Contributors/Columnists
SHAWN ENNIS
JASON BENT
MATT PELKEY
ALEX WILLIAMS
JED GOODMAN
FRANK HYDEN
JASON BENT
JOHN TAYLOR
MAYNARD SWEENEY
MARC PATCHING
MIKE JARSULIC
BRUCE MITCHELL APPLY TO JOIN OUR TEAM
I had expected Nate Quarry to keep the fight standing but Demian Maia was just too much to handle. A great showing by Maia. He's certainly making a case for a title shot sooner rather than later.
Gabriel Gonzaga smoked Josh Hendricks. It'd certainly be an interesting fight between Gonzaga and Brock Lesnar. Both are young guys on the rise. While waiting for the Heavyweight title to be unified UFC should set up a Gonzaga fight against Cheick Kongo. There's actually a lot of intriguing potential match-ups in the Heavyweight division. UFC should definitely look to bring in Andrei Arlovksi, in addition to the obvious Fedor.
Matt Brown looked great and surprised me with his ground game. I didn't know he had that in him. Dustin Hazelett did what I think we all expected him to do. The uppercut Jeremy Stephens landed was monstrous. That was like a movie punch.
I think they should just give Kenny Florian the Lightweight belt right now. He destroyed Joe Stevenson, who's a really good fighter. BJ Penn won't fight Georges St. Pierre until the end of January so Kenny won't get a shot at BJ until the middle of next year. I think that's ridiculous. It's no secret that I'm biased when it comes to Kenny Florian; but he's such an awesome fighter that it's so frustrating to see him go unrewarded for his greatness. It's not fair that Florian has to wait so long for a title shot when BJ gets a title shot he doesn't deserve in another division. BJ lost his last two fights at Welterweight a few years ago so why does he get a title shot now? This is like the worst parts of boxing these days.
I have to admit, part of me was hoping for Randy Couture to somehow pull off the upset. Brock was just too big, too strong, too quick, and too good to be beat. The torch has been passed and now it's Brock's turn to rule for a while. I think that Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira has a very good chance to beat Brock if they fight. At the same time, Frank Mir already has a win against Brock. Both guys know what they would need to do to beat Brock.
This show lived up to the hype. I think even Couture fans have to be happy with the showing Randy had. Despite losing, he fought an admirable fight. And he stayed classy, as he always does.
I went 6-3 in picking winners. That brings my career record to 42-30.
Mike Jarsulic, MMATorch Contributor: (6.0)
A good show that did not provide a competitive main card. In the opener, Demian Maia walked through Nate Quarry with relative ease. Gabriel Gonzaga's defeat of Josh Hendricks was a mismatch that turned out as expected. Also, Tamden McCrory was out of his league with Dustin Hazelett. While the undercard was not very competitive, it did provide some exciting fights and two great submissions.
In the semi-main, Kenny Florian proved that he is a Top Ten lightweight by destroying Joe Stevenson. Florian dominated all aspects of the fight and and made Stevenson look like an amateur. Hopefully, Florian will get his second shot at the Lightweight Championship real soon as he has definitely earned it.
The main event was a strange fight for me. With all the hype, the fight was a major adrenaline rush, but it did not provide a lot of great action. Most Couture fights are fought in the clinch against the cage and are not usually that exciting. However, Lesnar did a nice job of overpowering Couture in the clinch and was able to do some damage on the mat in the first round. In the second, Lesnar was tired, but put Couture
away with a punch that landed on the champion's temple. Overall, a decent main event, but nothing special in terms of action.
While the main card was a disappointment, the prelims provided a lot of great action and are worth checking out.
Jason Bent, MMATorch Columnist: (10.0)
-Nate Quarry vs. Demian Maia
Our first bout to open the show was a middleweight bout featuring the classic striker versus submission specialist, and I had hoped that this one would prove to be a compelling and solid match up. I had predicted against him, but deep down I am a Quarry fan and simply hoped that he could do just enough to stay in there and remain competitive.
Maia did exactly all that he wanted from the opening of the bout; and Quarry was unable to keep this one on the feet and utilize his striking skills to keep him at bay. Quarry found himself with his back up against the cage very early, and from there was simply in no position to keep this one from heading to the ground. Once the fight left the feet and Maia sunk in the body triangle it was really academic, and simply a matter of when he would finish Quarry off.
