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| Herb Dean saving Overeem from Bigfoot |
- Francisco Rivera destroyed Edwin Figueroa with some elbows and punches in the 2nd round.
- Dustin Kimura showed his excellent grappling and submission skills by finishing Chico Camus with a rear-naked choke.
- Isaac Vallie-Flagg wore Yves Edwards down to take a split decision.
- Bobby Green put on a show and choked out Jacob Volkmann.
- Tyron Woodley knocks out Jay Hieron in 35 seconds to show it was not a fluke that he was the Strikeforce Welterweight Champion.
- Evan Dunham takes a split decision over Gleison Tibau
I will be a little more in depth in my analysis of the main event fights. The night started with Joe Benavidez fighting Ian McCall. The flyweight division is a top heavy 4 man division, and both of these guys are fighting for the first time since losing to the current champ Demitrious Johnson in the inaugural tournament. The first round saw Benavidez showing his superior striking and catching Ian with many kicks and ducking overhand right hands. He had a couple inadvertent shots that hit Ian McCall in a bad area, but he was tough and just fought through it. First round was definitely 10-9 Benavidez although Ian got loose in the standup late in the round. The 2nd was much of the same, with Benavidez utilizing the clinch more to throw some knees and stay out of danger. He tried to take the fight to the ground only to have Ian slip under and take Joe's back. He held him and landed some big hammer fists which did some damage to Benavidez. He took the 2nd round so we were looking at a 19-19 match heading into the 3rd. Benavidez again showed off his superior striking and used takedown defense to stall McCall and take home the victory. He and McCall put on a show that was the 2nd consecutive flyweight fight that had fans on the edge of their seats. Ladies and gentlemen, the 125lb division is exciting! Benavidez takes the fight via unanimous decision 29-28.
Following the flyweight striking battle, two of the UFC's best grapplers went at it for 3 rounds. All three rounds were much of the same in this fight. Demian Maia shot for an early takedown against decorated wrestler Jon Fitch and secured a dominant position for the rest of the fight. He had Fitch's back for the entire first round. Hanging on his neck with a body triangle as Fitch tried to shake him off without getting choked out. Fitch is well known for the best submission defense in the UFC and he showed this off in his fight against Maia. However, defending submissions did not win him this fight. For 3 rounds Demian Maia dominated a dominant wrestler and really proved he is at the top of a stacked welterweight division. UFC president Dana White put it best, "Demian Maia out-Fitched Jon Fitch." Fitch is well known for being on top of fighters and staying there on his way to grinding out a decision. Maia did this to Fitch winning all 3 judges scorecards 30-27.
Alistair Overeem and Antonio "Bigfoot" Silva were the next duo to step into the octagon. These two mammoth sized heavyweights really did not like each other. Overeem is an arrogant Dutch kick boxer who is well decorated in grappling as well. He is the former Dream, Strikeforce, and K1 Champion. He defeated Brock Lesnar to earn a title shot against Junior Dos Santos, only to have a failed drug test knock him out of the picture for a while. If he beat Silva, which he was a heavy favorite to do, the title shot against Cain Velasquez would be his. Bigfoot has fought only the best in his last couple of fights. In his last 5 fights, he defeated one of the best heavyweights of all time in Fedor Emelianenko, lost to undefeated Strikeforce Champion Daniel Cormier, lost to current UFC Champion Cain Velasquez, defeated formerly undefeated monster Travis Browne, and on Saturday he took on Alistair Overeem. It is really testament to his confidence in his abilities to continuously take on such dominant fighters despite meeting adversity in those fights. He was not afraid to take on a giant challenge in Overeem.
