Hyden's Take
HYDEN BLOG: Going Over UFC on Versus 4 and Bellator 46
Jun 29, 2011 - 10:15:44 AM HYDEN BLOG: Going Over UFC on Versus 4 and Bellator 46

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By: Frank Hyden, MMATorch contributor

I'm kind of torn when it comes to the job Dan Miragliotta did during the Pat Barry vs. Cheick Kongo fight. On the one hand, he let them fight. That's good as it lets a guy come back. On the other hand, he did put his hands on Barry which usually is the signal to stop.

I think the final opinion on this comes down to what happens to Barry after this fight. If Pat Barry gets cut from the UFC, Miragliotta did a bad job. However, if Barry stays with the UFC for at least one more fight, it's no big deal what happened in this fight. I feel as though Barry should be given one more chance, as it was kind of a raw deal what happened to him. I'm not going to blast Miragliotta because we're all human, we all make mistakes. I think his biggest mistake was in placing his hands on Barry, but that's all forgotten if Barry gets another fight in the UFC.

I also have to mention Cheick Kongo's comeback. It was a great comeback, and he showed again that he can be a good mid-level fighter in the UFC Heavyweight division. I don't think he'll ever come close to a title shot, but he can be a good role player for the company. He's got some good power, and he showed it with those shots that dropped Barry.

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Talk of Matt Mitrione getting a title shot in the UFC Heavyweight division is very premature. At the same time, though, why not entertain the possibility? Obviously, Junior Dos Santos is next in line to fight the champion, Cain Velasquez. However, after that, who else is more deserving? I think the UFC needs to put Mitrione in deep water by matching him against Frank Mir. The winner of that can fight the winner of Brendan Schaub vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, with the winner getting a title shot. Mitrione may or may not be ready, but let's find out for sure. Who else is more deserving? Remember that there were people who didn't think Jon Jones should have gotten his shot at the UFC Light Heavyweight title when he did. I'm not calling Mitrione Jones by any stretch, but it's not like it's going to ruin Mitrione if he were to lose to Mir.

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The Bellator summer series started Saturday at Bellator 46.

Marlon Sandro looked pretty good as he defeated Genair da Silva by split decision. I thought he was the aggressor throughout and deserved the decision. The judge who gave the fight to da Silva was oblivious to that, apparently. Genair was moving backwards almost the entire fight and wasn't doing a whole lot.

Ronnie Mann was the better and more technical fighter against Adam Schindler. Mann was more impressive with his crisp punches compared to Schindler's wild looping shots. Mann looked good in victory.

Nazareno Malegarie was finally able to lock in the choke in round three as he beat Jacob DeVree. Malegarie was trying for the submission all throughout the fight and finally got it. It was a good technical battle.

Pat Curran locked in the Peruvian Necktie submission as he beat Luis Palomino in the first round. It was a pretty powerful display by Curran as he looked fantastic in this fight.

I think Sandro and Curran looked the best among the four winners. This is how you run a tournament or grand prix or whatever you want to call it. Having the fighters all fight on the same card, with the winners facing each other the next month, that's how you do it. Strikeforce bobbled the ball with their Heavyweight Grand Prix. The potential for a tournament like this in the UFC would be awesome in any of their divisions.

I want to send a big congratulations to Jessica Aguilar for her victory over Carla Esparza at Bellator 46. I interviewed Jessica last week and I thought she was an extremely nice and motivated person. It was a tough fight, but JAG persevered and picked up the split decision win. Congrats to her.


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