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UFC on Fox 10 Results: Real Winners and Losers from Henderson vs. Thomson Card

When it comes to MMA fight cards, I’m a bit of an optimist. Coming in to UFC on Fox 10, perhaps that optimism was a little cockeyed.
The whole thing went down on national television Saturday from The House That Jordan Built, the United Center in …

When it comes to MMA fight cards, I’m a bit of an optimist. Coming in to UFC on Fox 10, perhaps that optimism was a little cockeyed.

The whole thing went down on national television Saturday from The House That Jordan Built, the United Center in Chicago. And it unfolded before what was purportedly (and from the couch, certainly looked and sounded like) a not-exactly-full arena. Maybe that’s just Chicago in January working its special magic, but it may also have something to do with the relatively low-profile and objectively low-stakes lineup.

And yet, there was intrigue to be found. Cause for optimism, you might say. First of all, because it’s MMA, fireworks may be poised around any corner. Second, the slate did contain some reasonably tasty matchups, especially in a free TV context.

In the main event, former UFC lightweight champion Benson Henderson took on the hard-charging Josh Thomson. In the co-main event, Stipe Miocic tried to reach the next stratum of the heavyweight division with a win over Gabriel Gonzaga. Also, there was Donald Cerrone.

It’s all in the books now, but the stat lines, they only reveal so much. Here are the real winners and losers from up and down the fight card.

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UFC on Fox 10: What We Learned from Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Stipe Miocic

A deceptively important heavyweight fight went down at UFC on Fox 10 as Gabriel Gonzaga faced off with Stipe Miocic.
Gonzaga is an enduring gatekeeper but was on a strong 4-1 stretch of late with the lone loss coming via controversial knockout. He was …

A deceptively important heavyweight fight went down at UFC on Fox 10 as Gabriel Gonzaga faced off with Stipe Miocic.

Gonzaga is an enduring gatekeeper but was on a strong 4-1 stretch of late with the lone loss coming via controversial knockout. He was actually in a position to jump up the rankings with a win. Miocic, meanwhile, suddenly found himself as a top-10 heavyweight by beating Roy Nelson in a what was expected to be a squash match, and had another entrenched stepping stone to climb on.

When they faced off, Miocic did just that, becoming the third person to beat both Nelson and Gonzaga. So what did we learn?

Gabriel Gonzaga has Terrible Cardio

That right there was the biggest lesson from this fight.

It hadn’t really come up in Gonzaga’s current run at heavyweight. The longest he had gone before Miocic was 1:01 of Round 2 against Ben Rothwell. Gonzaga ended up slowing down considerably in the second, and by the third, he was in full-on hyperventilation mode.

It wasn’t like the first two rounds were especially high-pace, either. That was just a really bad showing by Gonzaga.

Stipe Miocic Still Isn’t a Top Heavyweight

Roy Nelson and Gabriel Gonzaga are two solid heavyweights who have carved out a strong niche as gatekeepers. Only two fighters have beaten both of them: former heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos and potential top contender Fabricio Werdum.

Miocic, though, just didn’t look to be up to that level—not even close, really. He did more than enough to win. A minute into the second round, it was clear that the fight was Miocic‘s to lose.

That said, the dos Santoses and the Werdums didn’t “do more than enough to win.” Neither did the Shane Carwins or the Randy Coutures or even the Frank Mirs. They slapped around guys like Gonzaga and Nelson.

Miocic didn’t do that.

Stipe Miocic is Still Up for a Big Opponent

It wasn’t an emphatic win, but a win is a win, and in the relatively thin heavyweight division, that’s worth a lot.

The top 10 in the heavyweight division isn’t exactly elite, but I expect Miocic to get somebody like Josh Barnett or Alistair Overeem (if he beats Frank Mir) in his next fight. Keep an eye out for my full feature on Miocic in the immediate future.

Gabriel Gonzaga Isn’t Up to Snuff

So the thing is, as we saw with Shane Carwin, a first-round knockout is a great way to cover up obvious, glaring flaws in one’s game. Get enough of them in a row, and you get a shot at the belt.

Gonzaga, if he had gotten another big win over Miocic, might just have been in line to make a run for the belt. This fight, though, slammed the door shut on that notion. Not only is he irrevocably separated from a title shot, but he is so clearly not a top-10 heavyweight that he is almost certainly not going to fight somebody ranked above him again.

