MMA Analytics 04.21.08: UFC 83 Aftermath – What's Next?

Posted by Leland Roling on 04.21.2008

We're checking out UFC 83, and what's next for the participants in the aftermath in this edition of MMA Analytics.

On Saturday evening in front of a sold-out crowd of Canadian fans from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada, Georges St. Pierre reclaimed the UFC Welterweight title with another dominating performance over a tough divisional opponent. In this bout however, that opponent happened to be a man who defeated St. Pierre roughly a year ago in one of the biggest upsets in UFC history. St. Pierre crushed Serra in a relentless ground and pound attack that was reminiscent of the crushing performance he had performed on Matt Hughes at the end of 2007. St. Pierre now reigns as arguably the top pound-for-pound fighter in the world alongside Anderson Silva.

The lopsided main event was expected by much of the fanbase, but the rest of the event's lineup was awkward for many fans expecting some exciting bouts. Much of the main card featured veteran fighters and TUF alumni that created a stir in the crowd, but the results of each bout sometimes garnered boos and mixed reactions from the crowd expecting their Canadian representation in the cage to spectacularly blow through their opponent. Nonetheless, the event was the largest crowd in UFC history with an attendance of 21,390 and a $5+ million dollar gate. The pay-per-view numbers should be very interesting to see.

With that said, what's next for the fighters that took part in UFC 83? Were there any impressive performances that produced some hype of possible title shots? Anyone we should be keeping our eye on? Who had performances that could possibly put them out of the UFC? Let's check the card out.

St. Pierre creates a gap in talent in the division

The Welterweight division is now in danger of becoming the next Middleweight division of the UFC. St. Pierre's dominance of the division's elite has been nothing short of impressive. He went from a man who was called a "mental midget" to a fighter being labeled as "gun shy" due to his hesitation to stand with Koscheck, Hughes, and now Serra. St. Pierre may very well be gun-shy in the standup game to avoid the career changing flash knockout, but his wrestling skills on the ground have been unmatched by NCAA champions and jiu-jitsu experts who are used to being on their backs. In fact, St. Pierre didn't take any damage in his victory on Saturday night. Gun-shy? I say who cares.

With that said, who can challenge Georges St. Pierre at the top of the division? I'm inclined to say that there is not one fighter in the UFC's welterweight division that can challenge him in any aspect of his game.

Thiago Alves, Karo Parisyan, and Jon Fitch are the top three fighters in contention right now, but Fitch and Alves are currently in the running after Alves defeating Parisyan at Ultimate Fight Night 13. Fitch is mainly a takedown fighter who looked sluggish in his standup game against Chris Wilson. Pierre should easily dispatch of Fitch inside the first two rounds of that fight.

Thiago Alves has dangerous leg kicks and striking, but the jury is still out on his ground game being able to handle a St. Pierre onslaught. I highly doubt it could, but Alves's striking game could be a potential danger. I'd much rather see that fight than Fitch, but the UFC will likely beef up a Fitch-St. Pierre showdown in the future.

If Anderson Silva and St. Pierre remain title holders and their divisional opponents simply cannot beat them, don't be surprised if the UFC begins the epic marketing campaign to hype a Silva vs. St. Pierre showdown of arguably #1 and #2 pound-for-pound fighters.

Lutter's tank runs dry, Franklin escapes submission

Rich Franklin took out Travis Lutter in a fairly predictable TKO victory in the second round of their matchup. Lutter has definitely been plagued with cardio issues after the midway point of a fight, and it showed in the second round. However, Lutter showed some tough jiu-jitsu skills on the ground in the first round that nearly ended Franklin's return bout after being dismantled by Anderson Silva.

Lutter doesn't seem to have many places to go in the division after the loss. He showed some great ground skills, but his gas tank is unbelievably small. With improved cardio, he could potentially be a danger to contending middleweights.

Franklin showed some impressive jiu-jitsu escapes in the fight. Specifically, Lutter had Franklin's arm cranked and looking to end the fight when Franklin rolled and turned his arm into a position that relieved the pressure from the strain. It was an impressive feat from a guy that many consider to be specifically a ground and pounder with competent defense. It's clear that Gurgel's teachings have helped his ground defense.

Franklin doesn't have many places to go. He'll likely defeat contenders, but he's already been crushed by Anderson Silva twice. It'll be interesting to see who the UFC has for him, and what they plan to do with him if he happens to win all of his bouts. Will they actually make a third installment of Silva vs. Franklin? Only time will tell.

