Carlos Condit (black trunks) defeated Nick Diaz (red trunks) for the UFC Interim Welterweight Championship at UFC 143, besting him in nearly every category on the score cards and showing himself to clearly be the superior stand-up fighter and tactician. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

The night of fights at UFC 143 has come to an end and its time again to examine which fighters furthered their careers, which fighters hurt their careers, and which fighters need to make a serious change in order to reverse the damage they caused themselves with The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. “Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit (28-5) led Nick Diaz (26-9) around the Octagon as if he had him on a string, punishing him the entire time for a clear cut Unanimous Decision win for the newly minted Interim UFC Welterweight Championship belt. “Via Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (15-5-1) made a successful return to the UFC by battering “Big Country” Roy Nelson (16-7) on the feet for three solid rounds. “Kos” Josh Koscheck (17-5) managed to squeeze out an uneventful Split Decision over Mike Pierce (10-4). Renan Barao (28-1) extended his total MMA win streak to 28 with a third UFC victory, this time over “Young Guns” Scott Jorgensen (12-4), and “Short Fuse” Ed Herman (18-8) recorded the main card’s only finish by submitting Clifford Starks (5-1).

The Good:

Carlos Condit: Winning a major title, even an interim major title, is clear evidence that a fighter has advanced his standing in the division and value to the company. Condit took that a step further against Nick Diaz by winning handily over a heavy favorite with a ton of hype behind him. According to Fight Metric, Condit out-landed Diaz 151-109 in significant strikes, 68-6 in kicks, and even more impressively 151 of his 159 total strikes were significant, showing a strong edge in efficiency. The fans may not have liked the decision, but Condit won on all three judges’ cards, on Dana White’s card, and on every major MMA media outlet’s cards as well.

Fabricio Werdum: Four years ago, Werdum was drummed out of the UFC after going 2-2 without registering any truly impressive performances. Then he went to Strikeforce and became the Fedor Killer before losing one of the most boring fights since the Dance in Detroit. He did however earn his place in the UFC after the Strikeforce heavyweights were merged into the organization and made a triumphant return against Roy Nelson. Werdum dominated Roy on the feet with knees and hooks. He also managed to run the show on the mat against his fellow BJJ black belt and earned a Unanimous Decision, a “Fight of the Night” bonus, and a prime position to make a run at UFC gold.

Renan Barao: Though just 10-1 in sanctioned competition, Renan Barao currently has one of the most impressive overall records in the game. At 28-1 with one No Contest, he stands unbeaten in 28 fights, went 2-0 in the WEC, and is now 3-0 in the UFC. His striking was worlds beyond anything Scott Jorgensen had to offer and he cleanly dominated their three-round tilt, making big strides toward the UFC Bantamweight Championship.

Ed Herman: Ed Herman continues to impress following a return from major knee surgery. Now 3-0 with three stoppages since his return, “Short Fuse” has found his renaissance. His most recent victim, Clifford Starks, was an undefeated prospect with high-level wrestling who Herman dominated in every aspect of the game prior to locking in a fight-ending Rear Naked Choke in the second frame. With greatly improved striking and a renewed focus on his fighting, Ed Herman is quickly separating himself from the gatekeepers he has bumped elbows with his whole UFC career.

The Bad:

Josh Koscheck: According to two of the three judges, Josh Koscheck won his bout against Mike Pierce. According to at least 75% of the MMA blogosphere and the neutral scientific fight analysis at Fight Metric, Pierce won. Unfortunately most fans won’t have a reliable opinion because the fight literally bored some spectators at the Mandalay Bay Event Center to sleep. Koscheck did little more than repeatedly poke Pierce in the eyes with open-handed feeler jabs for three rounds as the two pinned each other to the cage in failed takedown attempts, only to separate and throw off-target single punches at one another. Koscheck landed only 21 of 81 strikes, missing on nearly 75% of his strikes. The less than impressive, debatable win will not do much to further Koscheck’s title hopes.

Mike Pierce: Pierce was the second, losing half in one of the biggest stinkers in recent UFC history. Being in any way involved in a bout that results in photographic evidence of fans falling asleep at the venue is a detriment to a fighter’s career, especially when said fighter is the one walking out with a loss. Pierce achieves 46% of his victories – 66% of his UFC victories – via decision. That doesn’t hurt him as long as he wins, but the UFC harbors little love for unexciting, losing fighters.

Scott Jorgensen: “Young Guns” is one of those unfortunate souls who came from a very strong wrestling background then one day believed the commentator’s hype about his greatly improved striking. With confidence boosted by besting a few BJJ guys on the feet, Jorgensen walked into the Muay Thai buzz saw that is Renan Barao looking to keep the fight standing. He learned quickly that this was a bad idea, but unfortunately his recent focus on stand-up ensured that his wrestling was just rusty enough to fail him in all of his seven takedown attempts. Jorgensen was considered a top contender for the bantamweight crown, but now he needs to make some serious adjustments just to remain competitive.

