When we, as MMA fans, commentators and writers see an exciting fight, we often use hyperbole to describe that fight.In the moment, a powerful knockout becomes “one of the greatest ever,” a particularly vicious armbar becomes “a submission for the ages,…
When we, as MMA fans, commentators and writers see an exciting fight, we often use hyperbole to describe that fight.
In the moment, a powerful knockout becomes “one of the greatest ever,” a particularly vicious armbar becomes “a submission for the ages,” a toe-to-toe slugfest becomes “one of the best fights we have ever seen.” Those descriptions sometimes lose something once the adrenaline wears off or we get a chance to view those fights objectively, removed from being caught up in the moment.
With that in mind, I can say, with almost 100 percent confidence, that when I look back at the main event of UFC on Fuel 3, I will still feel that it will go down as one of the most memorable fights of 2012. That it was seen by less than 5,000 people live at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA, seems almost criminal.
When you add the dominating performance of Donald Cerrone and the birthday knockout by Tom Lawlor into the mix, you have a card that had some pretty memorable moments. What follows are some images and quotes from the fighters who were victorious over the course of the evening.
Donald Cerrone showed up at UFC on Fuel 3 last night to prove himself and promise his future in the UFC. By the end of his bout with Jeremy Stephens, he had done just that. Cerrone defeated Stephens by unanimous decision, and in the end he displayed th…
Donald Cerrone showed up at UFC on Fuel 3 last night to prove himself and promise his future in the UFC. By the end of his bout with Jeremy Stephens, he had done just that.
Cerrone defeated Stephens by unanimous decision, and in the end he displayed the textbook striking we’d all hoped to watch. From the beginning, Cerrone dominated his opponent with kicks and knees, utilizing every bit of his reach to keep Stephens limited to single strikes. By Round 2, Cerrone had paved his way to victory using various strikes, and the Muay Thai specialist gave us the striking battle we’d hoped for.
However, the battle was so weighted in favor of Cerrone, we’re obliged to consider him a reasonable contender in the lightweight division.
The problem is we can’t do this without recalling his previous fight, one that ended in a loss against Nate Diaz at UFC 141. Diaz met Cerrone at his strengths, content to engage in the striking that Cerrone was known for since his days in the WEC. Not only was Cerrone supposed to be the superior wrestler, he was also thought to be the more technical striker. His kicking was promising, often knocking Diaz off balance if not knocking him down. In the end, though, Cerrone took more shots than he landed, and Diaz outstruck Cerrone with terrific combinations for three rounds.
But Cerrone displayed nothing but command last night. Furthermore, he was able to reestablish his headway in the organization as he extended his record in the UFC to 5-1 and his overall record to 18-4-0-1 NC. Now, regardless of that loss to Diaz, it’s impossible to count Cerrone out of the future title contenders of the lightweight division.
For that reason, Cerrone needs to stay in the mix by meeting other top-ranked lightweights. One of the most likely candidates is another ex-WEC fighter, Anthony Pettis. Pettis presents a stand-up challenge that will allow Cerrone to prove his striking—a challenge that Cerrone is absolutely capable of meeting. What’s more, Pettis has a history of fights with some of the best in the lightweight division (including his victory over Benson Henderson, the current UFC lightweight champion, while they were members of the WEC).
Whoever the fighter, the point is simple: Cerrone is quickly becoming one of the top-ranked lightweights, and his solid victory over Stephens proved his striking capabilities. Furthermore, Cerrone has a history that shows an effective ground game, making him a more versatile fighter than his recent stand-up matches against Diaz and Stephens might illustrate.
Because of his recent performance, Cerrone needs to be thrown into the mix of ranked lightweight fighters. Given Cerrone’s ability to dominate a number of other lightweights and Diaz’s spot as the title contender, I’ll argue that Diaz-Cerrone II will happen only after Cerrone meets other ranked lightweights like Pettis.
In a sport where rematches are more than welcome, especially to settle technical bouts like Diaz vs. Cerrone, I assume fans and the organization will happily entertain the thought of the fighters meeting again.
Nonetheless, Cerrone needs to have his name placed among the other lightweight contenders soon, and this mix begins with his next big-name opponent in the division.
A back-and-forth battle from start to finish, tonight’s main event had more action than the season finale of The Walking Dead.Headlining tonight’s UFC on Fuel TV, featherweight phenom Chan-Sung Jung put on another impressive performance opposite Dustin…
A back-and-forth battle from start to finish, tonight’s main event had more action than the season finale of The Walking Dead.