Starnes on the outs, Quarry should step up

Kalib Starnes didn't do much during his bout against Nate Quarry. His striking was non-existent, he didn't follow through on his rare takedowns, and his shots were weak and easy for Quarry to counter. It was a horrible performance from the British Columbian native, and it wasn't like the tough Kalib Starnes we're used to seeing in the cage. You simply don't win fights by backpedaling the entire fight.

Quarry, on the other hand, pushed the pace, showed some good striking and seemed to be much more dynamic on his feet with some newly trained Muay Thai kicks and strikes. I figured this would be a tough bout for Starnes for the mere fact that Quarry has a chin made of granite, but Starnes is venerable on the ground. Unfortunately for Starnes, he wasn't in the arena in spirit.

Look for Quarry to begin moving up in the deep Middleweight division to better competition. He's definitely a tough fight for anyone, especially if he's improving his striking and sprawl. It'll be interesting to see if the UFC tries to match him up with a grappler.

Starnes may very well be booted from the UFC. He's had two straight losses, but his lackluster performance on Saturday could grab the attention of the UFC's brass to cut his contract. The Middleweight division has some depth if you take out the top fighters from that list, so he could still provide a good fight for someone. Hopefully, he shows up to that fight.

Starnes did however yell obscenities into the crowd while on camera, and we all know that Dana White will be very displeased with that.. or maybe not. Nonetheless, we'll see if Starnes actually gets another chance.

Bisping stops McCarthy, looking good at 185

Michael Bisping isn't my favorite fighter or one that I like very much at all. In fact, he rubs me the wrong way in many aspects of his personality and fighting style, but I'm willing to admit that Michael Bisping looked good at Middleweight. His Muay Thai has obviously improved significantly, and his sprawl was much the same as we've seen it while he was at Light Heavyweight. Will Bisping be a huge threat at 185? Probably not, but he surely will make for some good fights and draws fans to events.

McCarthy's antics during the fight were a bit premature. During a few instances that Bisping reigned knees toward his head, McCarthy popped up and taunted Bisping. It was justified in the fact that McCarthy was defending nearly all the blows, but premature in the fact that Bisping landed a devastating last knee to end the fight. McCarthy doesn't have a striking game, and his jiu-jitsu skills are good enough to win him some fights. He just needs to learn at least enough in the striking game to be a danger.

Quick thoughts

Danzig looked good in his win over Bocek. Look for him to continue his ascension up the ladder at 155. Bocek will likely get another bout in the UFC, but he definitely needs a win to keep himself in the promotion. Bocek could definitely benefit from some added strength and striking.

Jason MacDonald looks to be regaining a contendership shot after knocking out Joe Doerksen in the second round of their bout. Doerksen may be sent packing after losing to MacDonald and Herman.

Demian Maia choked out Ed Herman unconscious via a top control triangle choke in the second round of their battle. Look out for Maia. He's an impressive grappler who seems to have a lot of strength and easily overcomes size and strength of his opponents to out grapple them. He could very well be a danger in the Middleweight division. I think Maia may get a shot at some mid-tier to upper-tier competition next.

Clementi won a split decision over Sam Stout, and both fighters really aren't in any position to move. Stout remains a gatekeeper type fighter while Clementi seems to be moving into the mid-echelon of talent in the Lightweight division.

Jonathan Goulet came out in his fight against Kuniyoshi Hironaka with the Canadian fans behind him, and it proved to be a catalyst for an explosive knockout in the second round. Hironaka proved that he just doesn't have the length to do a whole lot against rangier opponents, but he did hang tough in some flurries. Both fighters will need more matches to really prove themselves to the UFC's brass.

Cain Velasquez, the phenom from American Kickboxing Academy, made short work on Brad Morris by defeating him via TKO only 2:10 in the first round. He'll likely get another newcomer or gatekeeper to the division, but keep an eye on him, he's the future of the division.

Final thoughts

There were definitely some great battles on this card, but it was overall a disappointment in regards to actual excitement. It's a bit sad when those free Ultimate Fight Night cards are spectacular, yet the PPV events aren't getting those great lightweight battles. Hopefully we'll see some better action in the next event.

Florian was a bit off for my taste. He repeated some of his own phrases quite a bit during fights, and it was getting rather annoying at times. His analysis wasn't bad, but I'd have almost rather seen Frank Mir in the role minus the premature "It's OVER!" from him.

Demian Maia received the submission of the night bonus of $75,000, and Jonathan Goulet's battle with Kuniyoshi Hironaka was labeled as fight of the night. Jason MacDonald earned an extra $75k for downing Joe Doerksen.

Leland Roling is the editor-in-chief of MMA-Analyst.com.