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By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch contributor
UFC Fight Night 41 and the "TUF: Brazil 3" Finale came to us in one marathon day on Saturday. Let's get right to it.
UFC Fight Night 41
GOOD: Niklas Backstrom submits Tom Niinimaki
Backstrom pulled off a really slick rear-naked choke to get the win. Backstrom looked really good in this fight, as he made a successful debut.
BAD: Luke Barnatt vs. Sean Strickland
This fight sucked. Way too much inaction. Strickland won the decision, but we all lost by having to watch this wreck.
GOOD/BAD: Francis Carmont vs. C.B. Dollaway
This was, at best, a solid fight. It was fairly dull, though. You just never got the sense that Carmont was anywhere close to a win; it had that inevitable feeling, as Dollaway controlled the entire fight as he got the decision.
GREAT: Gegard Mousasi submits Mark Munoz
This was the best I've seen Mousasi look in quite some time. He employed a very effective strategy to keep himself standing and schooled Munoz. That was a great performance from Mousasi. A few more performances like this, and Mousasi will really start making waves in the division.
The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3 Finale
GOOD/BAD: Rony Jason vs. Robbie Peralta
Just an average fight. It was just okay. Peralta wins the decision.
GOOD/BAD: Demian Maia vs. Alexander Yakovlev
Maia won the decision and looked good at times, but he also didn't seem to be his usual self. The first round was pretty good, but the next two were just okay. I expected more from Maia, but a win's a win.
GOOD: Warlley Alves submits Marcio Alexandre
Alves dominated the first round, slowed a bit in the second, and got the submission early in the third round. He controlled the entire fight and looked pretty good throughout. A nice performance by him to win the "The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3" Middleweight Tournament.
BAD: Vitor Miranda vs. Antonio Carlos Junior
Junior just kept taking Miranda down and smothering him. He didn't really do anything with the takedowns, either. This was a bad fight. Junior wins the "The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil 3" Heavyweight Tournament.
GREAT: Stipe Miocic stops Fabio Maldonaldo
This fight shouldn't have been made in the first place because Maldonaldo isn't on Miocic's level, and it showed. That said, Miocic took him out in just 35 seconds, which is pretty damn impressive. This fight really doesn't do much for his position in the division, but you take a win when you get it.
*************
Wanderlei Silva has been booted from his fight with Chael Sonnen after failing to comply with a drug test. That's bad enough as it makes you look dirty, but Silva has been the one claiming to be the upstanding citizen here. How Silva has managed to become the bad guy in a feud that involves Chael Sonnen is absurd. How could he have bungled this so badly?
With Silva out, Sonnen will now meet Vitor Belfort at UFC 175. If Belfort wins, he gets a Middleweight Title shot. That makes sense to me as Belfort was going to get a title shot against UFC Middleweight Champion Chris Weidman before the TRT (Testosterone Replacement Therapy) ban came into play. I am interested in seeing how each guy looks without his beloved TRT, but I think Belfort wins this. I'm not overly confident because of the TRT issue, but I think Belfort will get the early stoppage.
Comments and suggestions can be emailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @hydenfrank
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