It’s tough to say, because it’s hard not to root for a guy like Gonzaga to make that final run toward the belt. Unfortunately, his window has closed.

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UFC on Fox 10 Results: 3 Fights for Gabriel Gonzaga to Take Next

A pair of heavyweights looking to sneak in the heavyweight title picture met in Chicago, as Stipe Miocic took on Gabriel Gonzaga in the co-main event of UFC on Fox 10. It promised to be a fight that wouldn’t reach the judges.
Gonzaga looked to throw he…

Gonzaga looked to throw heat early on but tired quickly because of the pace in which he was throwing at. From there, he was outboxed by Miocic and unable to get a takedown.

Where does Gonzaga go from here? He lost a decision to Miocic in uninspiring fashion, where his cardio failed him massively.

Here are three fights Gonzaga can take next in an attempt to get back into the win column.

Josh Barnett

Josh Barnett is coming off a loss at UFC 168 to quickly rising star Travis Browne. Gonzaga is coming off a loss at UFC on Fox 10 to another quickly rising star, Miocic.

It’s a match made in heaven.

Both Barnett and Gonzaga are ground fighters, which could make for a fun grappling battle. Watching Barnett’s catch wrestling against Gonzaga’s BJJ would be a thing of beauty, especially when we find out whose ground game is superior.

The winner moves back into the title picture. The loser scrambles to pick up the pieces.

Roy Nelson

Roy Nelson was recently outworked by Miocic. Gonzaga was recently outworked by Miocic.

This could also be a match made in heaven.

Nelson and Gonzaga are both power punchers on the feet with good jiu-jitsu to rely on. Nelson could definitely turn out the lights on Gonzaga, but could Gonzaga knock out the concrete-chinned Nelson?

I don’t know. But, I’d like to find out.

Antonio Silva

Antonio Silva was recently busted on a failed drug test after a classic against Mark Hunt in Australia. He may be out for a bit, but when he returns, Gonzaga could be a good matchup.

Both men are Brazilian and could be a nice addition to any card in the South American country. Both men can slug it out or battle on the mat; either way, it could be entertaining.

Either way, one man needs to get back in the win column. This matchup could definitely make some sense.

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UFC on Fox 10: What We Learned from Donald Cerrone vs. Adriano Martins

With one of the best head-kick knockouts you’ll ever see inside of the Octagon, Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone continued his winning ways after leveling Adriano Martins Saturday night with 20 seconds remaining in Round 1.
After exchanging for the majority of …

After exchanging for the majority of the fight, Cerrone and Martins seemed to be playing chicken. Martins found success when he got inside, but Cowboy gained the upper hand when he was able to maintain his distance and get off first.

Whether it was crisp jabs, front kicks to the sternum or feints followed by low kicks, Cerrone brought it. He gave yet another display of world-class patience, kickboxing and overall fluency.

With that said, Martins was holding his ground. The first round seemed pretty even until Martins dropped his hands and Cerrone landed a powerful right shin to his neck and jawline. The aftermath spoke for itself.

So what did we learn about Cerrone’s dismantling of a relatively unknown lightweight? To much surprise, not much.

Since dropping a decision to Rafael dos Anjos back in August, the former WEC champion has been on an absolute tear. His in-cage mission has changed. He no longer waits to explode and has found success getting off first.

But when you consider that Martins had only one promotional bout coming into UFC on Fox 10, it somewhat takes away from the precision and scintillating excellence of Cerrone.

However, a knockout is a knockout. Especially in today’s sport, stopping a high-level mixed martial artist in a matter of minutes with one final blow is considerably impressive.

It was another instance of tenured UFC veteran showcasing the resilience, proficiency and adaptation necessary to overcome an opponent. The fact that Cerrone continues to dominate early in fights suggests he may have sparked a career resurgence.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, should want to fight him now. With devilish strikes and a potent submission game, he is good in any environment.

His head just needed to be in the right place, and it seems as if it finally is. Kudos, Donald.

For more UFC news and coverage, Follow @DHiergesell

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UFC on Fox 10: What We Learned from Sergio Pettis vs. Alex Caceres

The glow belonged to “Bruce Leeroy” Alex Caceres on Saturday night at UFC on Fox 10.
In an early candidate for Fight of the Night, Caceres handed Sergio Pettis the first loss of his professional career with a rear-naked choke submission at …

The glow belonged to “Bruce Leeroy” Alex Caceres on Saturday night at UFC on Fox 10.

