The Wild And Raucous Week That Was

From July 11th to July 18th, the UFC put on four events in just shy of one week.  Kicked off with current MMA Golden Boy Conor McGregor's ascension at UFC 189 and capped by stalwart Michael Bisping's back-and-forth five round battle with Thales Leites at UFN:Glasgow, the week was filled with drama and excitement the likes of which we rarely get to witness in the modern UFC.

This was accomplished on the heels of what could have been a catastrophic blow to UFC 189.  A few weeks out from fight night, word came that featherweight champ Jose Aldo had injured his ribs and may not be able to compete.  This turned out to be the case and the big money fight the UFC had been shilling so hard for so long was washed out.

Luckily, former title challenger Chad Mendes was waiting in the wings, and stepped in for Aldo as a late replacement to challenge McGregor for an interim Featherweight title, until Aldo was ready to return.  While the luster of a McGregor/Aldo fight couldn't be matched, a face off with Mendes was perhaps a more interesting proposition for fans still questioning McGregor's all around MMA ability (like myself). 

While McGregor stormed through his early UFC fights, and talked as big a game as anyone, the doubters had plenty of ammo:
The UFC was fast tracking him to a title shot. 
He was fighting guys he was clearly suppose to beat. 
He wasn't being challenged. 
And the big one, he hadn't fought a wrestler.

Enter Mendes. 

Chad Mendes is a top notch wrestler, with good boxing, fast hands, and a submission game.  He had gone toe-to-toe with the Champ less than a year ago, losing by decision.  He was the guy everyone who doubted McGregor had been saying McGregor needed to beat to legitimately earn his title shot.

And at UFC 189 Mendes couldn't make it to round three, getting TKO'd in the waning seconds of the second round.

Questions answered. 
Validation.
Right? 

Sorry, I'm still not convinced.

While McGregor did all he was asked, and accomplished his goal, the reason for doubt lies not with him, but with the circumstances surrounding his win.  Chad Mendes was visibly tired about a minute into the fight, certainly the result of taking the fight on a couple weeks notice.  McGregor did his part in helping Mendes gas out by drilling him with body kicks fairly consistently and landing punches with laser accuracy, sure, but I don't buy that as the primary reason. 

Not only did Mendes' conditioning leave a stain on the outcome, but by all accounts, he was winning the fight.  He landed big power shots on the feet.  Scored takedowns with relative ease.  Cut McGregor open with one of the many elbows he landed while on top.  Doing everything the doubters expected.

To be clear, I'm a doubter, not a hater.  I actually love Conor McGregor.  And I give him credit for the win.  He agreed to a fight with a wildly different opponent than he had been preparing for, and he took care of business.  When Mendes went for a risky guillotine choke late in round two, McGregor scrambled out and stalked Mendes down like he had throughout the fight and landed a series of big punches to put his opponent down for good.

I don't doubt Conor McGregor's status as an elite fighter, but the fight did not answer the questions I had about his shortcomings. 
He didn't show much takedown defense and he didn't do much off his back. 
(Frankie Edgar was licking his chops watching that fight.) 
He can take a punch, but he eats too many. 
(You don't want Jose Aldo, who has power, speed, AND accuracy, teeing off on your face.)

Still having these questions is what makes Conor McGregor's career going forward so interesting.  I can't wait to see what's next. 

          -----     -----     -----     -----     -----     -----     -----     -----     -----     -----     -----     -----         

While I stated earlier that the Featherweight title fight kicked the week off, that wasn't exactly true.  That fight was the Main Event of UFC 189, but the card leading up to that battle was just as exciting, and at times, even more so. 

Brawling warrior Matt Brown returned to his winning ways with a choke out of Tim Means late in a barn burner of a first round.  Speaking of barn burners, they don't get much crazier than the Brad Pickett / Thomas Almeida scrap that ended with Pickett flattened by a flying knee.

After Gunnar Nelson dispatched Brandon Thatch with a first round RNC, another flying knee finish courtesy of Jeremy Stephens (against Denis Bermudez) set the stage for one of the best fights in UFC history.

Robbie Lawler had already beaten Rory MacDonald on his way to capturing UFC gold, but MacDonald had earned himself a re-match with the belt on the line.  Somehow Lawler, with the belt and a win over MacDonald in his pocket, was the betting underdog.

Early on you could see why.  Rory is longer, and always fights smart.  He peppered the champ with jabs and kept out of Lawler's range.  Lawler couldn't figure out the distance and spent most of round one staring at his challenger, occasionally eating punches.

In the second round Lawler found his range and managed to get inside, land big shots, and stay out of danger.  He opened Rory up and busted his nose.  It was more of the same in round three, but MacDonald was consistently throwing up a right high kick, which the champ was blocking.  Until he wasn't.

