Dissecting UFC Live 4

UFC Live 4 provided us with a night full of fights that is rare for a Sunday night. Despite the card lacking in “star” power, it more than made up for it in content and action.

From highlight reel knockouts to slick submissions to shocking upsets, the fighters in Pittsburgh delivered in a big way.

Let’s take a look at some of the note-worthy news from Sunday night.

One Falls, One Rises

Sunday night marked the debut of two former top ten lightweights sporting three-fight losing skids dropping down to featherweight. Tyson Griffin and Joe “Daddy” Stevenson both badly needed a win to book future appearances in the octagon, and only one prevailed. Tyson Griffin fought former WEC title-challenger Manny Gamburyan to a decision win and proved he is a force to be reckoned with at 145.

The win wasn’t especially spectacular, but Griffin did make a successful debut over a top ten featherweight and brings more name value than just about anyone else in the division not named Kenny Florian or Jose Aldo.

As to who I think he should fight next, I say give him the winner of Nam Phan/Mike Brown fight. Both are two of the bigger names at 145 (Brown as the former title holder and Phan for his stint on TUF) and could set the winner up as a contender in the UFC’s new featherweight division.

Stevenson, on the other hand, probably competed in the UFC for the last time for the foreseeable future. He has lost four fights in a row and did not fight like a man with his back against the wall.

Dana White has said that he loves Joe “Daddy” and the way he fights, but Stevenson did not display the type of tenacity needed to persuade the UFC brass to let him keep his job. I cannot think of any fighter other than Tito Ortiz who has dropped this many fights and has managed to not get cut. The only way I see Stevenson keeping his job is because 145 doesn’t have very many “names” and Joe Daddy is a fighter fans actually know and care about.

Maybe Stevenson’s contract gets moved over to Strikeforce where he can fight lesser competition and Dana doesn’t have to worry about one of his more popular lightweight fighters signing with whatever competition the UFC has left.

One Falls, One Rises II

Two great heavyweight friends and training partners also fought Sunday night. Coincidentally, both Matt Mitrione and Pat Barry were at similar points in their careers and both fights ended in a knockout.

Matt Mitrione outclassed Christian Morcraft on their feet before delivering a walk-off knockout late in the second round. Unfortunately for Barry, he was on the wrong side of one of the most brutal KO’s in recent history.

It’s funny to think how much public perception has changed for “Meathead” from his stint on The Ultimate Fighter 10 to now. Mitrione was universally hated on the show but has charmed us recently with his quick wit, self-deprecating humor and crowd-pleasing brawling. Now 5-0 in the UFC and being one of the more popular fighters in the division, Meathead has some interesting options. He could continue to build up slowly and be given time to develop his skills, or be thrust into the deep end of the division and face some of the heavyweight elite.

Personally, I think it is too soon to feed Meathead to the Shane Carwins, Frank Mirs and Roy Nelsons of the division. Those monsters are all too well-rounded and have tested their mettle against much stiffer competition than anything Mitrione has faced. I think Mitrione needs a step up in competition though.

A fight with Cheick Kongo would really tell us where Mitrione is in the heavyweight division. The timing works, both have similar styles, and are in relatively the same place in the heavyweight pecking order.

Poor Pat Barry. Referee Dan Miragliotta was within a hair of stopping Barry’s assault over a clearly rocked Kongo. But to Miragliotta’s credit, he saw that Kongo was intelligently defending himself and let the bout continue. When Barry saw Kongo wobble against the cage, he smelt blood and went in for the kill. Unfortunately, Kongo had just enough wits to land an uppercut usually only seen in Mortal Kombat and put Barry’s lights out.

The good thing is that I don’t think it will be the last we see of Barry in the octagon. Dana White loves guys who “bring it” and Pat Barry went out on his shield in the most exciting way possible. Barry’s charisma, exciting style and contagious smile will grace the octagon again.

Like Mitrione, Joe Silva has a few options on who to match him up with. Barry almost knocked out the heavyweight division’s favorite gatekeeper, and we would be talking about a Pat Barry win if a lesser referee was officiating.

I think a fight with Christian Morecraft makes sense. This will be a good fight to bounce back from and again, the timing works out perfectly. If not Morecraft, then Aaron Rosa could be a fun fight too.

Other Observations

Joe Lauzon continues to dominate over-matched opponents. J-Lau has a pattern of destroying prelim fighters, but losing to guys at the upper end of the division (Florian, Stout, Sots). He hasn’t beaten anybody of note since Jeremy Stephens and needs a win over a top 20 fighter to prove he is relevant at 155 pounds.

I was surprised that John Howard stuck with his grappling game plan for as long as he did. Once he found out that Matt Brown would not go away so easily on the ground, he should have reverted back to those menacing leg kicks he was having so much success with earlier. That marks the dreaded three losses in a row.

Charlie Brenneman showed us why it was a good idea that Rick Story never got a fight with Jon Fitch. Fitch would have not only put Story on his back, but he would have dished out a lot more punishment. “The Spaniard” put his name on the map in a big way and it will be interesting to see who the UFC matches him up with next.

Let me know what you guys/girls think about UFC Live 4 and if I missed the mark on any of my analyses.