UFC Fight Night 24 Results: Lessons Learned and Questions That Were Answered
UFC Fight Night is in the books, and it did serve its purpose as an entertaining fight card.
As usual, there were questions that we had about this event, and in getting the answers to our questions, we also learned a few things about some of the fighters involved.
What exactly did we learn about some of the fighters involved?
Well, allow me to grant you a closer look as to what we picked up from the fight night in Seattle.
Judges Say Edwin Figueroa Lost 27-30, but Nobody Lost in the 135-Pound Battle
1 of 10There's a reason why Michael McDonald's bout with Edwin Figueroa won Fight of The Night at UFC Fight Night 24, and if you watch the fight, you'll understand why I say "nobody really lost" in this bantamweight bout.
It's obvious that the takedowns were why McDonald won the bout, but if you take note of what happened on the ground, the seemingly one-sided affair reveals itself to be a true classic in its own respect, and it proves itself to be exciting enough to be worthy of the bonus.
Dana tweeted it best: "Both of these young men have futures in the 135-lb. division, and I don't think it'll be too long before we're all wondering when it'll be alright for the UFC brass to consider throwing these two in the mix."
Eddie Bravo's Submissions Really Do Work
2 of 10If Chan Sung Jung had used Eddie Bravo's Vaporizer to finish Leonard Garcia, I'd be calling it arguably the greatest finish by submission in MMA history, but considering how Jung got The Twister in on Garcia, I'd say this easily is a Submission of The Year candidate.
It was good enough that the second-round submission got Jung both the win and the Submission of the Night bonus, but arguably one can say that Jung just qualified for Submission of the Year (and maybe Submission Win of The Decade) with his hold of choice tonight.
His striking looked very much improved as well, although it may not have improved to where he might be ready for someone like an Erik Koch yet or someone of the high-level striking caliber.
Give The Korean Zombie some time, though, and before we know it, he'll wind up being a well-rounded fighter who could be good enough to where he could hang with almost any featherweight in the UFC.
Johny Hendricks Is (on His Way) Back
3 of 10
Johny Hendricks needed a "w" to bounce back from his decision loss to "The Horror" Rick Story at The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale, and regardless of where TJ Waldberger truly stood in the Welterweight ranks before their bout at Fight Night 24, Hendricks needed to gain a victory at Waldberger's expense.
It only took Hendricks 95 seconds—that's a minute and 35 seconds—for Waldberger to have the smack laid down on him courtesy of the once-undefeated prospect.
The only big thing it did for Hendricks was give him a KO of The Night bonus, though—Waldberger, as young and hungry as he was, didn't seem (on paper or in the actual fight) like the opponent that truly could test where Hendricks stood among the UFC's upper echelon at 170 pounds.
In reality, he served his purpose as being the guy who was lined up for Hendricks so Hendricks could get a bounce-back victory, but let's see Hendricks up against a top-20 or top-25 fighter before we start saying "Johny Hendricks is back."
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Amir Sadollah Can Adjust to Late Foe Changes, Now Give Him a Top 20er Already
4 of 10
I'll admit, I did think DaMarques Johnson was going to be too much for Amir Sadollah to handle in his fight, and not because he was a late replacement for James Wilks, who originally replaced Duane Ludwig.
The first round, sans the last couple of minutes, seemed as though they were proving my prediction correct, but then DaMarques started running on fumes in the middle of Round 2.
It was the perfect opportunity for Sadollah to remind the world why he was something of a force to still be reckoned with at 170, and thanks to a few hard knees and a few sharp elbows, Sadollah did just that.
Now the question is this: how many more excuses are we bound to make for not giving this guy a top-20 fighter, and how much longer does Joe Silva plan on going without giving Sadollah a chance to prove that he can hang with the best of the best at 170?
I said after Peter Sobotta's defeat at UFC 122 that at the very least, a guy like Mike Pyle would do as far as an opponent for Sadollah is concerned.
If not Pyle, then give him either of the two men who were supposed to face him or give him the victor of the Daniel Roberts-Claude Patrick fight.
Just please don't put all your eggs into one huge basket with Jake Shields and yet not decide to make people note that Amir Sadollah exists.
Don't give him Fitch, Pitbull or BJ Penn—even I say that's much to give Amir right now, but please give him a guy in at least the top 20 or someone that's pushing the top 20.
With One More Victory, It Might Be Time To Take Mike Russow Seriously
5 of 10It was far from an exciting fight, but Mike Russow's performance over the once-undefeated Jon Madsen was nothing short of dominant, as Russow capitalized on a victory over Todd Duffee to cause the ringside doctors to stop the fight at the end of Round 2.
While injuries have looked worse in MMA, there's no way of knowing exactly how much risk of serious injury and critical orbital damage that Madsen might have been running if he hadn't been forced to stop fighting when he had.
