UFC 100
- Thread starter hamato_yoshii
- Start date
Thoughts:
Brock Lesnar Vs. Frank Mir - Going into this fight I thought that Brock would probably be too powerful for Frank Mir. Coming out of it, I still think that is the case, but I feel like maybe Mir could have done more than he did. I was really surprised to see how good of shape Mir was in, and I hope that he takes that with him in his upcoming fights. Mir should have been able to do more in the stand-up to keep some distance between him and Brock, and get into Brocks head. I think what happened though, and might happen in most of Brock's fights is that fighters are just so worried about letting Brock get too close because they know that he can put guys down with one shot. The scary thing about Brock is that he can put guys away with punches that are not clear knock out type shots (see Hendo on Bisping). When Brock ended the fight with those punches to Mir while he was on the ground, Mir did start of blocking those punches, and was doing ok at it. Problem is, that Brock is so strong that he still inflicts major damage even when you block him. As for the post fight antics by Brock, I thought that he was over the top, and I thought he was a little counter-productive by bad mouthing sponsors, but I will say that where I was watching the fights (BWW's) most people were still cheering for him, and laughing at his jokes.
Georges St-Pierre Vs. Thiago Alves - This fight did not go down the way that I thought it would. I knew that GSP's jab would be solid and that he could (and did) use it to keep distance between him and Alves, but I did not foresee GSP being so dominant on the ground. First, GSP did a great job at making sure that Thiago could not get in tight and unleash any big shots on him. There was one point, I think in the third round, where Thiago did let a massive uppercut go, and missed, but that was the only time in that fight where I felt that things may have gone a different direction. GSP was very efficient in his takedowns, and keeping Thiago down, and on his back, to negate most of the offense by Alves. Knowing now that GSP was hurt in the third round (I think) with a groin or abductor injury, just makes his performance that much more amazing. He is the best fighter in the UFC hands down, and has only one rival for the top spot in the world. I know the GSP/Silva thing was a hot topic after the fight, but I just don't see how that can realistically happen. Maybe at a catch weight, but if your going to do that fight, you have to make the ability for a multiple belt holder a reality.
Jon Fitch Vs. Paulo Thiago - Jon Fitch was simply better than Paulo Thiago. I have heard that some are not impressed with his victory, but I was. Thiago is dangerous on the ground, and was swinging very hard at times in this fight. Jon Fitch just did what good fighters do and found something that worked (takedowns) and kept at it. For Fitch to be able to continuously take Thiago down, and keep him there without getting caught in any of Thiago's above average BJJ, shows that Fitch may be the best in his division, with the one exception to the guy who is responsible for his one loss. I would like to see a rematch with him and the "new" Thiago Alves because I think things may turn out different than the first time around.
Dan Henderson Vs. Michael Bisping - This is exactly what Bisping and Bisping fans are afraid of when he fights. Bisping has great, not good, great, stand-up skills, but they are fairly "boxer"-like. He does a great job at jabbing and moving in and out to evade his opponents punches. The problem is, his punches do not carry great power, and his ground game leaves a lot to be desired. So, he has to win fights by outlasting his opponent, and winning rounds. Normally, he can do this, but sometimes the match-up's do not favor this approach. Dan Henderson is the exact match-up that does not favor that approach. Dan knew that he could absorb some of Bisping's punches, and as long as he could "cut him off" (Dan's words) that he would be able to catch him and put him down. We saw early in the fight that Dan was swinging hard, but Bisping was able to evade his big punch attempts, and land jabs on Henderson. I think the issue came when Bisping had that success because if you notice, he made a habit of ducking out to the left after his combinations. He would come in fast, throw 3 or 4 punches, and then step back, but move his head and torso to the left to evade Dan's counter. This worked well, but I think it's safe to say that Dan noticed. When Bisping tried to evade out to the left the last time, Dan put his head in and threw a big overhand right, and Bisping's head was sitting right where Dan had seen it move so many times already that night. It was a huge knockout, and an extra shot to a downed opponent at the end. A big win for Hendo, and good for him. There are now two guys sitting around at the middleweight ranks who may not have the ability to get to the top anymore, but they are certainly going to provide lots of entertainment for fans, and lots of trouble for fighters looking to climb the ladder to Anderson Silva. One guy is Wandy Silva, and the other is still Dan Henderson.
Yoshihiro Akiyama Vs. Alan Belcher - Glad to see Yoshi get the win, but I did not agree with the judges. I thought it was close, but I would have given it to Belcher. Both guys looked good though, Belcher specifically was in great shape. I think Akiyama may want to consider dropping a weight class though.