Headlining tonight’s UFC on Fuel TV, featherweight phenom Chan-Sung Jung put on another impressive performance opposite Dustin Poirer in one of the most thrilling bouts of the year.
This showstopping performance saw both men throw their entire MMA arsenals of attack at each other. Ultimately, it was the Korean Zombie who came out victorious, putting Poirier to sleep with a vicious D’Arce choke after landing a huge uppercut followed by a brutal knee to the head.
This back-and-forth battle is not only deserving of the Fight of the Night award, but should be a serious contender for Fight of the Year as well.
Unexpectedly, Jung started Round 1 with a much more technical game plan than his previous bouts. Picking his spots and impressively defending Poirier’s takedowns, the Korean Zombie was able to capitalize on his opponent’s mistakes and even land a few takedowns of his own.
The second round saw a huge increase in the action as Jung began to pour it on with spinning backfists, flying knees and a barrage of other strikes.
The round ended with great triangle and armbar attempts by the Korean Zombie, nearly finishing Poirier, who just barely survived the myriad of submission attempts.
But once the bell rang signaling the start of Round 3, a fire was lit under Poirier.
Taking advantage of Jung’s waning cardio, Poirier was able to find his groove standing up, landing a myriad of power punches. Returning the favor from the previous two rounds, Poirier started to bust up the Korean Zombie’s face.
Heading into what would be the final frame, both men were clearly exhausted as the fight went from a technical battle to an all-out barn burner – a style of fighting that works in Jung’s favor.
Unhappy with his performance in the previous round, the Korean Zombie put everything he had into Round 4 and was able to finish Poirier because of it.
While Poirier showed lots of heart and nearly came back in Round 3, it was Jung who emerged as the superstar of the evening. His improved striking and submission game really shined through tonight and no one could have expected this fight to end the way it did.
But what made this bout truly incredible was Jung’s ability to once again beat the odds and win a fight he was supposed to lose.
It was this constant action and the surprisingly big win for the underdog that made the Korean Zombie vs. Poirier one of the most exciting fights of 2012.
UFC on Fuel TV 3 is in the books and with it some big changes in the UFC landscape. Donald Cerrone rebounded from his fight with Nate Diaz with a fantastic performance against Jeremy Stephens and Chan Sung Jung secured a title shot with his win over Du…
UFC on Fuel TV 3 is in the books and with it some big changes in the UFC landscape. Donald Cerrone rebounded from his fight with Nate Diaz with a fantastic performance against Jeremy Stephens and Chan Sung Jung secured a title shot with his win over Dustin Poirier.
With that being said, let’s grade the performances of all the main card fighters.
A+
Chan Sung Jung: Seriously, did anyone think that Jung would look that good against Dustin Poirier? I didn’t. I thought that Poirier would truck him. Ooops…That was the best we’ve seen Jung look in the UFC as he was able to beat Poirier in every aspect of a fight. I still worry that he’s taking too many punches, since you can’t let Jose Aldo hit you too much. But tonight, he had the best fight of his career.
Donald Cerrone: I worried that the loss to Nate Diaz would have “broken” him as a fighter. Not that he’d be tentative, but that he wouldn’t fight his fights and instead try and adopt a “safe” game plan. Nope! He looked the best he has ever looked and put on a muay thai clinic. He looked like he was having fun in the cage and he absolutely dominated Jeremy Stephens. I’d love to see him against the winner of Guida/Maynard.
A-
Tom Lawlor: Happy Birthday, Tom Lawlor. You picked up a much needed win and did it in dominant fashion. Solid wrestling and solid submissions. I feel like if you just focused 100 percent on the fight, you wouldn’t be half bad. Think about it.
B+
Igor Pokrajac: He looked good on the ground and even better on his feet. He landed cleanly on Maldonado and had him hurt multiple times. It was a great performance and he picked up a nice win.
Yves Jabouin: I’m surprised that he threw so many spinning combinations, but man did he have Hougland beat multiple times. In my eyes, if you kick someone in the stomach and they go down and don’t want to get up, that’s a win.
B
Fabio Maldonado: I was very impressed by his boxing and the bodywork was gorgeous. The big problem for Maldonado is that he took a lot of damage and spent the majority of the first round on his back. Still, a solid performance, and hopefully judges will start recognizing his fighting style.
