UFC Fight Night 12 from The Pearl at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, is in the books.
The two-hour SpikeTV special featured the welterweight debut of former middleweight contender, Mike Swick, against Josh Burkman in the main event of the evening. The 15-pound weight-cut for "Quick" was supposed to make him stronger and more dominant.
It didn't happen ... not last night, anyway.
Swick couldn't find his riddum' for most if not all of the 15-minute bout. His combinations were not crisp and the killer instinct that defined his rise to the top of the 185-pound class seemed to be nonexistent. Blame it on a lack of action (he hasn't fought in about nine months) or just an aggressive and frustrating opponent in Burkman.
For his part, "The Peoples Warrior" didn't do much to impress the judges sitting ringside, either. He focused primarily on taking Swick to the ground; however, Swick stuffed most of the attempts and the two would just end up pressed against the cage.
This was an even fight because not much ever really happened. Swick is fortunate to get the win because this writer agreed with the judge who scored the bout 29-29 -- neither fighter really did enough to win that fight outright.
Nonetheless, it's a win for Swick and a positive start in his new division. Don't be surprised if we see him soon so he can knock off the rust and return to top form. For Burkman, this is his second loss in three fights. And with defeats against top contenders such as Jon Fitch, Karo Parisyan and Swick, it doesn't look like he'll be getting many more opportunities in the near future to prove that he belongs at the top of the heap -- he can't hang with the big dogs.
Congratulations, Patrick Cote. The French Canadian has turned his UFC career around after starting out miserably (0-4), taking out a very dangerous Drew McFedries in quick fashion. He's now got three straight wins against some solid competition and can most likely set his sights on UFC 84, which is set to take place at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada, on April 19.
The bad luck continues for McFedries. Just recovered from a severe staph infection -- and still reeling from the tragic murder of his mother -- the Miletich product didn't look right last night. Cote floored him with a nice uppercut and hook, but when he hit the ground he just balled up and did nothing to indicate that he wanted to keep fighting.
I'd say no big deal if he was hurt bad ... but if you watch the replays he gets right up after the stoppage with a smile on his face.
Maybe he was punch drunk. Maybe he mailed it in. Who knows.
Nate Diaz looked spectacular once again, calling for some top contenders after he finished the real tough Alvin Robinson with relative ease. I can't argue with the man. His awkward frame and long limbs pose a challenge to anyone at 155 pounds. And his jiu-jitsu is just on another level -- he always has something up his sleeve.
Bring on Kurt Pellegrino. He looked impressive in his thrashing of Alberto Crane. And "Batman" even called out Diaz when we spoke to him prior to the event.
That's a good match up.
There's not much to say about the fight between Thiago Tavares and Michihiro Omigawa other than it was absolutely painful to watch. The only reason I can think that it made the main card to begin with was to showcase the talent of Tavares.
But last night he didn't bring it. He was off and looked average at best. That's the exception and not the rule, however. Tavares is a stud and just coughed up a stinker. He should shine his next time out regardless of the opponent.
All in all it was an underwhelming show. Perhaps it wouldn't have seemed that way if it wasn't for all the friggin' commercials and cheesy ringside segments with the sponsors. Sure, the UFC has bills to pay but c'mon ... find a decent balance.
The silver lining in all of this is the upcoming UFC Fight Night 13 card on April 2 from Broomfield, Colorado. It's absolutely loaded with great fights and is pay-per-view caliber (just without the title fight). We also learned yesterday that lightweights Frank Edgar and Clay Guida were recently added to the already star-studded card (albeit in separate fights).
To check out the latest UFC Fight 13 rumored fight card click here.
And if you missed the action last night hit up our UFC Fight Night 12 LIVE results coverage and blow-by-blow commentary right here.
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