UFC 166 Recap

Diego and Gilbert slugged it out like maniacs.

To say Dana White was pleased with how the entire UFC 166 card from Houston went would be an understatement.  This was one of those really stacked cards on paper that actually delivered.  There were 4 finishes on Facebook, good FS1 battles, and the Pay-Per View had a pair of knockouts followed by an absolute war.  Oh and by the way, a heavyweight title trilogy was concluded as well.  Here is just my brief review of who won and what I think should be next for the guys at UFC 166.

Facebook:

• Kyoji Horiguchi 2nd round finish of Dustin Pague.
• Andre Fili missed weight but finished Jeremy Larsen in the 2nd round via TKO anyway.
• Tony Ferguson d'arce choke in the 1st over Mike Rio
• Adlan Amagov knocked slick submission artist TJ Waldburger out in the 1st round.

FS1:

• KJ Noons edges out George Sotiropoulos in a hard fought striking battle.
• Jessica Eye pulls off the upset with a split decision over Sarah Kaufman.  I scored the fight 30-27 for Kaufman but all 3 rounds were very very closely contended and tough to score.
• Hector Lombard with a HUGE 1st round KO of Nate Marquardt.  Hector looks to fight on the December 7th card in Australia.  I know it is short notice but I believe Stephen Thompson, Martin Kampmann, Jake Ellenberger, Jake Shields, or Demian Maia are available to take him on.  One of those would be interesting.  Nate Marquardt might be better off back at 185, but if welterweights are knocking him out that easily then maybe he should look to retire instead.
• Tim Boetsch won a split decision over CB Dollaway.  2 judges scored all 3 rounds for Tim while the other scored all 3 rounds for Dollaway.  Dollaway was deducted a point for eye pokes.

PPV:

• John Dodson was entertaining, quick, and powerful like always when he picked up KO of the Night in the first round against Darrell Montague.  Montague held tough in his UFC debut but looked flat footed at times.  Both guys have bright futures but Dodson definitely put himself in a good spot to potentially get the winner of Benavidez vs DJ 2.
• Gabriel Gonzaga also made a splash with a first round KO of his own.  He made quick work of the rapidly rising Shawn Jordan.
• Gilbert Melendez and Diego Sanchez put on an absolute war.  Melendez used his superior takedown defense and counter striking to pick Sanchez apart but in the 3rd round that changed.  They were in wild exchanges swinging away when Sanchez caught Melendez with an uppercut that appeared to knock him out cold, but Gilbert shot in on a single and the show went on.  They swung it out to the finish and Melendez ultimately won the decision.  Joe Rogan called it the best fight he has ever seen, but I would say that is an overstatement.  Nevertheless, it is right up there with Jones/Gustafsson, Silva/Stann, and Grice/Bermudez for Fight of the Year.  Diego proved he still belongs in the lightweight division.  He should fight another exciting guy like Joe Lauzon or Melvin Guillard next.  As for Melendez, he should be looking at fighting TJ Grant, Khabib Nurmagomedov, or Anthony Pettis next.  If Pettis beats Thomson I have no problem with him getting a title shot now.  If Thomson wins, I think he should fight Khabib and let Grant get his title shot.
• Daniel Cormier outclassed Roy Nelson for 3 rounds to win a decision.  At 205, DC should fight Rashad Evans or Phil Davis next.  Nelson will continue to get exciting fights but not get a title shot.  Maybe the loser of Bigfoot/Hunt should fight Nelson next.
• The main event was a grinding war that had JDS seeing stars for 5 rounds yet again.  Right off the get go, Junior rocked Cain.  About 5 seconds into the fight Cain was already looking hurt.  But Cain fought through the adversity and pushed JDS against the cage.  It was a weird finish in the 5th, but there is no doubt Cain is the best heavyweight in UFC history following this win.  He will likely face Werdum, and then the Barnett/Browne winner after that.  Look for Cain to be the champion for a long time, and don't be surprised if he fights JDS a 4th or 5th time.  As for Junior, I still want to see him fight Overeem.  If not the Reem, I want JDS to fight more tough wrestlers so he can learn to make his game more well rounded.

UFC awards:

FOTN: Melendez/Sanchez

SOTN: Ferguson

KOOTN: Dodson

Brutal Sports Awards:

Beatdown of the Night: Velasquez

Sketchiest Decision of the Night: Eye/Kaufman

Upset of the Night: Eye

Three Stars:

1. Gilbert Melendez/Diego Sanchez
2. Hector Lombard
3. John Dodson

Picks totals entering UFC Fight Night: 141/240

Picks at UFC Fight Night: 4/10 (That card pissed me off)

Picks at UFC 166: 7/12

Pick totals: 152/262=58%

Just for the record, 58% is not bad for picking winners in the fight game.  You try it on every card from now on and see that you are at about 50%.  Fights are not made to be won by 1 person, they are made to leave people wondering who the hell is going to win.  I want to be in the 60-65% range but considering how unpredictable this game is I am ok with my 58%.  Plus, I am not afraid to pick an underdog when doing picks.  If you feel daring enough, challenge me next event!