Since most of us are going to compare and contrast Saturday’s dueling events anyway, we figured combining their recaps into one easy-to-ingest article made a lot more sense. Ten talking points, two events, and one concise piece of coverage – that’s just how we do things here at Heavy MMA.
Strikeforce Scores the Victory
As much as Scott Coker says that he doesn’t want to compete with the UFC, there is no way that having the better reviewed event on Saturday night doesn’t put a smile on the face of the San Jose-based organization’s CEO.
Dana White will argue that the show was comprised of castoffs from the UFC, and while that is true, there are times when who is fighting isn’t as important as the excitement those bouts produce. This is one of those cases.
With the UFC rolling out a card full of mid-card talent, Strikeforce caught lightning in a bottle with their card in St. Louis, and then the lightning struck in the cage. The final three fights of the night produced first round, highlight reel finishes, and the entire main card lived up to the advanced billing, giving the sport’s second fiddle the first place finish in this weekend’s head-to-head showdown.
If they can deliver the same kind of cards with a little consistency in 2011, we could be in for a very interesting and entertaining year.
Henderson Remains a Light Heavyweight Threat
While the comparisons to Randy Couture’s 40-plus exploits are a little soon (and a little much), his former Team Quest teammate showed last night that he’s still a legitimate contender in the 205-pound division.
Henderson made quick work of Renato Sobral, stopping the Brazilian in less than two minutes to earn a shot at light heavyweight champion Rafael “Feijao” Cavalcante early next year. Henderson’s power was once again on display, and unlike his encounter with Jake Shields, the former Pride two-division champion finished things off when he had the chance.
Though he said post-fight that he wasn’t opposed to dropping down to middleweight again in the future, Henderson offered the opposite thought after his loss to Shields, and should stay at light heavyweight. The division offers better opportunities without the need to drop weight, and with a title shot on the horizon, Henderson should focus on putting together a championship run, instead of trying to compete in two divisions.
Heavy Blogger Jonathan Brookins Wins The Ultimate Fighter, Season 12
Congratulations go out to HeavyMMA.com blogger Jonathan Brookins for claiming the title of The Ultimate Fighter at Saturday night’s finale.
Facing off against fellow Team GSP contestant Michael Johnson, Brookins endured a difficult first round that saw Johnson come out strong and land some quality shots. But as had been the case in each of his bouts during the recently-wrapped season, Johnson couldn’t keep up the pace he established in the opening frame, and his fatigued became Brookins’ opening.
The final two rounds were still hard-fought frames, but Brookins got the better of both, landing the more solid strikes, scoring with takedowns and dominating Johnson in the positional battle as well. When the cards were read, Brookins had earned a unanimous decision victory, accompanied by the six-figure contract and title of “The Ultimate Fighter” for Season 12.
Paul Daley Belongs in the UFC
I did not hesitate to side with the UFC when they decided to instantly release Paul Daley following his post-fight punch on Josh Koscheck back in May. To this day, I think the decision was the correct one.
That said, Daley belongs in the UFC.
The explosive Brit should be doing more than dropping Scott Smith on his face with a perfectly-timed left hook. His next fight shouldn’t be against a bulked up lightweight like K.J. Noons, a bout Daley began lobbying for immediately following his victory.
Despite his indiscretions, Daley’s talent dictates he belongs amongst the best welterweights in the world, and those fighters populate the UFC’s 170-pound division. If Karo Parisyan can get a do-over after leaving the UFC hanging in the wind on more than one occasion, Daley should be afforded the same opportunity once his contract with Strikeforce comes to a close.
Just Awful
Its one thing for a close fight to produce questions about what the judges’ saw on each side of the argument, but this was not one of those occasions. Leonard Garcia was handed the most inexplicable decision win of the year in his bout with Nam Phan to kick-off the Ultimate Fighter Finale card on Saturday.
Of the capacity crowd in attendance at The Pearl at the Palms, only two saw the fight in favour of the Greg Jackson student; unfortunately for Pham, those two men were sitting beside the cage and charged with scoring the bout. Everyone – literally – expected to hear the TUF 12 cast member’s name read aloud by Bruce Buffer, but it was Garcia whose arm was raised amid a chorus of boos and “bullshit” chants.
There is no way that the Nevada State Athletic Commission and head Keith Kizer can avoid investigating the dangerous situation that repeatedly presents itself at the judges’ table. The livelihood of fighters is at stake, and refusing to address the glaring issue at hand would be an even greater travesty than Saturday night’s decision.
