Cardio Freak MMA News Report 03.29.10: Disappointing Performance
Posted by Jeremy Lambert on 03.29.2010
Cardio Freak is back with a look at UFC 111 featuring the dominance of Georges St. Pierre, the power of Shane Carwin, the grittiness of Jon Fitch, and much more. A complete review of the show including all the fights and where fighters go from here. Plus a preview of Fight Night 21 featuring the UFC debut of Takanori Gomi against Kenny Florian. It's more impactful than Shane Carwin, it's Cardio Freak on 411.
Headline News
UFC 111 is in the books and we saw the first of possibly many dominating title defenses inside the Octagon this year.
We all knew Dan Hardy had a punchers chance. Unfortunately that punchers chance went out the window about 30 seconds into the fight when we also remembered that Dan Hardy has British wrestling. Georges St. Pierre got an easy takedown and that set the tone for the rest of the fight. Even though every round starts standing, there was never any doubt that St. Pierre would eventually put Hardy on his back sooner or later and do what he wanted with him on the ground. And that's exactly what he did. Hardy offered little to no resistance in defending the takedown and the only time he got to his feet was when GSP made a technical mistake, usually getting to high on the back, and Hardy lucked into getting up. It was 25 minutes of GSP having his way with Hardy on the ground and the only thing in doubt would be if Hardy would make it 25 minutes. He did. Good for him. Bad for the rest of the Welterweight division.
For all the "holes" in GSP's striking game, I sure didn't see them. In fact, even though they probably stood for five minutes the entire fight, GSP landed the best punch, which was a right hand that got Hardy smiling. Hardy is a good counter striker but it's tough to counter strike with someone who wasn't willing to engage often and even when he did engage, GSP is just too quick on the feet and easily got in and out.
I don't know who can beat GSP at Welterweight. He's bigger, faster, stronger, and just better than everyone in the division. I still like Thiago Alves' chances but I obviously I would like them more if Alves fought and beat Jon Fitch on this card. Josh Koscheck has the athleticism and is skilled enough to compete with GSP and he's the last man to win a round against him but has he improved to the same level and even beyond the level of GSP? Daley vs. St. Pierre will end up being a worse fight than Hardy vs. St. Pierre so lets hope that never happens. Jon Fitch has rattled off four straight wins since losing to GSP but he hasn't looked impressive in any of them and nothing makes me believe a rematch would be any different. Really the only person who can beat GSP is GSP himself but that doesn't look like it's going to happen anytime soon. He wasn't happy that he couldn't finish Dan Hardy and he probably isn't happy that he hasn't finished a true Welterweight since Matt Serra at UFC 83 and even Serra is undersized in the division. That's why it was bad for the rest of the division that he didn't finish Hardy. He worked hard and still didn't finish someone he should have. If he had finished him and it came easy, maybe he would have relaxed next time out, and that's when he could have been vulnerable. That's not going to happen now and it may never happen. As I wrote last week: whoever beats GSP is going to beat the best GSP ever. He's not going to be happy until he's retired and cemented his "legahcy" as the best fighter of all time.
I don't want to say that Dan Hardy didn't deserve a title shot but it was clear that he didn't belong in the same Octagon as GSP. I know UFC wanted GSP to fight sooner rather than later and Hardy had four UFC wins against decent competition (only one of which was impressive) and has the charisma to sell himself but Hardy was way over his head. He showed a lot of heart by not tapping out when GSP had a deep armbar and a deep kimura but heart only gets you so far against a guy like GSP. I really hope Hardy fights Jon Fitch next. They've already exchanged words ever since it was announced that Hardy was getting a title shot and unlike Marcus Davis and Mike Swick, Fitch is a legit threat at Welterweight. If not Fitch then maybe Thiago Alves. Just someone who will test him to see if he's in the class just below GSP or the class below that class.