Clifford Starks: Starks was in over his head. It’s as simple as that. Ed Herman had the undefeated young prospect beat on every level. While making it to the UFC is never a bad thing, Starks got there quickly and now has to face the best of the best in MMA without those critical dozen or so fights where a fighter learns his weaknesses, makes his mistakes, and adjusts his game accordingly. When Starks couldn’t out-wrestle Herman, he became a deer in headlights with no idea how to handle the situation.

The Ugly:

Nick Diaz: Hype is a dangerous thing. One day, Nick Diaz is widely seen as the man to beat UFC welterweight king “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (22-2) and is touted by the Zuffa machine as the best boxer in the division, the next day he is the guy who pitched a fit and threatened to retire after dropping a five-round decision to a guy that was a big underdog. Diaz lost hands down on every card that even remotely matters and he didn’t lose just the fight, he lost the hype and a ton of respect with his take-my-ball-and-go-home post-fight speech. If there were any remaining doubts that GSP would have completely dominated Nick Diaz, Carlos Condit’s use of superior footwork, tactics, and striking just erased them. It wasn’t just a loss or the end of a winning streak, the loss means that Diaz is no longer the chosen one of the hardcore fans; he is just another talented welterweight.

Roy Nelson: Roy’s improved fitness and training ethics have done wonders for him. Now he just needs to cut to light heavyweight before he uses up Dana White’s remaining good graces. Werdum, not an overly large heavyweight by any means, dwarfed “Big Country” and easily muscled the former IFL champ around the cage. By the midpoint of the fight, Nelson was gassed not because of his cardio or even because of the damage Werdum did with strikes – he was gassed because he had been clinch fighting with a much larger, stronger man for seven minutes. It’s time for “Big Country” to turn himself into “Medium Country” before his career becomes “Not in the UFC”.

Click here for the full list of UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit results.

Carlos Condit (black trunks) isn't the more well rounded fighter in his UFC 143 match, but he is one of the rare welterweights who can match both Nick Diaz's striking ability and his reach.(Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

The UFC returns to its familiar five-bout Pay-Per-View format Saturday as UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit hits the air waves from the Mandalay Bay Event Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. After the prelim fighters finish their business on Facebook and FX, the PPV portion of the broadcast will open with a bout between middleweight TUF alum “Short Fuse” Ed Herman (17-8) and undefeated prospect Clifford Starks (5-0). Next up, a bantamweight affair hits the cage as WEC mainstay “Young Guns” Scott Jorgensen (12-3) squares off with Renan Barao (27-1). For the anchor and co-main, “Kos” Josh Koscheck (16-5) will face Mike Pierce (10-3) and heavyweights Fabricio Werdum (14-5-1) and “Big Country” Roy Nelson (16-6) will throw their weight around the Octagon. Even with such a strong supporting card, all eyes will still be on the main event fight for the Interim UFC Welterweight Championship. In one corner, controversial former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Nick Diaz (26-8), in the other, former WEC champion “Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit (27-5).  

At First Glance: Both of these men were promised title shots against welterweight king “Rush” Georges St. Pierre (22-2). Both men were denied their shot, Diaz due to his own failure to respect the UFC’s wishes regarding pre-fight behavior and Condit due to an injury to the champ himself. Instead, the welterweights will fight for the interim title, a belt that serves as a place holder for the number one contender in the absence of the true champion. Fate has delivered the promised title shot denied each man and has given the fans an opportunity to see two of the most effective strikers in the division go toe to toe for UFC gold.

In Depth: Like many anticipated MMA bouts, this fight is a classic match-up. The difference though is it is a classic boxing match-up: the technician versus the brawler. Diaz has a solid jab and uses his reach well not only to control distance but to deal damage. The rest of his stand-up, however, is rudimentary at best, relying on heavy-handed, wide hooks and leaning, over-extended crosses. These function well for him for two reasons, his jab keeps his opponent distracted and MMA strikers rarely posses the needed striking abilities to deal with his reach and hand speed. Unfortunately for Diaz, Condit is an exceptionally skilled technical kickboxer who knows how to deal with Diaz’s aggressive and damaging style and can also match his reach and speed. This puts the “209″ native in an unfamiliar position. He is facing a technically superior striker who won’t be intimidated by his aggression and doesn’t have to worry about fighting from the outside. Diaz will be at a disadvantage standing, a situation he isn’t accustomed to.

Nick Diaz (blue gloves) has superior grappling and cardio when compared to Carlos Condit, but his weakness in the area of wrestling may force him to stand and give Condit an even playing field. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

The Stockton brawler does have an ace in the hole, however. His ground game is several steps above that of Condit. Both men have wrestling that is best described as serviceable, but Diaz is not only a BJJ black belt to Carlos’ purple, he also is a Sambo expert and has one of the most respected closed guards in the business. Should the fight go to the ground, Condit will find it difficult to simply survive long enough to stand the match back up. Should Diaz successfully pull guard or secure a takedown against the “Natural Born Killer”, he could end the fight in short order.

