9 THINGS I LEARNED FROM UFC RIO AND REACTIONS.....

Well, another night of fights is in the books, and man was it a doozy. Hurricane Irene came around and tried to open up a can of whoop ass on me, but I wouldn’t let her. Faulty satellite feed be damned!! I was still able to watch all the fights from RIO thanks to some McGuyver like moves from my brother and only follower so far. Thanks Bro!

For anyone who wasn’t actually able to watch the event, please, for your own sake, watch it now. There was not a boring fight on the card and only two fights went the distance (televised and PPV at least). Ironically enough, in an event where there was a BJJ blackbelt fighting in almost every matchup save one, there was not a submission finish the whole night. Go figure!

So….. Let’s recap.

I went 4 x 3 on my picks last night. Not bad for my first attempt at breaking down fights.


Rousimar Palhares defeats Dan Miller by UD.
Just like I said, this was a one sided beat down and Palhares pretty much destroyed Miller in every aspect. It didn’t end in a submission like I predicted but man was it brutal at times. Miller did manage to rattle his opponent once but it was pretty much smooth sailing for Palhares from there on. Kudos to him by the way for landing a solid head kick on Miller that sent him to the canvas. Double kudos to him for completely embarrassing himself and celebrating a TKO victory that never occurred and still managing to dominate the rest of the fight. It must be hard to come back from a mental mistake like that and still win.

Thiago Tavares defeats Spencer Fisher by TKO/KO

Man, was I wrong about this one. Thiago Tavares not only brought the fight to Fisher, but pretty much dictated that pace of the match from the opening bell. Fisher had no answer for Tavares’ pressure and sheer strength. I honestly thought “The King” (Fisher) would turn it on in the second round after Tavares had wasted a lot of energy in the first trying to control him. That, however, never happened and round two was much of the same. Congratulations to Thiago Tavares for keeping his composure and not letting the magnitude of the situation get to him. I picked against Tavares and I’m happy to be wrong in this instance. I did say that this fight was tailor made for Tavares to win though and I was right. So I’ll mark this one up as a win for me!

(Check out this picture of Tavares back stage before the fight. Kind of brings a tear to my eye)

http://www.facebook.com/photo.phpfbid=10150358297906276&set=a.106287481275.124019.46299886275&type=1&theater



THE MAIN CARD
Stanislav Nedkov defeats Luis Cane by TKO/KO

Damn it Luis Cane, you ruined the clean sweep for Brasilian fighters! This was the only fight where the Brasilian fighter did not win against a “foreigner.” I don’t even know what to say about this one. Cane was in route to dismantling Nedkov’s face when he got caught with the over hand right from hell. He then proceeded to do the “stanky leg” for eight seconds while Nedkov continued to pound on his head. What a disappointment! That’s the beauty of MMA though. There is no real way to predict the outcome of a fight. At any given time, anything can happen. Congrats to Nedkov for winning his UFC debut and coming up big. As for Cane, I guess it’s back to the drawing board.

The "Stanky Leg"

Antonio Nogueira defeats Brendan Schaub by TKO/KO

So much for the hype behind “The Prius”..…uhhh....I mean “The Hybrid.” In his first outing in more than a year, Big Nog came out and made a serious statement. Not only is he not ready to retire, the man is poised to make another run at the title. Ask me if I think he’ll ever be a UFC Champ again and my answer will surely be no. But to say that there’s no fight left in the big guy would be as massive mistake. For only the third time in his legendary career “Minotauro” finished a fight by KO/TKO. Not only was it a convincing win, it came at a time when everyone thought his career was basically over. I’m glad to see Nogueira back in the win column and will anxiously be awaiting his next fight. Perhaps a rematch with Frank Mir is in order. What’s next for Brendan Schaub? It’s back to the dealership for you!

Edson Barboza defeats Ross Pearson by Split Decision

This was probably the most surprising fight of the night for me for various reasons. Ross Pearson came out and looked great. Everyone has always known that he has good stand up but last night it looked phenomenal. Not only did he keep up with Barboza, but he arguably won rounds one and three. One judge even scored the fight in his favor. I don’t know what it was, but Barboza just wasn’t fighting with the same raw aggression that we’ve seen in previous outings. He looked almost hesitant to engage and spent much of the fight back peddling. Fortunately for him, the home field advantage may have swung the fight in his favor. It could have honestly gone either way though. I’d really like to see him tested in his next fight. Maybe a showdown with a top 15 lightweight? Dennis Siver would make an intriguing matchup.


