10 Things We Learned from UFC 133

The key UFC 133 talking points

RASHAD EVANS 2.0

The former light heavyweight champion joked about being a new version of his old self during the UFC 133 Countdown show, and again during the events leading up to Saturday’s fight. When he got into the cage, he showed his reinvention was no joke.

Everything about Evans looked better. He appeared to be in the best shape of his life, and his once cocky demeanor was replaced by a fierce intensity that suggested the days of nipple tweaks and Redd Foxx staggers after wins are over. Instead of pawing with his jab and taking the pick-and-poke approach of old, Evans went after Tito Ortiz hard, delivering a thunderous slam in the first and bringing the fight to the “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” in the second.

The finishing moments of the fight speak volumes about the changes in Evans’ approach and attitude. Where he used to look to land one clean punch, he waded into exchange with Ortiz, confident in his hands and the ability to make a finish happen, rather than waiting for that lone opportunity to counter. His crushing knee to the sternum of Ortiz was a thing of beauty.

Prior to this fight, I had my doubts about whether Evans could hang with Jon Jones. Those doubts are gone; Evans will be a handful for whoever he faces next, mark my words.

MORE TO COME FROM ORTIZ

There is never any shame in losing to the top contender in the division. There is especially no shame in losing to the top contender in the division when you take the fight on three weeks notice. Ortiz has nothing to hang his head about, and should definitely be given an opportunity to continue his resurgence before the year is out.

Ortiz had a couple quality moments in this fight. While it wasn’t ever really close, his guillotine attempt had everyone thinking a sequel to his win over Ryan Bader was on the way. He landed a couple stiff shots early, showing continued development in his hands. He was just beaten by a better man Saturday night.

A return to the top of the light heavyweight division may not be realistic, but after ripping through Bader and stepping up against Evans, Ortiz has earned the right show there is still something left in the tank whenever he’s ready to return to the cage.

CONSISTENCY THE KEY FOR BELFORT MOVING FORWARD

Did Vitor Belfort look good on Saturday night? Absolutely; his first-round finish of Yoshihiro Akiyama brought back memories of the Belfort of old.

Is Belfort crazy for thinking the win puts him right back in the middleweight title mix? Yes, indeed he is.

Instead of wanting to revisit Anderson Silva’s foot connecting with his face, Belfort needs to focus on string together a few performances like the one he delivered Saturday night, and he needs to do it against better competition too. Beating a guy on who came into the bout on a two-fight losing streak with a penchant for taking punishment is good, but Belfort needs to show he can hang with the top-end guys in the division before he starts talking about title shots again.

SPEAKING OF SEXYAMA

The welterweight division is calling and Akiyama needs to pick up the phone.

Having now lost three-straight and arguably dropping his debut to Alan Belcher at UFC 100, a move down in weight is the only real option Akiyama has at this point. When Dana White talks about how he’s begged you to drop down in just about every interview he does after the fights, take the hint.

His fight fire with fire style is entertaining and endears him to fans — and White — but he just doesn’t have the size to compete with the heavy-handed sluggers of the 185 pound ranks. He could be dangerous in the 170 pound ranks, as his takedown defense would serve him well against the wrestler-heavy division, and we know he’s got some pop to his punches. It’s just a matter of whether or not he’s willing to cut the way to keep himself in the UFC.

The only way I can see him sticking around the middleweight ranks is if the UFC manages to put together a fight with Wanderlei Silva for their planned trip to Japan early next year. Outside of that, it’s welterweight or bust.

MY TAKE ON DENNIS HALLMAN’S BRIEFS

I laughed when I saw Hallman strip down to his minimalist attire. I honestly thought he was going to pull a pair of traditional shorts on over top of them. I personally don’t care that he didn’t, but I can understand why Dana White would.

Listen — this isn’t me blindly defending the UFC and its President. I’m not worried about my credentials. I’m thinking from a rational, business perspective. That’s all.

What happens if Hallman’s genitalia slips out during the bout? To me, that’s a reason for concern, and it’s one that doesn’t exist with Georges St-Pierre’s skimpy shorts. It’s not a matter of what is left up to the imagination; it’s worst case scenario thinking and completely understandable.

