Roundtables
ROUNDTABLE: Which performance at UFC 125 was the most surprising? Hansen, Hyden, Hobaugh, Williams and Penick
Jan 8, 2011 - 10:57:00 PM ROUNDTABLE: Which performance at UFC 125 was the most surprising? Hansen, Hyden, Hobaugh, Williams and Penick

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Which performance at UFC 125 was the most surprising?

RICH HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST

Despite the fact that I did not for one second think Mike Brown or Josh Grispi were going to lose, I'm eliminating those fights because the featherweight division is such a crap-shoot right now.  It will take a couple of years before we know where everyone falls in the pecking order.  Well, we know they all fall behind Jose Aldo, but from #2 on down, we know NOTHING.  Don't believe me, just ask Marlon Sandro, Bibiano Fernandes, and Josh Grispi, who were the #2, #3, and #4 ranked featherweights for many people before Sandro lost on December 30, Fernandes lost on December 31, and Grispi lost on January 1.

So, once we take the great featherweight variable out of the loop, Brian Stann is the only choice.  I'm eating a lot of crow on this one (as are 95% of the people reading this, so SHUT UP!).  On our Tuesday Night Conversation leading into UFC 125, I ranted and raved wildly against not only Stann's chances, but the hypocrisy of even booking such a lousy match in the first place.  I didn't for one second think that Stann was anywhere close to Leben's league, and I wasn't a guy who thought Leben was more than just a 'guy' who got hot at the right time.  I've never in my life been more wrong about a matchup.

FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

I've got to go with Brian Stann. Not because I'm surprised that he has knockout power, I remember his WEC fights. The most surprising aspect of Stann's win was his opponent. Chris Leben has an iron chin, and Stann smashed him. The only other person to have beaten Leben like that was Anderson Silva, and it was damn impressive for Stann to do the same.

ERIC HOBAUGH, MMATORCH SPECIALIST

Takanori Gomi's performance was the most surprising to me.  His KO of Tyson Griffin was a nice win.  The loss to Clay Guida was not a surprise, but the way he was dominated says a lot about where he is at in his career with the UFC. Kenny Florian controlled him in their fight as well.  Gomi is long past his prime and I am sad about that fact.  I loved him in his Pride days. One of my all time favorite fights is his fight against Nick Diaz at Pride 33 in February 2007. In 2007 he was the best lightweight in the world when he lost to Diaz (that result was overturned by NSAC after Diaz failed a drug test for marijuana). He is one of the all time greats in Pride.  The reality of his career is that if he can not get by fighters like Guida and Florian, he will never compete at the highest levels in MMA again.

ALEX WILLIAMS, MMATORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Dustin Poirier's performance was the most surprising.  He was supposed to be a stay-busy foe for Josh Grispi, but instead he easily handled the UFC's heavily-hyped number one contender.  I've read that Poirier's knocking off Grispi may mean that Jose Aldo's next foe will be Mark Hominick.  I'd rather see Poirier get the shot at Aldo's belt.

JAMIE PENICK, MMATORCH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The most surprising performance, for the positive and negative connotation of that word, came from the Dustin Poirier-Josh Grispi fight. The 21-year-old Poirier was extremely poised and handled his first fight under the lights of the UFC like a longtime veteran. The way he handled Grispi standing and continued to make Grispi get to his feet after wearing him out was highly impressive, and he picked up a win against the fighter the UFC was going to put into a title fight. For Grispi, he was brought down to earth against an unheralded up and comer, and a number of holes in his game were exposed after a string of first round victories in the WEC. He's now got to get back to action, try to close up those holes and come back stronger in his second UFC fight, but overall that fight was the most surprising of the entire event.