Demian Maia sunk in the beautiful rear naked choke at 2:13 of round number one and it was all over. I had predicted Maia would win by way of rear naked choke near the three minute mark of round two so I was well over a round off and perhaps way too generous in giving Quarry a chance. Nate Quarry is a tremendous athlete and one hell of a human being, and I welcome the chance to see him compete again, but he clearly is not a top tier fighter at 185 lbs.; and he's not even really a gatekeeper either.
Demian Maia is as good as advertised and is a work of art to witness as he goes about business inside of the Octagon. Maia called out Michael Bisping during his post fight interview and I would love to see this fight if at all possible. Bisping would be a great test for Maia, and it would be interesting to see if the Brit could keep him at bay as he did against Leben. In my opinion there is no way that he could do so, at least not as easily, and this could prove to be Bisping's first real test; and perhaps serve as the litmus test for how good Demian Maia can be. I sincerely hope this fight gets made and it is one I would be looking forward to.
-Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Josh Hendricks
We head to the heavyweight division for bout number two and this one was simply just a showcase bout for Gonzaga. Of course, the fight still must be fought and anything can happen, so Hendricks had at least some semblance of hope going into battle.
That was all he had as he was outclassed, outgunned and ushered out as quickly as he arrived when Gabriel Gonzaga scored the TKO victory at 1:01 of round number one. I had predicted Gonzaga to win in the first round, but predicted that he would do so by triangle choke, and didn't really think he would even try to finish this one off as he did.
Gonzaga's punches were hard, and every time he connected it made Hendricks wince; you could hear the sickening thud as each blow connected. Gonzaga scored the vicious TKO victory when he uncorked an excellent right hand and after landing two more uncontested blows before the referee waved it off.
This was exactly what Gonzaga needed from this fight and he took this one aggressively, and I was impressed. Of course, I am impressed because after Fabricio Werdum laid an egg against Junior Dos Santos this shows that some fighters still go into each fight without taking anything for granted. This victory was expected, but again credit must go to Gonzaga for following through and not pulling a Werdum. I imagined that Gabriel would go for the submission but his punches were so hard that he really didn't have to look for any way to finish this fight as his hands decided everything upon the first clean connection.
I was nonplussed about Hendricks going in and remain so but it isn't as if Gonzaga did anything out of the ordinary in winning this one. This fight was his way to tread water and retain his spot on the outside of the heavyweight tournament, and another win or two like this will allow him entry back into the championship stakes.
-Matt Brown vs. Ryan Thomas
Due to the first two bouts ending so quickly we are afforded the opportunity to see one of the preliminary bouts, and this one took place in the welterweight division pitting Matt "The Immortal" Brown against Ryan "The Tank Engine" Thomas. This was to have been Matt Riddle against Ryan Thomas so a lot of credit must be given to both Matt Brown taking the fight on two weeks notice, and to Thomas for going forward with the bout. Fighters fight, and while this should be a given, sometimes it's not; and this was refreshing to have two guys want this one so badly.
Matt Brown has improved, and I mean by leaps and bounds. His personality was more defined than his fighting skills during his time on "The Ultimate Fighter;" and to be honest it seemed like he was a guy who was tough in the gym but folded once in a real fight as even his record would attest. Against Dong Hyun Kim at UFC 88, Brown was defeated, and while the fans seemed to view this one as unjust it was not in my eyes; but Brown gave a good showing of his heart and tenacity.
Brown showed he still has this heart, and now has a more refined skill set to go with i,t as he not only shaved his face for this bout but wiped the slate clean in the gym and worked not just harder, but smarter as well.
Ryan Thomas won this first round of their fight on the scorecards by way of his takedowns and effective strikes, but Matt Brown once again was not going to give in and really seemed to actually get stronger as the round wore on. Near the end of the first round it would appear that Brown now had control and he was actively going for a triangle just as the round ended. Clearly it was Thomas's round but it was not a one-sided fight by any means.
The second round opened up with more of the same as Thomas again scored a takedown, and this time Brown went for an arm bar. Thomas opted to try and slam his way out of this, but Brown took the two slams with relative ease and was able to hold on, and finally lock the arm bar in for good and forced Ryan to tap.
This one ended at the :57 mark of round number two, and is a good victory for Brown by virtue of his marked improvement and for the fact he was able to secure a win on such a grand stage as this. I had predicted that Brown would win by decision, and am really pleased to see that he fought a smarter fight and not only created an opportunity, but stayed focused enough to finish it off.
I am still not all the way sold on Brown, and I still believe him to be a sub par fighter when compared with others in his weight class, but I would not mind seeing him once again and feel he deserves the chance to continue to prove what he can do.