Late in the third round that kick snuck behind Lawler's guard and landed near the back of his head, visibly wobbling him and MacDonald went after the belt like a rabid dog.  It looked over.  As if Robbie Lawler was on the verge of collapsing against the cage in a heap under an overwhelming assault.

But he never did.  He covered, and he moved, and he survived.  If only barely.  When round four started, MacDonald came out gunning and Lawler was still trying to recover from that damn head kick.  Lawler bided his time, and late in round four he finally recovered and started to put his own offense back together.

There was a moment at the end of round four, just after the horn sounded, when most fighters relax and retreat to the corner for the round break.  Robbie Lawler stood in front of MacDonald shaking his head, not backing up, as if to say "I'm still here and I'm not going anywhere.  You missed your window."  MacDonald followed suit and the two battered men stared at each other in a moment packed to the brim with testosterone and adrenaline.  Neither backing down, or looking away, until the ref forced them to separate.

You see that type of thing in MMA from time to time, and I think I've seen it from Lawler on several occasions.  But this one was different.  This was the kind of war that happens only every few years and it came with a belt on the line, in what was probably the most watched pay-per-view event in the sports history.

As the final round began, Lawler was down big, having lost three of the first four rounds.  He likely knew this, and was aware that only a finish would allow him to retain his title.  He had been landing heavy punches to MacDonald's face all night, and finally a big right hand connected square on the challenger's nose.  A half second to react, a quick touch of  the nose, and then Rory MacDonald collapsed.  He had nothing left.  The ref stepped in to halt the bout and Lawler kept his belt.

          -----     -----     -----    -----     -----     -----     -----     -----     -----     -----     -----     -----

Even though the Lawler/MacDonald bout was the highlight of the week, and nothing could match the spectacle of the McGregor/Mendes fight, there was still more to come.

The TUF 21 Finale featured an impressive debut for "Karate Hottie" Michele Waterson (winning by RNC over Angela Magana), and Stephen Thompson obliterating Jake Ellenberger with head kicks in the Main Event.

Fight Night: Mir/Duffee was a fantastic mid-week card with a fun scrap between Matt Dwyer and cartwheel kicking Alan Jouban, an impressive showing by Holly Holm, and Josh Thomson falling, but refusing to be finished by an onslaught from Tony Ferguson.  Then there was the Main Event of Frank Mir vs. Todd Duffee.  Two huge men standing in the pocket, winging haymakers at each others heads with reckless abandon to see who will faceplant on the mat first (it was Duffee).  Seventy three seconds of pure pandemonium.

The week was topped off early Saturday with a solid show that gave us a look at Joanne Calderwood taking a decision from Cortney Casey,  an impressive showing from Joseph Duffy, who looked good on the feet before subbing a BJJ black belt in Ivan Jorge, and good ol' Mike Bisping taking a split decision over Thales Leites, who had Bisping hurt several times throughout the bout.

Obviously, the UFC is putting way too many shows together right now.  A trend that has been going for almost two years.  Finally, fight fans have something to show for it.  The greatest seven days of MMA action since, well,  probably ever.  There was even a Bellator in there!

I didn't watch it.

Is The Time Is Now Or Never For The UFC? (part 2)

Seems a little silly to breakdown a bunch of stuff that happened months ago, so I'll keep it quick.  It's been an up and down year so far, coming off a bad 2014.  Injuries have been as prevalent as ever, and Jon Jones moronic hit-and-run incident have him on the shelf for who knows how long.  Luckily, Conor McGregor and Rhonda Rousey are keeping the mainstream interested, while the hard core fight fans have been getting a steady dose of solid PPV events, with the occasional good scrap on free TV.

And the last week of UFC action... Whew.  That's worth a few words.

Soon.

Is The Time Is Now Or Never For The UFC? (Part 1)

The UFC started using "The Time Is Now" tagline late last year once it became obvious that 2014 is best left forgot. Let's pretend that shit didn't even happen guys.

2014 was a big step back for the UFC financially, and there are plenty of reasons to throw around as to why: Oversaturation, Injuries, the loss and/or decline of big stars from the UFC boom (Chuck Liddell, Forrest Griffin, Dan Henderson, Shogun Rua, Brock Lesnar, GSP, Anderson Silva).

Or perhaps it was just that the UFC's mainstream popularity has run its course, and it's time to settle into it's place as a niche sport that is never going to catch MLB, the NBA, or the NFL.

Perhaps, but the UFC is not going quietly into that good night. They frontloaded 2015 with an avalanche of "must watch" fight cards the likes of which haven't been seen in years.

