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By Matt Pelkey, MMATorch Columnist (8.5) This was a very good show. The only thing keeping it from a 10 was the lack of star power, significance, and a classic fight. That being said, everything else was good to very good. I had some real problems with the pacing in the first hour, but once I realized they were just trying to get all their spots in a soon as possible, the second hour flew by.
Anthony Johnson-Luigi Fioravanti was a solid opener. It was marred slightly by a nutshot timeout, but that seems to be the case more often than not these days. Can't someone, anyone come up with a more practical cup design for MMA? I smell a million dollar invention idea. At least I think that's what that smell is. Anyway, Johnson looked good here in taking out a tough opponent, but he also showed that he still has a long way to go. He also acknowledged that in his post-fight interview (hey, remember those? I thought they were a thing of the past at UFC 94), so its nice to know that he realizes that himself. I'd like to see him fight Mike Swick next. A loss wouldn't hurt either man much since they're both highly thought of, but a win would shoot the victor up the ladder.
Fight of the Night honors went to the second fight: Josh Neer vs. Mac Danzig. I personally enjoyed the main event more, but I can't argue too much with the choice. Danzig recovered well after being hurt early, and I actually had him coming back to win the first with some really solid, crisp strikes. I just don't think he was ready for the constant pressure that Neer brought. Neer was like a more skilled Clay Guida in this fight, and we'd already seen that Guida-like pressure can be Danzig's undoing. Mac will be around for awhile, you don't get rid of TUF winners that easily, but he needs to work on his wrestling or he'll be spending more time on his back in the future.
Cain Velasquez is a beast. So is Denis Stojnic's chin for that matter. Velasquez had better kickboxing than the kickboxer in this fight, and that's a scary thought considering he's a wrestler at heart and only has five professional fights to his name. I'd like to see him fight the winner of the proposed Kongo-Hardonk fight, whenever that may happen. It'll give Velasquez plenty of time in the gym to prepare for the step up in competition. I'd also like to see Stojnic get another crack. His offense didn't look good, but with the crazy beating he can take I'm guessing he can put on some exciting heavyweight slugfests.
I got my wish next, and we got some undercard action. It wasn't one of the fights I was looking forward to before the event, but Matt Grice-Matt Veach was a very exciting one round fight. We've seen Grice in the Octagon before, but not in awhile, and I think Matt Veach's gas tank, having been training and fighting consistently, might have made the difference. These two guys went toe-to-toe for four minutes before Veach got the better of it with strikes. These are both bottom rung fighters in the UFC, but they fought with heart and I expect to see both back. Veach is the first HIT Squad Matt Hughes disciple to enter the Octagon, so he has that going for him, which is nice. He's been brought along slowly and I expect that to continue in his next couple fights.
The main event was a blast. Joe Lauzon refuses to go to a decision. Like ever. I love watching Jeremy Stephens fight, but he's a bit too one-dimensional at this point. But, what he lacks in well-roundedness he more than makes up for by throwing everything he has into every punch. This fight was basically controlled by Lauzon from the start, but any time Stephens was on top he turned up the drama tenfold. In the end though, it was J-Lau's fantastically underrated ground game that was the difference here. He was Jon Jones-esque in his ability to get takedowns when you'd least expect it. A firemans's carry? Love it. I still don't think Lauzon is ready for the Kenny Florians of the world, but that fight with Hermes Franca looks even better now than when it was originally signed. I'd like to see that fight on a pay-per-view main card.
The last televised fight was the highly anticipated debut of middleweight Jake Rosholt. Usually in this scenario, here is where I'd say "and he didn't disappoint". Well that's accurate here because I picked him to lose by submission. He did disappoint UFC brass I'm sure, getting submitted in like three seconds. The Miller bro's are not to be messed with. In fact, I think both have proven themselves worthy of a move up the ladder. Rosholt? It's back to the drawing board for the one-dimensional wonder. It's not 1997 anymore Jake. Don't fight for a while. Take at least six months and work on three things: your striking, your submission defense, and your cardio.
All in all it was a very enjoyable Saturday night on the 'ol couch. In terms of quality of action, I'd rank the latest Fight Night ahead of both UFC 93 and UFC 94, although I'd be a fibber if I said it carried the same significance. But that's what UFN's are for, right? Good action and the building of stars.
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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