UFC 92: Five Things I Learned Watching Rampage's Revenge

UFC 92 is in the books, and it proved to be the day of the underdog.

Rampage battled Wanderlei and ghosts of knockouts past, Rashad proved he is the top dog at 205, and Mir proved us all wrong.

I for one, am glad this is the last card for 2008, because it would be really hard to top last night in terms of decisive finishes.

Here's to looking forward to a great 2009, and without further ado, five things I learned last night.

1. K1 should be jealous of the UFC.

I'm not sure when the trend started, but it's in full effect now. UFC bouts are becoming more and more like kickboxing matches. Whether its due to encouragement from management or a desire to please the fans, guys are going to the ground less.

I've heard that Wanderlei Silva has a black belt in BJJ, but I wouldn't know. I've heard Rampage and Rashad could wrestle, but didn't see much of that last night. Someone told me Nogueira and Mir are great on the ground, but only Nogueira seem to end up there...after punches to his face.

I'm definitely not advocating the old days of five rounds of lay 'n pray, but I'm not sure I like guys not utilizing their best skills just to please the fans.

2. Past fights mean less in MMA than they do in Boxing.

Being a boxing guy as I am, there is an adage that goes something like this. The guy that wins the first matchup by knockout, usually wins quicker and easier in the rematch.

Coming off two knockouts, one of which should have gotten Wanderlei charged with attempted murder, who knew Rampage had Silva right where he wanted him.

In boxing, there are less ways to win than in MMA, hence when a guy brutally knocks you out, you still have to come back and take those same punches in the rematch. In MMA, you can choose your route.

I actually picked Rampage to beat Wanderlei, thinking he would utilize his superior wrestling skills to grind out a decision. Rampage, however, had other ideas.

Also, MMA is more prone to one punch knockouts than boxing due to the smaller gloves, so it doesn't take as much improvement in between fights. One well placed shot on your opponent's chin will even out the series for you.

3. Rashad Evans has transformed himself from possibly the most boring fighter in the history of TUF to a devastating knockout artist.

I remember watching Evans on TUF and although he was one of the more mature guys on the show, he was as boring to watch as Dog Shows. I actually would rather watch that Gracie/Shamrock fight that went the time limit than one of his early fights.

Something started to change right around the Ortiz fight. Being a huge Tito fan I remember thinking Rashad would kill Tito if he just let his hands go during that fight. Let's just say I'm glad they never fought the rematch.

Greg Jackson has to be running  the best camp in all of MMA right now. He has gotten the most of an average physical talent in Jardine, and is getting the most out of a superior physical talent in Evans.

4. Rampage and Rashad may soon fighting an all black title fight...with few black people actually watching it.

I'm actually hoping this fight never happens. Black fighters have come a long way in MMA, although few African Americans have made it to the superstar level of Rashad and Rampage.

I remember before his fight with Kevin Randleman Rampage said he was fighting to be the "token black guy" in Pride. That's not to say there aren't African Americans competing in the UFC, there are several, just not many at the top level.

African Americans still are not tuning in at the level of young white men to watch MMA. I attended UFC 88 and not only was the crowd predominately white, they booed Rashad heavily.

If and when these guys meet for the light heavyweight title, I hope the UFC markets this heavily in the black community. With some good marketing and a good showing between these two guys, there could be huge strides made in African American viewership of the UFC.

5. Frank Mir looked impressively and much improved last night...and he is still gonna get murdered by Lesnar.

I almost feel bad for Mir. He put on the performance of his life last night. Not only did he defeat his idol, he knocked out a man who had never been knocked out before.

He did this fighting southpaw, with some extremely improved standup, sticking and moving. He stuck to his gameplan, and looked like he planned to knock Nogueira out the whole time. If nothing else, he has earned my respect, and I'm no fan of Mir.

However, now he has to face Lesnar in a rematch. If your thinking that improved standup is gonna help him beat Lesnar, I've got some Idaho Oceanfront property I'll sell you. If anything, it will at least keep Lesnar honest.

Mir shouldn't fool himself, his best chance against Lesnar in a rematch is exactly what happened in the first bout. Grab an ankle, and pull for dear life. A prolonged standup war will more than likely get him knocked out.

Against Nogueira he was the better athlete and took advantage of that with the standup, against Lesnar he will have no such advantage. His standup is improved, but so is Lesnar's. I see this bout playing out like the first one, but with Lesnar getting the TKO this time.