You could see from the intro at the beginning of the PPV broadcast and his entrance into the octagon that Overeem was not taking this fight seriously. Whenever a fighter steps in the octagon he should respect his opponent, especially someone as big and powerful as Bigfoot. This is a mistake Overeem cannot undo. He utilized knees from the clinch and superior striking for the first round to take it easily. The second round saw Silva get taken to the ground by a judo hip toss. Overeem clearly was toying with Silva and only did this to show that his black belt in judo meant nothing. Overeem laid some good ground and pound on him but Silva limited the damage and looked to throw elbows from his back. He finally got stood up by Herb Dean and in the last 30 seconds there was an exchange that saw Silva tag Overeem with a muy thai knee to the head. At the end of the 2nd round there was a violent stare down between the two fighters. Silva looked mean and looked like a man on a mission. He was clearly down 20-18 in the fight, and needed to finish Alistair in the 3rd round if he wanted to win. This took a solid 35 seconds to do. He caught him with his hands low and threw some nasty counter punches that rocked Overeem. He put him against the fence and threw more combos and two nasty uppercuts. Finally he threw the finishing blow that send Overeem to sleep only to have Herb Dean using all of his might to pull Bigfoot off Overeem. He started yelling over an unconscious Alistair Overeem until Herb finally got him under control. Clearly there was bad blood but I do not blame Silva at all for having something to say. He just had a lot of emotions in this fight, as he just upset a huge favorite and a huge punk. Bigfoot changed the complexion of the heavyweight division with this fight. Up next for these guys could be anything. Despite getting clowned by Velasquez in the first fight, Dana is not against giving Bigfoot a title shot. Overeem could be up against Junior in his next fight. Anything could happen, but right now there is not a clear #1 contender in the heavyweight division.
The co-main event of the night was a snoozer. Rashad thought he could stand and exchange with the Olympic boxer Little Nog. Rashad basically threw a job out there to be caught over and over again by Nogeuira Rogerio Nogueira did not look any more impressive than Rashad. He lost one round because of a takedown by Evans, but the other two rounds he won by pushing the pace and being slightly better at boxing. It was a non-eventful fight and it really disappointed many fans. More important than the fight itself, is the situation Rashad's loss has caused. People were saying Evans could compete with Anderson Silva in a super fight. The idea of him dropping to 185 to fight the pound for pound best of all time is laughable now that he has looked unimpressive in two consecutive decision losses. Since the Lyoto Machida fight that saw Rashad losing his title by being knocked out, Evans has looked tentative and boring. He clearly has lost that desire to win at any cost. He would much rather lose a decision than go out on a shield trying to finish his opponent. This is similar to GSP, who has not finished any opponents since the upset loss to Matt Serra. Rashad really needs to reevaluate where he is in the fight business and try to get his career back on track. He has too much talent to lose in such unspectacular fashion to guys at the bottom end of the division. In his next fight, he should look to fight someone who forces him to bring it. A guy like Shogun, who is also coming off a loss, always brings it and forces the action to the other guy. He could corner Evans and bring out the beast we all know is inside of him. As for Nogueira, he just beat a guy who was considered one of the top 5 guys in the light heavyweight division. However, this should not move him too far up the ranks due to the unspectacular fashion in which he did so. He is near the top 10 and is a win or two away from making noise, but as for now he still has some work to do. He should look to fight someone like Matt Hamill to prove he can beat a dominant wrestler. Wrestlers have been his achilles heel in the UFC so he has to beat a good wrestler before he can be considered in the top of the division.
