Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) made its debut on FOX Sports 1 last night (Aug. 17, 2013), live from TD BanK Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. The card is an instant contender for event of the year, and, quite frankly, it's in contention for one of the most enjoyable of all time.
Chael Sonnen wins by submission? Huh?
If you were to predict Chael Sonnen's path to victory in any given fight, the least likely would be by submission. He just isn't that kind of fighter. His strategy has always been to take an opponent to the mat and beat them up with punches. Last night he pulled guard and locked in a guillotine (watch highlights here). I don't even know anymore.
The heck happened to Overeem?
I don't get this. Alistair Overeem was supposed to be a player in the UFC's Heavyweight title scene. Now he's a guy with two straight losses via technical knockout (watch highlights here). I feel pretty confident saying that it's pretty unlikely that he'll ever sniff the top of the Heavyweight division for the rest of his UFC tenure. Bummer.
Hugs! High Fives! Boooooooooooooo!
The fight between John Howard and Uriah Hall was possibly one of the most uneventful in recent memory. Hall's performance was so bad that UFC President Dana White said that he just doesn't have what it takes to be a UFC fighter. I'd agree with that sentiment.
Matt Brown ... title contender?
Sure, Matt Brown doesn't hold wins over Top 10-ranked opponents, but when a fighter is on a 6-0 run, he (or she) is in contention for a title. I don't know if a title shot is in Matt Brown's future, but I do know that he's reinvented himself as a fighter and deserves a step up in competition.
Other Thoughts!
- That was the best performance of Michael Johnson's career. He straight up beat down Joe Lauzon. If you haven't seen the damage, you should check it out here.
- Urijah Faber is still improving and that's crazy. Fighters are supposed to hit a ceiling, but that just hasn't happened with Faber. It's a bummer that Renan Barao is interim champ because Faber deserves another run at the gold.
- Conor McGregor answered a ton of questions last night, especially his ability to go the full 15 minutes. That being said, I appreciate his attitude toward finishing fights. He recognizes that UFC rewards fighters for finishing and wants to keep earning those "of the Night" bonus checks.
- Overall, this was my favorite card of the year. It's even up there with all-time favorite mixed martial arts (MMA) events. Outside of that Uriah Hall/John Howard fight, this was a perfect event in my eyes.
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