Hyden's Take
HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UFC Fight Night 31, Bellator 107, and UFC Fight Night 32
Nov 13, 2013 - 3:00:43 PM HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UFC Fight Night 31, Bellator 107, and UFC Fight Night 32

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By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch contributor

It was a busy week of fights last week, so let's get right to it.

UFC Fight Night 31

GOOD: Amanda Nunes stops Germaine De Randamie

Nunes was raining down some ground-and-pound on De Randamie, but most of it wasn't doing a ton of damage. However, it was clear that she was dominant on the ground and that lead to the stoppage.

GOOD: Dennis Bermudez vs. Steven Siler

The first round was really good and featured some nice action. The rest of the fight wasn't as good as both guys gassed, but it was still pretty fun. Bermudez won the dominant decision. Siler just had no answers for what Bermudez was doing.

GOOD: Francisco Rivera stops George Roop

It was close in the first round, but in the second Rivera just unleashed a barrage that took Roop out. This decided the fight, because if Rivera didn't get the finish here, he was done. He spent all of his energy unloading on Roop, who was taking some really hard shots but trying to fight through it. In the end, though, he couldn't withstand it all and Rivera got the stoppage.

UGLY: Bobby Green gets garbage "win" over James Krause

Green had already hit Krause low twice (with a point deducted for the second time) when he hit him low again. Somehow, though, John McCarthy ruled that it was a legal blow and gave Green the win. First off, it was the first round, why not rule it a No Contest? Green had already hit Krause low twice in one round, then follows that up with a questionable shot again. To me, you either disqualify Green or rule it a No Contest.

The third kick was clearly top of the cup. As every man surely knows, and every woman likely knows from hearing men complain about this, it's often the lighter grazing shots to the groin that are the worst. That's not to say that hard direct shots are good, but there's just something about the grazing shots that make it worse. This was just UGLY in every sense.

GOOD: Derek Brunson submits Brian Houston

It took me longer to type this than it did for Brunson to get the submission here. A little exaggeration, of course, but that was a damn quick submission.

GREAT: Michael Chiesa submits Colton Smith

They had a fast-paced first round of back and forth action, then followed that up with an equally good second round. Chiesa finished Smith with a very nice submission sequence.

GOOD: Jorge Masvidal vs. Rustam Khabilov

I wasn't really a fan of this fight, outside of a Khabilov spinning back back that nearly finished it, but there's no way I could go BAD with this one. It wasn't a bad fight by any means, it just wasn't as good as some of the other fights that. I'm probably just feeling a little spoiled.

GOOD: Yoel Romero stops Ronny Markes

Romero got the finish in the third round, and looked good doing it. He was just the better fighter. This was a very solid fight.

BAD: Liz Carmouche vs. Alexis Davis

This is more due to the fight not matching what you would expect. I thought this fight was going to be much faster paced, but instead it was more Davis pushing Carmouche back most of the fight. It just didn't live up to expectations. Granted, those expectations are pretty high, though.

GOOD: Tim Kennedy takes out Rafael Natal

Kennedy stepped up and fought great, showing good striking. Natal was just outmatched in that regard. Kennedy was so charged up and amped up by the crowd that he ran the risk of blowing himself up. However, he was able to fight through that and scored the biggest win of his career. This is probably going to be the highlight of his career, at least to him. Being able to fight in front of the troops like that must have been an amazing experience for him.


Bellator 107

BAD: Derek Campos vs. Martin Stapleton

This fight just sucked. It was boring as hell. Neither guy pushed any advantage he was able to get, I always hate that.

GOOD: Brennan Ward stops Mikkel Parlo

The first round was incredibly dull, but the second round was full of action. Ward unleashed some nasty body shots, then followed that up with some equally bad shots to the face. That was just brutal.

GOOD: Joe Warren stops Travis Marx

Warren was all over Marx like the proverbial cheap suit. He just kept on Marx and wouldn't let him breathe. Then, in the second round, Warren connected with a beautiful knee that ended things. This was a good win for Warren.

BAD: Cheick Kongo vs. Peter Graham

The fight itself was pretty dull. Kongo had it from the start and he knew it. He was content to ride out the boring decision. Graham did suffer a cut that definitely deserves an UGLY. That thing was nasty, and it will be the only thing people remember about this fight. If they remember anything about the fight at all, that is.


UFC Fight Night 32

GOOD: Jeremy Stephens stops Rony Jason

Jason ducked into a Stephens kick that dropped him. That was a big highlight right there. It's too bad that Jason had to absorb that big shot on the ground, but that was a big win for Stephens.

BAD: Santiago Ponzinibbio vs. Ryan LaFlare

This was just a dull fight. There isn't much else to say.

GOOD: Brandon Thatch stops Paulo Thiago

Thatch nailed Thiago with several hard shots. It was a great striking display from Thatch. I wouldn't be surprised if Thiago has some busted ribs after absorbing that knee to the body.

GOOD: Rafael Feijao stops Igor Pokrajac

This was another quick finish. Feijao landed some huge knees to the body and head of Pokrajac while in the Thai clinch. That basically ended the fight right there, the rest was just a formality.

BAD: Cezar Ferreira vs. Daniel Sarafian

I didn't really like this fight, though it was very close. It was just really dull. You never got the sense that something big was about to happen, it almost felt like a sparring match.

GREAT: Vitor Belfort headkicks Dan Henderson

We all know Henderson is done, and has been done for a while, but what Belfort did is still very impressive. For one, he's the first fighter to ever stop Henderson by strikes. For two, Henderson may be done physically, but he's still got a ton of experience, and that counts for something. Henderson needs to talk to Belfort about who his doctor is, and use that guy.

Whatever magic potion Belfort uses is damn effective. Three headkick finishes in a row is just incredible. Belfort will likely get the winner of Chris Weidman vs. Anderson Silva. I think he deserves another title shot, assuming he can pass the drug tests. I also think the fight should take place in the U.S.A., though I do see the temptation to have the fight in Brazil if it's a rematch with Silva. As for Henderson, I think he should keep fighting if he wants, but only against up-and-comers or fellow aging veterans.


Comments and suggestions can be emailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @hydenfrank