UFC of Fox 16 Results: The Real Winners and Losers from Dillashaw vs. Barao 2
It's been a long and wacky road.
Our road originated on Memorial Day weekend 2014. Renan Barao's name was being bandied about as a candidate to top the old pound-for-pound list. TJ Dillashaw was considered a game challenger, and that's about it, when he stepped in with Barao for the UFC bantamweight belt the Brazilian had owned for the past two years.
The ensuing upset was such an emphatic beating that observers wondered why it was an upset in the first place. Such is this crazy sport we call mixed martial arts.
Now, one scheduled rematch, one botched weight cut, one malicious bath tub, one Joe Soto, one Mitch Gagnon, one broken rib and one near-botched weight cut later, here we are. The rematch took place on Saturday on the big network for UFC on Fox 16.
Full disclosure: This was not the most anticipated rematch in UFC history. Given the lopsided nature of the first encounter, plenty of other opponents made sense for each man before anyone set up a return engagement. Nevertheless, it was an interesting matchup between two men who are each under age 30 but sport a combined pro record of 44 wins and only four losses (plus a no-contest for Barao).
Saturday night, with Dillashaw as the favorite, we would see if Barao could force a rubber match, or if Dillashaw would send Barao packing for good (possibly to another weight class?).
And that was only the main event. There was intrigue all up and down the 12-fight slate. As always, the final stat lines only reveal so much. Here are the real winners and losers from UFC on Fox 16.
For the literal-minded among us, full results appear on the final slide.
Winner: TJ Dillashaw
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The champ started the rematch where he left off in the original. The ending looked pretty familiar, too.
Dillashaw paired terrific, unpredictable footwork with a striking offense of heavy hooks, sharp jabs and creative kicks. The angles he took for these attacks were beautiful to watch, appealing to seasoned fans and newcomers alike.
Just when you thought he was in danger of getting too cute, Dillashaw initiated a clinch or takedown attempt, wearing Barao down along the fence.
Dillashaw easily took the first three rounds, ending the third with punches and a massive knee at the horn that staggered Barao.
When the fourth round began, Barao didn't look much better. Dillashaw swarmed and pushed Barao back against the fence, where he proceeded to land what looked like about 40 unanswered punches.
Referee Herb Dean stood by and ultimately stopped the fight (though probably a bit late, and more on that later). Only chain link and muscle memory kept Barao standing as Dillashaw teed off, unabated, on his face.
It's not easy to make a fighter as great as Barao look like a lumbering also-ran. That's what Dillashaw did. This was pure brilliance. If you didn't see it live, watch the replay. If the UFC bantamweight champion isn't ranked in the top five of every pound-for-pound list next week, then those lists are simply not accurate.
Loser: Renan Barao
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As early as the second round, Barao looked like he didn't want to be there anymore.
He grew tired, seemingly just by watching Dillashaw dance in front of him. Credit Barao for his toughness, as lesser fighters probably wouldn't have made it through those first three rounds, but he was not the better man in Chicago. Not even close.
Much like the original, Dillashaw beat Barao to every punch. Barao was slower, even though he was bigger.
Could a move up to featherweight be in the offing for Barao? Given his steep weight cuts and difficulties pertaining thereto, it might be worth considering. He doesn't appear to have a great chance to recapture the bantamweight belt, at least not so long as Dillashaw is wearing it.
Winner: Miesha Tate
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Miesha Tate fought her fight against Jessica Eye. The mat is Tate's wheelhouse, and she thoroughly controlled Eye whenever it reached that phase.
Her striking is still not razor-sharp, but it's getting better, and she held her own on the feet with Eye, who is noted for her boxing.
"Honestly, I’m mad I didn’t finish her, but it’s the best I’ve ever felt going three rounds," Tate said after the fight in a statement emailed by the UFC to media members. "I did a new strength training regimen, and I felt so strong and I was in such good shape for the fight. I was able to recover in between rounds, and I felt awesome."
It all begs the question: What's next for Tate? Well, as it happens, her nemesis, who is named Ronda Rousey, fights Bethe Correia next week at UFC 190. Assuming Rousey wins (and come on, she's going to), could it be Rousey vs. Tate 3? Rousey won the first two, each by submission. Then again, Tate is the only opponent to ever make it out of the first round with the champ.
It will be interesting to see what the UFC does here, especially given that obvious challengers to Rousey aren't growing on trees. In any event, Tate certainly made her case Saturday night.
(Update: It looks like it will be Rousey vs. Tate 3, assuming a Rousey victory at UFC 190.)
Winner: Paul Felder
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In a fight that earned Fight of the Night honors for the evening, Edson Barboza and Paul Felder threw quick and heavy spinning strikes at each other over 15 minutes of toughness, athleticism and a crap load of fun.
This is the kind of fight I want to show people who don't like MMA. This is the kind of fight that makes this sport so exciting to watch and inspires so much admiration for its competitors.