-Dustin Hazelett vs. Tamdan McCrory
Back to the scheduled PPV portion of the card and a very compelling match up in the welterweight division as we had two young lions set to battle one another in Dustin Hazelett taking on Tamdan McCrory.
These two guys look like they should be playing Magic the Gathering, or perhaps a rousing game of Warhammer, but if you dared to call them nerds they'd both put down their painted figurines and set forth on stretching your limbs from one side of the room to the other. The two of these men look like the perfect duo for a couple of street hoods to rob, but would quickly show that you cannot judge someone based on how they appea,r and you do not have to have crazy tats and the usual look of a fighter to really be one.
Dustin Hazelett is so good that he made this one look easy. Hazelett is the winner and forced the submission at 3:59 of the very first round to what was a sick arm bar on McCrory. I predicted that Hazelett would win, and by submission, but I had this one making it to the third round. I was blown away by how quickly Dustin ended this one.
Dustin Hazelett recently was awarded his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and this fight serves as proof of just why if you had any questions. Hazelett has the perfect frame for the rubber guard and after a seminar with Eddie Bravo was out to utilize it this evening. Dustin's goal is to earn the most "Submission of the Night" awards, and he showed that Demian Maia has some stiff competition with the manner he pulled this one off.
What really impressed me is how quickly that Hazelett let off of the hold, and this moment can really be looked to as a great show of sportsmanship. He let off just a touch sooner than many other fighters as he noticed the tap out and broke the hold just as the referee stepped in to stop it. These were two classy individuals who are in a class by themselves at the very young age of 22; and while Hazelett won this one going away, it should be noted that McCrory isn't exactly a slouch for anyone else to face. Perhaps Hazelett is that much better than McCrory, but the same cannot be said in terms of the rest of the division; and I feel that both men have bright futures ahead of them and some day just may meet again.
-Jeremy Stephens vs. Rafael Dos Anjos
Back to the preliminary fights we go and down to the lightweight division as Jeremy Stephens took on Rafael Dos Anjos. Dos Anjos is proficient in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and was my favorite going into this fight. Not that I was taking Stephens lightly but I was that high on Dos Anjos finishing this one off.
The first round was excellent to watch and Stephens was just short of landing the big shot throughout. Dos Anjos clearly won this round, and once it hit the ground this was even more apparent, but Stephens gave one hell of an account of himself. What was absolutely amazing was how Stephens hung on to survive the first round as his shoulder was being torn to shreds by Dos Anjos after getting caught in an omoplata. This was heart and true grit and lesser men would have tapped out without a second thought.
Stephens won the second round in my estimation by virtue of landing the big shots and doing more damage. It can be successfully argued that Dos Anjos controlled matters in a similar way to round number one but I feel that Stephens holding on to end the first caused Dos Anjos to suffer a letdown and Jeremy gutted through it and took this second round.
When this fight entered the third round it was up for grabs as far as if it went to the scorecards, but this was Jeremy Stephen's fight to win and he just went out and took it. Stephens was victorious by way of KO at :39 of the 3rd round, and this is what you call a highlight reel knockout. This was a picture perfect uppercut and I am more impressed by the precise way he threw the shot than I am by the power it had behind it. This, my friends, is what happens when fighters throw punches that are straight and not of the ugly windmill variety that is normally seen in MMA fights. Stephens landed the perfect uppercut and Dos Anjos' head seemed as if it were on a swivel or if he were a bobblehead doll as he crumpled to the mat.
Once he was down, Stephens landed two more unnecessary blows before the referee took mercy on the down and out Dos Anjos. Jeremy Stephens fought a gutsy fight and took this victory by delivering a giant KO blow. This "Little Heathen" should be welcomed back sooner rather than later and I am going to surely remember his name for some time to come as will Dos Anjos once the cobwebs clear.
-Kenny Florian vs. Joe Stevenson
We now arrived at our co-main event bout, which was a lightweight elimination bout to determine the number one contender for BJ Penn's title. Kenny Florian vs. Joe Stevenson, a battle between two stars who made their way into our homes by way of "The Ultimate Fighter". Florian was the decided favorite going into battle, and Stevenson was clearly rattled by this, but apparently driven to prove everyone wrong. I was looking forward to seeing a back and forth battle between the two.
