Greetings Maniacs!
After last week's super busy night of three fight cards all going on simultaneously, this past weekend gave us a little reprieve: one fight card.
UFC Fight Night 57 in Austin, Texas, gave our tired eyes a single fight card to lay focus toward on Saturday night (Nov. 22, 2014), and there were some great moments throughout the evening.
Were there any as scintillating as Odell Beckham's one-handed catch for a TD against the Cowboys last night? Hard to say and by the way, yes, I am a die-hard New York Giants fan. And yes, they suck, and I wish I would've watched The Walking Dead instead of another heartbreaking defeat.
But that catch though...
Alright, Fight Night 57 had some killer moments. A former champion proved he is still one of the best in the business and set a record for latest submission in a UFC fight, while two debuts in the strawweight division produced a "Fight of the Night" award. As far as bad moments go, one of the lightweights on the rise fell back down to earth and a featherweight on a six-fight win streak got beaten from pillar to post before being submitted.
Let's take a look at some of the great and not-so-great moments from UFC Fight Night 57 on "The Monday After."
Frankie Edgar
Whoever counted Edgar out of that fight, the pride of Toms River seemed to want to take it all out on Swanson. And that is what he did. Whether it was takedowns, ground and pound, counter punches, Edgar could do no wrong for almost the entire 25-minute fight, before submitting Swanson with a rare neck-crank submission at the 4:56 mark of the final frame. It is doubtful he will get the title shot vs. Aldo. That will still most likely go to Conor McGregor if he defeats Dennis Siver, but if title shots were based solely on merit, it would be hard to deny Edgar. Just an overall great performance. His next match up should be very, very intriguing. Ricardo Lamas? Could very well be. We should find out soon enough.
Cub Swanson
Honestly, as I was watching the main event come to an end on Saturday, I thought to myself: 'how does Swanson come back from this?' Think about it. He got taken out to the wood shed for 24:56 of a five-round fight and then submitted with four ticks on the clock in the final round. That is as brutal a loss as it gets. Just insult to injury to the highest degree. His six-fight win streak was snapped and he got knocked out of the running for a shot at Jose Aldo. His next fight will truly show what he is made of mentally.
Bobby Green
One of the night's most puzzling performances at the Frank Erwin Center was Green's against Edson Barboza in the co-main event. Green seemed to be too focused on shaking his head and telling Barboza 'nope that didn't hurt' every time he got lit up with a punch. I'll give him credit for getting up after getting hit with a wheel kick, but beyond that he turned in a dud, in an important fight, and that is a bad sign for him going forward in the division. It's a shame because he looked so good in his win against Josh Thomson over the summer at UFC on FOX 12. His four-fight win streak ends and he will drop down a few spots in the rankings as well.
Edson Barboza
The biggest win of his career so far. Barboza looked crisp with his strikes over three rounds and didn't buy into any of Green's theatrics or histrionics. Barboza was probably an inch or two away from putting Green out for good with the wheel kick that he connected with. The Brazilian fighter improves to 9-2 in the UFC. He was currently ranked No.12 in the lightweight rankings and should jump up to Green's spot at No.7 or at least in the top 10.
Paige Vanzant
I know her nickname is "12 Gauge," but I am predicting it will be PVZ before too long. Just a hunch. Vanzant could've been on the current season of The Ultimate FIghter had she been 21, but she is only 20. And it looks like she has a very bright future after her third-round technical knockout over Kailin Curran. VanVant, who earned $50,000 dollars for the "FOTN" bonus, showed some great striking ability and excellent work in the clinch against Curran. She did succumb to several well-timed throws by Curran, but she recovered nicely from each takedown. She is now 4-1 and it appears that she will be a player in the division before too long.
Joseph Benavidez
Benavidez was on a mission on Saturday and he was hitting Dustin Ortiz with everything but the kitchen sink, but Ortiz just wouldn't go down. Benavidez kept tagging him with big punches and combinations throughout the three-round contest. That is two in a row for the Team Alpha Male fighter, since getting knocked out by Demetrious Johnson at UFC on FOX 9 last December. It shouldn't be long before we see the trilogy fight between Benavidez and Johnson. It is more than likely he will have to win one more fight before it happens.
Alexey Oliynyk
This fight reminded you why heavyweight fights can be so damn entertaining. And if this MMA thing doesn't work out for the Russian, he could be cast as an evil henchmen in any action movie that is to be made. Did I mention his nickname is "The Boa Constrictor" and how bad ass that is? I gave this the unofficial "Moment of Levity" award on Saturday, due to Oliynyk closing the show with a monster left hook, after everyone and their mother were heaping praise on Twitter about Rosholt's performance. I found it quite hilarious and I don't think I'm alone. Rosholt hit Oliynyk with a barrage early on and it was looking like he was cruising to his fourth-straight win in the UFC, right up until he got knocked out.
Overall a very enjoyable card. That is all Maniacs. I'm off to catch up on this week's episode of The Walking Dead. Chat with you after UFC 181. Have a great Thanksgiving.