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BY WADE KELLER, MMATORCH SUPERVISING EDITOR
The following are my picks for the Top Five Most Memorable Moments from UFC 131. Did I miss one of your top five? If so, email me at kellerwade@gmail.com or post it on our website's Facebook comment area below this article.
1 -- SAM STOUT KO'S YVES EDWARDS
That was about as devastating a knockout as there comes. For "Hands of Stone," he finally earned his nickname. This was the equivalent of "Slam Dunk" Charlie in the NBA delivering his first slam dunk after six seasons in the NBA. He finally lived up to his nickname. The fact that Edwards didn't get up for quite a while tempered Stout's celebration just a little.
2 -- SHANE CARWIN SURVIVING A BRUTAL BEATING BY DOS SANTOS IN ROUND ONE
The referee easily could have stopped the fight in the first round and it wouldn't have been controversial. Since Carwin lasted two more rounds, you could say that proved he was right to let the fight continue. But he was so ineffective that maybe it also shows fans who are disappointed with ref stoppages why sometimes it's best to end a match when the beating makes the outcome a virtual foregone conclusion while saving the losing figher to fight another day without too much long-term damage. However, as I was thinking that, Carwin showed he had life left in him in those final few seconds of the fight when he locked his arms around Dos Santos's neck. Who knows if he could have applied that headlock if Dos Santos wasn't letting his guard down a bit knowing the fight was about to end. Or who knows if Dos Santos would have been able to easily roll out of it. But that final picture of Santos struggling to breath and free himself from Carwin's grip made me wonder what two more minutes would have resulted in.
3 -- KENNY FLORIAN: "THAT WAS THE HARDEST THINGS I'VE DONE IN MY LIFE"
He wasn't talking about his previous losses to bigger fighters. He wasn't talking about the test he just faced in the Octagon against the up-and-coming Diego Nunes. He was talking about cutting weight to get to 145. That first cut to 145 will probably be his toughest. I'm not sure viewers would have the stomach for it, but a video diary of his final two weeks cutting weight would make for an interesting documentary in what fighters go through to gain that advantage by weighing in low and then packing the (mostly water) weight back on after weigh-ins. Florian is as smart a fighter as there is, so I hope he didn't put himself at risk or do harm to cut weight. The fact that he intends to stay at 145 and make a run at the belt makes me think he has a plan to make it a little less agonizing next time he's got to make weight
4 -- THE SECOND ROUND OF JOHN-OLAV EIMENO VS. DAVE HERMAN
That second round was akin to two zombies having an MMA fight, but in fast-forward. They kept hitting each other really, really hard, but they kept coming back time after time. Zombie's need to get shot between the eyes to die. I'm not sure what either of these two would have needed to delivery to take the other down for any length of time. I also loved when Joe Rogan told Herman it looked like he had a good time out there and Herman said, "I'm tired."
5 -- DANA WHITE: "HE SHOULD BE BEAT WITH A STICK"
That's Dana White on Twitter in response to the judge who gave all three rounds to Mark Munoz. It is hard to imagine how he gave the first round to Munoz. It's another indication that UFC judging is wildly and inexcusably inconsistent. It makes fight result announcements more dramatic, as you just wait for the incompetence to surface and change the course of a fighter's career unjustly.
HONORABLE MENTION: Dave Herman coming out to Boy George singing "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me"... The crowd booing when Damien Maia and Mark Munoz hugged before the start of the third round... [Note: I went with just the PPV itself, not the prelims, for this list.]
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
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