Quick Thoughts On UFC 112

I came away from UFC 112 losing respect for one (former) champion and denouncing another.

Mark Munoz v. Kendall Grove

This fight deservedly won "Fight of the [terrible] Night" honors and I must admit I called this one wrong. I was pretty down on Munoz after watching his awkward UFC debut against Matt Hamill that ended with a spectacular leg kick KO.  Munoz followed that loss with unimpressive wins against Nick Cantone (split decision) and Ryan Jenson (1-4 in the UFC, all losses by submission). Kendall Grove, on the other hand, though obnoxious, was the TUF season 3 winner and had the experience of 9 fights in the UFC, including a win against form champ Evan Tanner and a submission victory over Div. 1 NCAA wrestling champion Jake Rosholt. The fight was exciting, with Grove staggering Munoz with several shots and having some decent looks at submissions in Rd 1 and early Rd 2, after which Munoz looked shell shocked & tentative. However, Munoz came back with vicious ground & pound to finish via TKO. My opinion of Munoz has marginally improved, but if Grove packed a little more oomph in his punches, Munoz would be 7-2.

Rafael Dos Anjos v. Terry Etim

You may not have known it from watching his previous fights, but Dos Anjos is a BJJ Black Belt and he displayed it in Dubai. He finished up-and-comer Terry Etim with a beautiful arm bar from almost the North-South position en route to receiving submission of the night honors. Dos Anjos may face a step-up in competition in his next go-around, but I have muted expectations given his losses against Jeremy Stephens & Tyson Griffin in his first to UFC fights. I think Anjos is slightly better than a gate keeper.

Matt Hughes v. Renzo Gracie

This fight should have never happened in the first place; not because they're old (which they are) but because Renzo is no where near as good as Matt Hughes. Hughes was one of the most dominant UFC champions of all time and, though semi-retired, never really faced a drop off in competition (his last two fights were against current #1 contender Thiago Alves and former champ & TUF winner Matt Serra). Renzo on the other hand, armed with a great last name, was hyped to have beaten 3 former UFC champs in a row, which is roughly akin to me saying I could currently strike out Yogi Berra. Mike A. relayed that Hughes has said in interviews that he has softened a bit since his daughter has been born, now having a desire to be more technically sound than finishing fights violently. Hughes' fight strategy seemed to personify his new outlook, as he utilized well place kicks to literally take Gracie's legs from under them. What was lacking was evidence of the style Hughes became known for -- spectacular slams and ground & pound.  Renzo looked bad and exhausted by the end of the fight. Thankfully Herb Dean called a stoppage due to severe talent discrepancy in Rd 3.

BJ Penn v. Frankie Edgar

I was not that surprised by Edgar's win. Penn, though deemed to finally be living up to his true potential, remains surrounded by his 'yes men' family in Hawaii and possesses a questionable workout regime. What was the biggest shock of the fight was why Penn didn't try to take Edgar down or, at the least, become a little more aggressive prior to gassing. Edgar, with his boundless energy and willingness to stick to the game plan, is just not someone who is going to make mistakes. If Penn is really serious about his legacy, he would move to a camp like Greg Jackson's and really work like a champion.

Demian Maia v. Anderson Silva

You fool me once, shame on you. You fool me twice, shame on me. Silva exhibited similarly obnoxious behavior in his fight against Thales Leites so maybe we should have saw this coming. However, at least in that fight you could make the argument that Leites was just plain ducking Silva -- not all Silva's fault if his opponent isn't game, right?. Anyways, can't we forgive Silva because of his entertaining dismantling of Griffin that followed? Well, the buck stops here. Silva disrespected his fans, Maia, the UFC and paying customers of the event (not to mention me). So what if Maia isn't at your level--end the freakin' fight and be on your way. I've had it with Silva. What he needs is a good ass-kicking -- I suggest allowing him to fight any of the following: Todd Duffee, Junior Dos Santos, Brock Lesnar, Frank Mir, Shane Carwin. I don't want to see him lose, I want him KO'd.