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I usually have people asking me before and after a fight what I thought, so I figured I would start blogging my initial thoughts to fights. I usually give predictions on my twitter the night of the fight just before the fight starts, so I will continue to do it that way.
Paul Taylor def. Gabe Ruediger via knockout – Round 2, 1:42
This fight was on the undercard, but it ended up being shown after the main event. This fight went pretty much as I predicted, which was not ending well for Gabe. Joe Rogan said it best: that was the icing on the cake. After his performance on The Ultimate Fighter, then a beating in Boston and finally getting knocked out last night, I don’t think we will be seeing Gabe back in the UFC anytime soon.
Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson def. Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto via unanimous decision
This fight was shown on Facebook, which I think is awesome. The UFC is really embracing social media and I think its great that we all get to see more fights because of it. I was expecting Kid to come out with the win, but Mighty Mouse had other plans. The fight ended up not being the most entertaining but thats how it goes sometimes.
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone def. Paul Kelly via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 2, 3:48
This was the Spike Main Event and ended up being a great fight. I like watching both guys fight because they put on exciting fights and both set out with the end goal of maximum blunt force trauma every time. I thought it was pretty weak of Paul Kelly to do the fake glove tap and then punch, but thats how it goes sometimes. I don’t know if thats what he meant to do or it just happened, but whatever. Cowboy seemed to be over it by the end of the first and even reached out to help Paul up, which I thought was a classy move. Knockouts are good, but I still prefer to see submissions so it was a great finish.
Miguel Torres def. Antonio Banuelos via unanimous decision
Miguel loves to bang, but I was glad to see him taking a step back and getting back to basics. He looked perfect in this fight. I would love to see fight metrics on this fight for punches thrown and landed. I bet Miguel landed close to 70 or 80% at least… seemed like his jab was pin point and his right hand was just as good. I tweeted that I thought the mullet would beat the flat top, and I was right. Great fight for Miguel, and apparently training up in Montreal is paying off.
Jake Ellenberger def. Carlos Eduardo Rocha via split decision
Jake got the win but I was SUPER impressed with Rocha. I am going to go back and watch the fight and break it all down. Guy seems to be a MONSTER on the ground and hit some really nice transitions. I think I may have renamed the north south position to “the barbecue” as well… (credit to Biggie).
Jon Jones def. Ryan Bader via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 4:20
Bader looks enormous until he stands beside Jon Jones… and then not so much. Both guys are enormous but Jon Jones has the most oversized frame ever. It’s ridiculous. Seemed like Jon just had Bader’s number everywhere. He took Bader down while also stuffing Bader’s takedowns. Once on the ground, it didn’t get a lot better for Bader as he got caught up a Cody-Mackenzie-Like-Guillotine. It was announced Jon will be fighting Shogun for the title in a month and a half, which is well deserved. For those that don’t know, Jon Jones had his first fight in Massachusetts so I am pumped to see a “localish” guy fighting for a UFC title very soon.
Forrest Griffin def. Rich Franklin via unanimous decision
Rather than Forrest going out and playing Rock-Em-Sock-Em-Robots, I will glad to see him go out and show why he is so deserving of that Black Belt he recently received from Robert Drysdale. Some people were expecting a different kind of fight, but it went pretty much how I expected. I was a little surprised to hear Rich’s corner saying he was winning the fight, but sometimes its just positive thinking on their part for their fighter.
Anderson Silva def. Vitor Belfort via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 3:25
It took over 90 seconds for the first punch (well over 60 for any strike) to be thrown… so it was only fitting that this fight ended with a jaw dropping front kick. When Anderson brings it, watch the F out… because it’s coming right for your face. Anderson thanked Steven Seagal who apparently taught him that kick. I am not sure how much I buy it… but I am eagerly anticipating Anderson ending his next fight with a standing wrist lock.
You can find complete results here.
What did you think of the fights?