The main event of the night saw a super fight between two of the top pound for pound guys on the planet. The current Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo took on the former Lightweight Champion, Frankie Edgar. Edgar is coming off of back to back losses to Ben Henderson, the 2nd one being a controversial decision. He pushed the pace early, and it seemed like trying to get Aldo to gas out was his gameplan. He knew in the Mark Hominick fight that Aldo can be gassed out and finished late. Edgar was not nearly as dominant a striker as Aldo, or even Hominick. He throws solid leg kicks and punches, but has little power. He also utilizes good footwork and head movement. However, this is not a problem for the dominant champion Jose Aldo. The first two rounds saw Edgar pushing the pace only to have his takedowns shrugged off and his strikes evaded and countered. Counter striking and violent leg kicks won Aldo the first two rounds easily. In the third round, Aldo landed a wicked front kick to Edgar's face which caused his nose to bleed all over the place. What good is a Frankie Edgar fight without his nose leaking like a faucet? Late in the fight Aldo was gassing a little bit. Edgar caught a leg kick to get a takedown so this took away Jose's best threat. Edgar also picked up Aldo and slammed him in impressive fashion. Edgar arguable took the final two rounds, but it was not enough to win the decision. Edgar hung tough like always but was outclassed by a dominant champion and better all around fighter. Aldo showed he is still dominant, and one of the best fighters in MMA today. He may need to move to lightweight in the future, but as for now he will reign supreme in the 145lb division.
The future for both Edgar and Aldo is unclear. Usually it is pretty obvious who is next in line for the champion and it is back to the drawing board for the contender. However, UFC 156's main event is a different situation. Had Koch defeated Lamas, the answer would be more clear. However with Koch out of the picture, Lamas needing a few more victories under his belt, and the Korean Zombie on the injury reserve, nobody at 145 makes too much sense. Also, Aldo's ability to cut to 145 remains an issue. In a surprise turn of events, Anthony Pettis texted Dana White to give him the title shot next. He was up next to fight the winner of Henderson versus Melendez at 155, but he does not feel like waiting. He would rather fight a more dominant champ at a weight class he has never fought at before than wait for his shot at 155. This is a very very interesting matchup and it should be nothing but fireworks. Dana has made it pretty much official this is the next fight for Aldo. This is a low risk fight for Pettis, who should get a title shot at 155 after he fights Aldo win or lose. Aldo will have his hands full with Pettis who is a dominant fighter no matter where the fight goes. As for Edgar, Dana White made it clear he does not want him to return to the weight class where he was the champion. He wants him to stay at 145 and work his way up the ranks, or even drop to bantamweight if he can make it that low. At bantamweight he will need probably two wins in a row to get a chance at a title shot. At featherweight Edgar is probably in his best physical form but he has some serious work to do to climb back to the top of the heap. I love Edgar as much as anyone, but he is really a long ways away from his next title fight.
It is worth noting this event was a tremendous disappointment for the Blackzilians and a tremendous accomplishment for the Brazilians. Brazil went 4/4 on the main card, and scored some serious upset wins. Rashad and Alistair went 0/2 for the Blackzilians.
Fighter bonuses for UFC 156 went as followed:
Fight of the Night: Edgar/Aldo
KO of the Night: Bigfoot Silva (Woodley got screwed)
Submission of the Night: Bobby Green
Predictions: 5/11 on the night. 45.6% overall (21/46)
The co-main event of the night was a snoozer. Rashad thought he could stand and exchange with the Olympic boxer Little Nog. Rashad basically threw a job out there to be caught over and over again by Nogeuira Rogerio Nogueira did not look any more impressive than Rashad. He lost one round because of a takedown by Evans, but the other two rounds he won by pushing the pace and being slightly better at boxing. It was a non-eventful fight and it really disappointed many fans. More important than the fight itself, is the situation Rashad's loss has caused. People were saying Evans could compete with Anderson Silva in a super fight. The idea of him dropping to 185 to fight the pound for pound best of all time is laughable now that he has looked unimpressive in two consecutive decision losses. Since the Lyoto Machida fight that saw Rashad losing his title by being knocked out, Evans has looked tentative and boring. He clearly has lost that desire to win at any cost. He would much rather lose a decision than go out on a shield trying to finish his opponent. This is similar to GSP, who has not finished any opponents since the upset loss to Matt Serra. Rashad really needs to reevaluate where he is in the fight business and try to get his career back on track. He has too much talent to lose in such unspectacular fashion to guys at the bottom end of the division. In his next fight, he should look to fight someone who forces him to bring it. A guy like Shogun, who is also coming off a loss, always brings it and forces the action to the other guy. He could corner Evans and bring out the beast we all know is inside of him. As for Nogueira, he just beat a guy who was considered one of the top 5 guys in the light heavyweight division. However, this should not move him too far up the ranks due to the unspectacular fashion in which he did so. He is near the top 10 and is a win or two away from making noise, but as for now he still has some work to do. He should look to fight someone like Matt Hamill to prove he can beat a dominant wrestler. Wrestlers have been his achilles heel in the UFC so he has to beat a good wrestler before he can be considered in the top of the division.
