UFC 120: 5 Things the Event Reminded the Fans

With every UFC event, there is always something to take away from it. Even with the worst events the UFC has offered, we still learned something. For instance, even though UFC 119 was generally regarded as an awful event and a waste of money, at least we learned that Mirko Cro Cop is nothing but a shell of his former self and should retire immediately.

Or maybe we already knew that.

Either way, UFC 120 was certainly not a disappointment like it's predecessor—hard to complain when it's free, and difficult to expect much with Michael Bisping in a main event—but it did remind us of a few things.

First of which, I was reminded that having MMA every weekend sure is cool.

For five more things we were reminded of, click on.

5. Judges Really Don't Like to Score 10-8 Rounds

I can not say enough about how impressed I was with Mike Pyle in his win over John Hathaway on Saturday. It was a tremendous upset and a career best performance for Pyle. The win is a massive boost to his reputation.

The problem I have with this fight was the judges scoring of round 2. If I have ever seen a 10-8 round in MMA, this was it.

Halfway through the round, Pyle had Hathaway on his back and began landing some brutal elbows. Pyle then very cleverly pulled his leg over and caught Hathaway in an inverted triangle, leaving the Englishman helpless in receiving blow after blow for the rest of the round, while also having his neck stuck in a tight squeeze.

It was nasty. The punches and elbows were not soft, making it painful to watch for the extent of round 2. If this round wasn't scored 10-8, I don't know what else a fighter has to do to get an extra point ahead.

The 10 point must system will only work in MMA if they score the big rounds appropriately. A round where someone lands a few jabs and stays away from their opponent should not be scored the same as the round in question; it is a problem.

That out of the way, something must be said for the toughness and composure of John Hathaway. He took a tremendous beating in his first loss, but conducted himself like a man and never thought about quitting. This will be a great learning experience for the 23-year old.

4. Michael Bisping Must Get Rocked in Every Fight

Does Michael Bisping ever get through a fight without getting rocked at some point?

He almost did against Wanderlei Silva but got dropped with about 20 seconds to go.

In his biggest wins over Dennis Kang, Matt Hammil, and now Yishihiro Akiyama, Bisping was rocked with right hands in the first round, only to come back and win the fight.

It makes for good entertainment, but how many times do we have to see the same movie of people letting this guy off the hook? Kang and Akiyama especially stepped off the gas as soon as they hurt their man.

Either Bisping needs to learn how to void the right hand, or expect the obligatory knockdown in his next fight that he delusionally thinks will earn him a shot at the belt.

3. According to Cheick Kongo, If You Aren't Cheating, You Aren't Trying

We've seen it before and we saw it again. Cheick Kongo must be a Bernard Hopkins fan because he seems to get better at cheating with every fight. He really does a decent job of hiding things from the ref these days, but Saturday night, referee Marc Goddard was seeing all of it.

Kongo was able to steal a win over Mirko Cro Cop back in 2007 when he repeatedly kneed him low and never lost a point for it. And that wasn't the only time Kongo broke the rules to his advantage.

In his bout with Mostapha Al Turk, Kongo clearly hit him low intentionally and then finished him by TKO. In his bout with Paul Buentello, Kongo repeatedly hit Buentello with illegal knees while Buentello was down. Again, no points were taken.

Saturday night, Marc Goddard was competent enough to take a point away from Kongo for continuing to grab Travis Browne's shorts throughout the match, which resulted in the bout ending in a draw. That is better than Kongo getting another foul-ridden win, but there are some that still weren't happy and felt Browne should have been given the win due to the repetitive nature of Kongo's inattention to the rules.

I thought the outcome was correct. Though the momentum clearly shifted for Kongo after he intentionally kneed Browne low to start the second round, he did win rounds two and three and after the point deduction, a draw was the only outcome that made sense.

2. You Shouldn't Be a Striker If You Can't Move Your Head

I know I wasn't the only one baffled by Yoshihiro Akiyama's willingness to stand in front of Michael Bisping and take repeated right hands without attempting to block them or even move his head. Obviously, he hasn't been taught that.

It is a criticism of his trainers more than of Akiyama. I know he has been switching camps as of late, trying to muster some new thunder, so I'm not sure who is to blame, but Akiyama should not be standing with his opponents for the entire fight if he has no idea how to avoid damage.

I've seen kids with months of boxing experience who know how to move their heads away from a blatant incoming right hand, and Akiyama is a skilled professional. At least realize you should put your hands up to block a few of them.

Akiyama makes for exciting fights, but I find him frustrating to watch. He has a lot of talent but ignores basic fundamentals. Both fighters in the main event have incredibly overrated boxing skills, and the results are the proof.

1. Carlos Condit Is Dangerous

This guy just continues electrify the viewers with every performance. We knew Carlos Condit was good back in his WEC days, but most figured that was bush league stuff compared to what he would face in the UFC. Well, maybe it was, but he clearly belongs with the pros and should never be counted out of any fight in the welterweight division.

If you didn't have faith in Condit when he entered the UFC, you should now. After his close wars with Martin Kampmann and Jake Ellenberger and, more recently, his brilliant come-from-behind stoppage of Rory MacDonald, this performance seals the deal.

In the co-main event of UFC 120, Condit faced former title challenger and noted striker Dan Hardy. Some were sure that Condit needed to take this fight to the ground to have an advantage, but the kid showed he has skills everywhere by evenly striking with Hardy before knocking him out with a devastating left hook. It was an explosive ending that surely will shoot Condit into the upper echelon of the welterweight division.

Condit was bold enough to ask for the winner of Jake Shields vs. Martin Kampmann, who fight this upcoming Saturday at UFC 121. The winner of that matchup would clearly loom as the mandatory challenger for the title.