The former light heavyweight king is back, and we look at how things stand after a salvaged event.
As we know by now, injuries are and always will be a part of this sport. In some cases, it can enhance a card and provide us with a more mouth-watering event than what we were expecting, such as when then-featherweight champion Jose Aldo was injured prior to his scheduled bout with Conor McGregor. Or when current lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos got injured before fighting... Conor McGregor...
Point is, sometimes these unfortunate events lead to replacements that generate a greater amount of fan interest and higher buyrates. As a whole, it's difficult to see how well this card did compared to how it could have potentially done had light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier not been injured just weeks before this event took place. Despite this, it's hard to shake the feeling that the event overall may not have played out in a more exciting manner. On paper, the card seemed primed to deliver on more that it may have felt like it did. Let's be clear, here - there were some great names and some very, very good fights on this card. The problem is that not just anyone is capable of appreciating most of the performances we witnessed, and that's fine.
Winners
Demetrious Johnson - We're going to deal with Mighty Mouse first, because he was the biggest winner overall. He didn't headline the event, which is great since more people would seem inclined to see Jon Jones at the top of the card, which presumably should lead to a higher buyrate. That means more people got to see him absolutely demolish a promising contender that is a former Olympian and a fighter that has shown tremendous talent and growth in very little time. He finished a very tough opponent in very little time, made it look easy, then finished with his patented exciting celebration while showing off his charismatic personality in the post-fight interview. Will it be enough to finally endear him to more fans? Probably not, but the possibility is certainly there. Pound-for-pound hypotheticals aside, we're witnessing grace, artistry and history every time he steps in there, and here's hoping that this performance is what finally leads to some recognition of that. Nobody evolves more between one fight and the next like he does, and while the picture isn't clear on who he fights next, it certainly promises to be an exhibition of talent and technique no matter what.
Jon Jones - After all of the suspense of what would happen when he came back, Jon Jones came back hard and fought smart against a very durable opponent that is above all else an exceptional athlete. Some claimed ring rust took its toll here, but I'm personally inclined to believe the man himself when he admits as he did in the post-fight press conference that the change in opponent was the biggest factor in him fighting in a more cautious manner. It makes perfect sense, really. From training for a fighter that's more wrestling oriented to a southpaw with massive power and an awkward movement style, it turns into a tall order for anyone. His reactions didn't look bad at all, and while he ate some shots, he was never shaken to the point of losing control of the pace of the fight. At least he's come to grips with the idea of the interim championship (that sure was quick). It could be seen as a blessing in disguise, as he gets what is perceived to be a tune-up fight against a fighter that clearly wasn't ready yet acquitted himself well, shakes off the perception of not taking fights against last-minute replacements (hello, 151!) against what was probably an even stiffer test than Chael Sonnen. Well, that and the possibility of headlining one of what Zuffa is trying to bill as one of the premier events of the year, UFC 200. Welcome back, Jon. Hope you're in a good place and continue to be there.
Yair Rodriguez - This guy. Just amazing. Same as last week when talking about Ultimate Fighter Brazil contestants, TUF Latin America has seen some of their talents that didn't look like world-beaters on the show go on to look exponentially better after the show. Is Rodriguez (no relation) a championship caliber fighter? The answer is absolutely not. Not yet. Give him time and proper guidance with some fairly matched opponents and he can become more of an absolute terror in a division that has some amazing talent already. This was the coming out party a guy on his level dreams of, and you can bet he's going to be given bigger billing for his next outing.
Ovince Saint Preux - Hey, this was the best they could do. Ideally, a Cormier injury would lead to the much-anticpated fight we never got between Anthony Johnson and Jon Jones. Seeing as how we've been plagued by the evils of modern dentistry and other fighters in the division were either tied up or injured, they found a fighter known for being raw and somewhat unproven. He stepped up to the challenge, took what came his way and had some decent moments against a fighter that is arguably the greatest of all time. This raises his profile significantly, and usually grants a fighter in his situation a fair amount of good will from the organization. Let's hope that's the case here, because the guy deserves it.
