Roundtables
ROUNDTABLE: Grades for UFC 138 "Leben vs. Munoz" - Hansen, Hyden, Perez, Hobaugh, and Ennis
Nov 9, 2011 - 4:50:58 PM ROUNDTABLE: Grades for UFC 138 "Leben vs. Munoz" - Hansen, Hyden, Perez, Hobaugh, and Ennis

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Grade Saturday's UFC 138 event

RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

In a vacuum, I liked the show well enough to give it a B.  But on a curve graded against the ProElite show I suffered through on Saturday night, I give it an A plus plus plus plus plus plus plus.  Don't worry, that's my last shot on that show (for more, CLICK HERE).  UFC 138 delivered exciting fights, a really good main event, 5/5 main card fights with finishes, comebacks by Terry Etim and Thiago Alves, and a breakthrough performance by Renan Barao.  Other than divisional relevance, nothing was missing from this card.  Of course, the lack of any truly relevant fights is why this card got a B and not an A.



FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I thought it was a good show, but not great. Considering it was free here in the U.S. I would give it a B. Had it been a pay-per-view I would give it a C-. There wasn't much on the show that you couldn't get for free on another show, no title fights or even fights with title implications. It was fair.


ANWAR PEREZ, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

I will give UFC 138 a solid B.  I was thoroughly entertained, as all the fights were top notch, even though the lack of "star power" was not with this card.  Events like this proves that sometimes, especially in the fight game, star power is not needed once you have a group of fighters that bring it in the cage and go hard for three rounds.  A solid performance, both for the fighters and the UFC.


ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I give it a solid B.  There were several actual finishes and the main event was great.  Except for the lack of big names, it was a good event. How many pay per view cards have we had that were not as good? A few for sure.


SHAWN ENNIS, MMATORCH COLUMNIST
 
I think if it were more significant as far as ramifications, it'd be an A, but I've got to go with a B.  This was an extremely entertaining event, but the problem is that we don't know what any of it means.  I want Renan Barao to get a Bantamweight Title shot post-haste, but who knows where he actually stands?  Mark Munoz took a step up with his impressive win, but is he a number one contender?  Is he in line for a contender fight?  Who knows?  that's my problem with the event.  We can guess all we want what the next step is for these guys, but there was no narrative going into the show about what it all means.  That's always been my biggest gripe with the lead up to the UFC's shows, and it was certainly no different here.  Now, all that having been said, this was a lot of fun to watch.  In the end, that's one of the more important aspects of an event, so a B is a pretty good grade if you ask me.