Shogun defeats Forrest Griffin by KO/TKO

Welcome back Shogun Rua!! Holy bananas was I pleasantly surprised with the result of this fight! If you read my predictions, which you probably didn’t, I predicted that Forrest Griffin would smother Shogun for three rounds and win this fight by Unanimous Decision. Once again, I was happy to be wrong. Rua came out and looked like the Shogun of old, throwing devastating combos and constantly pressing the action. Forrest was never given the opportunity to even develop a rhythm in this one, poor guy. I don’t think Forrest’s heart was ever really in this fight though. He looked flat footed and seemed like he was waiting for Shogun to end the fight quickly so he could go home to his pregnant wife (congrats to him by the way. His wife went in to labor shortly after the fight was over). If he can stay healthy, there’s a really good change we’ll see another Shogun Rua run at the title. At the very least, I’ll settle for a rematch with Rampage for some much needed Pride FC nostalgia.

Anderson Silva defeats Yushin Okami by KO/TKO (pure humiliation)

One word. Wow!...... I’ve never really been a fan of Anderson Silva. I think he has a terrible attitude at times and his showboating can be frustrating for anyone hoping to see a good fight. All that to say, damn is he a good fighter. I haven’t seen a performance like that since “The Spider” himself made Forrest Griffin look like an amateur. It has to be disheartening as a fighter when the guy you’re trying to punch puts his hands down and you still can’t hit him. Once again, Anderson Silva proves that he’s in a league of his own when it comes to fighting. The middle weight division is essentially devoid of worthy challengers with the exception of Chael Sonnen. I don’t even believe that fight will play out like the first time. There are very few things more scary than a pissed off Anderson Silva, and Sonnen has royally pissed him off. I don’t know if there’s currently a man on the planet who can beat this guy, but I’m looking forward to seeing someone try. I can’t wait to see what’s next for “The Spider.”

Fight Night Bonuses:

Fight of the Night – Ross Pearson x Edson Barboza

Ko of the Night – Antonio Minotauro Nogueira.

Submission of the Night – None



9 things I learned from UFC RIO………………. (Cause I didn’t learn 10)

1. Never underestimate the power of fighting at home. I still think that the majority of these matchups were designed to favor the Brasilians, but it still doesn’t change that fact that they dominated in every aspect.

2. Anderson Silva is a bad, bad man. Conversely, Yushin Okami was never a worthy challenger to begin with. He was just the only guy left.

3. Ross Pearson may very well be knocking on the door of elite level striking. Man was he impressive last night.

4. Don’t bet against a healthy Shogun Rua. When he’s healthy and not coming back from an injury, he’s a force to be reckoned with. I don’t know if there’s anyone else in the light heavyweight division with that kind of dynamite in their hands.

5. Antonio “Minotauro” Nogueira will shock the world whenever he can. The man is a living legend. I bow to you sir!

6. Brendan Schaub is a long way from being a contender in the Heavyweight division (I didn’t really learn this but I thought I would reiterate the point anyway)

7. Forrest Griffin’s biggest weakness is his mental preparation. Going in to this fight it was evident that he wasn’t 100% focused. Maybe he should take some time out to evaluate whether this is something he really wants to do. Otherwise, he may wind up face down on the canvas yet again.

8. Joe Rogan is possibly the best commentator in MMA. Kenny Florian did his best to fill Rogan’s shoes, but I felt like there was something missing last night. Screw Fear Factor!

9. Brasilian fans are the greatest fans in the world! (Again….This is something that I didn’t really learn. I’m just making sure that everyone else knows what I’ve known for years)


All in all, UFC RIO gets an A in my book. Up next, UFC 135! Will Rampage Jackson be able to derail the hype train that is Jon Jones? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

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In other MMA related news, ProElite debuted their promotion last night in Hawaii. The event featured a who’s who of UFC cast outs and a few notable up and comers. Highlights include:


Kendall Grove avenging a loss to Joe Riggs with a first round guillotine choke. Is it just me or is this guy a mountain of wasted potential?

Andrei Arlovski finally manages not to wind up face planting on the canvas. It’s been a while since he actually won a fight. It‘s been an even longer while since he was able to go a few rounds with out the lights going out. Congratulations Andrei!

Penn wins by rear naked choke. No, not that Penn. B.J.’s little brother, Reagan, made his MMA debut last night. In true Penn fashion, he wins with his brother’s favorite submission. It’s rumored that Reagan’s BJJ may be better than his brother’s. It’s also rumored that he is a much better athlete than Baby Jay. Since I have a soft spot for Hawaiians and B.J. Penn is quite possibly my favorite fighter ever, I look forward to seeing the next generation of Hilo boys killing it in the cage. I will anxiously be following this kid’s career and hope that he makes it to the big show soon! Just Scrap!!!


There in concludes another day……. Thanks for reading!

Please feel free to leave comments or send me presents. Whatever makes you a happier person.

Tune in next time for more MMA related news, opinions, general tom foolery…..

Until next time, Stay Classy……!