Wow, what an event! Most of the fighters I was rooting for lost, and a new light-heavyweight champion was crowned. I will only write about the 3 fights that were significant to the rankings of the UFC.
Let’s start with the Wanderlei Silva fight. He fought Quenton “Rampage” Jackson for the third time. Silva knocked Jackson out twice before, but not this time. Jackson had other plans, it was called the left hook. The massive left hook from Jackson took Silva out late in the first round. Silva flopped backwards, and Jackson delivered 3 more blows before the referee stepped in. Silva has been KOd in 3 out of his 5 fights. Maybe his days are over. He’s getting old and worn out. He used to fight once every 2-3 months when he was fighting in Japan. Jackson came in prepared, his boxing was simply better. It was more methodical than Silva’s infamous haymakers. I think that Silva has 3 more fights left in his contract. If he wants to get back in the game, he needs a new boxing coach. What a disappointment, I was hoping that Silva would win so he can fight for the belt.
Next up is the Antonio Nogueira vs. Frank Mir fight. This was another upset. Mir was supposed to lose to the more tested and experienced Nogueira. Nogueira was known for his boxing, great chin, and jiu-jitsu. He showed up with none of the above. Well, his jiu-jitsu wasn’t really tested because Mir didn’t want to go to the ground. A smart move by Mir, but who would have thought that Mir can knock Nogueira down 3 times within 2 rounds, before the referee stopped the fight. Nogueira was too slow for Mir’s punching combos, which were thrown repeatedly by Mir in the same fashion throughout the fight. Early in the 2nd round, Mir delivered a straight left that knocked Nogueira backwards, Mir followed with hammer striked on the ground until the ref stopped the fight. This was the first time that Nogueira was ever stopped in an mma fight. Props to Frank Mir for improving his boxing skills and speed. Next up for Mir is a rematch with Brock Lesnar.
Last but not least was the title fight between Rashad Evans and Forrest Griffin. I thought Griffin would win this due to the fact that he’s more tested in his division. On the other hand, the only person that Evans has defeated that is worth mentioning is Chuck Liddell. Tonight, he proved me wrong. Evans is the real deal. He is 18-0, and currently holds the LHW belt. Griffin came in with a good gameplan, to throw low-kicks to hurt Rashad. After the 2nd round, Evans got tired of taking the low-kicks, and countered with a good right straight that dropped Griffin into the matt. Evans tried to finish by throwing a flurry of punched from inside Griffin’s guard, but Griffin recovered. Until, Evans landed a good right punch directly into Griffin’s jaw. Griffin’s guard went limp, Evans stood up and finished Griffin with hard striked from the top until the ref stepped in. Griffin was out. Now, the question is who’s next for Evans? I’m hoping for a guy named Lyoto Machida. He’s been on a winning streak, and would be a strong contender for the belt. Dana, let’s make this happen.
Overall, it was a good event. A lot of upsets and disappointments, but that is what make MMA such a great sport. On any given night, any fighter can beat anybody. Now, I wait for the next matchups for Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans. I’m also somewhat excited about the Brock Lesner vs. Frank Mir rematch.
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