Daniel Cormier - The possibility of Jones finally getting a rematch against Daniel Cormier to headline UFC 200 means megabucks for the former Olympian. He did an excellent job in the commentary role, and the thing that would have made the broadcast better was if he had done the commentary job for the whole event instead of just the Fight Pass portion and main event. Being flipped off by Jones as he left the cage was rather cute, as Cormier took that with a smile. Expect these two to ramp it up right from where they left off.
Edson Barboza - Wow. Not that he didn't have a chance to win, but to defeat Anthony Pettis purely with striking and to look so good and methodical in the process is a thing of pure beauty. The way he whacked Pettis' left leg with that tenderizer shin was amazing. Sometimes it really does come down to the little things, and the adjustments that Barboza has made may not have been completely obvious at first glance, but he tightened up his defense and kept his opponent on the defensive while picking him apart at what was supposed to be Pettis' preferred range. The timing and combinations did the job, though. This is just one win, but in a division as deep and talented as lightweight, even the smallest mistake can set you back more spots than any other division. This also means that a win against a #1-3 ranked opponent helps make the case for a future title shot if you play your cards right.
Robert Whittaker - The Aussie is now on a five-fight win streak and continues to impress with his growth from one fight and another. His boxing in particular is his bread and butter, but despite getting his leg beat up with leg kicks, still managed to tough it out in the end against a pretty clever veteran while avoiding the few takedown attempts and keeping the fight mostly at his preferred range and and tempo. He's quietly disposing of guys that he may not have been able to take on during his time on TUF, and his constant improvement should be applauded.
Sergio Pettis - Sergio improves to 5-2 in the UFC, and took on a very tough hard-nosed grappling-centric opponent in Chris Kelades. He did well enough and was able to use his counters and find success while standing. For a fighter that is only 22 years old, a lot of unrealistic expectations were placed upon him very early, but perhaps now he's being put in there against fighters that are more evenly matched. He seems to have a bright future ahead of him despite his past setbacks.
Carla Esparza - The former strawweight champ took a long hiatus due to injuries after her terrible loss to current champion Joanna Jędrzejczy, but came back to work on her biggest advantage in her wrestling game to defeat a very talented and dangerous Juliana Lima. It was the smart thing to do, really. Lima got some great shots in, but Esparza controlled most of the bout and picked at what she could. Not a bad way to bounce back.
Walt Harris - Let's take a step back for a moment here: Harris was initially brought into the UFC in 2013 and suffers two straight losses to Jared Rosholt and Nikita Krylov (DA GAWD). He goes to Titan FC and knocks out DJ Linderman to get another opportunity in the UFC. He then loses to Soa Palelei, putting him at 0-3 overall in the UFC. Considering all of this, what he did was very impressive. He shored up his defense, worked on his cardio and lands some massive bombs on a fighter that was highly touted and promoted via the Looking For A Fight series and plastered all over the UFC's website and social media. Playing spoiler is one thing, to do so with such ferocious power? Sometimes the brass likes that. Good on him for getting his first UFC win after such a long road, however disputed the stoppage may have been.
Marcos Rogerio de Lima - Wait.. another Brazilian nicknamed Pezão? OK, I guess. Yet another TUF Brazil fighter that has made some very notable improvements and looked great in some moments but has exhibited questionable fight IQ. It really is amazing, because he's now 3-1 in the UFC, all wins being finishes. He still has some work to do, but he's becoming much more reliable as a fighter given his great finishing instinct.
Kevin Lee started out by using his superior athleticism against Efrain Escudero, but it ended up turning into a dogfight. A fun dogfight, too. Lee ends up getting the nod after a very tough battle, and improves to 5-2 in a packed division. James Vick keeps rolling along with a perfect 5-0 UFC record while staying at a slow and steady pace at the bottom-to-mid portion of the lightweight division for now.
Losers
Anthony Pettis - Nobody took a tougher tumble on this card than Pretty Tony. After winning the title from Benson Henderson and a successful title defense against Gilbert Melendez, he was dismantled by current champion Rafael dos Anjos, controlled by current title challenger Eddie Alvarez and now beat up standing by Edson Barboza. Now, none of this indicates that he is done or that he can't fight for the title ever again. We need to be absolutely clear that his recent string of losses has been to some of the absolute best that the division has to offer and there is no shame whatsoever in losing to either of these men. What it seems to be is something that's still very troubling, and it seems to be the same problem Lyoto Machida has - is style has been figured out. Fighters have cracked the Anthony Pettis code, and he's going to have to make more changes to be a viable contender again. Either that or take the dive to the featherweight division to start fresh with a different set of challenges.