This wasn't even as much of a contest as the odds makers predicted as Florian was too sharp and too effective and striking Stevenson at will from the moment this one began. Stevenson was the stronger fighter but Florian was clearly the better man. What impressed me was Florian grabbing the cage and avoiding the big slam as Stevenson looked to deliver it early on. While this got a warning from the referee and is an illegal move, it was wise for Kenny to do so and in some ways could have given him an advantage; as who is to know what effect that slam may have had on the man. This was a veteran move and KenFlo is a craft veteran.
Joe Stevenson was strong and looked impressively so with each effort against Florian but Kenny was too efficient and fought flawlessly against him. He proved that superior technique can neutralize strength in most cases, but definitely so in this particular one.
Florian got the takedown and Stevenson quickly pulled guard. Florian proceeded to get the mount on Stevenson and took his back in a matter of moments before sinking in the rear naked choke and winning this one at 4:03 of the very first round. I did not see this one coming, and imagined that Florian would win by decision after keeping Stevenson at bay and peppering him with shots for the duration of the fight. Kenny Florian took this fight to Joe Stevenson, and aggressively took this victory, and I am very impressed.
After this one was made official it was time to get post fight comments from Florian. He informed us that BJ Penn is the master and that it is "time to kill that master" right after he shouted, "BJ! I want that belt!" into the microphone. There is no need to really call Penn out as everyone knows that Florian gets the next shot, but I give Kenny credit for showing such fire. For a very reserved man this was a welcome sight to see, and I cannot wait for him to face Penn for the belt once the Penn-GSP welterweight bout is over come January. Kenny Florian in my opinion should be able to give BJ Penn a true run for his money, and in my estimation this is really a super fight of sorts.
BJ Penn has a very busy 2009 in store, and two major opponents who are licking their chops with the Hawaiian in their sights. If Penn is the best he can go a long way towards proving this in 2009, and Kenny Florian will get his chance to show the world just how special he really is. I know he is and like I said, I give him more than just a chance against Penn. By no means does beating Stevenson make this clear but the manner in which he did so, showing fire and aggression and perhaps an even deadlier Florian set forth to try and claim lightweight gold.
UFC Heavyweight Championship
( C ) Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar
It was now time for the main event and at this point there was nothing more to be said other than asking where you were at 11:57pm EST on November 15, 2008.
Brock Lesnar's entrance to Metallica's "Enter Sandman" was nothing short of powerful, and was surpassed only by the seemingly perfect choice of "Back in the Saddle" which blasted through the arena as Couture made his way to the Octagon. This is what a big fight atmosphere is all about and the moment was magical. I have to say that when Brock Lesnar makes his way down the aisle, it is probably the most powerful ring walk of any fighter to ever step foot in the Octagon; and this is just another reason why he is the Mike Tyson of MMA. Lesnar is magnetic from the moment you lay eyes on him and he not only takes up the biggest gloves in the company but he takes all of the attention.
Round one was exactly what I had imagined it would be as it was simply a battle of wills. There was no way on Earth that I imagined Lesnar would barrel across the Octagon and attempt to land the big shot, and he showed that he can fight in a reserved manner rather than just the Captain Caveman style we have always seen him utilize. Couture showed respect, but not an extraordinary amount, and this one was determined by the sheer fact that Couture could not take Lesnar down.
The first round was a chess match until Lesnar scored the takedown, and it even appeared it could end quickly as Brock pinned Randy's arm down and looked to mount him for a finishing flurry of fists. A lot of credit must be given to Randy, but I never imagined "The Natural" would fold, and I expected him to survive this round on whatever it is that has fueled him for his entire career. I can't say it is heart, because every fighter has a heart, but Couture clearly has something else driving him that no man does and is in a class by himself. The first round ended with Couture trying to hoist the big man up and take him down, and this one told the tale of the round as Lesnar would not budge.
Round two began and Lesnar proceeded to land a short elbow that clearly hurt and wobbled Couture, but give credit once again to Randy for being able to hang on for long enough to seemingly recover. Chalk this one up to experience, as in the future this will be something Lesnar finds a way to keep his opponents from doing so.
As much as the first one was about the wrestling, this one was about landing shots; and the two seemed set to trade blows. Lesnar landed a very nice uppercut, but his knees especially did some damage, and I think the knees are an underrated aspect of Brock's offensive abilities. His fists may be the size of frozen turkeys, but his knees are like sledgehammers; and are thrown with a great amount of force while not putting him in a precarious position to be countered effectively.
