I Didn’t See You Coming
If you ever wanted to sneak up on John Howard and scare him, Sunday night in San Diego would have been a golden opportunity. The coast was clear to come at him from the left because Jake Ellenberger made it so “Doomsday” could only see out of his right eye after their fight.
I can’t recall a ginormous swollen growth like that in a fight since Hasim Rahman grew a small human on his forehead after clashing heads with Evander Holyfield.
Howard walked out for the final round and you knew he was in trouble. Once Ellenberger got the fight back to the ground and assumed a dominant position, referee Herb Dean rightfully stepped in and called for the doctor. The swelling was down the instant it was met with some cold steel, but damn that was funky.
The Importance of Wrestling, Part One
Ellenberger’s dominant win over Howard came courtesy of his wrestling. There was nothing Howard could do to stop the shot, proving not only that it’s not just Brits who can’t defend the takedown, but also that wrestling continues to be critically important, whether you like it or not.
Howard has big power in his hands, but everything about his attack is rendered useless when he’s dropped on his back, and that is exactly what happened through two-and-a-half rounds. While Ellenberger has more to his game than his stronger double leg – and wasn’t able to advance much on the ground – every stand-up resulted in the same inevitable fate: another takedown.
To all those fighters out there who do not come from a wrestling background, do yourself a favor and start drilling takedowns. All the dynamic striking in the world doesn’t do much for you when you’re looking up at the lights all night.
The Importance of Wrestling, Part Two
The opposite side of the above wrestling coin is that if you have a strong wrestling base and your opponent doesn’t, it might be a good idea to use it. Sure the old stand-and-bang routine wins over the casual fans who can’t be bothered to appreciate the sport in its entirety, but it can also leave you face down on the canvas courtesy of a pin-point right to the jaw.
Tyson Griffin is undoubtedly reassessing his approach in Las Vegas right now, having been dropped like a sack of hammers by Takanori Gomi sixty-four seconds into the opener of the second live card on Versus. Despite having witnessed Kenny Florian use a strong single leg to dominate “The Fireball Kid” in his first Octagon appearance, Griffin stuck with the standing and paid a big price.
After storming out to a 12-1 start to his career, Griffin is just 2-3 in his last five fights, all of which saw him become increasingly reliant on his improving boxing. What is wrong with dancing with the one who brought you in the first place?
Gomi Looked Good but Hold Off on the Parade
Before stepping into the cage with Tyson Griffin, Takanori Gomi was viewed by many as a faded former star with little more than the proverbial puncher’s chance. Now, after landing a well-placed right hand and earning his first UFC win, “The Fireball Kid” is apparently back.
How’s about we hold off for just a minute or two before we start going all Lazarus with Gomi’s career?
This is one win, and as tough an opponent as Griffin is, one win does not a career resurrection make. It was just four months ago that Gomi was dismantled by Kenny Florian. Even if you grant him a pass for any number of reasons (first fight in UFC, Florian’s a Top 5 lightweight, etc.) that doesn’t change the fact that this victory is his first solid win since beating Mitsuhiro Ishida on the night we welcomed 2007.
Yes, Gomi looked far better than he did against Florian in March and could be at the start of a career renaissance, but why not wait and see what he does for an encore first.
DaMarques Johnson Must Be Glad to Leave San Diego
In hindsight, maybe the Ultimate Fighter alum should have pulled out of this event the minute it was shifted from Salt Lake City, Utah, his base of operations.
During a less than 48-hour stretch, Johnson failed to make weight, forcing him to cough up 20% of his purse to his opponent, Matthew Riddle, then walked into the cage and had his orbital bone broken in a loss.
He went from fighting in front is his friends and family to giving a guy one-fifth of the moderate amount of money he was set to earn to break a part of his face.
So you say you wanna be a fighter, eh?