UFC 119 Mir vs. Cro Cop: 10 Things Learned

10 Things We Learned: UFC 119

Where’s the Anti-Wrestling Crowd Now?

The main card of UFC 119 featured next to no wrestling with all five fights going into the final frame, coming within seconds of completing a full slate of fights decided by the judges. This was essentially everything that the anti-wrestling crowd was calling for and while there were some entertaining moments, this was a night of boxing and it was kind of tough to watch.

While the Dunham vs. Sherk and Lytle vs. Serra bouts were solid, fifteen rounds of guys measuring their shots and feeling each other out don’t make for the most exciting night of fights around. Bouts that had people salivating because of their potential action fell flat. Guillard and Stephens stayed fairly cautious for three rounds, while Mir and Cro Cop clinched and pawed until Mir’s big knee ended Cro Cop’s evening. Even the Mitrione vs. Beltran bout that featured two big men coming forward and throwing bombs for 15 minutes was nothing more than a sloppy brawl with very little technique and timing.

What makes this sport so incredible is the combination of styles and the diverse action that usually makes for a complete night of fights. Where is the anti-wrestling crowd now to defend a night full of boxing that will undoubtedly be panned by fans and critics alike?

Mir Needs to Do More if He Wants to Contend

Frank Mir seems like a fighter who is fighting himself.

He can’t decide if he wants to be bigger or smaller, wondering aloud about a move to light heavyweight after bulking up six months ago to counter the super-sized heavyweights dominating the division. He’s got some of the best jiu jitsu on the UFC roster regardless of weight class, but has fallen in love with his striking to the point that he didn’t go to the ground once against Mirko Cro Cop.

In the end, all it shows is a fighter in a state of flux who will need to do a lot more than earn a last second knockout over a fading superstar if he hopes to contend in the heavyweight division once again. The UFC 119 version of Frank Mir would get eaten alive by the big dogs of the division, and since a move to 205 is completely unrealistic, it’s back to the drawing board for the former champion.

Bader Arrives, But Still Has Work to Do

Note: I realize this is sounding like a pretty negative / critic collection of thoughts so far. Just not an overly impressive night if you ask me, but there will be some positives shortly, I promise.

TUF 8 winner Ryan Bader got the biggest win of his career, earning a unanimous decision over the twin brother of his TUF coach, Rogerio Nogueira. The victory keeps the Arizona State star unbeaten and will propel him up the light heavyweight ladder. If he wants to keep climbing, he’s still got some work to do.

Once again, Bader wore down as the fight went on. While it is expected, Bader was more than fatigued as the final frame wound down; he was gassed, and as he climbs the ladder, the competition gets stiffer and a shallow gas tank isn’t going to cut it. He also needs to work on doing more with his takedowns, as Nogueira popped back up on several occasions.

His blend of wrestling and powerful hands will always keep him in the fight. As we saw against Nogueira, the threat of the takedown makes opponents hesitant to throw, and that will serve the Season 8 winner well moving forward.

Not to take anything away from Bader’s performance – this was a great win and he should be pleased with the accomplishment – but to excel at the highest level, there are areas of his game that need some serious improvement.

Bader vs. Jones Doesn’t Make Sense

Why in the name of all things right in the world would you do this, Joe Silva?

I never understand why an organization would want to pair the two brightest stars of the division together, increasing the credibility of one prospect at the expense of the other. Did we not learn anything from Strikeforce throwing King Mo and Gegard Mousasi fiasco that wasted “The Dreamcatcher” to build Mo, only to have “Feijao” throw a wrench in it all?

Both guys are definite Top 10 talents with promising futures, but competing against each other makes little sense. There are a number of proven veterans available to test both “Bones” and Bader in the upper levels of the division without giving one of them an unnecessary loss.

Matt Serra Channels Jorge Gurgel

Brazilian jiu jitsu black belt? Check.

Love affair with stand-up? Check.

Stay standing even when the ground is the only shot at victory? Check.

Matt Serra went full-on Jorge Gurgel Saturday night, throwing his best possible path to victory out the window in an effort to “give the fans what they want.” Here’s the problem: a lot of MMA fans are spoiled and don’t know what they want, as evidenced by the chorus of boos that provided the soundtrack of the evening.

