Sunday, August 12, 2012

My Thoughts On UFC 150

Despite one of the worst decisions I have ever witnessed, me and my friend Brandon saw some awesome fights at UFC 150.  Here are my thoughts on each one of the matches.

Lawrence vs. Holloway: To my disbelief, Holloway was able to drop Lawrence with a body shot after stunning him with a knee.  Then he finished him on the ground.  Although I am suspicious about whether the second groin strike to Lawrence was truly an accident, Holloway is clearly someone whom I underestimated.

Okami vs. Roberts: I am so glad that referees are allowed to declare a bout over via TKO if a fighter is unable to intelligently defend himself.  Otherwise, Okami would have been hitting Roberts' arms all night.  Let's face it: when you are just lying on the ground and not even trying to escape the beating that you are getting, you've basically given up, and that's what Roberts did here.   

Shields vs. Herman: Herman showed a lot of heart in this three-round grappling war, but Shields simply had more skill.  The announcers said that Shields claimed that we hadn't seen "the real Jake Shields" before this bout.  It seems that "the real Jake Shields" didn't come out last night, either.  I didn't see anything to suggest that the former Strikeforce champion would become more than an elite gatekeeper in the middleweight division.  To be fair, though, this was a debut at a higher weight class, so things might change.

Cerrone vs. Guillard: Cerrone weathered an early storm by Guillard and smashed Guillard with a right hand after missing with a high kick.  After making Guillard go to sleep with that fantastic knockout, I wouldn't be surprised if Cerrone earns a title shot next year.

Edgar vs. Henderson: Easily the best fight of the night, Edgar and Henderson had an all-out war that was even more brutal than their first encounter.  It included Edgar surviving another guillotine choke and Henderson powering out of two strong front choke attempts.  However, that split decision in favor of Henderson was complete bullcrap!  Edgar knocked Henderson off his feet twice in addition to holding him in those chokes, and their striking was pretty even.  However, I understand why Dana White isn't going to have another rematch.  The state athletic commissions probably wouldn't react well to him undermining the authority of their officials.  Not to mention the fact that a rematch would result in the entire lightweight division getting stalled, something that Nate Diaz and other highly-ranked lightweights would not take too kindly too.  So while it is completely unfair, it seems that Edgar's will have to go to the back of the line for another title shot.  Unless, of course, he drops to featherweight, since a potential dream fight with Aldo could lead to him getting put on a fast track to the title. 


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