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By: Dayne Fox, MMATorch Contributor
There have been plenty of times going into a fight card that appeared to be underwhelming that I have been pleasantly surprised by the action in the cage. This was not one of those occasions. Outside of Maryna Moroz's upset of Joanne Calderwood and Leon Edwards' 8 second KO, this card was absolutely forgettable. Yes, I'm including Mirko Cro Cop's upset in there to. Well… maybe take a look at the cut he left on Gonzaga if you missed that. It was brutal. But outside of Moroz, Edwards, and the other two stoppages on the preliminaries, it seemed everyone was more concerned about not losing rather than winning (I hope that makes sense) and it resulted in some very poor visual performances.
I will give Cro Cop credit for pulling out a victory at 40 years old, but beating Gabriel Gonzaga isn't the accomplishment it once was, and Cro Cop looked pretty bad up until he rocked Gonzaga in the third. He turned it on after that to get the finish, but I'm still very wary about Cro Cop's return.
If you want to picture entertaining fights in your head, skip this article. But if you're the type of MMA fan I am and you simply have to know what took place, keep reading. But don't say that I didn't warn you…
Mirko Cro Cop defeated Gabriel Gonzaga via TKO at 3:30 of the third round
Pride fans were able to experience some nostalgia as Cro Cop clipped Gonzaga in the third and effectively capitalized to get a nice GNP stoppage. He looked as though he was merely content to survive up to that point, though, and worry what will happen if he gets even the slightest step up in competition after this unexpected victory. Gonzaga could very well be released after this. That would be a hell of a drop going from main eventing to being on the outside. He didn't look bad the first two rounds, is still capable of beating the lower ranks of the division, and has a bit of name recognition But I really have no clue what the UFC will do with him.
Jimi Manuwa defeated Jan Blachowicz via unanimous decision
Many dubbed this fight as the true main event heading in, and those who did are probably regretting giving this fight any sort of promotion. Manuwa took the decision largely based on the fact that he was moving forward most of the bout despite being tentative with his strikes. Blachowicz seemed to find a home for his jab, but wasn't aggressive enough to take advantage of that and ended up costing himself a victory in front of his home crowd. Hard to see this fight doing any favors for either fighter.
Pawel Pawlak defeated Shelden Westcott via unanimous decision
With two UFC loses on his ledger, Westcott is showing why a measured approach is considered the best way to fight, an approach he continually neglects. He started out strong and burned out all of his energy going for takedowns that he couldn't sustain. All Pawlak had to do was weather the storm before landing some good strikes when given distance. Westcott could be gone. As for Pawlak, he showed toughness and takedown defense, but it was far from an inspired performance on his behalf. Still, he did look more comfortable here than he did in his debut against Peter Sobotta and still has room and time to improve.
Maryna Moroz defeated Joanne Calderwood via submission at 1:30 of the first round
Easily the biggest upset that we have seen in a long time, Moroz went from an unknown to a name that will be on the tip of our tongues after submitting Calderwood and calling out the champion Joanna Jedrzejzcyk after her victory. It may be premature to give her a title shot after one fight in the UFC and six total for her MMA career, but if she can get one more victory in short order, she could get the next title shot. Calderwood needs to re-evaluate some things as she has been flat over her last few performances. She has the talent to contend, but clearly isn't going to do so with performances like that. Who gets caught in the pulling-guard armbar anymore? Perhaps a change in camps would do the trick, but only she can decide what to do.
Leon Edwards defeated Seth Baczynski via KO at 0:08 of the first round
I don't think there is any question that Baczynski's chin is shot now. Edwards shot a straight left hand down the barrel and dropped the Polish Pistola, landed a follow-up shot, and walked away knowing his work was done. Edwards has been an under-the-radar talent; look for that to change with this victory. He shouldn't get what seems to be a big jump in competition as he still has a lot of questions that can't be answered in 8 seconds of action. Baczynski is done… or at least he should be. And I'm not just talking about the UFC.
Bartosz Fabinski defeated Garreth McLellan via unanimous decision
Fabinski did what Fabinski does: grind out ugly affairs. If you haven't seen this fight, do yourself a favor and don't ever fire it up. It was known that was the style of both fighters, though, and no one had high expectations going in. Fabinski will likely go to welterweight now and provide a measuring stick against youngsters, as he isn't going to be put into action-fights. McLellan has more potential than the last South African fighter the UFC signed (Ruan Potts), but that isn't much of an endorsement.
Sergio Moraes defeated Mickael Lebout via unanimous decision
This was very much a disappointing performance by the heavily favored Moraes. He did walk out with a victory, but most would say the judges should have given it to Lebout, as Lebout was the one pushing the action in the first two rounds while landing the steadier stream of offense. Moraes finally took the fight to the ground in the third (after barely attempting to do so earlier) to easily take that round, but did nothing to inspire confidence that he can become a stand out. Lebout showed promise as a volume striker, but his lack of power will hurt him moving forward.
Yaotzin Meza defeated Damian Stasiak via unanimous decision
Meza moved up in weight to fight Stasiak, and it certainly appears to be a very wise decision. He demonstrated a lot more energy, staying active throughout the fight and coming close on a few attempts to submit Stasiak. Meza saved his job in the process, as many were wondering why he was still in the UFC at this point anyway. Stasiak had his moments, and had a few solid submission attempts himself, but ultimately was undone by his inability to utilize his distance striking.
Anthony Hamilton defeated Daniel Omielanczuk via unanimous decision
Hamilton was another who surprised many with his performance here. Even though he slowed down considerably due to fatigue in the second round, he dug deep to come out on top in the third and decisive round. It was far from exciting as the fight took place either in the clinch against the fence or on the ground with each attempting to land GNP. Hamilton likely saved his job and Omielanczuk needs to be concerned about his.
Alexandra Albu defeated Izabela Badurek via submission at 3:34 of the second round
After maintaining a position on the UFC roster for over a year and a half, Albu finally made her debut. She did not disappoint. Badurek's only chance was to bully Albu and grind her out on the ground, but Albu wasn't having any of that, showing strength and flexibility while responding with some crisp striking that Badurek had no answer for. A reckless double leg by Badurek led to an easy guillotine for Albu for the victory.
Stevie Ray defeated Marcin Bandel via TKO at 1:35 of the second round
I know that I picked Bandel to win as I questioned Ray's submission defense in addition to a big weight cut on short notice, but that doesn't mean I'm surprised by the result. Ray was the stronger fighter by far, and had little problem bullying Bandel and muscling out of any of Bandel's submission attempts. In the end he obtained a dominant mount position, landing punch after punch until the ref stepped in. Bandel is likely headed back to the European scene.
Taylor Lapilus defeated Rocky Lee via unanimous decision
The curtain jerker went according to script as Lapilus picked Lee apart on the feet, whereas Lee tried time and again to get the fight to the ground with little success. Lapilus showed his diverse striking set and good takedown defense, demonstrating he could become a fixture in the division in the near future. Patience will be needed as he is still a ways away from that.
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