MMA Analytics 12.10.07: A Weekend for the Record Books

Posted by Leland Roling on 12.10.2007

Thoughts on Huerta's big win on Saturday, where Huerta and Guida go from here, K-1 World Grand Prix final, Mayweather vs. Hatton thoughts, and much more! It's all in the latest edition of MMA Analytics!

The weekend proved that mixed martial arts has the potential to outperform other combative sports by sheer volume of great battles and excitement. The UFC's Ultimate Fighter Finale to season six of The Ultimate Fighter reality series was exactly what mixed martial arts as a whole needed during this exciting month of combative sports. Not only did it deliver a fantastic main event, but it also produced a couple of dark horse matchups that created excitement when none was expected. Also on the agenda for the weekend was an event that only the hardcore fans were privy to checking out at the wee hours of the morning. The K-1 World Grand Prix Final, a kickboxing tournament throughout the year that features many mixed martial arts names we've grown to know in the Japanese MMA scene. To end the exciting weekend, Floyd Mayweather battled the tough British standout, Ricky Hatton. Although not on par with the usual mixed martial arts discussion, it does have some related issues that I will discuss and give you the lowdown on the pressing affairs between boxing and mixed martial arts.

Roger Huerta returns from the brink

In one of the most exciting fights that mixed martial arts fans have seen in the past few months, the Ultimate Fighter Finale main event between Clay Guida and Roger Huerta delivered on so many levels for casual and hardcore fans alike. When we first learned of the announcement of such an incredible main event, it was the consensus of fans everywhere that the battle between the two cardio machines would be fantastic. Sounds great, right? As we've learned in the past, however, more fights live short and uneventful lives in the Octagon and don't live up to that type of expected battle. Namely, Chuck Liddell and Quinton Jackson was one of the more hyped events that the UFC spent big money to promote. Jackson ended the fight after one flurry, and the battle predicted didn't happen that we expected.

Instead of a lackluster performance from one of the competitors, each fighter produced a fight for the highlight reels. Clay Guida proved that no matter what the outcome of the fight is, he is a phenomenal performer for the main stage of the UFC. Guida, known for being a nightmare for opponents, came out like a cheetah approaching its prey. In full stride, Guida stuck it to Roger Huerta with multiple takedowns and vicious ground and pound techniques. Initially, Huerta was able to spin out of multiple guard positions to reverse Guida's position and get the fight back on the feet where he was more comfortable. Guida continued his assault on Huerta's poor takedown defense by endlessly taking him down and pounding on him. During the second round, Guida's standup skills proved to begin wearing on Huerta. During one particular exchange, Guida landed a good combination that seemed to stun Huerta. Unlike many fighters in the UFC that immediately go in for the kill with the leather flying, Guida exploded for the takedown to finish the fight.

Unfortunately, Huerta was able to get up and out of danger. Once again, Guida cracked Huerta on the chin and looked to nearly finish him, but Huerta outlasted the onslaught. After a spectacular two rounds, Guida began to look tired from the crushing blows he was throwing while on top of Huerta. As Huerta entered the third round, the tables seemed to have turned. He looked much fresher than his opponent and it showed. Guida was visibly breathing heavy and as he came in for some strikes, Huerta caught him. The immediate reaction from Guida was to shoot for the takedown, but instead of easily putting Huerta on his back, he ate an impressive knee strike that rocked Guida. After a few more strikes from Huerta, Guida sunk to the canvas while trying to get Huerta on his back. Huerta eventually sunk in the rear naked choke and ended one of the most fantastic fights of the year.

Where do Huerta and Guida go from here?

A question that was immediately posed by many fans after such a classic battle. As a huge fan of the Chicago native Clay Guida, I am partial to the exciting battles that he can produce. Who wouldn't be? At 26 years old, Clay Guida has a wealth of experience and undoubtedly will improve in every fight he takes. He has an unbelievable gas tank, decent wrestling ability, but he continues to lack the striking skills and power needed to put his opponents out for the count. Look forward to seeing Clay Guida battle it out with the best for the years to come.