Wild Card: Diaz has a quality that even some of the elite MMA fighters in the world lack. He isn’t just a natural fighter, he’s a bred fighter. Diaz was fighting for his life literally since he was a young child and that grants a fighter more than just a hunger to win, it gives them an instinctive need to win built from years of either winning or facing serious life threatening injury. Like many of the blue chip prospects out of depressed third world countries like Brazil, Diaz was battle hardened from a young age and it gives him a killer instinct that is second to none.

The Verdict: Diaz has the skill on the mat to end the fight and the toughness, both natural and developed, to last on the feet. He also has the proven cardio to go five rounds. Those will be key assets to his arrival at the judges’ decision, but they likely won’t win him the fight. His stand-up is geared toward fighting from a distance where takedowns are difficult to secure and Condit is more than capable of defeating him. Condit via Unanimous Decision

Last week, Ed Perdomo and Johnny Rodriguez covered passing the guard on the high side. This week, Ed will build off of that maneuver with a Spinning Straight Armbar.  The Armbar is a simple technique that not only follows the natural momentum of the guard pass, but also plays into the opponent’s natural reaction to having his guard passed in this manner. We will start with the last image from last week’s article to provide reference and to serve as a chance to remind practitioners of a few key positions coming out of the pass.

Ed has passed Johnny’s guard and is preparing to spin into the Armbar position (LEFT). Before he starts the spin, Ed makes certain that his outside foot is under Johnny’s shoulder near the armpit. This not only makes sure Ed will sit close enough to the shoulder when he finishes the Armbar, it also helps to prevent Johnny from rolling into the technique to prevent the submission.

Next Ed spins in place, swinging his inside leg behind himself and around Johnny’s head (RIGHT). As he turns, Ed uses his hand to push against Johnny’s leg, helping further prevent him from rolling into Ed’s legs. Ed also pushes his shin against Johnny’s rib cage to ensure that his leg is between Johnny’s elbow and the rest of his body.

When Ed comes about, he brings his foot as close to Johnny’s head as possible. This isolates Johnny’s head and arm between his legs. Ed then squats down and collects Johnny’s arm at the elbow with his outside hand and at the wrist with his inside hand (LEFT).

Once he has control of the arm, Ed moves to trap it. First, he holds Johnny’s arm tight to his chest and stands, pulling the arm up with him. Second, Ed makes a quarter turn into Johnny, keeping his feet in place. This traps Johnny’s arm between Ed’s thighs (RIGHT). Finally, Ed squeezes Johnny’s arm tight between his knees and sits to the mat as close to his shoulder as possible.

Ed then finishes the submission by lying back, turning Johnny’s thumb away from his chest, and extending his hips (LEFT). Important things to note in this position are the fact that Ed’s outside foot is tucked tightly under Johnny’s head by the spin and that his inside leg is between Johnny’s shoulder and head. With this position, Johnny’s head and arm are totally isolated, preventing him from trying to roll into the Armbar and clasp his hands in defense.

Recap:

1. When you exit the guard pass, make sure your foot is as deep in your opponent’s armpit as possible.
2. Spin your inside leg behind you and around your opponent’s head, making sure that your stationary outside leg is between your opponent’s rib cage and elbow.
3. With your inside foot as close to your opponent’s head as possible, squat and collect their arm.
4. Stand up, bringing the arm with you, and make a quarter turn into your opponent to trap the head and arm.
5. Sit to the mat as close to your opponent’s shoulder as possible, squeeze with your knees, lie back, and finish the submission by extending your hips.

This Armbar takes a fair amount of practice to get down pat, but it is a very viable option against wrestlers, who will want to turn into you for a single during the scramble, and strikers, who will be looking to flip over and get to their feet. In both cases, the opponent’s natural reaction is to turn in a direction favorable to your attack. Next week, Ed will pass the guard on the low side and move into side mount.

 *Ed Perdomo is a 4th degree black belt in the Korean grappling art of Hapkido and is head instructor of the Hapkido Institute in Morris, Illinois.

Ed Herman (white trunks) is far more experienced than his UFC 143 opponent Clifford Starks and holds key advantages in every area of the fight game. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

Following up a strong network TV debut at UFC on FOX 2 last Saturday, the UFC returns to Pay-Per-View for UFC 143: Diaz vs. Condit. The promotion’s first full network TV card fell short of many fans’ expectations, but it dominated the ratings and UFC 143 will provide the first measuring stick for how the more than five million fans exposed to the sport for free will affect the PPV buy rates. Headlining the card is Nick Diaz (26-8) as he faces “Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit (27-5) for the Interim UFC Welterweight Championship. Stepping into the co-main slot is a heavyweight showdown between returning Fedor killer “Vai Cavalo” Fabricio Werdum (14-5-1) and “Big Country” Roy Nelson (16-6). “Kos” Josh Koscheck (16-5) will anchor the card against the always dangerous Mike Pierce (10-3) and WEC bantamweight stalwart “Young Guns” Scott Jorgensen (12-3) will put his heavy hands to the test against submission machine Renan Barao (27-1). Opening the PPV card, fans will find “Short Fuse” Ed Herman (17-8) who looks to continue his renaissance with a third straight UFC win by defeating undefeated Clifford Starks (5-0).       