Brock Lesnar landed a grazing right hand that connected on the temple of Couture and put him down. Trust me that if this blow had landed flush that Randy would have been out cold but this one had enough to drop him like a ton of bricks. Lesnar is like a piranha sensing blood in the water and he pounced on Couture quicker than a ring-tailed lemur can climb a tree. Brock Lesnar is fast. The only thing that can stop Lesnar from mounting someone will probably be mace or pepper spray, and I think even that would only make his eyes water and serve to anger him further.
Brock Lesnar unleashed what Joe Rogan called the "hammer fists of hell" and again, it is impressive just how fast this big man is at whatever he may do. To be honest I am sure the only time he isn't fast is when he is in bed with his wife, and even if he is I can guarantee that even she wouldn't dare tell him so. Brock pounded out Randy as if he were in the kitchen at Outback trying to make some old steak fit enough to serve as he landed one cracking blow after the other.
Mario Yamasaki did his job perfectly in this particular case as he gave the champion every single chance possible to defend himself or mount some sort of offense of his own. On one hand I am all for the quick stoppages when a guy is hurt because of looking out for their safety, but when it is for a championship I believe you must allow the fight to go on a moment longer out of respect to both men. No man ever should lose his championship by way of a stoppage too soon, and no man wants to win a belt in this fashion. While the safety of the fighters is of utmost importance, it should be noted that Randy Couture is Randy Couture, and if any man could have weathered this storm it would have been him.
Brock Lesnar pouned out the TKO victory at 3:07 of the 2nd round and this one ended exactly one round sooner than I had predicted but by the same means. I knew that there would not be a submission in this fight and that it would never make it to the scorecards. I figured it would be either the referee or Couture's corner stepping in to wave this one off. I wanted to give Couture a chance and up until this week, I really did, but at a certain point you have to be a realist and I think we all knew Brock would prove to be too much. Yes, Couture has proven everyone wrong but he had done so against the likes of Sylvia and Gonzaga in recent times, and neither man is Brock Lesnar.
This fight was over when it became painfully obvious that Randy Couture was not going to be able to take Brock Lesnar down or land a clean and effective shot. Yes, Randy dropped Tim, but again, that was Tim Sylvia; and I am sorry but Tim Sylvia is not a top tier heavyweight in my eyes and really never was. I think Sylvia is a solid fighter, but for all of his size he doesn't have enough talent to really take advantage of his natural gifts. Brock Lesnar fights even bigger than his body is and this is why he is going to be such a big thing in terms of driving the heavyweight division as we move forward.
Can. You. See. Him. Now.
To all of those who have lived to hate Lesnar for seemingly forever, I would hope you all can at least give this man a round of applause for showing that he is a good sport and appreciate the manner in which he showed Couture supreme respect. Look, these guys are fighters, and it's not realistic to really expect them all to suddenly speak softly after bashing a man's head in with their equivalent of a big stick. It should be expected for them to be pumped up and maybe show off a little. Had Brock done so tonight it would have been understandable, but frowned upon, and he showed a restraint not many of us would have. This was what the passing of the torch looks like, and it appears that Lesnar shall keep this flame lit for some time.
-Jorge Gurgel vs. Aaron Riley
We were again treated to one of the preliminary bouts and this one took place in the lightweight division as BJJ ace and former competitor on "The Ultimate Fighter" Jorge Gurgel took on Aaron Riley in a three round bout.
Forget the significance of the main event as this one was my fight of the night. This was the perfect example of a toe to toe slugfest and was an absolute war. Jorge Gurgel would never ever quit, and Aaron Riley seems to be cut from the same cloth, and the first two rounds were a game of "can you top this," in terms of blows landed.
Aaron Riley's kicks are deadly accurate and supremely vicious, and much respect to Jorge Gurgel in terms of continuing forward when faced with them so often. It boggles my mind, and Joe Rogan noted as much, that Gurgel opts to slug it out rather than utilize his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu; but one thing I won't ever question is that Gurgel comes to fight, and I want to see him when he does.
Aaron Riley won by way of unanimous decision by the score of 29-28 on all three judges cards, and I had it scored the same way, with his performance in the 3rd round sealing the deal. Jorge Gurgel's heart kept him in this bout, but had he fought with his head rather than used it to block kicks it is likely the result could have been different.
I would welcome a rematch but know that such a thing is probably unlikely to happen at all. Both men came out winners simply by getting the chance to fight on such a historic card and for their bout to be televised and this was a knockdown drag out battle to savor. I look forward to seeing both men compete in the future.
-Alvin Robinson vs. Mark Bocek
We got to see yet another of the preliminary match ups and all 9 of the scheduled fights ended up being televised. To see 9 fights on a PPV is phenomenal, and while quite a few of the main bouts ended quickly, it was nice to see some grueling battles on the under card get a chance to shine on the televised portion for once other than requisite highlights.