In an early candidate for Fight of the Night, Caceres handed Sergio Pettis the first loss of his professional career with a rear-naked choke submission at 4:39 of the third round.

The ending was every bit as shocking as the outcome. Pettis, who is the younger brother of UFC lightweight champ Anthony Pettis, was touted as the next breakout star in the bantamweight division. But he ran into a vastly underrated dark horse in Caceres, who has quietly amassed a 5-1-1 record since dropping to 135 pounds.

Pettis had the early edge on the feet. He was able to take advantage of Caceres’ loose and wild striking with great footwork and effective counters. However, the tide turned in the second round when Caceres connected with a straight right hand that dropped the 20-year-old star. Pettis showed tremendous heart and recovered from the punch, but he was never the same fighter after having his brain scrambled.

He seemed to fade in the third round, along with being a bit more hesitant in the stand-up exchanges. Things still appeared to be going in Pettis’ favor, as he hoped to lock up a 29-28 decision.

But Caceres wouldn’t be denied.

The Ultimate Fighter Season 12 contestant cinched up a rear-naked choke with only 21 seconds left in the fight to record his biggest win yet in the Octagon.

At UFC on Fox 10, we learned that there is much more to Caceres than originally believed. The move to the MMA Lab with John Crouch and former UFC lightweight champ Benson Henderson has been huge for him, after he showed early flashes of talent on TUF.

His striking continues to get better with each outing, but it was his grappling that turned heads on Saturday night.

There were some great ground transitions from both fighters, but Caceres was able to maintain top position and win most of the scrambles. It’ll be interesting to see how he does against the upper-echelon sharks of the bantamweight division.

As for Pettis, he’ll take this loss and come back a stronger fighter. To think, he was still a teenager in August with a 9-0 professional record. Not to take away from Caceres’ win, but Pettis could have very well been on his way to a unanimous-decision win, if not for a minor lapse in judgment.

While a win over Pettis won’t earn Caceres a Top 10 spot in the rankings, it was more than enough to put the bantamweight division on notice.

Bruce Leeroy is for real.

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UFC on Fox 10: What We Learned from Darren Elkins vs. Jeremy Stephens

The main card of UFC on Fox tonight kicked off in the featherweight division, as noted brawler Jeremy Stephens took on veteran grinder and top-10 featherweight Darren Elkins. It was a midwest battle that took native Iowan Stephens and planted him oppos…

The fight saw Stephens dominate the standup with power punches and good takedown defense. He mauled Elkins on the feet, eventually taking a decision over the top-10 ranked Elkins.

So, what did we learn from this important featherweight tilt? Let’s take a look.

What We’ll Remember About This Fight

We will remember this as the fight Elkins couldn’t get down. Many speculated Elkins would be able to take Stephens down on command, but he struggled to get him down all night. Maybe because Stephens threw some nasty leg kicks that slowed him down.

Stephens’ takedown defense was statistically not great coming into this fight, but he showed he could stave off Elkins tonight.

What We Learned About Stephens

He has improved his takedown defense and he made the right call dropping to 145. He is now 3-0 in the division, including a one-sided beating of Estevan Payan, a brutal knockout of Rony Jason and a beating of Darren Elkins.

If he has truly tightened up his takedown defense, he could be a threat at 145 pounds. We will see going forward if he is truly a top-10 featherweight.

What We Learned About Elkins

His striking hasn’t improved as much as we thought. We were impressed with Elkins when he finished Antonio Carvalho on the feet not long ago, but as seen against Stephens, he still has a ways to go.

Wrestling is his bread and butter, but he couldn’t get Stephens down. That was why he wasn’t able to get much going against the brutish Stephens.

What’s Next for Stephens?

Stephens has to be considered top 10 after beating a guy who was in the top 10. Therefore, he should get a top opponent.

Give him Dustin Poirier in his next bout. That fight would produce fireworks and push one man closer to the title picture.

What’s Next for Elkins?

Elkins is now 6-2 as a UFC featherweight, nothing to be ashamed of. However, he needs to get back to the drawing board.

He is now outside the top 10 and needs a solid rebound fight. A guy who could give him a good challenge would be Nik Lentz, a man in a similar spot with a similar fighting style.

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