At First Glance: Ed Herman placed a 1-3 mark in the four bouts prior to his major knee injury but has made a solid return to the Octagon following his nearly two-year hiatus. Since his return in June of 2011, “Short Fuse” has punched out two straight impressive first-round wins. For now, momentum is a big part of the Team Quest TUF alum’s appeal. Across from him Clifford Starks has the distinct confidence of an undefeated fighter and has already dealt with his Octagon jitters by handing Dustin Jacoby (6-1) his first loss in a three-round Unanimous Decision at UFC 137. The match saw the Div. I wrestler control his foe on the mat with easy single-legs and high pressure top control. The match means the same for both men: it’s a change to earn a high profile win and build a noticeable winning streak to move them up the ranks.

In Depth: Both of these men have similar skill sets and styles. They are wrestlers first with Starks fighting folk style out of Arizona State and Herman being a student of the Greco-Roman heavy Team Quest camp of Oregon. The difference comes in style and stand-up. Herman is the much more studied and experienced kickboxer. Against Jacoby, Starks ate a steady diet of straight lefts, his sole counter for which was a wild hook that often missed. He was able to shoot under Jacoby’s power shots to secure the takedown, but was all but lost on the feet. Herman on the other hand has been able to stand successfully against his ground-based opponents and even managed to carry two skilled UFC Thai boxers to the judges, defeating one of them. The big difference in this bout is that unlike Jacoby, Herman has the wrestling skills to dictate where the fight goes. Starks will need to shoot often and press hard if he wants to rely on his wrestling to win the match, but even then the drain on his stamina will be significant. Unless he has vastly improved his striking, standing with Herman will only end in a KO victory for “Short Fuse”.

Wild Card: The kind of injury suffered by Ed Herman is the kind that drastically changes a fighter for life. While it may seem that his abilities to defend the shoot haven’t suffered, Herman has yet to face a credible wrestling threat since his return. That could prove a problem if his knee has trouble holding up against the kind of power a Div. I wrestler like Clifford Starks can put behind his shoots.

The Verdict: Barring an issue with his knee, this fight is Herman’s to lose. He is far more well-rounded, far more experienced both on the big stage and in general, and he has the perfect skill set to counter the wrestling of Clifford Starks. Starks is a solid prospect, but he is stepping into much deeper waters against a veteran opponent in Ed Herman. Herman via TKO (Punches), Round 2

Rashad Evans (black shorts) clearly controlled every aspect of the fight against Phil Davis (pink shorts), winning a 50-45 decision on all three judges’ scorecards. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

The UFC on FOX 2 card went down at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois and the fans of MMA around the world were treated to a night of solid mixed martial arts on Fuel TV and FOX. Unfortunately for the UFC, all of the fight bonus winners and the most casual fan friendly bouts aired as part of the prelims on the much smaller Fuel TV network and the FOX network showed three technical but less than entertaining fights that went the distance. “All American” Chris Weidman (8-0) used superior wrestling and solid stand-up to edge out Demian Maia (14-4) with a Unanimous Decision. The consensus number one contender Chael Sonnen (26-11-1) stamped his ticket to another showdown with middleweight king “The Spider” Anderson Silva (29-4) by earning a Unanimous Decision over top British middleweight “The Count” Michael Bisping (22-4). In the main event, “Sugar” Rashad Evans (17-1-1) put on a dominant five-round performance against “Mr. Wonderful” Phil Davis (8-1) to earn himself a unanimous nod from the three judges cageside. The card may have fallen short of the UFC’s expectations, but the story may be different for the fighters themselves.

The Good:

Rashad Evans: The former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion was on his mark from bell to bell against Phil Davis. Rashad stepped into the Octagon and outstruck a fighter with a significant advantage in reach, and more importantly, outwrestled a fighter with vastly superior wrestling credentials. Evans may not have been able to capitalize on any of his advantageous positions or score a fan pleasing finish, but he kept a dangerous opponent off-balance for five solid rounds and won every minute of the fight on all three scorecards.

Michael Bisping: “The Count” may have dropped the decision against number one contender Chael Sonnen, but he answered a lot of questions about his abilities. Bisping looked phenomenal against Sonnen in the first two rounds and gave a strong account of himself in the third. His boxing was solid, his counter grappling was excellent, and his ability to stop Sonnen from imposing his will on the ground was impressive. Though there was little basis for the pundits’ claims that Bisping hasn’t faced the top competition in the first place, such insinuations were completely put to rest by the Brit’s stellar performance against Sonnen.

