UFC Fight Night 27 Recap

Kampmann kind of got destroyed by Condit.

The second broadcast on FS1 went just as well as the first one.  Not the most stacked card as far as big names are concerned, but it was still a night filled with exciting fights.

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• Abel Trujillo and Roger Bowling went toe to toe in one heck of an entertaining fight.  Unfortunately it ended with an illegal knee.  Trujillo threw 2 knees that appeared to hit Bowling in the chest, but they grazed his head enough to cause a no contest.  At least Trujillo was not disqualified.  Dana White took to Twitter to say that the knee was legal and that Trujillo would be paid his win bonus.  Good for Dana whether you agree with the legality of the knee or not.
• Zak Cummings made quick work of Ben Alloway with a d'arce choke in the first round.  He took home a bonus check for Submission of the Night.

On to Fox Sports 2, which will no longer do prelims.  FS1 will do 5 hour blocks of fights from now on:

• Jason High also made quick work of his opponent James Head with a first round submission.
• Darren Elkins and Hatsu Hioki went to war early, but it was Elkins wrestling that got it done in the 3rd round to clinch the 29-28 decision win.
• Brandon Thatch made one hell of a UFC debut, living up to his hype.  He took home KO of the Night with a devastating beating of Justin Edwards.
• Papy Abedi and Dylan Andrews both looked awful in their fight.  Andrews was fighting hurt so I give him a little benefit of the doubt.  Plus he was down 20-18 after 2 rounds and looked awful, but still pulled off a KO win.  Awful fight but great uppercut KO.  Look for a little better performance from Andrews next time.

FS1:

• Brad Tavares looked dominant in the first two rounds against Bubba McDaniel.  Bubba won the third round but did nothing to put Tavares in danger.  Dana White took to Twitter again to show how displeased he was with the effort of Bubba.  Maybe Bubba should have asked Tavares' corner man Ray Sefo for a job when they shook hands after the fight.  Because McDaniel's future in the UFC is gone, so maybe WSOF would be a good fit for him.
• Takeya Mizugaki and Erik Perez put on one heck of a show in their back and forth battle.  I personally scored it 30-27 for Mizugaki but a split decision win works too I guess.  Perez showed that he tires if he doesn't get the finish early so he still has work to do.  Great fight that very well could have been FOTN.
• Court McGee and Robert Whittaker also put on a back and forth FOTN worthy performance that ended in a split decision.  I feel like Whittaker won the first 2 rounds but lost the third.  I feel for him getting the loss but it was a razor close fight so good for Court on his win.  This lived up to the #10 spot I gave this fight on the blog I keep referencing.  Great fight for both kids.
• Kelvin Gastelum and Brian Melancon looked to be a pretty even matchup but I suppose I was wrong.  Gastelum dominated Melancon in the striking game and tagged him with a sick combination against the cage.  He then jumped on his back and took home a 1st round submission with a RNC.  Gastelum should fight Thatch next!!  They are both promising prospects that looked outstanding in their UFC debut's at welterweight.
• Donald Cerrone as well as main event fighter Martin Kampmann are both known for being notoriously slow starters.  Cerrone was very slow off the get go.  Rafael dos Anjos dominated the first two rounds, including a devastating right hook that had Cerrone rocked.  Cerrone looked better in the third round but it was too little too late.  Huge win for dos Anjos who proved to be a legit threat at lightweight.  As for Cerrone, a battle with Nate Thompson should be put on hold.  Thompson should fight dos Anjos now, while Cerrone should fight some young prospect like Ricci, Vick, Cruickshank, or Chiesa.
• The other slow starter Martin Kampmann actually got off to a great start getting an early takedown and beating Condit up a little bit on the ground.  Eventually Condit got loose and picked Kampmann apart with punches, knees, and kicks.  He finished Kampmann with a 4th round TKO and both guys took home FOTN.  I wanted the winner of this fight to take on Matt Bown so we could see if Brown was legit or not, but it seems the final Strikeforce champ Tarec Saffiedine will take Brown on next instead.  Condit wants the winner of GSP Hendricks but I think another main event fight against Nick Diaz or the winner of Shields/Maia should be his next battle.  Kampmann is an up and down fighter that is on the verge of being a gatekeeper.  After losing 2 in a row I like him against someone like Erick Silva or Josh Koscheck.

Pick entering event: 115/201

Picks of event: 8/12 (yes I am counting Abel Trujillo as a win)

Pick totals: 123/213=58%

UFC bonuses:

FOTN: Condit/Kampmann

SOTN: Cummings

KOOTN: Thatch

Brutal Sports Awards:

Beatdown of the Night: Thatch

Sketchiest Decision of the Night: McGee/Whittaker

Upset of the Night: dos Anjos

The cut list:

• Bowling
• Alloway
• Abedi
• McDaniels

Three Stars:

1. dos Anjos
2. Thatch
3. Gastelum