UFC 114 Afterglow

With that amount of trash-talk and hype, it was inevitable. So much build up could only guarantee disappointment.

Much like a beautiful woman telling you how you’re about to be the greatest lover she’s ever had might leave you feeling somewhat deflated, the fight between Rampage and Rashad left us feeling awkward and uncomfortable, wondering, should we try to explain, or rationalize? Perhaps it was best to sit in awkward silence.

Rashad Evans took control of the fight early, landing an overhand right and sending Rampage reeling off-balance into the Octagon fence. From there things stalled. The fighters remained locked in a clinch game for nearly all of the fifteen minutes of action. And I use the term “action” in its loosest possible interpretation.

The only noise came in the third when Rampage appeared to nearly finish Evans following an uppercut from the clinch. After the shot, Rampage swarmed on Evans and threw bombs – unfortunately they all missed their target, allowing Evans to regain composure and keep Rampage from creating space to strike. After the two separated, Rampage appeared too tired to go in for the kill on a wobbly Evans. He recovered, and sealed the deal with another takedown of Rampage and some rarely-seen offense on the ground.

Nobody got Paul Daley’d after the fight, and the two feuding fighters even showed each other respect. Rampage stated his interest in a rematch without the affliction of a fifteen month layoff.

Mike Bisping took a unanimous decision win over Dan Miller in the co-main event. The striking game went down exactly as you would imagine it would – Bisping was able to work Miller over for the most part. Miller again showed no semblance of game plan as he was content to try to strike with Bisping, not trying to initiate the clinch or take the Brit down. Miller was fighting with so many personal and family issues going into this fight – I hope the UFC take care of him and make sure he gets another shot. I also hope Miller and his camp start working on strategy a little more, and understanding that making the fight as hard as possible on yourself isn’t some kind of badge of honor in MMA – it’s a disaster.

What is Love? A Knee to the Face, Evidently

Diego Sanchez got smashed in his return to welterweight. Underdog and still unbeaten John “Haddaway” Hathaway blasted Diego with a knee early on and dominated him over the course of the fight. UFC president Dana White’s message to Sanchez was clear following the fight: Go back to lightweight.

White may have a point – Sanchez looked positively miniature against Hathaway. Moreover, I think the issue for Diego may be a matter of pride, rather than one of weight-cutting. After getting absolutely carved up by BJ Penn in their championship bout, Sanchez may have felt more comfortable with the field of contenders at the welterweight level. It’s time to re-evaluate that decision.

Hathaway is now 4-0 in the UFC and 13-0 overall. What’s next for him? Tests at the second tier of the division in the form of fights with wrestlers would prove the most illustrative. Hathaway is big for the division, and if he can deal with dominant wrestlers who are just as big as he is, we’ll get a much better ideal of his potential. After this fight, it looks nearly as fantastic as a club hit with a great hook and serious pop sensibilities. “I give you my looove, but you don’t caaare.”

Greatest Moment of the Night

Mike Russow successfully employing Kid Presentable and Homer Simpson’s famed strategy: Tire your opponent out by letting him punch you in the face, then, when he’s exhausted from over-punching, NUDGE HIM. Todd Duffee got nudged by Russow in an event apparently so glorious to witness in person that Joe Rogan nearly exploded with ecstasy in trying to make the call.

Other Thoughts

Jason Brilz got robbed in his fight with Rogerio Nogueira. It wasn’t as one-sided as many are claiming, but Brilz won two out of the three rounds on most people’s score cards, and impressed fans with his control and tenacity. Nogueira looked great for his part, executing beautiful sweeps and working to frame submissions.

Why doesn’t Luis Banha Cane know how to fight southpaws? After getting absolutely blasted into outer-space by Rogerio Nogueira in his last fight, you would think that working on defense against left-handed fighters might be on the list of things to learn at camp Cane. If Banha wants to keep his already plummeting stock from depleting any further, he’s got to work on shoring up some fundamental deficiencies.

Evidently someone taught Mike Goldberg the word “epic”. Unfortunately he still has not learned the definition of the word “ironic”.