We are roughly halfway through this barrage with Jon Jones having dispatched Daniel Cormier at UFC 182, a card that featured rising star Miles Jury get dominated by long time contender Donald Cerrone and highly regarded vet's like Brad Tavares, Josh Burkman, Nate Marquardt, and Hector Lombard fill out the main card.

That was followed up with a free tv Fight Night card that showcased the much ballyhooed Conor McGregor annihilating poor Dennis Siver.   However, the injury bug reared it's disgusting head again, ruining a potential barn-burner when Eddie Alvarez had to pull out of his bout against Benson Henderson.   Luckily, Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone is a cyborg and stepped in to replace Alvarez just two weeks after his fight at UFC 182, winning a controversial decision.  Uriah Hall was also featured on the main card and had his opponent switched twice in the weeks leading up to the bout, before polishing off Ron Stallings in round one.

Then came this weekends nationally televised FOX card with a main event title eliminator between Alexander Gustafsson and Anthony Johnson.  Smart money was on Gus, the man who had taken champ Jon Jones to a decision that many believed he deserved to win. But 'Rumble' Johnson's crazy power proved to be too much as he won via TKO in round 1, setting up a title match with Jones this summer.   An outcome that, let's face it, the UFC is disappointed by.  The Gus/Jones re-match would certainly be more profitable, but it is what it is.  Other fights on the card that looked good on paper, but underwhelmed in reality, were Dan Henderson getting knocked out early by Gegard Mousasi, and Ryan Bader out pointing Phil Davis.

That's become kind of a theme so far with the UFC's first quarter blitzkrieg: Fights that look and sound great, but don't pay off.  Sometimes due to injury (Henderson/Alvarez, Hall/Philippou), sometimes due to the fighters not performing well (Lombard/Burkman, Davis/Bader), and sometimes due to questionable ref's calls (Henderson/Mousasi).

But it's not over yet. Actually it's not even half over yet.  Three events down, four more to go before we reach March.

This weekend brings UFC 183: Silva Vs. Diaz.   The return of The Spider.  The man many consider the greatest fighter of all time will face a very good fighter that is well below his weight and skill level.  But boy it should be entertaining.  The undercard is packed unlike any of the cards before it, with top contenders and exciting veterans.

Tyron Woodley Vs Kelvin Gastelum.

Joe Lauzon Vs. Al Iaquinta.

Thales Leities Vs. Tim Boetsch.

Jordan Mein Vs. Thiago Alves.

Even the prelim's feature Miesha Tate Vs. Sara McMann and Ian McCall Vs. John Lineker.

So any day now I expect to hear that Silva has re-broken his leg or Nick Diaz has fled the country.  Or at the least, Thiago Alves and Tim Boetsch will be pulled from the card for some reason or other.   But even if all goes as planned, there is always the chance we see near every fight slog along to an unimpressive decision.  It's still up the fighter's to entertain us, and sometimes it just doesn't happen.   This card, however, is built to please.

Another injury ruined a potentially epic brawl between Matt Brown and Terac Seffadine, which was to headline a Fight Night card (Feb. 14).  A solid, if less glitzy, match up of Stephen Thompson Vs. Brandon Thatch moved to the Main Event.

Glover Texeria's injury also damaged the appeal of a Fight Night card (Feb. 22), keeping him from facing a long dormant Rashad Evans.  Bigfoot Silva will now face an irrelevant Frank Mir in the card's top spot, while Edson Barbosa and Michael Johnson's match should be worth watching.

The "Superbowl" card is always a big one, and this year is no exception.  While the card isn't as deep as 183, the stakes at UFC 184 (Feb.28) are much bigger, with 2 title fights and some big contenders fighting it out to jump the rankings.   Well, not as many big contenders as initially thought.  Ronaldo Souza has pneumonia and his bout against Yoel Romero has been pushed to a later date.   The man who dethroned the legendary Anderson Silva, Chris Weidman, is still on tap though (for now), and makes his third title defense against a game, but aging, Vitor Belfort.  Belfort presents a difficult challenge for anyone, and many people still question Weidman due to the circumstances of his wins over Anderson Silva.  Of course the biggest star in MMA is also defending her strap on this card, and Ronda Rousey isn't likely to be pushed off the top spot by Cat Zingano, although anything can happen.  Holly Holm also makes her UFC debut on this card and will likely get the next title shot if she makes short work of Raquel Pennington, as she is expected to.  Also on this card, Josh Koscheck will fight Jake Ellenberger for the right to have a future in MMA.

So that's the rundown of the early assault the UFC is throwing at MMA fans. In Part 2, I'll spotlight some of the folks the UFC is counting on to carry them back to prominence.

Recognizing Greatness... And Hating It

After a very tough 2014, the UFC looks to kick 2015 off with a bang tonight.  UFC 182: Jones Vs. Cormier.  The rare main event with legit bad blood hyping an already anticipated battle.  Two (essentially) undefeated fighter's in the prime of their careers. 