Mark Bocek did everything but finish this one off over the course of the first two rounds, and much credit must be given to Alvin Robinson for simply remaining in this fight. I predicted that Robinson would pull off the upset, but it would be Mark Bocek winning this one by submission to a rear naked choke at 3:16 of the 3rd round. Bocek was a man possessed and finally wore down his opponent.
I am more than pleased I got the chance to see this fight, and am very impressed by Bocek's performance. Alvin Robinson is a tough nut to crack, and the defensive fight he fought looked like it would be enough to take this one to the scorecards with a slight chance for Alvin to take it as time went by. Mark Bocek would not be denied, and he never failed to stop doing what he was doing; he remained cool and collected even when faced with Robinson's elusiveness. It took a lot for Bocek to finally sink that rear naked choke in and this is how a fighter earns it rather than getting the gift from his opponent.
Far too often we see fighters surrender their back and make an unconscious decision to just accept defeat, and they appear to just let the choke take its course. Look to this fight as an example of what happens when a guy refuses to give in and forces his opponent to fight harder to secure the submission than he did to place the man in such a precarious position. Mark Bocek showed me a lot in this victory, but I have all the respect in the world for Alvin Robinson based on his sheer determination despite being overmatched and summarily beaten every single minute of this fight. Both men get a lot of credit and this was a pleasant way to cap off a spectacular night for the UFC.
Official UFC awards for this night are as follows:
Fight of the Night: Jorge Gurgel vs. Aaron Riley
Knockout of the Night: Jeremy Stephens with his uppercut that just beheaded Rafael Dos Anjos.
Submission of the Night: Dustin Hazelett for his spectacular arm bar which brought him victory over Tamdan McCrory
I emphatically agree with all of the awards for the night and Dustin Hazelett looks to start a potential streak as far as winning "Submission of the Night" as he was able to outshine 3-time winner Demian Maia tonight. These two men should win their fair share of the awards in the future and it would be a dream of sorts to envision the two in the same weight class with the chance to see them face one another.
Jeremy Stephens' KO victory is the quintessential highlight reel KO and should be front and center on a future "UFC Ultimate Knockouts" DVD offering. This is the kind of knockout that makes any casual fan stop and even goes a long way towards drawing the curious fans to take a look at future fights. The uppercut when landed probably made every single bar in this country ooh and aah at once and more than earned its award on this evening.
Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Couture was THE fight of the night in terms of why everyone gathered around and reached into their pockets tonight, but Jorge Gurgel vs. Aaron Riley was simply the best one on the entire card. Now, Lesnar's victory is supremely significant and in that respect outshines every other one on the card, but these two lightweights gave it their all in a hard hitting bout that deserved a little extra in terms of recognition. This was a fight that everyone can enjoy, and it was because either man could win that we sat on the edge of our seats for what, for all intents and purposes, was a rather meaningless under card fight. I am pleased they received the cash bonuses for their efforts and applaud them both for such a showing.
UFC 91 lived up to its billing and then some. Brock Lesnar is the new UFC Heavyweight Champion of the world, and we got to see 9 fights and some of the best efforts from UFC fighters that you shall ever see. There are no questions about any man's desire to fight in the big show tonight, and young fighters should look at each of these fights and plan on giving it as much if they ever wish to make it to this level of the game.
I correctly predicted the winner of each fight on the main card but you can bet I never predicted that this night would truly exceed expectations. I definitely didn't see these fights finishing in the manner that they did, but that is what makes this sport so damned fun; in that you can often seem to know who will win but you sure as hell aren't going to always be able to come off as Carnac the Magnificent and know just how they will be victorious.
UFC 91 is behind us, and on the horizon we have UFC 92, which is stacked like all you can eat pancakes at IHOP; but unlike pancakes will be something we could want to enjoy on a more consistent basis. I remained on the edge of my seat all evening and my nipples are still hard.
It isn't cold in here, it's just that the UFC is running at a supremely high level which doesn't appear to be on the decline any time soon. This is a great time to be covering this sport and for anyone to be a fan of the UFC and MMA in general.
Jason Bent's overall rating of this show is a full five stars and I don't normally utilize the star ratings system when giving my final take on matters but in this case will do so and give out all 5 of the stars. I also award tonight's show an A+, two thumbs up, one slacked jaw that is on the ground, and two nipples that are still doing their best impression of a pencil eraser.