Chris Weidman: After a very tough weight cut on only ten days notice, Chris Weidman stepped into the cage with one of the middleweight division’s best fighters and gave him all he could handle. On the mat, Weidman’s wrestling proved a strong foil for Maia’s elite submission grappling. The Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu expert never even came close to setting a submission attempt against the Div. I wrestler. On the feet, Weidman ran the show, countering soft pawing jabs with hard combinations and shooting under wild left hooks when necessary. It was an excellent showing on short notice and more importantly for Weidman’s career, on network TV.

The Bad:

Phil Davis: Davis is young and relatively inexperienced especially for a fighter at the UFC championship level. He will learn from his loss and come back stronger for it. However, he was totally outclassed in every aspect of his fight with Rashad Evans. Davis was unable to find his footing and was noticeably tense under the bright lights of a national stage. The loss won’t hurt his career much as he was able to prevent Evans from finding an opening to finish the bout, but just surviving isn’t enough to maintain his status as a title contender. Davis will have to build another impressive winning streak just to get back to where he was prior to UFC on FOX 2.

Chael Sonnen: Sonnen may have won his bout and earned another crack at the UFC Middleweight Championship, but his performance was far from impressive or even up to par. Chael reportedly had a difficult weight cut and was physically ill just a few days prior to weigh-ins, but it doesn’t change the fact that he barely edged out a fighter who looked worlds better than him to the eyes of most fans, especially the uneducated masses of the casual fan base. Bisping looked spry, crisp, and quick while Sonnen appeared gassed and almost lost in the Octagon for 15 minutes. Making matters worse, his pro-wrestling style post-fight antics were in no way justified by his actions in the cage. He spared the fans from having to hear a list of legitimate excuses for his lackluster showing, but erased that dignity by behaving as if he had dominated the Brit.

The Ugly:

Demian Maia: Maia faced a man who cut +20lbs. on ten days notice, had no training camp, and had less than half as many fights under his belt as Maia, none of which were against top ten opponents. Unfortunately for Maia, this man, Chris Weidman, showed absolutely no respect for Maia’s striking which consisted of a lazy, pawing jab and a wide left hook and managed to do real damage on the feet to the Brazilian. Matters were even worse on the mat where the Div. I wrestler completely shut down Maia’s vaunted BJJ skills. A loss to a short notice opponent who he should have easily dominated when the stats were presented on paper is one of the worst things that Maia’s career could suffer as he falls to just a .500 mark in his last four fights.

Click here for a complete list of UFC on FOX 2 results.

Chael Sonnen (white trunks) represents a very dangerous threat to Michael Bisping, who has given up what would have been a much less risky fight against Demian Maia for a chance at a UFC title shot. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

UFC on FOX 2: Evans vs. Davis will take place Saturday at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois as the UFC delivers its second official offering of its multi-year deal with FOX. Chris Weidman (7-0) will face Demian Maia (14-3) on short notice to open the night’s broadcast with what will likely develop into a ground battle between wrestler and submission artist. Two title shots will also be on the line as “Sugar” Rashad Evans (16-1-1) squares off with “Mr. Wonderful” Phil Davis (8-0) in the main event and “The Count” Michael Bisping (22-3) replaces an injured “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Mark Munoz (10-2) against Chael Sonnen (25-11-1) in the co-main. With a potential title shot up for grabs, Bisping jumped at the chance to bow out of his previously scheduled bout with Demian Maia and face the Team Quest fighter. However, Chael Sonnen has made no secret of the fact that he will let nothing stand between him and the “12 lbs. of gold” around “The Spider” Anderson Silva’s (29-4) waist.

At First Glance: The first impression of this fight is that Michael Bisping is a gambling man for certain. He stepped out of a fight against Demian Maia, a fighter whose suspect takedown abilities made him a definitive underdog against the Brit, into a match with one of the most aggressive and decorated wrestlers in the division. He traded a near certain win that might have earned him a title shot for a long shot chance at a guaranteed title shot. For Sonnen, the change in opponents is a double-edged sword. On one hand, he no longer has to deal with a fellow ground fighter who has already beaten him on the wrestling mat. However, on the other hand, he is facing an opponent on short notice with an entirely different set of skills and failings.

In Depth: For Michael Bisping, this gamble will likely come back to bite him. When it comes to his advantages over Sonnen, he is a day late and a dollar short to coin the phrase. Bisping is a better striker than Sonnen, but neither Brian Stann (11-4) nor Anderson Silva were able to cause Sonnen so much as a moment’s pause on the feet. Bisping also has a vastly underrated submission game, but it still falls short of the kind of world class grappling needed to take advantage of the openings presented by Sonnen’s aggressive ground attack. The opposite is true for Chael Sonnen. While he lacks in striking and submissions, his clinch work and positional control will make those statistics moot. As far as his strengths are concerned, Sonnen’s aggressive takedowns and punishing ground-and-pound are more than enough to negate Bisping’s solid defensive grappling and takedown defense. When it’s all said and done, Bisping is betting it all on black to either score the upset and jump to the front of the line or fail miserably and spend another six years climbing the ladder.