It's a big deal, guys.

I'm pulling for Cormier to unseat the long time champion, and I really think he has the tools to do it.  Of course, even if I didn't think so, I would be pulling for him.

I haven't been a Jon Jones fan for many years.  When he burst into the collective conscience of the UFC fan base with his exciting beatdown of Stephan Bonnar at UFC 94, I was obviously impressed.  He was young, long, athletic, aggressive, and creative.  His potential seemed limitless, as he built on that big win with a string of violent finishes against solid (if not "top-notch") opponents.  His one loss came during this run when a referee's bad call led to his being DQ'd as he obliterated Matt Hamill. 

By the time he faced Ryan Bader at UFC 126, I had begun to sour on Jones, while still recognizing his vast reservoir of talent.  He was becoming over-hyped, with everyone clamoring for him to get a crack at the title.  He always tried to say the right things.  Thanking God and Jesus.  Giving credit to his camp.  But more and more he seemed arrogant, while trying to claim humility. 

Bader was also getting plenty of hype due to his undefeated record, KO power, and strong wrestling base.  I was pulling for the Bader upset, but of course, Jones had him looking silly.  Bader could never get inside the reach, and Jones shrugged off his takedown attempts, eventually catching a guillotine in the second round. 

The convincing win (and a Rashad Evans injury) propelled Jones to a title fight match-up with Shogun Rua at UFC 128.  I remember a friend saying "I don't think he's ready for Shogun." after the fight was announced.  How wrong he was.  Jones made it look easy, battering Shogun from two and a half rounds before getting the stoppage.

And the hype train continued to roll on.  To be fair, the hype was well deserved.  Jones went on to finish former champions Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson and Lyoto Machida in his first two title defenses.  That made him three for three when facing MMA legends in title fights.

By the time he faced former camp-mate Rashad Evans (also a former champion) at UFC 145 he had developed a fighting style to perfectly utilize the biggest advantage he had against most opponents: his reach.  While he used a similar strategy against Rampage, Jones seemed to work even harder to keep his distance from Evans.  Staying just out of Evans range, he battered Rashad with punches, kicks, and clever elbow strikes.  But never did Jones seem compelled to finish the fight.  At the time it seemed as though he simply wanted to punish Evans for the full 25 minutes for all the trash talk leading up the bout.  And he did.  But if there is any validity to that theory, it's moot now.  Once Jones knew he could fight this way and win convincingly, that was the end of his days as an exciting fighter.

Staying out of your opponents range and avoiding damage, while still maintaining your own striking distance is a smart way to fight, no question.  However, Jones' style became frustrating to watch, and honestly, boring.  The hungry, savage Jon Jones was gone.  He was doing just enough to win, without much risk.  He would brush off mounting criticism, claiming he wants to stay healthy and have a long career.

About a month after his win over Evans, Jon Jones drunkenly crashed his Bentley into a pole and was arrested in New York.  He was with two young women, neither of whom were his then-fiancé.  This incident seemed to cement his position as a heel in the UFC, but did nothing to derail his career. 

Despite a first round scare against Vitor Belfort at UFC 152 in which he was caught in a tight armbar, Jones escaped and proceeded to sleepwalk through the next few rounds before finishing Belfort via Americana in round four. 

An absolute joke of a fight against Chael Sonnen went as expected with Jones finishing Sonnen off in a the first round.

Alexander Gustafsson gave Jones his first real war at UFC 165, consistently landing power shots and taking the champ down several times.  A razor thin decision went to Jones, but both men ended up in the hospital.

A highly touted Glover Teixeira was routinely dispatched at UFC 172 via Jones play it safe style.  The performance made all the more frustrating by the sense that, as with the Jackson, Evans, and Belfort fights, Jones could have turned up the heat and finished Teixeira off at any time.

Obviously every fighter has to fight in a way that is comfortable for him/her.  Jon Jones is the one locked in a cage with another man whose trying to do him harm.  Jon Jones is the one with a career, a title, a legacy.  Who am I to question how he goes about conducting his affairs in the Octagon?  Just a paying customer.  It doesn't mean much, but it does entitle me to an opinion.  And my opinion is that Jon Jones sucks.

Not as a fighter, or champion.  Maybe not even as a person, I don't know him.  But as an entertainer?  Absolutely.  The bottom line is MMA fighters are not just suppose to win, but to chase the finish, to look to completely dominate the opposition.  That's the spirit of Mixed Martial Arts.  These are things a young Jon Jones proved more than capable of.  Now he just does enough to get by with his win bonus. 

Hopefully his hatred of Daniel Cormier will bring the young Jones back to the forefront.

...But I doubt it.

War DC.