UFC Mania!

On My Mind

All in all I was happy with the performances at UFC 111. With too many hyped cards that don't live up to expectations this was not one of them in terms of entertainment value.

Bocek vs Miller

Great way to start off the main card with the fight going the distance. Alot of controversy surrounding the decision at the end of the fight with Miller getting the victory. The way I saw it was Miller and Bocek splitting the 2nd and 3rd rounds, thus leaving the 1st round as the deciding factor as I saw that round as the closest of the three. Did the cut leave an impression with the judges that Bocek suffered more damage? Did home field advantage sway the judges opinion? If you ask me it may have been all of the above. It wouldn't be the first time where the UFC has had a deicision swayed by a fighters home crowd or by a cut making it appear as though the person took more damage then reality.

Fitch vs Saunders

First thing I thought after Alves was deemed unable to compete Saturday was that I was really looking forward to his match against Fitch. Both fighters appear unstoppable in the Welterweight division (leaving out their losses against GSP) and it would have been interesting to see if Fitch would finally be knocked out by the heavy hands of Alves or if he would continue his dominance of taking his opponents down to the canvas and smothering them on way to another judges decision. Quite quickly after the Alves announcement Saunders and Fitch agreed to fight on Satuday (short notice? In terms of opponents I guess but both were already competing on the card). I didn't doubt that Fitch would win the fight, and felt bad for Saunders to an extent. Saunders, still a young fighter, was making quite his mark in the Welterweight division, however, had yet to fight any “big” name fighters. It was evident that Saunders was out of his league, with no solution to Fitch's usual strategy of taking his opponents to the mat at will as it was a re-occurring theme for the entire fight.

Pellegrino vs Camoes

Great fight in terms or excitement. The fight went back and forth until Pellegrino was able to sink in a rear naked choke causing Camoes to tap. Both fighters should be commended on a great battle, which is what Dana White loves to see from his fighters, win, lose, or draw. I look forward to seeing both men fight at future events.

Mir vs Carwin

It appeared to be a replay of the last Mir vs Lesnar fight. Carwin easily handled Mir by first pushing him up against the cage then delivering numerous uppercuts until Mir collapsed onto the mat where he continued the assault until the Ref called a stoppage to the fight. Carwin's streak of 1st round victories continues as Mir simply did not look good, and leaves me to wonder what Mir will do. A match vs Junior Dos Santos or Velasquez is not out of the question, however, it is apparent that Mir can not compete against either Lesnar or Carwin, with both defeating Mir in dominating fashions. The Carwin victory sets up a match that was supposed to happen back in November, in a unification bout. I think Showdown Joe described it best stating that if the fight stays standing then Carwin has the advantage, however, if Lesnar is able to take it to the ground he has the advantage. It just seems like great matches are falling into place for the UFC and I am one of the many who are excited for the Heavyweight Championship title fight, which appears to be slated for July 3rd.

GSP vs Hardy

Not surprising to many, GSP did what he does best, which is to take his opponent to the mat at will and dominate them for 5 rounds. Unfortunately for GSP, many fans are growing tired of seeing him dominate his opponents yet not being able to finish them, whether that be by submission or ground and pound. I don't know what it is. Does GSP just not have the killer instinct, as it seemed as though he almost stopped twisting Hardy's arm during one of the armbars, just as it appeared that Hardy had almost had enough. Maybe GSP just doesn't have the finishing part mastered, which would allow him to submit his opponents. He is obviously strong as he takes opponents down easily in many different forms and by many different methods and lifts his opponents up for slams easy enough. Obviously GSP, by his post match comments, would love to defeat his opponents by tap out or TKO instead of going to decision everytime, however, at the end of the day he is still dominating in a major aspect of the sport. In addition, its like White said after the match as well, maybe his opponents should learn some takedown defence.

Definitely looking forward to the next few months, which is full of UFC events. Key matches I'm looking forward to watching are Rashad vs Rampage (UFC 114), its always exciting to watch matches between guys who actually have a dislike for each other, Machida vs Rua and Cote vs Belcher (UFC 113). Machida has to make up for a lacklustre effort in their last contest, while Rua wants a chance to win the title after not getting the controversial judges decision in their last bout. Interested in seeing how Cote fairs after the knee injury he suffered during his title fight vs Silva. Here's hoping he can regain his form from before the injury and climb his way back up the Middleweight ladder.