In a fight that was scheduled for 25 minutes but it would have been a miracle had it gone that long, Shane Carwin captured the fake UFC Heavyweight title by knocking out Frank Mir.
Frank Mir may have learned how to defend getting smothered on the ground and getting punched in the face by a large wrestler but I guess he didn't learn how to defend getting smothered against the cage and getting punched in the face by a large wrestler. Carwin bullied Mir against the cage, landed some vicious uppercuts that rocked Mir, and then pounded him out on the ground.
It was a short fight but we learned something about Carwin, which is something I hoped for. The biggest thing we learned is that his wrestling might be a step below Lesnar's. Carwin tried to takedown Mir but was unsuccessful, which could have to do with Mir's added size, but his shot didn't look as explosive as Lesnar's. We also learned that his clinch control is very good, especially his ability to land short but powerful punches in the clinch. And if you didn't know before, you certainly know now. Shane Carwin hits like a truck.
Shane Carwin vs. Brock Lesnar is next. First one to land a clean punch wins. It won't do the numbers Lesnar vs. Mir 3 would have done but it's still Lesnar's first fight in a year and after this event Carwin came off like the biggest star on the show. So I don't think UFC will be disappointed when the numbers come in for Lesnar vs. Carwin. They're looking at July 3 for that fight and if that date holds up, I also expect Chuck Liddell vs. Tito Ortiz 3 to be on that card and Wanderlei Silva vs. Yoshihiro Akiyama is scheduled for that event as well.
The only logical fight next for Frank Mir is a rematch against Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. There's still some bad blood between the two following Nogueira's camp coming out and saying Mir only won because Nog had a severe staph infection. Both fighters are also being written off a bit after suffering first round KO's so a win would at least keep them alive at the top of the division for at least one more fight.
I didn't expect much from Kurt Pellegrino and Fabricio Camoes but they had a hell of a grappling battle for nearly two rounds.
Camoes came very close to finishing Pellegrino early in the first round as he had his back standing and was working to sink in the choke but Pellegrino dropped forward and dropped Camoes right on his head. Camoes survived and worked very hard off his back to try and catch Pellegrino in a submission but Pellegrino was having none of it. The second round was all Pellegrino as he used his superior wrestling to control Camoes on the ground and his great jiu-jitsu to pass to better positions before finally getting the back and sinking in the rear naked choke.
It was a very good performance by Pellegrino and he seems to improve with every fight. Depending on how quickly UFC wants to fast track George Sotiropoulos, I could see a Sotiropoulos vs. Pellegrino just to gage how much Pellegrino has improved and if Sotiropoulos is ready to continue his climb to the top. Joe Lauzon is also a possible fight for Pellegrino.
Fabricio Camoes will likely be given one more chance, at least I hope so considering I hate when UFC cuts guys who are on the main card, and that fight will be do or die for him and likely his opponent as well.
Jon Fitch had an easier night than expected as he faced Ben Saunders and not Thiago Alves due to Alves having irregular brain activity. Luckily for Alves and fans of his like myself, it's nothing serious and he should be back in a couple of months.
It was your typical Jon Fitch fight. He got multiple takedowns, grinded on Saunders with punches and elbows, and easily won the decision. Jon Fitch's style works for him. It's not exciting and I don't feel like he tries to finish fights but he continues to win and as long as he wins, he's going to be considered a top fighter. Is it Fitch's fault that no one can stop his takedowns or submit him? No. But I don't feel like Fitch actively tries to finish the fight. He's active from the top but he's more or less content on staying in guard rather than improving his position.
I guess Jon Fitch will be getting a title shot. He's had four straight rather unimpressive victories against mediocre competition. That earns you a Welterweight title shot nowadays right? Hopefully Fitch fights Hardy or Alves next.