I get the “entertain the crowd” angle, but there are some of us who want to see fighters compete with their best weapons and at the top of their games, not just taking all kinds of shots to the head in a boxing match they shouldn’t be fighting.

Evan Dunham is a Monster

Regardless of what the judges said, Evan Dunham (a) won his fight with Sean Sherk, (b) won a truckload of new fans and (c) showed beyond a shadow of a doubt that a run at the lightweight championship is in his future.

Dunham dominated Sherk in the final two frames of the fight, surviving a nasty gash over his right eye that left him leaking blood on the canvas in the first round. While the judges gave the decision to Sherk – gave being the operative word here – Dunham scored a bigger victory overall in cementing his status as a true threat in the division.

This one will go down similarly to Jon Jones’ “loss” to Matt Hamill; the results say one thing, but the MMA community knows the truth: Evan Dunham took it to Sean Sherk, should have scored a win and is ready to compete with the big boys of the UFC’s lightweight division.

Sherk Still Has Something Left

Lost in the anticipated controversy calls surrounding Sean Sherk’s win over Evan Dunham is the fact that after sixteen months on the sidelines and myriad injuries, the former lightweight champion came back and held his own against a tough kid on the rise.

The 37-year-old wrestler delivered a couple serious slams in the opening frame, and while he left his neck open for a pair of tight choke attempts, Sherk managed to maintain, dropping a major elbow into Dunham’s head and pushing on through for a full fifteen minutes.

While he faded down the stretch and lost the fight on many at-home scorecards, Sherk proved that he still belongs in the discussion at the top of the lightweight division, and he should only get better now that he’s shaken off the ring rust and gotten some live action minutes under his belt.

Potential Firefight turns into Two Guys Afraid to Play with Matches

Everyone and their mother were excited to see lightweight leather-throwers Melvin Guillard and Jeremy Stephens go toe-to-toe in the opening bout of the pay-per-view broadcast. All the elements of a first-rate fireworks display were in place: they seriously and legitimately don’t like each other, both have explosive hands and little inclination for going to the ground, and they said they were going to bring the thunder.

That last one should have clued us all in.

What could have been an epic clash of two emerging talents turned into a game of chicken where neither fighter wanted to be the guy who got tagged. Guillard flitted in and out, landing one or two while Stephens loaded up for power and failed to connect more often than naught.

Not a single takedown attempt was offered, interesting since each has a severe allergy to ground attacks, and the would-be slugfest turned into a tepid boxing match that ended up as a pre-cursor of things to come.

Ah what could have been…

The Maturing of C.B. Dollaway

Don’t look now, but C.B. Dollaway is becoming a more complete and impressive middleweight contender with each passing fight.

The TUF 7 finalist earned his third straight win with an impressive guillotine choke of Canadian Joe Doerkson on the Prelims LIVE portion of the event. Ryan Bader’s long-time teammate and training partner initially sunk in an arm-in choke early and showed great poise in not shooting the moon early. Instead, Dollaway waited for the right opportunity, adjusted his grip when the moment presented itself, and rolled through some scrambles with Doerkson to secure the Submission of the Night award.

A great wrestler coming into the UFC, Dollaway has shown improved all-around skills over his last three fights, and continues to climb the ladder in the 185-pound division. Each of his last two bouts have now been his best performance to date, and that is the mark of a maturing fighter coming into his own.

Mitrione Impresses Again, Fires Agent on Live TV

Matt Mitrione followed up his third consecutive victory by firing his agent on live television. And you wonder why people think he’s a little left-of-center?

First and foremost, the TUF 10 grad showed continued development as a fighter, handing Joey Beltran his first UFC defeat via unanimous decision. After dropping the first round when Beltran rocked him and put him on his back, Mitrione responded by winning the second and third in convincing fashion, earning the best of the exchanges in both rounds and looking like he could go another ten minutes if needed.

The former football player then told his agent, Malki Kawa of First Round Management, that he was fired to close out his interview with Joe Rogan. Mitirone explained the situation in a post-fight interview with Ariel Helwani, citing Kawa’s lack of sponsorship income for a televised fight as the cause for his dismissal.

There is never a dull moment with Matt Mitrione in the cage.