Hyden's Take
HYDEN BLOG: The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale Thoughts
Dec 7, 2011 - 10:15:14 AM HYDEN BLOG: The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale Thoughts

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By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch contributor

John Dodson beat T.J. Dillashaw by TKO at the The Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale Saturday, and he then proceeded to show more athletic ability in his celebration than at least 95% of the guys who have ever fought in MMA. That's the danger, though. To elite athletes like Dodson, things come easy. His athleticism can also mask deficiencies in his game. This is good early on in your career as it allows you to be successful as you work on improving yourself. However, this is also bad because oftentimes it leads to the guy thinking that he doesn't need to improve himself, he can just rely on raw talent alone.

You can do great things in your chosen field solely relying on athletic ability alone when you're the caliber of Dodson. However, you can become an all-time great if you continue improving yourself and focusing your technique.

One of the more famous guys who relied on raw talent and didn't refine his technique is Mike Tyson. He rampaged through boxing for years. He also didn't become a good boxer. That bit him in the ass when Buster Douglas beat him in Tokyo in 1990. For a time, Tyson had his fights won before he even stepped into the ring to face his opponent. It wouldn't be fair to call Tyson's boxing skills shoddy, but they certainly weren't up to par with regards to Tyson's athletic ability. Douglas employed superior technique against Tyson, who had overlooked Douglas and was stymied in his efforts to knock him out.

I believe that John Dodson has the opportunity to go down in history as one of the all-time greats. That may sound insane on the face of it, but there is a caveat. Dodson has the potential to be a legendary fighter, but he has to take full advantage on the physical gifts that have been given to him. He also has to push himself further than he ever has before. Dodson has outstanding speed, and he's also a pretty good wrestler with a low center of gravity. Dodson is good, and will make an immediate impact in the UFC, but he can be even better.

Dodson is a small bantamweight and may decide to move to flyweight when the UFC eventually starts that division up. Wherever he goes, though, he can dominate that division. That's assuming, of course, that he realizes his potential. If Dodson pushes himself, we're looking at the next Jon Jones. With the close proximity of the lighter divisions, Dodson could easily become champion in two weight classes. A talent like Dodson can transcend weight and size. I hope he tries his hardest, and becomes the best fighter he can. If he does that, we're all in for a treat.

What works against Dodson realizing his potential, though, is that he appears to be incredibly arrogant about his own ability. That's the stumbling block that great talents often run into. Dodson didn't come off well on The Ultimate Fighter 14. He seemed very smarmy and smirky, and just generally unlikeable. You can be impressed by his talent, but put off by his attitude. If he's only doing that because he's going for the villain role, that's fine. The problem, though, is if he's actually that way. That makes you think that he won't train as hard as he can. Dodson would still have a great career, but nothing near what he can accomplish if he applies himself. A recent example of that is B.J. Penn. B.J. has had a great career, but imagine what he could have done if he had fully devoted himself?

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I was so disappointed in Jason "Mayhem" Miller's performance against Michael Bisping. There's no question that Bisping is a really good fighter, but Mayhem's cardio was horrible. Some blame an adrenaline dump, some say that Bisping beat him into submission. All I know is that Mayhem seemed to gas out almost immediately, while Bisping clearly tired, but never stopped pushing forward for long. The fight itself was pretty boring in the sense that it was only a matter of time before Bisping got the stoppage win. The fight could have been stopped in the first round, and there wouldn't be a whole lot to complain about. Here's hoping Mayhem has better cardio in his next fight.

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Diego Brandao pulled off a great submission against Dennis Bermudez. That was a crazy back-and-forth fight that nearly got stopped. The only thing I really didn't care much for was the torque that Brandao put on Bermudez's arm. He cranked that thing like he was rowing a boat and hyperextended the arm. The ref was pulling on him for a few seconds before he released, but that might have just been the adrenaline of the fight. I don't want to condemn Diego, I just think you give the guy a second to tap before you start cranking.

Joe Rogan was at it again, suggesting that Dennis had a broken arm. It was pretty clear that it wasn't broken, but Joe never lets the facts get in the way of his opinion. Back to Diego, I think he's got a chance to be a really good fighter. I wouldn't be surprised if he fights for a title in the future. Diego is only 24 so he's got a long career ahead of him. If he continues to broaden his game he can become a title contender quickly.


Comments and suggestions can be e-mailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com