I'm very high on Ben Saunders and I thought he had a good chance at pulling the upset when this fight was announced but he never looked in the fight. His takedown defense isn't good and his jiu-jitsu appears to be overrated as he never threatened Fitch with any submissions or sweep attempts. Even on the feet Fitch was winning the stand up battle and that's really a credit to Fitch, whose striking has vastly improved over the years and is now rather underrated. Maybe we'll get Saunders vs. Jake Ellenbeger like we were originally scheduled to get on this event but I'm hoping for Saunders vs. Matt Brown just because that could be a really fun stand up fight.
"The Little Operation" Jim Miller certainly got as close to metal as possible without touching it as he barely eeked out a decision victory over Mark Bocek.
This was a really close fight that could have gone either way but in the end I felt Bocek won. The first round was close with Bocek controlling more on top but Miller locked in what appeared to be a deep kimura and swept Bocek over with it and controlled the rest of the round. That submission attempt likely gave the round to Miller. The second round was all Bocek as he had Miller's back with one arm trapped for a good 90 seconds at the end of the round trying to sink in the rear naked choke. It was a big credit to Miller who defended the choke with one arm and managed to survive. A lesser man certainly would have been submitted in that position. The third round was very close as well with neither man having an advantage until the very end. Bocek got a takedown and seemed to be on his way to picking up the victory until Miller created a scramble and took the back with just seconds left. Overall in the round I thought Bocek controlled more of the five minutes and Miller only controlled the final five seconds but all the judges gave it to Miller.
It certainly wasn't an impressive victory for Miller but it was still a victory. Maybe he'll fight Pellegrino next in a battle of Jersey boys.
I'd like to see Bocek take on the winner of Paul Kelly vs. Matt Veach next and I really hope it ends up being Veach. I know it's a fight that essentially means nothing in the division but I think it could be a fun grappling contest.
Overall UFC 111 was heavily hyped and it wasn't bad but it also wasn't a great show. Carwin was made a star and St. Pierre continued his dominance but when the main event is a one sided 25 minutes ass kicking that wasn't an exciting ass kicking, it's tough to say the show was great.
Quick Thoughts on the Preliminary Fights:
*Nate Diaz is awesome and looked very good at Welterweight. I know the division is filled with wrestlers but if Diaz just lets guys take him down rather than defend, he's going to be a handful at 170 with his boxing and jiu-jitsu.
*Ricardo Almeida also looked very good at Welterweight although I think Diaz has a higher ceiling than him.
*Dear anyone who fights Rousimar Palhares, don't slip on the Bud Light logo and get some leg lock defense. Dear Rousimar Palhares, let go of the hold when the guy taps out and the ref is trying to get you off.
*Hamman vs. Wallace was a fun Light Heavyweight fight that really means nothing in the big picture but it's something that is needed.
*Yes Matt Riddle won by DQ but he was well on his way to winning the decision.
Full Results:
*Georges St. Pierre defeated Dan Hardy to retain the UFC Welterweight Title by Unanimous Decision (50-43, 50-44, 50-45)
*Shane Carwin defeated Frank Mir to win the UFC Interim Heavyweight Title by KO (Punches) at 3:48 in Round One
*Kurt Pellegrino defeated Fabricio Camoes by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:20 in Round Two
*Jon Fitch defeated Ben Saunders by Unanimous Decision (30-27 across)
*Jim Miller defeated Mark Bocek by Unanimous Decision (29-28 across)
*Nate Diaz defeated Rory Markham by TKO (Punches) at 2:47 in Round One
*Ricardo Almeida defeated Matt Brown by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:30 in Round Two
*Rousimar Palhares defeated Tomasz Drwal by Submission (Heel Hook) at 0:45 in Round One
*Jared Hamman defeated Rodney Wallace by Unanimous Decision (29-28 across)
*Matthew Riddle defeated Greg Soto by DQ (Illegal Upkick) at 1:30 in Round Three
Major UFC/WEC News
UFC Fight Night 21 is this Wednesday, March 31 from Charlotte, NC. The event will air live on SpikeTV. Here is the main card:
*Kenny Florian vs. Takanori Gomi
*Roy Nelson vs. Stefan Struve
*Nate Quarry vs. Jorge Rivera
*Ross Pearson vs. Dennis Siver
I'm really looking forward to this event and it's not just because I'll be in attendance. Ok, maybe that has something to do with it. But still, for a Fight Night, it's a really good card.