This win over Madsen isn't enough to start lining him up against the likes of Brendan Schaub, Frank Mir, Roy Nelson, Pat Barry or anyone like that, but it's a door opener for sure.
Nik Lentz Can Win a Fight without Going to the Judges
6 of 10
Before the fight he had with Waylon Lowe, most fans labeled "The Carny" Nik Lentz as a boring fighter who was unable to finish fights. But that all changed when Lowe got into the cage with him.
Granted, the fight never ended in Round 1, but Lentz made sure that the fight wouldn't end on the judges' scorecards.
It took until Round 3 for Lentz to finish, but at 2:24 of Round 3, Lentz was able to silence his doubters by locking in a nice guillotine choke and forcing the submission out of Lowe.
So, is Lentz still boring?
Doesn't seem like it.
Christian Morecraft Is in the UFC To Make Statements Right Now
7 of 10
What does it say when a guy damn near beats Dutch heavyweight sensation Stefan Struve in his first UFC fight?
Probably that the guy is good, even if the guy loses the fight to Struve.
As far as what a win over McCorkle says, that's open to much interpretation, but if a second-round technical submission win over a guy like "Big Sexy" says anything, it says that Christian Morecraft is making some statements in this point in his career.
He just wants to prove himself as an entertaining and a strong fighter before he gets us wondering when he'll start facing the more top-level guys.
If it helps him create his name as a 265-lb. prospect who could find himself being a contender in the next year or so, by all means he should go for it.
Anthony Johnson Is Back, but He's Got a Ways To Go
8 of 10
While not the most entertaining fight in the world, the result of the Dan Hardy-Anthony Johnson match was pretty clear all throughout its duration, with the head kick in Round 1 easily putting Hardy in danger.
In truth, Hardy was in danger throughout the entire fight, and although that Jiu-Jitsu game of Hardy's finally came out to play on this night, even the kimura attempts Hardy made were of no avail in this contest.
Does this mean that maybe Johnson is back on track?
Not exactly—Johnson looked good against Hardy, but he didn't turn in the type of explosive performance that had defined his early career in the UFC.
Maybe it's because he'd been out for a little over a year, or maybe it's because he thought Hardy would have been expecting Johnson to try and stand more than he would've expected him to take the fight to the ground, but Rumble definitely turned in a more coasting performance than he's turned in in his past encounters.
If Rumble wants to get back in line for a crack at the Welterweight strap held by Georges St-Pierre, he'll need to turn in a less coasting effort in his next bout.
Earning decisions hasn't worked for Jon Fitch, you know.
Dan Hardy Finally Has Some Jiu-Jitsu (and He's Tough..You Know)
9 of 10
What more can we say?
Dan Hardy was taken to the ground multiple times against Anthony Johnson, yet he showed that he's at least pretty decent off his back, and of course he's one tough guy...you know.
He survived the head kick that dropped him, he survived a variety of holds from Johnson, and although he never came close to getting a submission on Johnson, he did attempt a kimura on two multiple occasions.
That's one tough Brit, if you ask me, and while it didn't win him the fight, it did make for an exciting fight on Hardy's end, which obviously sat well with Dana White.
Phil Davis Is Phil Davis, so Quit Comparing Him to Jon Jones
10 of 10
Phil Davis is a 26-year-old wrestler with a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and one of the most beautiful Anaconda Chokes in the sport right now.
He's a man who won his bout with Antonio Rogerio Nogueira by unanimous decision, with all three judges seeing all three rounds for Davis despite the first round looking more like Nogueira's round.
What Phil Davis isn't is a 23-year-old phenom who has pulled out sinning elbows, spinning back fists, flying kicks, flying knees and a bunch of action-movie type striking.
He didn't dominate Nogueira in a fight that saw Nogueira eventually crumble in a bout that wasn't even close, and he didn't put on a performance that elevated himself to the top three of the pound-for-pound ranks.
In other words, he's not Jon Jones, who won the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship belt from Mauricio "Shogun" Rua last week.
What's the problem there?
At the very worst, all that means is that Davis had to prove his resilience on this night against an opponent who obviously trained for a strong wrestler and showed great takedown defense in the first frame.
At the very best, this bout says the same thing that Jones' win over Vladimir Matyushenko said, which is that Davis is a resilient individual who has a bright future ahead of him.
Unquestionably, Davis still has the potential to be one of the pound-for-pound best light heavyweights in the world, and he's clearly improving somewhat as a fighter despite being caught on the inside by Little Nog.
The one thing Phil Davis will never have is his nickname announced as "The Second Coming of Jon Jones."
Phil Davis was impressive, but Jon Jones he was not, and Jon Jones he will not ever be.
Davis is his own breed of freak athlete—no problems there from what I can see.
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