UFC 147: What We Learned from Felipe Arantes vs. Milton Vieira

The opening bout of UFC 147 on Saturday delivered plenty of action.

The first round saw Vieira take the fight to the ground and look for a submission. In the second, Arantes controlled most of the round with his striking but was caught with a spinning wheel kick from Vieira towards the end of the round.

Here is what we learned...

What we'll remember about this fight

More questionable judging.

After a banner night in New Jersey for MMA judging on Friday at UFC on FX 4, the first bout of the UFC 147 card immediately drags the sport back to its disappointing norm.

Arantes controlled the last 10 minutes of the fight with an array of strikes and avoided being put in danger on the ground. Vieira landed a spinning wheel kick in the second, likely what stole the round on judge Howard Hughes' card. Unfortunately, that was all he did in the second frame.

The sport will continue to be much maligned about the judges.

What we learned about fighter Felipe Arantes

We learned that Arantes is able to make in solid fight adjustments.

After losing the first round by being on his back and defending the grappling advances of Vieira, Arantes was able to keep the fight on the feet for most of the remaining 10 minutes. And when the fight made it back to the floor Vieira was not able to do anything.

In-fight adjustments are important to the success of a fighter. Arantes was able to make the adjustments and arguably take the final two frames in a fight that ended in a questionable draw.

What we learned about fighter Milton Vieira

He is not just a ground fighter.

Many already knew this, but Vieira was debuting to a new crowd with the UFC. And entering the organization the talk was about his pioneering ways with the anaconda choke.

Vieira wanted the fight on the ground, but when he could not get it there he was more than willing to offer a diverse striking attack against Arantes. Always aggressive, the debuting featherweight showed the UFC audience he can strike too.

What's next for Felipe Arantes

The options for Arantes' next opponent are plentiful. Steven Siler, Diego Brandao, Joey Gambino, Jonathan Brookins and so on.

If he is matched up with a fighter coming off of a loss, it has to be a fighter who was higher in the rankings. And if it is against a fighter on a winning streak it has to be a mid-tier featherweight. Sean Shelby can throw a dart at the featherweight board and select a good opponent for Arantes.

What's next for Milton Vieira

Vieira is a perfect opponent for Hatsu Hioki's next outing.

Both fighters will want to go take the fight to the mat. Vieira is an excellent choice for an opponent to combat Hioki's ground attack and challenge Hioki on the mat as well. And should the fight remain on its feet, he showed he is more than capable of offering an exciting striking battle too.