Michael Bisping (red gloves) has a distinct advantage in striking abilities over Chael Sonnen, but his skill pales when compared to the elite level stand-up fighters that Chael Sonnen has dominated. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

Wild Card: Where Bisping does have a noticeable advantage is in size. While both men enjoyed careers at 205lbs. Bisping has the beefier frame and the more powerful build. It likely won’t be enough for him to fight off Sonnen’s attacks on strength alone, but it should allow him to muscle himself out of a few precarious positions and it may even allow him to force a submission if “The Count” manages to hit a reversal on the mat.

The Verdict: The long and short of this fight is that it is a bad match for Bisping. Though his totally different style from Mark Munoz means that Chael will have to develop a game plan on the fly, the outspoken former middleweight title contender has a skill set that is tailor made to hand the Brit a one way ticket to the bottom of the title contender heap. Sonnen via TKO (Strikes), Round 3

Chris Weidman (blue trunks) may not have Demian Maia's submission skills, but his high level wrestling coupled with the fact that Maia's original opponent Michael Bisping prefers to stand should allow him to edge out the Brazilian. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

The UFC will present its first full card on the network TV giant FOX’s flagship station as UFC on FOX 2: Evans vs. Davis looks to name the number one contenders for not one but two UFC titles. Headlining the card is a light heavyweight contest between “Sugar” Rashad Evans (16-1-1) who will face “Mr. Wonderful” Phil Davis (8-0) for a chance at UFC gold in the 205lbs. division. Serving as the co-main event, “The Count” Michael Bisping (22-3) will replace an injured “The Filipino Wrecking Machine” Mark Munoz (10-2) against Chael Sonnen (25-11-1) with a middleweight championship bid hanging in the balance. Opening things up for the televised card, Chris Weidman (7-0) will step in on short notice to face Demian Maia (14-3). The bout will represent a chance for Weidman to expose casual fans to his breed of high octane wrestling and top game submissions, but also poses the most serious threat to his undefeated record to date.  

At First Glance: That he will have only a brief opportunity to prepare for this bout is nothing new to Chris Weidman. Of his three UFC bouts, two have come as a last-minute replacement for an injured fighter. That coupled with the fact that Maia has spent months preparing to face Michael Bisping, a striker who fights from the outside, presents a favorable situation for the ADCC veteran and NCAA Div. I wrestler. On the other side of things, Maia is the kind of grappler that gives wrestlers fits and he also no longer has to worry about finding a way to get the fight to the mat.

In Depth: To see the danger this fight presents to Maia, one need look no further than his last loss. Maia may have some of the best submissions in the division, but he hasn’t been able to bring them to bear against high level wrestlers. He scored a Triangle Choke win against Chael Sonnen in 2009, but was completely controlled by Mark Munoz who, like Weidman, is much more conservative with his offense on the mat. Should Maia find himself underneath Weidman, it is unlikely he will be able to reverse his fortunes. Neither man is a truly competent striker despite the KO wins each has achieved, but Maia gets the edge in that department so long as he keeps his head and remembers that he isn’t good enough on the feet to get fancy. That fact also points to Maia’s biggest advantage in this bout. Whereas Chris Weidman can and often does finish fights, his road to victory lies through top control-based wrestling. Maia, however, can easily finish the fight anywhere. In fact, the only way he can win this fight relies on his ability to score the finish from unfavorable positions.

Demian Maia (red gloves) has a lot of adjustments to make to his game plan and only a short time to make them, causing Chris Weidman's solid ground skills to potentially be even more of an obstacle for him. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

Wild Card: Maia’s training camp represents a big issue for him in this fight. While Maia will likely be thrilled to face an opponent not only willing to go to the mat, but openly favoring the ground game, he still has to throw out months of game planning and situation specific training with only two weeks time to make up for it. This could seriously hurt Maia if he tailors his striking game to Bisping’s takedown avoidance instead of Weidman’s wrestling. The wrong strike at the wrong time could easily end in a double-leg that goes straight to side mount.

The Verdict: While Maia has faced superior competition and shined against all but the best of it, Weidman has a distinct advantage in the fact that he is a totally different kind of fighter than the one that Maia has prepared for. That, backed by a strong, control heavy wrestling attack, should be more than enough to shut down the BJJ ace and earn him a place among the division’s elite. Weidman via Unanimous Decision 

Middleweight contender Chael Sonnen (front center) took time from his pre-UFC on FOX 2 fight preparations to visit with fans at Clay Guida's (back center) MMA Stop Fitness in Crest Hill, Illinois. (MMA Gospel File Photo)

Last night outspoken middleweight contender Chael Sonnen (25-11-1) took time out from his packed schedule in the week leading up to his UFC on FOX 2 bout against “The Count” Michael Bisping (22-3) to hold a mini-seminar, private workout, and autograph signing for the fans and fighters at “The Carpenter” Clay Guida’s (29-12) MMA Stop Fitness in the Chicago suburb of Crest Hill.

