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D. FOX: Rapid fire reactions to UFC Fight Night 61 "Mir vs. Bigfoot" event
Feb 22, 2015 - 11:00:50 PM D. FOX: Rapid fire reactions to UFC Fight Night 61 "Mir vs. Bigfoot" event

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By: Dayne Fox, MMATorch Contributor

In what was one of the craziest events in the history of the UFC, 10 straight underdogs ripped off victories after the opening fight went according to the odds, setting the record for most underdog victories on a single high profile MMA card (i.e. UFC, Pride, Strikeforce, WEC). Some came abruptly (Sam Alvey and Matt Dwyer) and others were uninspired victories (Adriano Martins), but most were surprising. This card made me damn glad that I don't bet on fights. Otherwise I likely wouldn't have a dime to my name after tonight.

Here's a quick recap of each fight:

Frank Mir defeated Antonio Silva via KO at 1:40 of the first round

Most saw this fight as a battle to prove who was less shot between these declining heavyweights, and that is exactly what it looked like. Not to take anything away from Mir's victory, but Silva looked absolutely horrible, more so than Mir looking good. I'd cut Silva at this point, as this, combined with his performance against Andrei Arlovski, are two of the most uninspiring performances I've ever seen. Mir's boxing did look improved, and due to his two title reigns he has name value. But I'm not ready to call his comeback complete until I see him beat someone else who isn't on the decline.

Michael Johnson defeated Edson Barboza via unanimous decision

One hell of a fight with some awesome striking. Johnson blitzed Barboza from bell to bell, keeping the pressure on him the whole time while showing some great footwork. He has shown tremendous growth, and is a serious contender at lightweight now. He called out Benson Henderson, and no one can say that sounds like a bad idea. Barboza had nothing to be ashamed of with his performance, as he landed some awesome strikes himself, but Johnson's quickness allowed him to navigate the KO blows from the Brazilian. He should still be considered top 10 in the division.

Sam Alvey defeated Cezar Ferreira via KO at 3:34 of the first round

Alvey may turn out to be more than just an action fighter, as he has now won two in a row… and his opponent didn't knock himself out this time. Let it be known that Alvey has incredible power even if he opens up every fight as a punching bag. But why would he call out Dan Kelly? Bad move Sam. It seems safe to say that Ferreira will never match the potential that his physical gifts seem to indicate, and solidifies TUF Brazil 1 as one of the worst TUF seasons ever.

Adriano Martins defeated Rustam Khabilov via split decision

While it was a big win for Martins, it was also so boring that his countrymen booed the decision when it was read. Translation: everyone lost in this fight. Martins may or may not enter the rankings with the win, which is easily the biggest of his career. Don't look for a title run from him, but he looks like a mid-to-high level gatekeeper. Khabilov needs a lot more urgency to his game as the talent is clearly there. His next fight will speak volumes where he goes from here.

Frankie Saenz defeated Iuri Alcantara via unanimous decision

Everyone knew the best way to beat Alcantara was to take him down time and again since he can't stop takedowns. Saenz proved it time and again in his massive upset over the highly regarded Brazilian. Saenz will likely burst into the rankings with the win, and will be worth watching in the shallow bantamweight division. Alcantara may be on a sharp decline now at the age of 34, given he's got 38 fights on his ledger. That's a lot of miles.

Santiago Ponzinibbio defeated Sean Strickland via unanimous decision

While Strickland's chin was the trait most on display, it's Ponzinibbio that walked away with the victory with good reason. Ponzinibbio landed a number of bombs, and showed the killer instinct he is known for time and again as he tried to put away Strickland. Ponzinibbio is one to watch at this point. Strickland's chin and jab were impressive, but he needed to mix things up and didn't do so. It's worth wondering if he'll stay at welterweight after this unsuccessful debut.

Marion Reneau defeated Jessica Andrade via submission at 1:54 of the first round

Age is only a number apparently. Despite starting her UFC career at 37, Reneau has now picked up two wins in less than two months, and it isn't like Andrade was at the bottom of the totem pole. Reneau will have people talking about her meeting the champ Ronda Rousey if she can pick up one more win against a high profile opponent… like Jessica Eye perhaps. Andrade is only 23, so this loss shouldn't set her back too much. She should learn from it as she walked right into the triangle choke from Reneau.

Matt Dwyer defeated William Macario via KO at 3:14 of the first round

Dwyer scored a Superman punch that should be on highlight reels to come for quite a while. Macario struggled with the length of the 6'4” Canadian the whole time, and was never able to find a rhythm. He was biting on Dwyer's kicks, and that allowed Dwyer to land the KO to send Macario to the mat face first. Dwyer likely saved his job as expectations were low for him. Macario is on thin ice. Hard to see him sticking around.

Mike De la Torre defeated Tiago Trator via TKO at 2:59 of the first round

It's never a good idea to let your opponent to dictate where the fight goes, and Trator paid the price. De la Torre is most comfortable fighting in close quarters against the fence, and Trator let him do just that, getting rocked as a result. De la Torre was able to capitalize as Trator tried to recover and walked out the victor. I don't see De la Torre making a run up the featherweight ladder, but he could be a good test for newcomers. Trator doesn't seem to be the prospect some thought he was. How he responds next will be telling.

Douglas Andrade defeated Cody Gibson via unanimous decision

There should be controversy in this bout with Andrade taking a decision… but it's a fight few people care about, so I doubt it will be talked about. It was certainly an entertaining fight, as Andrade rocked Gibson twice in the second while Gibson seemed to score with more volume in the first and third. It's hard to say if Gibson will be released as the loss drops him to 1-3. He is entertaining, and every loss has been close, so I expect he'll get one last opportunity.

Ivan Jorge defeated Josh Shockley via unanimous decision

You didn't miss much if you don't have Fight Pass. Hardly an inspired performance from either fighter as they spent a good chunk of the second and third rounds staring at each other, contemplating throwing strikes. Jorge was able to get some takedowns in the first and last rounds to do enough in the eyes of the judges, and likely saves his job in the process despite looking flat. Shockley should expect a pink slip.