C-
Jorge Lopez: I thought he won the fight. I wasn’t impressed by him or Amir. This wasn’t good. Not good at all.
Amir Sadollah: Amir looked terrible tonight and super tentative. Those guillotines were nice but weren’t enough to keep the audience interested. Nice win, I guess?
C-
Dustin Poirier: I was surprised at Dustin’s performance tonight and thought he looked tentative. He let Jung land on him too much and didn’t fight his fight. I wish I knew why because I love watching him fight. Hopefully he rebounds and goes back to his old style.
Jeremy Stephens: Dunno what was up with Jeremy Stephens, but he looked terrible. He never found his range and took a lot of damage from Donald Cerrone. Some of those body shots were good, I guess? I dunno what else to say, it was such a dominant performance by Cerrone.
F:
Jeff Hougland: Black belt in jiu-jitsu decides to kick box with a kick boxer? What was he thinking? Seriously, what? Awful, terrible, no good, very bad performance.
Jason MacDonald: Not the way I suspect he wanted to retire, but this was the worst he’s ever looked in the UFC. Good luck in retirement.
Dear Harley Davidson and Bud Light,We get it. You sponsor the UFC. While we respect all that you do for the sport in helping it grow and aiding it in becoming the great worldwide spectacle it deserves to be seen as, please slow your respective ro…
Dear Harley Davidson and Bud Light,
We get it. You sponsor the UFC.
While we respect all that you do for the sport in helping it grow and aiding it in becoming the great worldwide spectacle it deserves to be seen as, please slow your respective roles on the advertising.
It is apparently not enough that the Octagon is emblazoned with your logo(s), not enough that the UFC’s official website is plastered with your ads.
Nah, you took this sufficient advertising and said, “Hey, why don’t we bombard the viewer’s TV experience with our commercials as well?!”
Well, dear sponsors, we don’t enjoy that, not one bit.
We understand that Harley Davidsons and the UFC go hand in hand, but you don’t need to remind us of this!
Remember, the key demographic that watches the UFC is well aware of your product; it isn’t like you’re trying to branch out! We know you exist, now please keep the commercials to a minimum.
Or at least switch them up!
This, my dearest sponsors, is where we have the biggest problem.
Accustomed to pay-per-view cards with no commercials, this whole “network TV expansion” thing is new to us as it is.
So, please be gentle on us.
Why must you insist on showing the same commercials?
It’s cute that you’re trying to break the mold, Harley Davidson, and it’s cute that you’re using a UFC fanbase to showcase this. We get the parallels: Fighters aren’t necessarily barbaric and Harley riders aren’t necessarily biker-brawler tough guys.
It’s a great commercial, but it was great the first time we saw it. After that, we just wanted to get up from our seats during each commercial break.
Again, we appreciate all that you do, but please switch up the commercials; these reruns are making us sick!
Jason MacDonald’s days as a UFC fighter appear to be numbered.In an attempt to redeem himself, “The Athlete” was put up against Tom Lawlor in a middleweight matchup, but he suffered a brutal knockout just 50 seconds into the opening round.The loss to L…
Jason MacDonald‘s days as a UFC fighter appear to be numbered.
In an attempt to redeem himself, “The Athlete” was put up against Tom Lawlor in a middleweight matchup, but he suffered a brutal knockout just 50 seconds into the opening round.
The loss to Lawlor has now seen MacDonald drop his second consecutive fight and his 16th professional loss.
MacDonald will likely get one more appearance inside the Octagon, likely in his hometown of Alberta, at UFC 149, before the 36-year-old calls it a career.
While the Canadian was never truly seen as a legitimate threat to the UFC middleweight title, he did add some valuable experience to the division.
MacDonald’s loss proves that he no longer can contend with some of the more prominent fighters at 185 pounds, but also, he is unable to endure much punishment at this stage of his career.
It is unsure who he will be matched up against, should he decide to compete once more, but MacDonald has always been a professional and a respectable employee to the company.
Should MacDonald fight one more time, he will be deserving of a hero’s welcome in his hometown, and be praised for his toughness, skill and dedication that he brought to the sport.
As for Lawlor, he is likely to continue to climb up the rankings and receive another formidable opponent in his next appearance.
Donald Cerrone showed up at UFC on Fuel 3 last night to prove himself and promise his future in the UFC. By the end of his bout with