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By: Dayne Fox, MMATorch Contributor
There was a very common theme to the UFC on Fox 15 event, and that was the changing of the guard. Every bout that involved an “old guard” against a “new guard” featured a victory by the “youngsters.” Aljamain Sterling, Beneil Dariush, Paige Van Zant, Max Holloway, and even Luke Rockhold all emerged victorious over their more established opponents and did so in a way that the future looks very bright for the UFC.
Luke Rockhold defeated Lyoto Machida via submission at 2:31 of the second round
The end of the fight may have come in the second round, but Machida was beaten in the first. No one should have doubted that after seeing the longtime contender stumble to his corner, as the beating that Rockhold put on him was brutal. I don't think anyone will argue with Rockhold getting the next shot at the winner of Weidman-Belfort, and they shouldn't. He has dominated his last four opponents, and none of them (Philippou, Boetsch, Bisping, and now Machida) are scrubs. In fact, all of them are ranked. By comparison, only one of Jacare Souza's five UFC victories have come against a currently ranked opponent, two of his opponents are out of the UFC, and the other two victories came against Chris Camozzi… who just came back into the UFC!
I doubt Machida is finished as a top fighter… maybe just as a contender. He got hurt early in the first, Rockhold capitalized, and didn't let up. I'm more inclined to believe he simply got caught. He should still be in some fun fights. I'd love to see him matched up with Tim Kennedy… if Kennedy is open to coming back.
Jacare Souza defeated Chris Camozzi via submission at 2:33 of the first round
Well that didn't take long… not that anyone expected it to. Everyone knew that Souza would be too much for Camozzi to handle and that is exactly what happened. If we learned anything, it's that Camozzi is a hell of a ballsy dude and did what he had to do to get back into the UFC. It's doubtful that Souza will get a title shot considering Rockhold walked out with a dominant victory over a proven opponent, even if he deserves it since you can't argue Rockhold doesn't deserve it either. Hard to guess what he does, but I'd venture to say he'll get another fight in the meantime… and should finally get a title shot if he wins it.
Max Holloway defeated Cub Swanson via submission at 3:58 of the third round
Holloway looked better than he ever has… and that has been said about him every time in his last five or six fights. The growth in his game the last 18 months has been incredible, and if he continues to improve at this rate, he could very well challenge for the title in another 18 months or so. Maybe less. He never stops moving and knows how to use his long limbs very well. Hell, he even showed some of his BJJ with a beautiful guillotine choke. Swanson was never really in the fight. He landed a few good shots, but either he was never an elite fighter (my belief) or he no longer is. He can still be fun in the right fights in addition to a stern test. Translation: no longer a contender, but he is a good gatekeeper into the top 10.
Paige VanZant defeated Felice Herrig via unanimous decision
I have a hard time believing someone didn't enjoy that fight… and I'm not being chauvinistic. There were some absolutely awesome scrambling sequences between Herrig and VanZant, but in the end VanZant was the one who wanted it more. Herrig had a look of exhaustion imprinted on her face from the second round on, while VanZant looked like she was having fun. That enthusiasm and breakneck pace will make her a tough out for anyone… including Joanna Jedrzejczyk. Not that I think VanZant would win that fight, but she'll make it fun if that fight is made. Herrig is still a solid veteran and still marketable (as well as durable), but her ceiling is now established.
Beneil Daruish defeated Jim Miller via unanimous decision
I gotta give Miller credit as he has an incredibly offensive guard that is fun to watch. But I gotta give Dariush more credit as he never panicked despite being caught in a number of bad situations, and was able to work himself out of them. This even looked like the best Miller we've seen in a while, too, making Dariush look that much better. Dariush will be fighting a top 10 opponent before the end of the year, and could be the favorite to win. He is that good. Miller still has more to offer than I thought heading into the fight, but it is clear that Miller isn't what he once was. He still produces fun fights, though, and should settle into a nice role as a gatekeeper. Wait… he's been that. How about a slightly lower level gatekeeper than what he has been? I think that works.
Ovince St. Preux defeated Patrick Cummins via KO at 4:54 of the first round
I don't want to make any comparisons, but St. Preux has been looking like Chuck Liddell with his ability to catch opponents with hard shots as he either moves backwards or to the side. Cummins got clipped with an uppercut right before the end of the round, and St. Preux did what he should have done with some solid follow up GNP. Cummins was able to get St. Preux down, but St. Preux was able to scramble to his feet quickly from there. St. Preux isn't among the elite of the division, but he could be knocking on the door. Cummins is still a very raw striker and until he can fix that, he'll be hanging out just on the outside of the top 10.
Gian Villante defeated Corey Anderson via KO at 4:18 of the third round
Was Anderson asleep against the fence? A fun and competitive fight had an interesting ending as Anderson seemed to be out against the fence with an impressive KO from Villante. Villante put together his best performance in the UFC, but no one is ready to proclaim him as fulfilling his potential considering how raw Anderson is. He should fight a ranked opponent next. Anderson showed some potential, but did he check a single leg kick that came his way? Avoiding damage is a big part of fighting, and he didn't seem to do that very well at any point during the fight as I had him down on my card before taking his nap. He is still young enough to develop into something, but this hurts.
Aljamain Sterling defeated Takeya Mizugaki via submission at 2:11 of the third round
So is Sterling that good or has Mizugaki faded that badly? While I'm not surprised that Sterling won, the fact that he was in control the entire match kind of caught me off-guard. Clearly he has been working with Matt Serra a lot on his BJJ, as that arm-triangle from the bottom was sick, and he will no doubt enter the rankings now. That's a good thing, as bantamweight NEEDS new blood in the worst way. His striking is still raw, but he'll improve. Mizugaki looks like he has peaked and is now on the downhill of his career. He has never been elite, but he has fought most of those ranked there. It appears that those days are over. His next fight will say a lot more about where he is now than what this did.
Tim Means defeated George Sullivan via submission at 3:43 of the third round
I don't know which version of Means was more impressive: this one or the one that demolished Dhiego Lima. All I do know is that he is getting better and better. I don't foresee him becoming a contender, but he could become something of a Matt Brown-like fighter in both style and success if he continues his ascension. Who wouldn't welcome that? He does have a ways to go before there is any validity in those comparisons. Sullivan couldn't find his range as Means used his length on the outside and brutalized him in the clinch. Sullivan is tough and should hang around a while longer, but his limitations were exposed here.
Diego Brandao defeated Jimy Hettes via TKO at 5:00 of the first round
Hettes' ear was falling off thanks to a brutal elbow from Brandao, and resulted in the doctor stopping the fight. It was nothing like what Leslie Smith's ear looked like, and I admit I would have liked to see him go a bit longer with the doc monitoring the ear, but I won't really bitch about the stoppage either. Brandao was pacing himself pretty well, and Hettes was keeping things tight in the clinch with his judo in what was turning into a very competitive and fun fight. A shame to see it end that way. Brandao gets a needed win and Hettes isn't going to be cut for a fluke injury, so he'll be back.
Chris Dempsey defeated Eddie Gordon via split decision
Does someone want to tell me what happened to Gordon during his training camp? He showed none of the promise that he had shown earlier; he was stiff and tired very quickly, with his punches looking labored the entire fight. I had Gordon winning (just barely), but I can't argue with the decision as he looked to just be going through the motions. Hard to know if the UFC wants to give him another chance after that lackluster performance. Since he is a TUF winner, I imagine they will. Dempsey had better conditioning and that was the difference. He earned himself another opportunity, but didn't show enough to make me think he'll have a memorable stint.
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