares was defeated, he was knocked out in the first round. Unfortunately, we learned that Pierce, though somewhat powerful, should never rely on his striking to win a fight. And that submission defense? Yeah, he needs to work on that, too.

What’s Next For Palhares

Palhares won’t get a top-10 guy next time out, but there are plenty of options outside of the ranked welterweights. One possibility is a match-up against Stephen Thompson, who defeated Chris Clements via knockout at UFC 165, which would set up a striker vs. grappler matchup. Another option is for Palhares to meet the winner of Erick Silva vs. Dong Hyun Kim, who fight in the co-main event later tonight.

What’s Next For Pierce

Pierce takes a big step back, but he is still one of the better known unranked fighters (even if he’s spent a good share of time on Facebook prelims). A matchup against the loser of Nate Marquardt vs. Hector Lombard fight seems like a fine idea. Those two meet at UFC 166.

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