UFC Fight Night 52: The Real Winners and Losers from Saitama, Japan
The UFC invaded Saitama, Japan, Saturday with UFC Fight Night 52, a fight card headlined by a heavyweight clash between massive power punchers Roy Nelson and Mark Hunt.
From start to finish, the card delivered, showcasing everything that makes mixed martial arts such an intriguing and electrifying sport. Fans were treated to quick knockouts, savvy submissions and everything in between throughout the evening, resulting in an enjoyable and memorable slate of fights.
While results are generally black and white—one fighter wins and one fighter loses—moral victories and bigger-picture developments exist in the sport, and UFC Fight Night 52 exhibited plenty of each.
Let's take a step beyond these immediate results and examine the real winners and losers from this impressive event.
Winner: UFC Fight Pass
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UFC Fight Pass delivered an all-around awesome card Saturday.
Kyung Ho Kang and Michinori Tanaka put on a grappling clinic just three fights into the card, while Johnny "Hollywood" Case made a statement in his UFC debut by putting away Kazuki Tokudome in scary fashion.
And that was just the preliminary portion of the card...
From there, things only got better, and fans got to see every second on UFC Fight Pass. While the UFC's digital network has not always been perfect, it's shaping up to be an incredible tool for fight fans, and UFC Fight Night 52 made that point abundantly clear.
Dazzling events like this one make that $9.99/month fee easy to stomach, and the UFC should have no trouble signing up new subscribers if the quality resumes at this level.
Loser: Takenori Sato
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That's Takenori Sato turtled up on the bottom against Erick Silva during his UFC debut in the picture. Moments after this was taken, the fight was over, Sato the loser via knockout.
While Sato faced Hyun Gyu Lim at UFC Fight Night 52, the end result was exactly the same: Sato got rocked, he turtled up and the referee had to save him early in Round 1.
That marks two fights in the UFC and two absolute flops for Sato. He might not get cut right now, but one more disastrous showing and it's a pretty safe bet that his UFC contract will find its way to the shredder.
Winner: MMA
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You know what's really cool? Educated MMA fans (I didn't give you time to answer; deal with it.).
The fans in Saitama Saturday cheered every sweep, takedown, transition and successful strike, flexing their knowledge of the game and creating a beautiful atmosphere in the process.
While MMA fans in general seem to have grown and become more informed in recent years, those in attendance at UFC Fight Night 52 really seemed to have a firm grasp on what matters and what doesn't inside the cage.
That's awesome, and it shows that the sport continues to evolve in positive ways.
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Winners: UFC Debutants
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Three fighters made their UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 52, and two won in convincing fashion.
The other was women's bantamweight Rin Nakai.
Before Nakai flopped against Miesha Tate on the main card, Johnny "Hollywood" Case and Masanori Kanehara stepped into the UFC Octagon for the first time and emerged victors.
Case dropped his opponent, Kazuki Tokudome, in Round 2 and followed up with a disgusting guillotine choke that shut off the lights in mere seconds.
Kanehara, on the other hand, dominated Alex "Bruce Leeroy" Caceres for 15 minutes, notching an impressive unanimous decision and throwing his hat into the mix in the UFC's bantamweight division.
Despite Nakai's inability to piece any significant offense together against Tate, Case and Kanehara showed that UFC jitters don't always make the difference. They showed up on the big stage and dominated, establishing themselves as legitimate additions to the UFC's roster.
Winner: The Flyweight Division
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A new contender emerged in the UFC's flyweight division at UFC Fight Night 52.
Kyoji Horiguchi dismantled Jon Delos Reyes, needing just one round to earn the TKO victory.
Early in the fight, Horiguchi dropped Delos Reyes with a ferocious body kick, and things never got any better for the underdog. After a quick exchange on the ground, both fighters returned to their feet, and Horiguchi went back to work, clipping Delos Reyes with a brutal left hook and sending the fight tumbling back to the canvas.
This time, Horiguchi teed off with a high volume of solid shots, and the referee was forced to intervene and save Delos Reyes from permanent damage.
Now 3-0 in the UFC with wins over Dustin Pague, Darrell Montague and Delos Reyes, Horiguchi established himself as a legitimate top-10 talent in the 125-pound division with his latest masterpiece.
Expect to see him take on a big-name opponent in his next UFC outing.
Loser: Sam Sicilia
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Sam Sicilia just can't get the wheels rolling inside the UFC Octagon.
After his UFC Fight Night 52 loss to Katsunori Kikuno, Sicilia falls to 3-4 in the promotion, and his longest winning streak inside the Octagon remains not a streak but a dot at just one.
He's never won back-to-back fights at this level, and after losing via rear-naked choke for the second time in three fights, I'm not sure he ever will. As a powerful puncher with decent wrestling, Sicilia may always have a place in the UFC's featherweight division, but that place is, unfortunately, on the undercard.
Winner/Loser: Aging
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A 39-year-old Yoshihiro Akiyama battled a 34-year-old Amir Sadollah at UFC Fight Night 52, and the elder looked fresher, sharper and stronger throughout the three-round contest.
Each man strolled to the cage after a two-year layoff, but time was considerably kinder to the Japanese superstar. Akiyama controlled the bout with his slick judo and powerful punches, planting Sadollah on his back and punishing him with heavy blows throughout.
The decision victory snaps a four-fight losing streak for Akiyama, and it showed that sometimes a little time off does the body good.
On the other hand, Sadollah looked worse than ever, as he failed to mount any significant offense or to establish any sort of rhythm throughout the fight. It might be hasty to call for the former The Ultimate Fighter winner's retirement, but if he doesn't show up better than that next time, he's just going to get hurt.
Winner: Violence
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I've been talking up the UFC Fight Night 52 card without even mentioning the co-main and main events...and those were arguably the two best fights on Saturday.
First, Myles Jury took out Takanori Gomi in just 90 seconds, becoming the first man to stop the Japanese legend with strikes in his 46-fight career. Jury is already ranked as a top-10 talent in the UFC's lightweight division, but that drubbing of Gomi made it clear that the Alliance MMA product deserves a big-time test in his next UFC appearance.
Meanwhile, Mark Hunt and Roy Nelson delivered everything fans wanted in the night's much-anticipated main event.
The two gargantuan heavyweights traded blows in Round 1, feeling each other out and raising the tension levels in the arena to almost unbearable levels. In Round 2, the tension burst with one sharp uppercut from Hunt.
Backing Nelson into the cage, Hunt timed a perfect blow on the jaw, and the bearded wonder fell like a freshly sawed tree to the canvas, signaling the bout's conclusion in dramatic fashion.
It was devastating. It was classic Mark Hunt.
It was everything we dreamed it would be.
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