Takanori Gomi makes his UFC debut against Kenny Florian in a fight that could determine the next contender for the Lightweight title.
I'm one of the few people who isn't quite ready to write off Gomi as being done in MMA. I know he's had some tough times since PRIDE ended but I hate writing off guys who I've always been a big fan of. For those that don't know much about Gomi, he was compared to Chuck Liddell a few years ago because he had a good takedown defense and hit really hard despite not being a very good technical striker. So if you still feel like Gomi has "it" then Kenny Florian isn't a bad match up for him.
Florian is a well rounded fighter but his wrestling is certainly the weakest part of his game and he showed power in the Guida fight but he's never been known as a guy with power in his hands. If it stays on the feet, Florian will almost certainly outstrike Gomi en route to a decision victory unless Gomi lands the big punch. One thing about Florian on the feet though is that he seems afraid to get hit. It was certainly noticeable in the BJ Penn fight as the smart strategy would have been to kick at Penn and try to wear him down and take away his balance and then go for the takedown. Instead after Penn caught him with one good punch, Florian's entire gameplan changed and he immediately went for desperation takedowns the rest of the fight and did nothing but wear himself out. If Gomi catches Florian with a good early punch and forces Florian to fight a different fight, he could win.
The knock on Gomi has always been his training. He trains like he's going to finish the guy in the first round and if he doesn't then he gets discouraged and gasses out. Florian may be afraid to get hit but he's someone who will be there until the bitter end. Plus Florian has been training with GSP leading up to his fight with Dan Hardy so you know he's not slacking off in the gym.
I like Florian in this fight simply because he just seems to win fights unless there is some type of title on the line. Plus it's Gomi's first UFC fight and even though he has big fight experience, guys just seem to be overwhelmed by the moment and new environment.
Fresh off winning The Ultimate Fighter: Kimbo Slice, Roy Nelson returns to take on Stefan Struve.
This might be the physically oddest fight in MMA history between two guys in the same weight class. Sure there's been Royce Gracie vs. Akebono and Minowaman vs. Hong Man Choi but realistically they weren't in the same weight class. Struve and Nelson are both legit Heavyweights with Struve being tall and lanky while Nelson is short and fat.
I'm very high on Stefan Struve but I don't like this match up for him. Yes he's going to have a good reach advantage but he doesn't use it as well as he should and Nelson has proven that he only needs one punch to knock someone down. On the ground both guys are good but Nelson's shortness is actually an advantage over Struve's length. Plus Nelson is better on the ground, regardless of the physical difference.
I like Nelson to win this fight. I think he gets inside, lands a good right hand that rocks Struve, and finishes him on the ground. Either way I'll be happy with whoever wins because I like both guys and hope they do well in the future.
Quarry vs. Rivera should be a fun slugfest while it lasts. Both guys are big guys for Middleweight and they hit really hard. Chances are whoever lands first will win this fight. They're both older guys but I trust Quarry's chin and power a little bit more so I say he lands the bomb before Rivera and gets the victory.
I'm looking forward to seeing Ross Pearson in action again after his performance at UFC 105 against a tough Aaron Riley. He's taking on Denis Siver who is a good fighter, especially on the feet, but not great. If Pearson stands with Siver then chances are he will get picked apart or dropped so I expect him to do a lot of clinching, looking to put Siver on his back, and pound him out. One thing of note with Pearson is that he trains at Team Rough House and I always like guys who training with good fighters at the same time they're training for a big fight. Pearson has been training with Dan Hardy, Andre Winner, and Nick Osipczak all of whom are fighting within weeks of each other, which means they've been pushing each other.
