Velasquez vs. Nogueira, Wanderlei vs. Bisping and UFC 110 Hangover
by Zak Woods on Feb 21, 2010 10:15 AM EST
in Fight Hangovers
Email
Print
Some thoughts while I recover from my UFC 110 hangover...
- Cain Velasquez proved why he is such a celebrated prospect. In only his eighth MMA fight he showed dramatic improvements in his boxing and knocked out a fighter renowned for his chin. For a while people have been talking about Velasquez as the future of the heavyweight division. The future has arrived.
- If Cain is an insurance policy for the winner of Carwin-Mir, --who is suppose to fight Lesnar this summer-- does that mean he will get one more fight in the late summer or is he stuck waiting until December/November for a title fight?
- Can we please call him Cain "The Mark" Velasquez?
- You couldn't ask for more drama at the end of the Bisping-Silva fight. That has to be the equivalent of a photo finish. Speaking of which short track speed skating was, oh, nevermind...
- How many get out of jail free cards did Bisping have? Talk about playing with fire at the end of each round...
- A commentator wrote that he/she felt that the Silva-Bisping fight was boring. While the action was initially slow I thought the fight was extremely tense, like an old Alfred Hitchcock movie that slowly peeled back layers of intrigue and emotion building towards a climatic and dramatic ending. I know that doesn't fit in with this generation's versions unbearable cheap trick horror movies *cough Hostel cough* but the Silva-Bisping fight had this feverish ending like at the end of an Agatha Christie novel.
- There was one guy at the bar who was rooting for Michael Bisping (seriously, everyone else were Silva partisans). He looked pretty depressed as the rest of the bar started screaming their lungs out at the end of the final round.
- Calm down Wanderlei Silva fans, while it is nice that he got a win this isn't the rise of the phoenix. If you don't believe that Bisping is very good (I don't) then this win is somewhat hollow as it was soooooo close. It's like Great Britain winning the Falklands War over Argentina. It doesn't really mean anything and just shows how far you've fallen, i.e., the largest empire on earth a few decades prior reduced to fighting over rocks and sand in the middle of the ocean.
- Credit Bisping for trying to work on the holes in his game. Jonathan Snowden pointed out that Michael was still circling into power punches but it wasn't nearly as pronounced as it was in the Henderson fight. Bisping's use of takedowns also slowed Wanderlei's charge (though Silva was being timid), which was an excellent counter for a guy who get flustered when fighters rush him.
- Did anyone else notice that Zuffa lead the broadcast with the Wanderlei and Bisping interviews as oppose to Cain and Antonio? Shows which fight they thought had the fans attention.
- I am really getting sick of these fake statistics the UFC is using. Take Goldie's comment about how Wanderlei has the most combined wins for a fighter who was in both Pride and the UFC. How much freaking bulls*** is that? Silva is 2-5 in the UFC! GET BETTER STATS OR STOP USING THEM!
- Was Wanderlei sporting some new ink?
- Who else did this after George Sotiropoulos won?
- Speaking of the Aussies, I am glad they got a victory as it was a lot of fun watching them freak the hell out during Sotiropoulos upset victory. Almost as much fun as watching people from New Orleans celebrate, well, anything.
- Joe Stevenson's grapplin was rendered useless by George's superior size and strength (skill helped too). That turned Joe into an one dimensional fighter throwing pot shots from the outside and trying to win with takedowns. I guess that makes Stevenson a gatekeeper.
- The Acer Arena crowd was on par with the crowd in Montreal for UFC 83 or the Columbus crowd for UFC 68.
- New MMA Gambling Rule: Never bet on a fighter who can be felled by a stiff wind. That means you Keith Jardine.
- Hey, Mirko beat up a light heavyweight on two days notice! That means he's back, right? The sky is green too, right?
- Holy something I thought I'd never see Batman! Mirko used elbows!
-If Cro Cop didn't dominant Anthony Persoh the Croatian striker would have become the equivalent of Indiana Jones 4.
- I hope Anthony Perosh gets another fight in the UFC. The guy basically volunteered to stand in front of a leg kick firing squad.
- Poor Stephan Bonnar. That Vegemite couldn't protect him from head butts.
- Usually, you can tell which cards are going to do well based upon audiences at bars. Let's just say that UFC 110 might not do so well.
- Anyone else utter a 'huh?' when they saw that USA Today had a logo on the mat? USA Today does have official MMA Rankings, I wonder who provides those...hmm....
- SI.com also had a logo on the mat. Kind of weird considering the UFC won't credential their lead MMA writer...
9 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
I had this exact thought.
- Holy something I thought I’d never see Batman! Mirko used elbows!
THIS. plus all the blood.
I must be dense…..does anyone care to the explain Cain “The Mark” Velasquez nickname suggestion?
I have to say I was surprised by Cain’s stoppage, but I find him as a fighter/personality completely uninteresting. Good luck to the UFC hitching their Mexican promotional push to him.
Does anyone think Joe Stevenson’s jovial attitude might be part of the reason he’ll forever be a gatekeeper? A little more serious killer instinct and less goofy smiles/high fives might do him some good.
IMO, if Rothwell was a go there’d be a pretty good chance Cro Cop would have ended up with a loss with the way he looked last night. Very uninspiring.
What’s the UFC to do with Jardine? Maybe match him up against Kimbo if he gets past Mitrione? I mean at this point it’s a given he goes down once his chin get touched. I’m not even sure matching him up against a pure wrestler like Phil Davis gets him a win. He is two judges scorecards away from having 6 losses in a row, and if he’s not getting KO’d his fights go to decision. I’m no longer willing to pay for his fights on PPV, unless he embraces the persona of Techno Viking…..hmmm, I actually might pay to see Techno Viking face Epic Beard Man.
Overall a pretty entertaining card, despite no belts on the line, and only a handful of names.
If you really want to drive the guys who hate his “Brown Pride” tattoo crazy(-er) may I suggest “Citizen” Cain Velasquez?
by some schmuck in texas on Feb 22, 2010 2:37 PM EST up reply actions
i thought George just showed serious technical skill on the mat, and i think Joe totally underestimated Sotirouiloiodisodous or however you spell it. I think Joe thought this was a lay up and got caught totally off guard, almost got subbed at the end of round 1, and then was fighting down/in desperation for much of the rest of the fight. so much for joe’s talk about rematching BJ at the end of the year.
Gatti. Dekkers. Pele. Aoki. Kang. Vanderlei. Basillio. Harry Greb.
by theworldsoldestsport on Feb 22, 2010 10:45 AM EST reply actions
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
