After winning the most exciting match of the night, Rousey snubbed Tate when her rival offered to shake her hand. She is still getting heat for it today. Was it bad sportsmanship? Yes. Does it mean that she and Tate still hate each other? I'm not convinced, especially since they spoke so well of each others' performance after the fight. Considering their verbal and Twitter wars in the past, this is a huge step forward. It seems like they are willing to move on and tolerate each other at the very least. Here are my thoughts on each bout on the card.
Poirier vs. Brandao: Sometimes you are simply outmatched, even if you have a lot of heart. That's what happened to Brandao against Poirier. He dropped "The Diamond" with a couple of strong rights and managed to get a takedown. That being said, Poirier proved he was the better fighter last night by catching "DB" with a left and finishing him with ground-and-pound.
Miller vs. Camoes: That is the weirdest armbar I have ever seen. I didn't think it was possible to do one from bottom position while hugging your opponent's leg like that. Nonetheless, it worked, and I wouldn't be surprised if Rousey gave her seal of approval to Miller's impressive, albeit unorthodox, finish.
Barnett vs. Browne: I need to find some barbecue sauce so that I can eat my words about Browne's "sloppy technique." He came out looking more polished than ever. When Barnett shot in and pressed him against the cage, "Hapa" caught "The Warmaster" in the face with a knee before knocking his ear through his skull with some brutal elbows. I used to think that Cain Velasquez had no serious threat at heavyweight. Now I'm not so sure.
Tate vs. Rousey: I don't know what impressed me more: the fact that Tate survived being tossed around for three rounds before succumbing to the inevitable armbar, or the fact that Rousey turned face through commending and congratulating Tate at the end. Not only that, but she said that Tate did an amazing job. That's a complete 180 from what came out of the champ's mouth on "The Ultimate Fighter." Rousey claimed that she didn't shake Tate's hand because of comments that the latter had made against her family. I haven't read about that yet, but it would be hard to fault her if that happened. At any rate, it seems like the hatchet has been buried under the ashes of the best match of the night.
Silva vs. Weidman: Ouch! That shin break in Round 2 looked identical to the one in "Undisputed 3", when Boyka snapped Dolor's leg with his knee. Even before that, Weidman was dominating "The Spider", dropping him in Round 1 with a right hand in the clinch before using some ground-and-pound and attempting an Ezekiel choke. I wouldn't be surprised if Silva was done after that injury. At the very least, even though he is still arguably the greatest fighter in MMA history, it seems like his time has simply passed. Meanwhile, kudos to Weidman for proving that his first victory wasn't a fluke. He looks like he is game for the shark tank that the middleweight division has become.
On a side note, I am very excited about the announcement of the biggest fight in Women's MMA: Rousey vs. McMann! This future battle between two Olympic-level warriors is going to be freaking sick! It is the WMMA version of Ali vs. Frazier and I can't wait to see it at UFC 170!
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