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By: Dayne Fox, MMATorch Contributor
Not a lot seemed to go as expected on the main card. Well, actually, it was just the title fights that resembled complete chaos in terms of what fans and pundits perceived as reality... but that doesn't mean that the fights were bad in any way. I thought they were awesome. We have two new champions in Rafael dos Anjos and Joanna Jedrzejczyk! How rare is it to see two new champions emerge on the same night? Last time was in 2008 at UFC 92 (Rashad Evans and Frank Mir), but Mir won an interim belt. So how about 2006 at UFC 64 (Anderson Silva and Sean Sherk)? Then again, Sherk won a vacant belt, so there was a guarantee of a new champion. So that means this is actually the first time that two actual (non-interim) titles changed hands in title defenses in the same night in the UFC. This doesn't happen often folks.
There were a lot of other things that occurred, but I thought that was the biggest point to emphasize. Here's my quick thoughts on all of the fights:
Rafael dos Anjos defeated Anthony Pettis via unanimous decision
There were few people who thought dos Anjos would beat Pettis, and a much smaller amount that thought he would dominate him... yet that is exactly what he did. Pettis was in control for possibly 90 seconds of a 25 minute fight, and seemed to lose his trademark swagger after the first round. Pettis is young enough that he can come back after making some improvements to regain his belt, but he is a long ways away from beating dos Anjos. As for the new champion, he applied the perfect strategy utilizing pressure and takedowns. Oh yeah... a nice BJJ game helped too, as he threatened Pettis with submissions and was skilled enough to avoid any submission attempts from Pettis. However, it is hard to say how long he'll reign with Nurmagomedov lurking.
Joanna Jedrzejczyk defeated Carla Esparza via TKO at 4:17 of the second round
I really think Jedrzejczyk is going to be the champion for a very long time. She has been training MMA for less than three years and she is already champion. She is going to get better. Damn! When Esparza wasn't diving for takedowns, Jedrzejczyk was picking her apart with punches and landing knees and elbows at the end of every stuffed takedown. As for Esparza, I'm wondering who that imitator in the cage was, because that didn't resemble the fighter I remember. There was no setup to her takedown attempts and Jedrzejczyk was easily able to stuff them. When she couldn't land the takedowns with any consistency, she lost all confidence, and was done before the end of the first round.
Johny Hendricks defeated Matt Brown via unanimous decision
It wasn't the barnburner many hoped (and thought) it would be, but Hendricks has never looked better. His combinations were crisp and he caught Brown coming in overaggressive a few times to score takedowns, something he hasn't done effectively as of late. He may need one more fight to get the title shot (since Lawler and MacDonald don't fight until July), but I won't complain if they give it to him without that. Brown reeked of desperation after the first and it cost him with some of the takedowns. He did land some good shots himself, but he proved he isn't an elite fighter. He showed his never-say-die attitude and is a fan favorite, so he should still find himself in a high profile fight next.
Alistair Overeem defeated Roy Nelson via unanimous decision
I'm going to state the good first: Overeem looked sharp and had a good game plan, attacking the body of Nelson and testing his chin when the opportunity presented itself. But his victory lost some degree of its luster when he ran multiple times. No one wants to see a Kalib Starnes fight! It's the first time he scored consecutive wins since 2011, so he may have found his bearings. Nelson dropped his fourth in five, but should be safe due to his status as a fan favorite. He showed his chin isn't gone (yet) and can still drop anyone with one punch.
Henry Cejudo defeated Chris Cariaso via unanimous decision
I wanted to laugh when people said that Cejudo could be fighting Mighty Mouse in about one years time, but I might have to reconsider that option. He was dominant early in the fight doing whatever he wanted to the durable Cariaso. He faded as the fight wore on which most expected, but there was clear progress from his last outing as only Mighty Mouse dominated Cariaso more thoroughly. Cejudo called out a top five opponent, but he might be getting ahead of himself. Cariaso is what he is... a tough, veteran gatekeeper. He isn't going anywhere yet.
Ross Pearson defeateed Sam Stout via KO at 1:33 of the second round
The fight ended up being better than expected as Stout looked sharper than he had in a long time... probably since the late Shawn Tompkins was in his corner. Alas, many stated his chin was gone after his loss to KJ Noons, and this fight will support that theory... though he didn't go out cold like he did against Noons. He may be released after a long run in the UFC. Pearson largely treads water with this win as he did what he does engaging in a boxing match and winning a fight he was expected to win, but that is better than the alternative... which was lose.
Elias Theodorou defeated Roger Narvaez via TKO at 4:07 of the second round
Theodorou showed an improved standup and took the fight to Narvaez, largely negating the reach advantage that the Texan enjoyed. Considering that had been the most inconsistent part of his game, that is very encouraging. He shouldn't be fighting ranked opponents yet, but he took a very positive step in that direction. Narvaez looked flat and after looking promising in his last outing, took a step backwards. He broke his arm in the fight, and that explains most of it, but he needs to step up in his next appearance or he'll be gone.
Beneil Dariush defeated Daron Cruickshank via submission at 2:48 of the second round
This was a fun fight that produced one of the most fun scrambling sequences in recent memory. Most believed that Dariush had an advantage on the ground, but it was a bit of a surprise to some that he held his own, if not out-struck the tae kwon do expert. Dariush may get a ranked opponent next as he continues to shoot up the division. He is still fairly fresh in the sport so he could go far. This puts a cap on Cruickshank. He is one of more entertaining fighters at 155, so he isn't going anywhere. He needs to stay aggressive. Even though he can counter, he looked much better taking the fight to Dariush.
Jared Rosholt defeated Josh Copeland via TKO at 3:12 of the third round
OK. So Rosholt got his first stoppage victory in the UFC. I still can't help but feel he is still underachieving a bit. He got rocked again, showing he still has major holes in his stand up as he struggled to do any significant damage from there either. His wrestling is still his bread and butter, and I fear that will be all he'll threaten with. Copeland may or may not be gone. He doesn't have anything special to offer, but he is the type of guy that you want to root for.
Ryan Benoit defeated Sergio Pettis via TKO at 1:34 of the second round
It was hard not to sing the praises of Pettis... up until the point that Benoit's left hook landed flush on his jaw in the second and upset the the young prince. It's clear that Pettis made the right choice dropping to flyweight, as his power translated well and he did much better in the wrestling/grappling situations, but that is not how he wanted to end his night. Benoit showed why a puncher's chance always makes things interesting. He bought himself more time in the UFC, but lost kudos points with his butt kick on Pettis after the stoppage.
Joseph Duffy defeated Jake Lindsey via TKO at 1:47 of first round
There was a lot of hype behind Duffy as the last person to beat Conor McGregor, and he lived up to it. His boxing was very crisp and had power behind it, and the head kick he threw in there was a thing of beauty in addition to showing diversity. Indications are that he'll drop to 145 lbs. He is a legit dude to keep an eye on. Lindsey is now 0-3 in the UFC, so he isn't coming back.
Germaine de Randamie defeated Larissa Pacheco via TKO at 2:02 of second round
I don't want to take anything away from de Randamie because she looked absolutely awesome in picking apart Pacheco… but we all knew she was great on the feet anyway. More than anything it just says that Pacheco isn't a very smart fighter, as she barely attempted to go to the ground where de Randamie is a massive question mark. Then again, de Randamie didn't let it go to the ground. Kudos to her.
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