Brock Lesnar Vs. Frank Mir - Going into this fight I thought that Brock would probably be too powerful for Frank Mir. Coming out of it, I still think that is the case, but I feel like maybe Mir could have done more than he did. I was really surprised to see how good of shape Mir was in, and I hope that he takes that with him in his upcoming fights. Mir should have been able to do more in the stand-up to keep some distance between him and Brock, and get into Brocks head. I think what happened though, and might happen in most of Brock's fights is that fighters are just so worried about letting Brock get too close because they know that he can put guys down with one shot. The scary thing about Brock is that he can put guys away with punches that are not clear knock out type shots (see Hendo on Bisping). When Brock ended the fight with those punches to Mir while he was on the ground, Mir did start of blocking those punches, and was doing ok at it. Problem is, that Brock is so strong that he still inflicts major damage even when you block him. As for the post fight antics by Brock, I thought that he was over the top, and I thought he was a little counter-productive by bad mouthing sponsors, but I will say that where I was watching the fights (BWW's) most people were still cheering for him, and laughing at his jokes.
Georges St-Pierre Vs. Thiago Alves - This fight did not go down the way that I thought it would. I knew that GSP's jab would be solid and that he could (and did) use it to keep distance between him and Alves, but I did not foresee GSP being so dominant on the ground. First, GSP did a great job at making sure that Thiago could not get in tight and unleash any big shots on him. There was one point, I think in the third round, where Thiago did let a massive uppercut go, and missed, but that was the only time in that fight where I felt that things may have gone a different direction. GSP was very efficient in his takedowns, and keeping Thiago down, and on his back, to negate most of the offense by Alves. Knowing now that GSP was hurt in the third round (I think) with a groin or abductor injury, just makes his performance that much more amazing. He is the best fighter in the UFC hands down, and has only one rival for the top spot in the world. I know the GSP/Silva thing was a hot topic after the fight, but I just don't see how that can realistically happen. Maybe at a catch weight, but if your going to do that fight, you have to make the ability for a multiple belt holder a reality.
Jon Fitch Vs. Paulo Thiago - Jon Fitch was simply better than Paulo Thiago. I have heard that some are not impressed with his victory, but I was. Thiago is dangerous on the ground, and was swinging very hard at times in this fight. Jon Fitch just did what good fighters do and found something that worked (takedowns) and kept at it. For Fitch to be able to continuously take Thiago down, and keep him there without getting caught in any of Thiago's above average BJJ, shows that Fitch may be the best in his division, with the one exception to the guy who is responsible for his one loss. I would like to see a rematch with him and the "new" Thiago Alves because I think things may turn out different than the first time around.
Dan Henderson Vs. Michael Bisping - This is exactly what Bisping and Bisping fans are afraid of when he fights. Bisping has great, not good, great, stand-up skills, but they are fairly "boxer"-like. He does a great job at jabbing and moving in and out to evade his opponents punches. The problem is, his punches do not carry great power, and his ground game leaves a lot to be desired. So, he has to win fights by outlasting his opponent, and winning rounds. Normally, he can do this, but sometimes the match-up's do not favor this approach. Dan Henderson is the exact match-up that does not favor that approach. Dan knew that he could absorb some of Bisping's punches, and as long as he could "cut him off" (Dan's words) that he would be able to catch him and put him down. We saw early in the fight that Dan was swinging hard, but Bisping was able to evade his big punch attempts, and land jabs on Henderson. I think the issue came when Bisping had that success because if you notice, he made a habit of ducking out to the left after his combinations. He would come in fast, throw 3 or 4 punches, and then step back, but move his head and torso to the left to evade Dan's counter. This worked well, but I think it's safe to say that Dan noticed. When Bisping tried to evade out to the left the last time, Dan put his head in and threw a big overhand right, and Bisping's head was sitting right where Dan had seen it move so many times already that night. It was a huge knockout, and an extra shot to a downed opponent at the end. A big win for Hendo, and good for him. There are now two guys sitting around at the middleweight ranks who may not have the ability to get to the top anymore, but they are certainly going to provide lots of entertainment for fans, and lots of trouble for fighters looking to climb the ladder to Anderson Silva. One guy is Wandy Silva, and the other is still Dan Henderson.
Yoshihiro Akiyama Vs. Alan Belcher - Glad to see Yoshi get the win, but I did not agree with the judges. I thought it was close, but I would have given it to Belcher. Both guys looked good though, Belcher specifically was in great shape. I think Akiyama may want to consider dropping a weight class though.
I'll concur with all you said Yoshii. But in the case of Bisping, I think he would have had
more success if he had moved to his right. Moving to his left fed right into Hendos
power, ie: right hand. I still think Hendo would have finished him, but not as dramatically.
more success if he had moved to his right. Moving to his left fed right into Hendos
power, ie: right hand. I still think Hendo would have finished him, but not as dramatically.
