UFC 156 Recap

Demian Maia fighting at Welterweight

Maia came into his fight with one thing on his mind; submitting Jon Fitch. Fitch has possibly the best sub defense in the world and Demian Maia spend 3 rounds trying to break it. Maia spent 15 minutes clinging to Jon Fitch like extra strength velcro, but it seems Jon Fitch is a safe that can not be cracked. Maia completely nullfied Jon Fitch’s game plan, getting  himself the unanimous decision and is now part of the very few men to beat Jon Fitch.

Alistair Overeem is not a Legend

Bigfoot Silva VS Alistair Overeem was supposed to happen in Strikeforce, but when the fight got pushed forward a week, it interfered in Overeem’s “schedule”. After failing a surprise drug test and hitting a testosterone level of 14:1, Alistair was suspended for a year regardless of “not knowing it was put in his system”. During his suspension, Overeem went on a “Clean Fighter” rant and submitted repeated clean tests. After his suspension was up, this matchup was put together. Overeem came into it with considerably less muscle definition, less punching power and a cocky defense. He was efficiently put in his place with a flurry 25 seconds into round 3. The legend is no more and the UFC’s Top Heavyweights can happily carry on without him. Let’s have Junior Dos Santos check that chin if he wants a comeback fight. Joe Silva, make it happen!

Rashad Evans’ Gameplan

I don’t know what Rashad Evans’ gameplan was, but I assumed he would come in with the same plan Ryan Bader and Phil Davis used to best Nog; striking mixed with constant takedowns. This was not the case. Evans’ boxing was very sloppy and uncoordinated. He tried to counter Rogerio’s jab with his own so many times that Nog started to see it coming. He continuously backed up instead of weaving and ate a bunch of straights for his troubles.

The point of weaving is to get around your opponents strike and leave them wide open for a counter.  There were many opportunities for Rashad to use a weave to close the distance. He chose to once, got inside the pocket, but never capitalized on it.

He went for 3 takedowns that I noticed and did not mix striking into their set up causing them to be very telegraphed and basically stuffed. Huge credit to Rogerio Nogueira for getting a W over Rashad but I’m pretty sure Jon Jones broke his will. The Evans that showed up tonight would’ve been easily KOed by Anderson.

Aldo and Edgar

This Super Fight played out much differently than I had imagined. I expected Jose Aldo to take out Frankie Edgar in the 1st or 2nd round but the uppercut finish never came. Instead, Frankie went toe to toe with Jose Aldo, without the hesitation that other fighters have shown. I expected a split decison but in the Judges’ eyes, Aldo got the better of Edgar for four of the rounds. Four 10-9’s was enough for him to keep his Featherweight Title away from Frankie Edgar. Most thought the fight was much closer than that.

Where does Edgar go after losing his 3rd straight title fight in a row? He could make Featherweight his new home and climb to an Aldo rematch or he could go back to Lightweight. Either way, he was very upset at the post fight interview.  I hope he isn’t contemplating retirement because I can’t think of any Jose Aldo fight where I wasn’t sure if he won or not.

I don’t think many are left for Jose Aldo at Featherweight. I can think of 3 men; Ricardo Lamas, Dustin Poirier and Chan Sung Jung. If Aldo can get past them, he should move to Lightweight.

That’s UFC 156 for you! Here come 157!

Rory Macdonald

Photo Courtesy of http://www.vancouversun.com

Rory Macdonald’s career has been nothing but exciting. Winning his very first fight at just 16 years old at 2:11 by rear-naked-choke, This kid was definitely one to watch for.

9 finishes in 9 fights and Rory was done with the Canadian competition. It was time for the Ultimate Fighting Championship.

Rory was headed to Fairfax, Virginia to make his UFC debut against Mike Guymon. The fight was no different. Guymon tapped to an armbar at 4:28 in Round 1 leading to another dominant performance by “The Waterboy”.