Roger Huerta proved that he can hang with the upper-tier of fighters in the UFC's lightweight division. He came back from the brink of defeat and defeated one of the toughest fighters in the division to solidify a place in that upper-tier of fighters. Can he begin a run for the title? It's only a matter of time and a few more big wins. One glaring problem for Huerta was his takedown defense and ground game at times. Although Huerta was able to escape many of the holds on the ground, he will undoubtedly run into problems against fighters with a good ju-jitsu background and some base wrestling techniques. His striking still looked crisp, but he is definitely susceptible to the counter. Isn't everyone though? Look for Huerta to have a tough go at it from here on out and look for the UFC to use him as a selling point to move south of the United States.

K-1 World Grand Prix Final

Normally, I wouldn't comment on a combative sport than isn't mixed martial arts, but K-1 is on the border. If you aren't familiar with K-1, you may be familiar with its MMA promotion, K-1 HERO's. Fighters like Gesias Calvancanti, Andre Dida, and Vitor Ribiero all fight for the promotion along with many, many other well-known MMA fighters. K-1 alone is a kickboxing promotion that has a stable of fighters that have crossed over from time to time. A good example of a current fighter who just participated in the Grand Prix Final is Semmy Schilt, who sports a 24-14-1 MMA record.

In the wee morning hours, I watched the Grand Prix Final from Japan and was fairly impressed by the matchups. Namely, Semmy Schilt, Jerome Le Banner, Hong Man Choi, Remy Bonjarsky, and Paul Aerts competed in the event. For MMA fans, you may recognize one name that has been recently mentioned in the MMA scene. The giant, Hong Man Choi, is rumored to be a possible opponent for Fedor Emelianenko in the New Year's Eve Yarennoka event. Let me first comment on the idea behind the matchup that many people feel is a ridiculous idea by the Yarennoka matchmakers.

In Japan, entertainment and spectacle far surpasses interesting matchups that revolve around rankings. New Year's Eve is one of the biggest events of the year in Japan and it garners massive television audiences. The concept behind the fight would be to pit a gigantic Hong Man Choi against a smaller Fedor Emelianenko, a concept that the Japanese public has loved in the past. Butterbean vs. Minowa and Zuluzinho vs. Fedor come to mind. For the most part, fans don't understand this concept and criticize the matchmaking.

With that said, there are other fans who feel Hong Man Choi is a gigantic beast of a fighter who has a chance at defeating the "Last Emperor". After watching Choi's performance against a much smaller Jerome Le Banner at the K-1 World Grand Prix Final, Fedor will have an easy time with Choi. Choi was not only one of the slowest strikers I've seen in quite some time, but he was rather unaggressive in his striking and was being outstruck despite his huge size. Let's end the hype, Choi will not be a tough opponent for Fedor.

Mayweather vs. Hatton

Dramatic and moving was the term that the HBO commentating team wanted us to believe Mayweather vs. Hatton was, but it was not a term I would use to describe the fight. Although I'm not a devout boxing fan, I do watch many of the big fights and do understand the industry of the sport. Boxing has long been a sport that has hyped big fights and garnered huge PPV numbers and viewership. It brings out huge paydays for fighters. The problem is, many of those types of fights turn out to be duds, and in my opinion, Mayweather vs. Hatton was a dud.

Hatton is typically an inside boxing fighter, and he was completely nullified of those opportunities early in the fight by the Cortez, the referee of the bout. Many people have mixed opinions on whether Hatton was dirty in his ways or Mayweather was simply clinching him as he approached. Either way, the fight was rather uneventful early due to the breaking up of the two fighters. Mayweather eventually showed his superior speed and skill by knocking out Hatton in the tenth round, but it was far from dramatic.

My only question is this, where is the UFC's hype strategy? Where is 24/7 Liddell-Silva? In my mind, the promotion of this fight was brilliant regardless of how the fight went. It most likely produced unbelievable numbers even though the fight was fairly one-sided. Guida vs. Huerta far surpassed my expectations and it was much more exciting than the Mayweather-Hatton battle. Maybe I'm going against the grain, but the battle between the two boxers won't stick in my memory as unforgettable. Guida vs. Huerta, however, was an unforgettable battle of two great fighters. Hopefully, we will see the UFC try to promote one of the biggest matches in MMA history, Liddell vs. Silva, with some equally good promotion schemes, but it's unlikely. Either way, I will be watching UFC 79.