Hyden's Take
HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from Bellator 122 and UFC on FOX 12
Jul 30, 2014 - 11:50:46 AM HYDEN BLOG: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from Bellator 122 and UFC on FOX 12

DISCUSS ALL THIS IN OUR NEW MMATORCH FORUM

...OH, ONE MORE THING - PLEASE BOOKMARK US & VISIT DAILY!

By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch contributor

Both Bellator 122 and UFC on FOX 12 took place this past weekend, so let's get right to the breakdown!

Bellator 122

GOOD: Karo Parisyan stops Phil Baroni

This was quick, as Parisyan clipped Baroni and pounced on him to get the stoppage. Not much to this.

GOOD: Liam McGeary stops Egidijus Valavicius

McGeary was just too much for Valavicius, and he made short work of him. McGeary threw a barrage of relentless strikes that forced the stoppage.

GOOD: Saad Awad stops Joe Duarte

This was a replay from earlier. Awad laid into Duarte to force the stoppage. That's the running theme of the card so far. I like it.

GOOD: Brandon Halsey submits Brett Cooper

Halsey overwhelmed Cooper. He easily took him down and went to work, eventually securing the submission. He now goes on to fight Bellator Middleweight Champion Alexander Shlemenko.

GOOD: Bubba Jenkins stops Poppies Martinez

Another prelim fight, another mismatch. I can't complain, though, as I'll happily watch this because of the finishes.

BAD: Andrey Koreshkov vs. Adam McDonough

And just like that, the night comes to a screeching halt. Koreshkov was active in the first two rounds, but it was a misleading active because McDonough looked horrible, so it makes Koreshkov look bad as he should have taken him out within the first few minutes of the first round. So basically, Koreshkov danced around and peppered a guy with strikes that he was much better then. The fact that he didn't finish him reflects poorly on Koreshkov.


UFC on FOX 12

GOOD: Josh Thomson vs. Bobby Green

Green showed a lot of activity and head movement in this fight, which I always like. It was a very close fight, though I think Green getting the decision was the right call. It was a split decision, though, which shows you how close the fight was.
Green's athleticism was what allowed him to get the victory here. He talked the entire fight, trying to get into Thomson's head, but I don't think that did anything because Thomson is a savvy veteran. Plus, it didn't seem to affect him.

GOOD: Dennis Bermudez submits Clay Guida

Bermudez furthered his career a good deal with this win. He finished Guida, which is a very hard thing to do. He controlled the entire fight. Bermudez absolutely deserves a chance to fight a top five guy now. I think a fight with Frankie Edgar would make a lot of sense, or possibly Chan Sung Jung depending on his return timetable. Guida's toughness has enabled him to overcome a lot in his career, which makes what Bermudez was able to do all the more impressive.

GREAT: Anthony Johnson stops Antonio Rogerio Nogueira

Johnson looked fantastic in this fight. He took out Nogueira like it was nothing, and made it look easy. It's just a shame that the light heavyweight division is the way it is now at the top because Johnson deserves a title shot.

The problem is that Daniel Cormier is already slated to fight UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones in September, then Alexander Gustafsson is next in line. Gustafsson was supposed to fight Jones next, but suffered an injury. It wouldn't be fair to skip over Gustafsson, especially since he won't be out too long. He'll certainly be ready to fight the winner of Cormier vs. Jones.

Unfortunately, this leaves Johnson as the odd man out. You can't give him a title shot and have him waiting that long for it. I think you put Johnson in there against Glover Teixiera. If Johnson wins, he gets a title shot. If Teixiera wins, he gets a numbers one contenders fight. If Teixiera can't go, that throws a monkey wrench into things, but you plug someone else in there. Regardless of who it is, Johnson should get a title shot with one more win.

GOOD: Robbie Lawler vs. Matt Brown

I thought this was a very good fight. I'm very surprised it went all five rounds, though. With the way both guys throw punches and kicks, I was certain someone would get knocked out. Both guys are very tough, but I still thought we'd get a finish. I thought Brown fought very well, Lawler was just a bit better. I'm not sure how much experience played a role, but Lawler looked a lot more relaxed and smooth in the cage than Brown did.
I was impressed by the cardio both guys showed in this fight, given the punishment they both took from the other. Lawler worked the body at times, but so did Brown. There's no doubt that Lawler won the fight, but it was very close. If Brown did a few things differently, he could easily have won. I thought there were a few times where Brown telegraphed some of his strikes, especially his spinning backfist attempts.

Brown deserves a shot at another high-ranked opponent for sure, and Lawler moves on to fight UFC Welterweight Champion Johny Hendricks. I think Lawler closes the deal this time and wins the title. It was an extremely close fight last time, and I think that spurs Lawler to victory. Hendricks is a very tough opponent, though, and Lawler will have to fight flawlessly to beat him. I think he can do it, especially after how he looked here in this fight.


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