Got a chance last night to sit down and watch UFC 126, so as promised, here are my quick thoughts on it!
Miguel Angel Torres was a beast in the WEC for a while, until he ran into Brian Bowles, who knocked him out and took his title. Then he ran into rising star Joseph Benavidez, who choked him out. He has rebounded now with two wins, but his performance on Saturday night didn't set the world on fire. I don't know if it was a bit of UFC jitters...or if it was really Baneulos' fault as Dana White seems to think...but I hope we see more out of him next time out.
Carlos Eduardo Rocha showed a TON of BJJ skill in his first round with Jake Ellenberger, and then it was gone. I don't know if he gassed or what happened, but WOW, talk about the fight totally changing. And how the hell did one judge give Rocha all three rounds? Was that judge even watching the fight? Did he take a bathroom break after the first round? No way Rocha won either round 2 or 3. I totally agree with the two who scored it 29-28 for Ellenberger. Nice comeback from him, as he looked like he was going to get dusted in the first.
Jon Jones...what more can be said? The guy is amazing, and is now getting a title shot in just six weeks due to the injury to Rashad Evans. He's opened as an early favorite against Shogun, which blows my mind a bit. I mean, Shogun has beaten Lyoto Machida twice (come on...he won that first fight...even if the records don't state it!) in a row as far as I'm concerned...and Jones is great, but is he ready for this level? We'll find out in six weeks. That's a fight I really want to see! And kudos to the UFC for the way they got things put together and creating that really cool moment in the cage where they told him about the title shot. Very cool moment!
Not much more I can say about the Griffin/Franklin fight that Tom didn't already say...totally agreed. Griffin looked rusty and Franklin looked like it's time to hang 'em up.
The main event started and I wasn't sure what to expect. After a horribly boring first two minutes where they just circled, they finally engaged, and Silva hit the sickest front kick I have ever seen! I was blown away by that kick and it was obvious that Belfort was totally out! Great win for The Spider, and it potentially sets up that HUGE matchup between he and GSP, provided GSP beats Jake Shields in April, as I expect he will.
Good show, with some good finishes, and a couple of "OK" decisions. Nothing too controversial, which is nice too!
Quick wrestling note back to Tom - you are going to LOVE those two shows from DGUSA, I had the privilige of being live at both and had a blast!
I'll be back later today, or perhaps tomorrow with a look at the WWE's 2-21-11 videos! Thanks for visiting Two Spot Monkeys!
I'm a big Torres fan, so my defense of him is a bit reactionary & automatic. That said, he had to win this fight or he wasn't going to have a spot in the UFC. There were too many UFC fighters before the WEC acquisition, forget about after. With Torres' recent inconsistency, the odds that if he lost this fight he would have been cut were pretty significant. Knowing he could win the way he did, it doesn't make sense to fight any other way.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was unfair of Rogan to bemoan the lack of action on commentary, knowing full well what the situation was for both fighters, and Torres specifically.