Henry Cejudo - This one isn't that bad. Considering how shallow the flyweight division is, it's not unreasonable for Cejudo to claw his way back to the mountain and eventually get a rematch against flyweight king Demetrious Johnson. It now becomes a question of how he does it. We need to remember that he got a title shot after wins over Dustin Kimura, Chris Cariaso, Chico Camus and Jussier Formiga - in that order. This lineup just isn't the most exciting or recognizable set of names to most fans, regardless of talent. Unlike John Moraga, who was saddled on Facebook fights before main eventing a PPV title fight, Cejudo at least had the benefit of exposure and experience on PPV main cards. He had performed on a global stage in wrestling and didn't seem to have any jitters, but it's a rough road to tread when you get beat up that bad that quick. Johnson made his body quit, and it's back to the end of the line for him.
Andre Fili - Yikes. Brother got slept, hard. Strange thing is, he was doing well in the fight, and as we all know by now, the fight game is a terribly unforgiving one. He now drops to 3-3 in the UFC, yet despite flashes of brilliance seems to falter when taking a step up as evidenced in his other losses to Max Holloway and Godofredo Pepey.
Clint Hester - Headbussa done got busted. Hard. Three straight losses, finished in all of them. Some fighters have been cut for less, and it seems like he's getting his walking papers after this. Unfortunate end to a UFC run that appeared very promising after some initial success. It's always possible that he can come back eventually and make some improvements.
Cody East - We've covered his legal troubles before, and the question still remains - why did they UFC put so much of their promotional muscle behind a guy with some pretty heinous stuff in his past? This wasn't a fighter that had been established or that was bound to really be the next big thing, he was a fighter that was doing very, very well on the regional scene and got signed to the big show despite other organizations passing on him due to his past legal troubles. So now that his history is out there and he got beat up by Walt Harris, his stock takes a very big hit. He may get another shot, but another loss and they could very well rid themselves of him like jetsam.
Efrain Escudero - Effy drops to 3-2, and this could signal the end of his second UFC run, unless this performance keeps him around, because he was making some progress and threw down pretty heavily. It doesn't seem likely, though. Maybe if there's another Mexico event on the horizon.
Finally, I don't usually harp on judging or commentary specifically because we've been placed in an unfortunate situation where it's just part of the culture. We expect less than good in those departments, and in some cases flat-out ineptitude. Come on, Goldie. You gonna forget that Pat Barry had THREE UFC WINS via leg kick TKO? The few portions where I had the audio on, he was just atrocious. He's serviceable, though. he knows his spots for going to commercial and letting the other participants speak, so on a functional level he knows the mechanics of broadcasting. At the cost of repeating myself yet again, it's a shame that a commentator spends over a decade working on a sport and is still unable to understand just what is unfolding in front of him. It's a challenging job and a somewhat complex sport, but this is just unacceptable at this point.
Neither
Not sure what to make of the Dominique Steele vs Danny Roberts decision. I can't quite see the case for Roberts winning, since Steele fights ugly but fights hard. Steele controlled a lot of the bout and seemed to land more big shots, but Roberts wasn't exactly putting forth a half-hearted effort, either. Despite the disputes regarding the decision of the judges, this fight doesn't seem to do much for either fighter when it comes to moving up the ladder. At least they got Fight of the Night honors. Perhaps I'll have to watch this one again, but it still doesn't move either fighter much in any direction other than giving them a reputation for being tough fighters with some serious potential to put on exciting fights.
Gleico Franca is now 1-1, but there isn't much substance here to talk about. His future in the organization seems likely to be determined by what happens in his next fight.
Rafael Natal - Sapo came in on a four-fight win streak with his last fight being a TKO victory over Kevin Casey. This loss certainly halts his momentum, but doesn't set him back much in a division where everyone in the middle of the pack is struggling right now. The middle of the pack at 185 appears to be the most nebulous bunch of any division, as it's hard to see guys stand out and make a definitive mark. Natal should still be fighting mid-to-upper tier opponents from here on in anyway.