Who would have thought that some of the most exciting MMA we’ve seen for awhile would come out of a free TV event on a Tuesday night? And really, isn’t that the brilliance of the UFC? Their roster is so deep, and their match-making so good, that even if you take away all the bells and whistles, they still deliver what we all originally want: good fights. And while there were some stinkers on the card (hello Amir Sadollah!), we did get to see one of the best all-around MMA fights in the past year or so in The Korean Zombie vs. Diamond Dustin Poirier. Man, I couldn’t get to sleep after watching that. But alas, in a combat sport such as MMA, your stock either goes up or it goes down, and these folks went the wrong way last night:
Dustin Poirier: “Dump” may be a little harsh, considering that “Diamond” lost his very first UFC fight after going a perfect 4-0, but losing in such a dramatic fashion to a guy that was a +265 dog is a tough pill to swallow. And not only that, prior to the 4th round D’arce choke that put him to sleep, he had already lost 2 out of 3 rounds. But, the silver lining here is that in a weak Featherweight division, Poirier is likely just a solid W away from the title shot he essentially lost after losing to the Zombie
Jeremy Stephens: Coming into the Cerrone fight, Stephens was only 7-6 during his UFC tenure, and coming off a very close loss to title contender Anthony Pettis. In other words, if anybody needed a big W to stay relevant in the heavily crowded Lightweight division, the Iowan native certainly fit the bill. Oh well, being a gate-keeper isn’t so bad…Stephens never got his chance to get going against Cerrone, unless you count flinging haymakers as a solid gameplan, and looked lost, frustrated and mentally broke for much of their 15 minute fight. Kind of ironic considering it was Stephens that said Cerrone “broke” during his last fight with Diaz. At any rate, while Stephens will always have a chance considering his punching power, it’s likely we’ve seen the highest this little birdie can fly.
Jorge Lopez and Amir Sadollah: Geez, aren’t I clever? Of course Lopez lands on the “Dump List” for his razor-thin loss to Amir Sadollah…yep, that Amir Sadollah, and in the process not evoking any memories of his mentor Wanderlei Silva. He’s now also 0-2 in the UFC and is likely skating on very thin ice…especially considering his un-Wand-like fighting style. Sadollah on the other hand…repping in front of his hometown fans, and in the co-main event slot nonetheless, looked about as lackluster as you could possibly be in a winning effort. Hell, he even got booed after he won…in front of his hometown fans. Wowza. I can’t believe this guy in 5-3 in the UFC…I think I found a more protected guy than Michael Bisping.
Fabio Maldonado and Igor Pokrajac: “Oops, I did it again” In the other controversial fight/decision of the night, Igor eked past the Brazilian bomber in what was the clear “Fight of the Night” prior to Zombie vs. Diamond. Talk about your sh*tty luck. Both Fabs and Igor did their best “Rock em Sock em” impression for 15 minutes and even though I really don’t care for those types of fights, seeing Fabs’ precise combo boxing is just a plain joy to watch. At any rate, even though Igor won he gets screwed again by the Zombie (he was previously bested by the Zombie at UFC 140 for KO of the Night) and lost out on yet another bonus. As for Fabio, sure he’s lost 2 straight but let’s face it, this guy and his boxing aren’t going anywhere.