Macdonald’s next fight would be one to remember. “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit, a Veteran of 29 fights and reigning WEC champion, left behind an 8 fight streak on his way to the UFC.  Im not sure anyone gave “The Waterboy” a chance in this fight. Experience was going to win Carlos this one. Right from the start, this had Fight of The Night written all over it. Rory kept pace with Carlos blow to blow, arguably winning the first 2 rounds. I know it had me on my feet! Round 3 saw Macdonald get tagged and mounted late in the round and eventually succumb to elbows for a TKO loss a mere 7 seconds away from closing time. Rory’s 10 fight win streak had come to an end.

Rory left his gym and came over to Tristar, the home of Welterweight Champion and future Hall of Famer Georges St. Pierre. His all over game improved in leaps and bounds. His nickname changed from “The Waterboy” to “Ares”. A much more fitting title, as the Canadian was disposing of competition in brutal fashion.

His next 3 fights would be the ones to watch. He tossed Nate Diaz around like a child, easily disposed of Mike Pyle with some ground-and-pound and his finish of Che Mills was a combination of speed and accuracy never seen from Macdonald until now. Mills was expectedly no match for the rising star’s high pressure attack and barely made it out of Round 1.

His most recent fight was no different. BJ Penn, though past his prime, still posed a possible threat to the up and comer. Aside from some overhand rights landed by Penn, Ares worked the head and body of Baby Jay with a vast array of kicks, punches and elbows leading to a unanimous decision. This was Rory’s highest profile fight to date and he walked through it with ease.

After the fight, Rory wasted no time calling out Carlos Condit to avenge his loss. A rematch that I hope Condit accepts. Both have improved considerably in the last 2 years.

Rory Macdonald, a soft spoken Mixed Martial Artist, is slowly but surely taking the MMA scene by storm. Fighting out of Kelowna, British Columbia and training in all facets of MMA, Rory has an amazing highlight reel at the young age of 23. If you’ve somehow missed his rise up the ranks or have been living in a cage, check him out!

Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort VS Michael “The Count” Bisping on FX

UFC ON FX 7 Betting Odds

Vitor Belfort -125 VS Michael Bisping -105

The odds might as well be even in this fight. Its Belfort’s 1 punch KO power VS Bisping’s gas tank for this 5 Round War!

Vitor Belfort goes into every fight with the same plan, Land early. Unfortunately, if this doesn’t prevail, he seems to fade. In Belfort’s last 6 fights, he has had 3 stoppages by quick KO, a submission victory over Anthony Johnson and 2 losses to champions Silva and Jones.

Bisping has outworked 7 of his last 10 opponents. Only ever being finished once in his career by Dan Henderson. Every time “The Count” seems deserving of the title picture, He gets dropped down the ladder. Dan Henderson’s right hand, Wanderlei Silva’s relentless attack and the wrestling of Chael Sonnen are responsible. Nevertheless, Michael Bisping is still very much a top contender in the Middleweight division.

I cant make a for sure pick for this fight because it comes down to few things. Either “The Phenom” lands early, capitalizing on  Bisping’s horrible first round head movement. “The Count” survives the early onslaught and has his cardio be the deciding factor in the later rounds.

The possible improvement of Bisping’s jab is a major factor here. Michael Bisping is praised for his jab by the UFC commentators. Unfortunately, it’s not that great. It’s his frequency and accuracy of the jab that wins him fights. A proper jab setup keeps your shoulder and hand high. Michael keeps his hand at mid height and doesn’t tuck his shoulder to block any counter strikes. This is why you will see him get knocked down in the first round by many fighters not touted for their striking game. He also circles to his left during the jab, making the impact of the jab weaker by not planting his feet.  This was blatantly obvious during the Henderson fight. This served as Santos’ demise against Velasquez in their rematch.

Michael Bisping always seems to fail his “step up” to prove himself. If any of the above hasn’t improved, Vitor takes this in the first and Michael “Always Contender never Champ” Bisping drops down the Middleweight ladder once again.

Bisping VS Vitor trailer – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMUvGEoJbbw

RESULTS: Bisping lost in the 2nd round via headkick after barely surviving the first.