Though a busy week preparing for his fight limited the affair to just two hours and a few dozen people, it was another prominent display of how top level MMA fighters remain accessible to their fans despite continued mainstream growth in the sport. In his seminar, Sonnen covered wrestling drills and a few other training tips as well as how to handle stepping into the big show. With a series of questions he addressed handling the bright lights saying, “Are you the toughest guy in your family? If that guy [your UFC opponent] comes over are you now the second toughest? Does he get to take the remote and hold the Doritos? Of course not! If you can beat him in your house, then you can beat him Saturday night in the Octagon, it’s no different.”  Chael Sonnen gave the members of the gym more than just the two hours promised despite becoming physically ill after his workout.

The MMA Stop Fitness gym opened by Clay Guida has provided a state of the art training facility as well as a constant outlet for MMA fans in the outlying suburbs of Chicago to meet and learn from UFC fighters . Since it opened in February of 2011, the gym has had multiple top UFC fighters, including Cain Velasquez (9-1), “Cowboy” Donald Cerrone (16-5), Thiago Silva (16-2), and “The Dominator” Dominick Cruz (18-1), among others, host seminars and autograph signings open to the general public.

This Friday, former WEC Featherweight Champion “The California Kid” Urijah Faber (26-5) will join the growing list of UFC fighters who have taken the time to visit Clay Guida’s suburban gym. Anyone can attend the hour-and-a-half long seminar starting at 6pm CT for $100 or attend the autograph signing at 7:30pm for the simple cost of purchasing something from the MMA Stop gear store. More information on how to register can be found at www.mmastopfitness.com or by calling 815-838-8700.

More photos from Chael Sonnen’s January 24 seminar at MMA Stop Fitness:

MMA Gospel’s Technique of the Week returns to give fans and aspiring fighters alike deeper understanding of the grappling techniques seen in the cage as Ed Perdomo and Johnny Rodriguez go back to the basics for a four-week arc showing two basic guard passes that move directly into two Straight Armbars from side mount. For the first move in this set, Ed Perdomo will pass Johnny’s guard on the high side and end in position to transfer directly into next week’s Armbar.

Ed has managed to posture up in Johnny’s closed guard. To pass the guard, he must first force Johnny to separate his feet and open his guard. In submission grappling this typically is done by pressuring with the shoulder or digging the elbow into the inside of the defender’s knee. MMA provides a more efficient option with ground-and-pound. Ed starts by sitting back in Johnny’s guard to avoid being pulled back down to his chest and begins throwing punches to force Johnny to open his guard (LEFT).

As soon as Johnny separates his feet, Ed moves to pass. He starts by using one hand to push Johnny’s knee on to the mat on the same side. At the same time, Ed posts up on the opposite leg. Once this knee is trapped, Ed will dig his elbow under Johnny’s knee on the opposite leg, trapping Johnny’s knee against his thigh with his forearm (RIGHT).

Once he has Johnny’s legs firmly separated and controlled, Ed pushes against Johnny’s high side leg (the leg not trapped to the mat) with his shoulder, slides his high side foot up to Johnny’s armpit, stands, and turns out of Johnny’s guard (LEFT). With Johnny’s high side leg caught on his shoulder, Ed has a couple of options: shuck the leg off the shoulder and slide into side mount, or move into a spinning Armbar as Ed will show next week. One very important thing to notice is that throughout the move, Ed’s hand on the high side stays inside Johnny’s knee to defend against a Triangle if needed. The number one rule in dealing with an opponent’s guard is to keep both hands either inside or outside their legs – never have one hand inside the guard and one outside.

Recap:

1. Open your opponent’s guard with punches while sitting back in their guard.
2. Once their legs are open, post up on one foot and trap your opponent’s opposite knee to the mat with the hand opposite the foot on which you posted.
3. Insert your elbow on your free hand under your opponent’s high side knee by pushing through their inner thigh, making sure that you leave your hand against the inside of the opponent’s knee.
4. Press in with your shoulder, stand, and move your body around the high side to either take side mount or set up a submission.

This high side guard pass is one of the most basic in the world of submission grappling but it is also one of the most versatile as it leaves multiple options open after it is finished, allowing for anything from submission attempts to simply sliding into side control. Next week, Ed Perdomo will explore one of those many options.

 *Ed Perdomo is a 4th degree black belt in the Korean grappling art of Hapkido and is head instructor of the Hapkido Institute in Morris, Illinois.