UFC Needs to Step Up the Shows in 2011
With an ambitious schedule on the slate for next year, the UFC will have ample opportunity to use their Spike TV time slots to showcase emerging talent and give fans quality events that cost nothing more than they already pay for cable.
Events like Saturday’s Ultimate Fighter Finale won’t cut it.
There is no shortage of recognizable names and marketable matchups available to the UFC, and those numbers will only grow larger once the new faces from the WEC have been introduced and accepted by the rabid UFC audience. Given that deep talent pool to draw from, shows that offer no truly compelling fights and just one highly-regarded fighter out of ten will not be enough to satisfy the fan’s desires.
Just as pay-per-view events like UFC 119 won’t draw dollars from inside tightly-guarded wallets and purses, free shows need to present a reason for fans to tune in, other than being free.
On a night where Team Quest co-founder Dan Henderson showed that he is still a contender in the light heavyweight division, Matt Lindland’s career took a turn closer to the end.
The former Olympic silver medalist was knocked out in just 50 seconds by Robbie Lawler, Lindland’s third loss in four fights. While he spoke of a victory putting him back into the upper echelon of the middleweight ranks, this loss, paired with his last three fights, should have Lindland thinking more about moving into the next phase of his career than climbing the ladder.
Dropping three-of-four and needing into the third round to close out the relatively inexperienced Kevin Casey highlights the fact that Lindland no longer possesses the ability to compete at the elite level. He’s never been a dangerous striker, and years of competition – and the evolution of the sport – have made his once-elite wrestling game less effective.
While guys like Henderson and fellow Team Quest co-founder Randy Couture have been able to maintain successful careers into their 40s, they are exceptions, rather than the rule. Lindland is not an exception, and as hard as it will be to come to that conclusion himself, that is the reality he faces heading into next year.
Story Emerges as a Welterweight Dark Horse
The most intriguing match-up on the Ultimate Fighter Finale – at least to me – was the welterweight clash between unbeaten Johny Hendricks and tough-as-nails Rick Story. Both entered the Octagon on four-fight winning streaks, ready to take the next step up the competitive ladder.
After a fifteen minute grind, Story came out victorious and becomes a name to watch next year in the 170-pound division. Since dropping his UFC debut to fellow welterweight young gun John Hathaway, Story has impressed with wins over Brian Foster, Nick Osipczak and Dustin Hazelett. Adding Hendricks to that list gives the Brave Legion fighter a bunch of momentum moving forward.
While he’s not yet ready to step in with the elite of the division, Story has the opportunity to take a similar path as the one taken by Jake Ellenberger in the last year-and-a-half. The Nebraska native, whom Story defeated in 2008, has quickly climbed the ladder with a pair of wins and a razor-thin loss to Carlos Condit since joining the UFC.
If given the same kind of challenging fights with some time on television, the coming year could be a breakthrough season for Story.
For All You Trivia Buffs Out There…
Pablo Garza went down in history as the winner of the first featherweight contest in UFC history, and he earned the victory in impressive fashion. The 6’1” fighter aptly named “The Scarecrow” scored his first UFC win with a Knockout of the Night-winning flying knee to the head of highly-touted jiu jitsu player Fredson Paixao.
After failing to make it into the Ultimate Fighter house earlier this year, and dropping his WEC debut in September, Garza finally gets to enjoy the sweet taste of victory under the UFC banner, and it comes with a $30,000 cherry on top.
How Do You Get Guillotined by Cody McKenzie?
In this day and age of the sport, I find it amusing and amazing that Cody McKenzie earned his 11th victory by way of guillotine choke at Aaron Wilkinson’s expense.
We’re supposed to be at a point where one-trick ponies don’t find success in the cage, and while McKenzie isn’t without additional skills, his lone method of victory to this point in his career has been the guillotine.
Somehow, he was able to sink in the choke once again Saturday night. I want to know how that happens.
The Alaskan gets all kinds of credit for diligently working for his patented put-away, but at the same time, you would think Wilkinson – and whoever faces McKenzie next – would do everything to avoid the hold. You look to avoid the takedown against grapplers or stay away from the power hand of a serious striker, so how do you not stay away from getting choked by the guy who has earned the right to be called “The Master of the Guillotine?”
McKenzie’s next fight is officially on my list of fights I’m really looking forward to in 2011, just to see if he can keep the submission streak going.
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