Censors would go ape if this happened, and Hallman could be seriously hurt depending on the situation. His wardrobe selection has already become one of the main talking points from this event; imagine how much more attention they would be receiving if he had a wardrobe malfunction mid-match?

Does Dana have to choose his words better? Absolutely; saying he was “disgusted” holds a certain connotation and makes it ambiguous as to why he’s upset. But the fact that White needs to articulate his thoughts a little better doesn’t diminish the fact that there are legitimate concerns that come up because of Hallman’s choice of trunks.

EBERSOLE CONTINUES TO IMPRESS

Lost in the discussion about Hallman’s attire is another solid performance from Brian Ebersole. The 30-year-old with more than 60 fights has now won two straight in the Ocatgon over a pair of solid veterans, cementing his place in the welterweight division for the foreseeable future.

While he garners more attention for the “hairrow” he sports in the cage, his efforts on Saturday night showed he has the talent to be a potential dark horse contender in the division. Ebersole worked through an early mistake that left him with Hallman draped on his back. Once he escaped, he turned up the intensity and put a beating on “Superman,” raining down elbows and hammerfists through the finish.

He’s got a good wrestling base and a world of experience to go with his quirky personality; he’s also won nine straight and 13 of his last 14 fights too. Don’t look now, but the weird dude who debuted in Australia and likes to throw cartwheel kicks might not be just a novelty act after all.

END OF THE LINE FOR RIVERA?

Having spoken with Jorge Rivera heading into his fight at UFC 133, I’m pretty sure his split decision loss to Costa Philippou will be the last time we see the middleweight from Milford, Mass. inside the Octagon. If I’m right, I offer a tip of my cap to “El Conquistador” and wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours.

Rivera is a candid guy with a realistic view of himself and the opportunities being a fighter has afforded him. He’s loved every minute of his journey, and if this is the end of the line, he’ll walk away without any regrets or second thoughts. That’s something not a lot of fighters could do, and something that makes me respect Rivera even more.

ANOTHER CANADIAN WELTERWEIGHT MONSTER

For those who weren’t convinced up until now, Saturday night showed that Rory MacDonald is for real. Even though he’s had a trio of impressive outings inside the cage to date, his crushing victory over Mike Pyle served as the coming out party for the young Canadian.

MacDonald deserves the comparisons to GSP and could indeed surpass the achievements of the current UFC welterweight champion. He’s manhandled his last two opponents, and just keeps getting better. Many may still consider him a prospect at this point, but I’m no longer one of those people. I now see him as a bona fide contender, and someone who is going to make all kinds of waves in the welterweight division in the next 12 months.

SOLID SHOWINGS ON SPIKE FOR PROSPECTS GUSTAFSSON AND MENDES

Alexander Gustafsson showed why some — myself included — view him as the best prospect in the light heavyweight division on Saturday night.

The young Swede did what Quinton Jackson couldn’t in the main event of UFC 130 — finish Matt Hamill. Showing solid takedown defense and a willingness to exchange, Gustafsson caught “The Hammer” with a couple big shots along the cage before sealing the victory with strikes on the ground midway through the second stanza.

One bout earlier, Chad Mendes maintained his unbeaten record with a good-but-not-great showing against Rani Yahya. In his defense, Mendes jacked up his hand early and had to be careful on the ground against the submission wizard, but this wasn’t the type of performance that he needed to cement himself as at the next title challengers in the featherweight division.

He might still be called on to face the winner of October’s Jose Aldo–Kenny Florian clash, but his decision win on Saturday night left the door open for Japanese sensation Hatsu Hioki to slide into a title shot with an impressive win in his UFC debut in September.

ALL THINGS CONSIDERED…

The main card of UFC 133 was better than I anticipated.

It wasn’t as great as it could have been had injuries not ravaged the card, but there really isn’t much to complain about. Maybe that makes me a little ray of perpetual sunshine, but four emphatic finishes and one moderately entertaining decision are pretty solid in my books.