Eight Things I Learned from UFC 99

From MMAMadness.com

1. Judging criteria are as confusing as ever

There are two schools of thought when it comes to scoring a fight. The first (and the one currently employed) believes that each round should be scored on a point system. The second believes that a fight should be looked at as a whole, rather than broken up by rounds.

Both of these systems have merit. The problem is, judges need to decide which one they are using. Case in point: Marcus Davis vs. Dan Hardy. There is no question that Hardy did more damage.

He dropped Davis with a knee to the head in round two, and opened up a huge cut on Davis’ nose in round three. Davis’ face was a mess at the end of the fight, Hardy looked fine.

Based on that assessment, Hardy won the fight. Unfortunately, that’s not how fights are supposed to be judged. In order for Hardy to have won that fight, you have to convince me that one effective knee is worth more than three minutes of effective grappling on the ground.

After being dropped, Davis was extremely active from the guard, attempting numerous submissions and landing effective elbows. Despite being on his back, Davis dominated the ground game in round two.

One judge saw it that way, but one judge does not a decision make. Hardy was awarded the split-decision victory. Until we establish consistency, there will always be cases like this where the wrong decision is rendered.

2. Despite what Joe Rogan wants everyone to believe, Caol Uno and Spencer Fisher WAS a boring fight

The most memorable quote of the night came from commentator Joe Rogan. As fans were booing Caol Uno and Spencer Fisher for most of their fight, Rogan pointed out that to the “average drunken meathead,” this fight was boring, but to a hardcore fan, it was really exciting.

As a ‘hardcore’ fan, I could not agree less. Fisher and Uno are both skilled wrestlers, and those skills effectively cancelled each other out. While the result might have been impressive, it was anything but exciting.

A knowledgeable fan can watch a fight and understand the nuances of the clinch game. I understand this. But regardless how much I understand it, it is still boring to watch two fighters clinched up against a cage for the majority of a fight.

3. The criticisms of Cain Velasquez are completely unwarranted

After Velasquez’s domination of Cheick Kongo, Rogan remarked that while the fight answered a lot of questions about Velasquez, it raised new ones, specifically Velasquez’s ability to finish opponents and his kickboxing skills.

I found both of these critiques somewhat comical. How quickly we forget that before Kongo, Velasquez had finished all five of his professional fights, with only one even making it to the second round.

Does Velasquez have the ground-and-pound skills of Shane Carwin? Of course not. Carwin might be the hardest hitter in the Heavyweight division, so it is ridiculous to criticize a young fighter like Velasquez for not matching that power.

True, Velasquez’s kickboxing did not look amazing, but few people look amazing trading punches with Kongo. The bottom line is that Velasquez withstood three flush punches from Kongo that would have knocked most fighters out and recovered to take Kongo down on two of those occasions.

We are watching the maturation of a gifted, young fighter who could make waves in the division. To insinuate that there are serious questions about him after one fight that he won convincingly is ridiculous.

4. The Heavyweight division is becoming deep and entertaining

What was once the shallowest division in the UFC is quickly becoming one of the best. In addition to Carwin, Velasquez and Kongo, we have Brock Lesnar, Frank Mir, Randy Couture, “Minotauro” Nogueira, Gabriel Gonzaga, and Junior Dos Santos, just to name a few.

Season 10 of The Ultimate Fighter will focus exclusively on Heavyweights, which virtually guarantees that we will see at least several mid-level fighters emerge as popular figures. The next couple of years will be very exciting for fans, as young fighters like Velasquez and Dos Santos will continue to grow to challenge the veterans.

5. Wanderlei Silva is not ready to take on the elite Middleweights in the UFC

Silva’s first trip below 205 was not an embarrassment by any stretch of the imagination, but the reports that he was 12 pounds overweight the day before the fight are troubling.

Silva was noticeably sluggish during most of the fight, and did not push the pace the way he normally does. If a cut to 195 gave him so much difficulty, imagine what is going to happen when he cuts to 185.

I think Silva can ultimately be effective in the Middleweight division, much like how Vitor Belfort has revived his career at that weight. For his next two fights, however, Silva should be given no higher than mid-level opponents, which will allow him to acclimate to the weight cut without much risk of losing.

6. The sport could use more guys like Rich Franklin

Viewers love angles. The attention paid to the bad blood matchup between Davis and Hardy proved that. What viewers should love are fighters like Rich Franklin.
Franklin is the absolute epitome of class. Respectful and gracious in both victory and defeat, he is a model that younger fighters should strive for.

You will not hear Franklin disrespecting his opponent in the media, and you certainly will not see him disrespect his opponent in the ring.

The display of class and sportsmanship between Franklin and Silva was refreshing, and serves as a reminder that this sport came from martial arts, where respect is valued above all else.

As MMA continues to strive for the mainstream, the UFC will be wise to trumpet fighters like Franklin, fighters that mothers would not mind their little boys growing up to be.

7. The full mount is no longer the dominant position it once was

Remember the old UFC, where the full mount meant sheer destruction in a matter of moments? Those days are over.

Once the most dominant ground position in the sport, the full mount has lost much of its effectiveness. We saw several fighters achieve full mount Saturday, and none of them were able to finish the fight from there.

There are several factors that have contributed to the demise of this position. The cage wall allows the fighter on his back to push off of something with his feet, giving him the leverage to reverse the position. The illegality of punching to the back of the head also means that rolling over and giving up your back is not the death warrant it once was.

In the future, we are going to see more fighters opting for side mount or half guard positions, which offer better control and submission opportunities, rather than risking losing position for the striking opportunities in the mount.

8. Mirko Cro Cop has virtually guaranteed that we will never see Fedor in the UFC

Say what you like about Dana White, but he should be upset that Mirko Cro Cop signed a deal with DREAM after verbally committing to a two-fight deal with the UFC.

Cro Cop contacted the UFC about fighting in Germany, and the company accommodated him. They even let him handpick his opponent, giving him an overmatched Mustapha Al-Turk when they really needed a replacement opponent for Velasquez.

Then, the UFC used its marketing power to promote the return of Cro Cop, only to see him capitalize on that exposure by jumping ship.

With this embarrassment, it is now even less likely that White would be willing to do a one-fight deal with Fedor Emelianenko. Sure the company gains revenue in the short term, but why waste your advertising space promoting a one-time fighter when you can be hyping up the next superstar that guarantees you multiple payoffs in the future?

The economics of it don’t make sense, and with White now extra sensitive to these sorts of arrangements, the dream matchups that so many fans have been craving will likely never come.

Cameron Gidari is the Associate Editor at MMAMadness.com. He can be reached with questions and comments at [e-mail].