The main event of the night saw a super fight between two of the top pound for pound guys on the planet. The current Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo took on the former Lightweight Champion, Frankie Edgar. Edgar is coming off of back to back losses to Ben Henderson, the 2nd one being a controversial decision. He pushed the pace early, and it seemed like trying to get Aldo to gas out was his gameplan. He knew in the Mark Hominick fight that Aldo can be gassed out and finished late. Edgar was not nearly as dominant a striker as Aldo, or even Hominick. He throws solid leg kicks and punches, but has little power. He also utilizes good footwork and head movement. However, this is not a problem for the dominant champion Jose Aldo. The first two rounds saw Edgar pushing the pace only to have his takedowns shrugged off and his strikes evaded and countered. Counter striking and violent leg kicks won Aldo the first two rounds easily. In the third round, Aldo landed a wicked front kick to Edgar's face which caused his nose to bleed all over the place. What good is a Frankie Edgar fight without his nose leaking like a faucet? Late in the fight Aldo was gassing a little bit. Edgar caught a leg kick to get a takedown so this took away Jose's best threat. Edgar also picked up Aldo and slammed him in impressive fashion. Edgar arguable took the final two rounds, but it was not enough to win the decision. Edgar hung tough like always but was outclassed by a dominant champion and better all around fighter. Aldo showed he is still dominant, and one of the best fighters in MMA today. He may need to move to lightweight in the future, but as for now he will reign supreme in the 145lb division.
The future for both Edgar and Aldo is unclear. Usually it is pretty obvious who is next in line for the champion and it is back to the drawing board for the contender. However, UFC 156's main event is a different situation. Had Koch defeated Lamas, the answer would be more clear. However with Koch out of the picture, Lamas needing a few more victories under his belt, and the Korean Zombie on the injury reserve, nobody at 145 makes too much sense. Also, Aldo's ability to cut to 145 remains an issue. In a surprise turn of events, Anthony Pettis texted Dana White to give him the title shot next. He was up next to fight the winner of Henderson versus Melendez at 155, but he does not feel like waiting. He would rather fight a more dominant champ at a weight class he has never fought at before than wait for his shot at 155. This is a very very interesting matchup and it should be nothing but fireworks. Dana has made it pretty much official this is the next fight for Aldo. This is a low risk fight for Pettis, who should get a title shot at 155 after he fights Aldo win or lose. Aldo will have his hands full with Pettis who is a dominant fighter no matter where the fight goes. As for Edgar, Dana White made it clear he does not want him to return to the weight class where he was the champion. He wants him to stay at 145 and work his way up the ranks, or even drop to bantamweight if he can make it that low. At bantamweight he will need probably two wins in a row to get a chance at a title shot. At featherweight Edgar is probably in his best physical form but he has some serious work to do to climb back to the top of the heap. I love Edgar as much as anyone, but he is really a long ways away from his next title fight.
It is worth noting this event was a tremendous disappointment for the Blackzilians and a tremendous accomplishment for the Brazilians. Brazil went 4/4 on the main card, and scored some serious upset wins. Rashad and Alistair went 0/2 for the Blackzilians.
Fighter bonuses for UFC 156 went as followed:
Fight of the Night: Edgar/Aldo
KO of the Night: Bigfoot Silva (Woodley got screwed)
Submission of the Night: Bobby Green
Predictions: 5/11 on the night. 45.6% overall (21/46)
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