Ultimately, Barboza got the decision nod over Felder, but not before Felder did plenty of his own damage and gutted through a brutal early groin shot that elicited a massive groan from the Chicago faithful.
It was the first loss of Felder's pro career. If you're going to lose, though, this is the way to do it. Here's to many returns for Felder—for our sake as much as his.
Loser: Judges and Refs
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It was not a banner night for the officials and the arbiters at UFC on Fox 16 in the Windy City.
Somehow, the judges handed a split-decision win to Andrew Holbrook in his UFC debut. It was a close fight, but Ramsey Nijem was the winner in the eyes of many observers on social media (including this one). Congrats to Holbrook for fighting a good fight, but he didn't do enough to win.
Then there was normally reliable referee Herb Dean's little episode in the main event. With the fence holding up Barao, the challenger absorbed several unnecessary shots. Dean was right on top of the action.
Standing, sitting or lying down, fighters rely on the ref to protect them. Dean came up a bit short in that regard Saturday night.
That wasn't all for Dean. There's also the small matter of the bout between Joe Lauzon and Takanori Gomi. More on that fight in the next slide.
But perhaps the worst moment of the evening came from ref Yves Lavigne. As the co-main event between Tate and Eye wound down, Tate was working on Eye from the dominant back-mount position. As they worked, Lavigne inserted himself into the action, inexplicably standing them up for a reset.
As Ben Fowlkes of MMAJunkie put it on Twitter: "So in Yves Lavigne's eyes, you don't need to do anything to get your opponent off your back? Just hold on, stall, let the ref do it for you."
It was not good. The good thing (bad thing?) is, there's always a next time for these individuals.
Winner: Doing the Right Thing
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Joe Lauzon knows a thing or two about punishment. And when he made a statement about violence Saturday night, referee Herb Dean listened.
Lauzon took 36-year-old Takanori Gomi to the mat, took his back, flattened him out face down and commenced to pounding. Gomi, who is not known even in the best of times for grappling acumen, turtled up and futilely flailed over the back of his head at the incoming fists he couldn't see.
Then, just like that, Lauzon leaped up and skipped away. But Dean had not stopped the match. After a moment of utter confusion, Dean waved off the fight, awarding the TKO to Lauzon and sparing Gomi unnecessary damage.
"He was completely unconscious," Lauzon told Rogan in the cage after the fight when asked about his decision to literally walk away from his opponent. "He was down. Maybe I should have kept punching. That would have been the smart thing to do. But the guy is a hero, and I didn't want to do any extra."
I disagree with Lauzon on this one. Stopping, not continuing, was the smart thing to do. It was also the humane thing to do, in a sport not often known for that.
Lauzon has had some bloody fights and some highlight-reel finishes; 13 post-fight bonuses attest to that. This one was light on gore, but that might make it Lauzon's best highlight to date.
Loser: Jessamyn Duke
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Four fights in the UFC, three consecutive losses for this Four Horsewomen, uh, woman.
Actually, we shouldn't use that term anymore. It never applied. It's just Ronda Rousey and three random people.
Shayna Baszler lost both of her UFC fights and is longer in the organization. Marina Shafir, who fights at 145 pounds, just lost her debut in the Invicta promotion. That brings us to Duke, who frankly hasn't accomplished much of anything since leaving the cozy confines of The Ultimate Fighter.
That continued Saturday, when Duke was and punished by unheralded Elizabeth Phillips for a decision loss. Not only does Duke continue to lose, but she doesn't show a whole lot of UFC-caliber skill while she does it.
Would she still be here if it wasn't for her connection to Rousey and this tired horsewomen thing? Maybe it's just me, but I'd like to see a fighter who's ready for the big time take a big-time slot. Duke can hone her skills in the minor leagues and come back if she shows improvement.
UFC on Fox 16 Full Results
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Main Card
- TJ Dillashaw def. Renan Barao by TKO, 0:35, Rd. 4
- Miesha Tate def. Jessica Eye by unanimous decision
- Edson Barboza def. Paul Felder by unanimous decision
- Joe Lauzon def. Takanori Gomi by TKO, 2:37, Rd. 1
Preliminary Card
- Tom Lawlor def. Gian Villante by KO, 0:27, Rd. 2
- Jim Miller def. Danny Castillo by split decision
- Ben Saunders def. Kenny Robertson by split decision
- Bryan Caraway def. Eddie Wineland by unanimous decision
- James Krause def. Daron Cruickshank by submission (rear-naked choke), 1:27, Rd. 1
- Andrew Holbrook def. Ramsey Nijem by split decision
- Elizabeth Phillips def. Jessamyn Duke by unanimous decision
- Zak Cummings def. Dominique Steele by TKO, 0:43, Rd. 1
Scott Harris writes about MMA for Bleacher Report. For more stuff like this, follow Scott on Twitter.
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