UFC 111 Reaffirms the Perception of Several Fighters

Some cards revolutionize our perception of Mixed Martial Arts, the divisions and fighters. UFC 111 was not one of those earth shattering cards. Instead, it reaffirmed much of what we already know.

• Georges St. Pierre - extremely talented and smart fighter who attacks and exploits his opponents weaknesses. He's also learned that the most effective way to win is to control your opponent.
• Dan Hardy - Not much of a ground game but can punch hard. Most likely he was elevated too quickly to fight St. Pierre but the UFC doesn't really have any challengers.
• Shane Carwin - Big, strong and punches like a flailing ox. But still an enigma regarding his skill level.
• Frank Mir - The new ink looks good especially with all the tanning sessions. Unfortunately he still hates getting punched in the face and mentally shuts down when it happens.
• Jon Fitch - Still a grinder and will continue grinding. Woody Hayes called this, "three yards and a cloud of dust". WKR will call it "three rounds and a smothering".
• Ben Saunders - Looks superb against short, smaller welterweights but shrinks against similar sized and more skilled fighters.
• Jim Miller - Still struggles with wrestlers and won't be a challenger at 155 until he fixes that. Well, unless he fights kickboxing Sean Sherk.
• Nate Diaz - Nate has always been a talented fighter and he proved that once again by defeating Rory Markham. Yet, Diaz's principle problem --stopping takedowns from strong wrestlers-- still remains unanswered.

SBN coverage of UFC 111: St-Pierre vs. Hardy