Hopefully Fight Night 21 is a good event because I hate attending boring events. For those who want live thoughts from in the building on the card, make to sure follow me on twitter. The link can be found below.
No More News
That does it for me folks. I'll be back next week with a preview of UFC 112 featuring two of my favorite and two of the best fighters in the world: Anderson Silva and BJ Penn defending their UFC titles. Take care everyone.
fuck me that slam by Pellegrino looked nasty. Surely that should count as spiking an opponent and be a dq.
Posted By: Guest#5959 (Guest) on March 29, 2010 at 03:16 AM
Jeremy,
Thanks again for the valuable insight. I don't know how it's possible to NOT like Roy Nelson - he's affable, talented, and so completely deviant from what we expect an MMA fighter to look like in this day and age that he's actually a refreshing change of pace from monstrous maulers like Brock, Cain, and Shane.
Also, thank you for calling a spade a spade in stating that the main event Saturday wasn't particularly exciting. It'll certainly earn you a lot of negative feedback (I can say that from experience), but it is something that needed to be said.
I guess my biggest question to you is this - why do you believe GSP when he says he's disappointed he wasn't able to put Hardy away? I haven't seen a true killer instinct from GSP since the last Serra fight. To me, it seems like he passes guard effortlessly, gets side control or the mount, and then does just enough to not get stood up. Yes, he did have some good submission attempts Saturday, but when he realized he'd have to break Hardy's arm to end the fight that route (something I think GSP is too honorable to do), why didn't he listen to Greg Jackson and deliver some of that patented GSP full- or half-guard standing ground and pound? Jackson specifically told GSP not to pass and to rain down the bombs that I'd have much preferred to watch between rounds on more than one occasion, yet GSP kept passing and then doing very little until Hardy rolled and bucked him off.
Posted By: Wyatt Beougher (Guest) on March 29, 2010 at 08:01 AM
It should be mentioned that GSP got Hardy in two full-blown submissions that more or less should have ended the fight.
Posted By: Matt (Guest) on March 29, 2010 at 10:40 AM
What, no mention of Paulo Thiago when talking about WW contenders?
Posted By: Dubhagan (Guest) on March 29, 2010 at 12:16 PM
I not just being patriotic or anything like that but i don't see how you can doubt Hardy deserved to be in same octagon as GSP.I watched UFC 100 and it was the same against Alves,total domination and that was with a groin injury.I think its time people realised GSP is way ahead of any 1.He will always be too good for any1.A striker has no chance and a wrestler while may be a bit more competitive will still not be good enough.While i agree Hardy was no where near his level but in all honesty i don't think any ww is.
Posted By: ukmmafan (Guest) on March 29, 2010 at 03:32 PM
Wyatt - Do you work for BJ Penn? lol I'm a big GSP fan but I agree the fight was kind of boring. I was hoping he'd pound Hardy out, but he couldn't do it. He took him down so easily, passed guard at will and got into good position to rain down punches and elbows. I think Hardy deserves some credit for not allowing himself to be pounded out. I don't know how his arm didn't snap in the first arm bar, check out the replays, it's f'n sick. GSP did look visibly angry after the fight, maybe next time he will break someones arm. Can't wait for his next fight.
Posted By: jorge cantaloupe (Guest) on March 29, 2010 at 04:22 PM
"The biggest thing we learned is that his wrestling might be a step below Lesnar's. Carwin tried to takedown Mir but was unsuccessful, which could have to do with Mir's added size, but his shot didn't look as explosive as Lesnar's."
If you'd watched the post fight press conference, (or maybe you just missed it) Carwin explicitly stated that he had no intention of taking Mir to the ground, and that the shot was just to press him up against the cage. I will agree it was a little slow but that seems intentional if you're just trying to get someone against the cage so you can dirty box them.
Posted By: Omid (Guest) on March 31, 2010 at 02:22 PM
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