Jim Miller (blue gloves) ushered in the UFC on FOX era by earning himself a potential shot at lightweight gold with a come-from-behind first-round submission of Melvin Guillard (red gloves). (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

The Ultimate Fighting Championship ushered in the UFC on FOX era with its first free offering of the year as UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller hit the airwaves following live prelims on FUEL TV. The card was memorable in several ways. Aside from being the inaugural event in MMA’s first long-term network TV deal, it also featured a host of entertaining and fast paced bouts with everything from title contention to jobs on the line. “HD” Pat Barry (6-5) opened the night with a career-saving KO victory over Christian Morecraft (7-3). “The Hulk” Mike Easton (9-0) continued to impress with a Majority Decision win over newcomer Jared Papazian (13-7-1). UFC mainstays “Bang” Duane Ludwig (21-12) and “The Dentist” Josh Neer (33-10-1) met in a slugfest that saw Ludwig land several solid blows only to fall victim to a Guillotine Choke. In the main event, “The Young Assassin” Melvin Guillard (27-10-2) fell short yet again with potential title contention on the line as “The Mongoose” Jim Miller (21-3) weathered an early storm to end the bout with a Rear Naked Choke. Every fight impressed both the fans and the UFC brass, but for some fighters, the night did end as well as they would have liked and for others, it ended in utter disaster.

The Good:

Jim Miller: New Jersey native Jim Miller may have had his seven-bout tear through the lightweight division ended at UFC on Versus 5, but he certainly hasn’t lost any of his momentum in the cage. Miller came out of the gates and ate a few solid knees and punches from Melvin Guillard, but he kept coming and took control of the fight in short order. Then, just two minutes into the fight, “The Mongoose” locked in a Rear Naked Choke and a potential shot at the lightweight title simultaneously as he picked up right where he left off: submitting the division’s best in short order.

Josh Neer: “The Dentist” has the double-edged honor of being one of very few fighters to have earned his way back to the Octagon multiple times. While this by default means he has been drummed out of the UFC multiple times as well, it is a testament to the durability and consistency of his abilities. Neer squared off in his fourth Octagon debut against a fighter who had a fair amount of hype behind him in Duane Ludwig, fought through early troubles on the feet, and managed to get a technical submission win in the first round. For Neer, it was a strong showing that will earn him another chance to make it big in the UFC.

Pat Barry (red trunks) showed vastly improved all-around skills on the ground that enabled him to use his world class kickboxing to defeat Christian Morecraft (black trunks) in exciting fashion. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

Pat Barry: Though his tenure in the UFC has been rough, Pat Barry’s ability to entertain fans and his comical personality have managed to keep his career alive. However, even that couldn’t have saved him had he lost three in a row and fallen two fights below .500. In his KO win over Christian Morecraft, “HD” showed vastly improved submission defense and the discipline to take advantage of the correct opportunities as they presented themselves in order to break even on his record and maintain his place in the Octagon. Barry delivered again on his promise to always deliver an exciting fight and this time he not only came out the victor, but sent a message to the division that he is starting to fill the holes in his skill set as well.

Mike Easton: Easton may have had a significant amount of luck to help him early in his career, but “The Hulk” has undeniably impressive skills that continue to improve from fight to fight. Easton proved against Papazian that he had the resilience and discipline to handle whatever was thrown at him when he stood in the pocket with the Muay Thai expert and held his own before earning several hard fought takedowns to secure a win on two of the three judges’ scorecards. As long as Easton continues to excel in firefights of this nature, he will rocket through the division to a title shot in short order.

Jared Papazian: Papazian may have started his UFC career with a loss, but he made an impression on the Zuffa brass and the fans that will more than make up for it in months to come. Papazian managed to control the stand-up with his Thai boxing and defended himself well enough on the ground to earn a Draw on one of three scorecards. He went stride for stride with Mike Easton, a fighter known for his ability to push opponents to their limits with his frantic pace. He may be 0-1, but there was a definitive moral victory for the former King of the Cage champ at UFC on FX.

The Bad:

Melvin Guillard: What can be said about Melvin Guillard that can’t be said about “Ken Flo” Kenny Florian (14-6)? He comes out and impresses everyone and streaks up towards a title shot with a string of dominant performances only to fall when it counts the most. Guillard is well liked by Dana White and is a solid talent to which his 10-6 UFC record can attest, but he just can’t seem to win the big fights. He took the momentum early against Miller but was unable to maintain it and was submitted shortly thereafter. This may just be because Miller was a bad match for him with his high-level submission game, but the loss makes him look like a choke artist all the same. Add to that the fact that Dana White has expressed sentiments that he is tired of waiting for Guillard to take his fights seriously, and you have a young man whose title dreams are walking the last mile.

Any benefit Duane Ludwig (red gloves) gained from the press surrounding the UFC's announcement officially recognizing his knockout as the fastest in UFC history was squandered in his technical submission loss to Josh Neer (blue gloves). (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

Duane Ludwig: Despite the hype surrounding the UFC’s announcement that, at least in their records, Ludwig owns the fastest KO in UFC history, the K-1 level striker is yet again floundering in his UFC career. He opened his current UFC stint with two losses and was on the fast track out the door when he managed to right the ship with a pair of wins. Now he is 2-3 in his last five against opponents who have never even had their name mentioned in title contention talks with the notable exception of Jim Miller. It won’t be long before yesterday’s highlight reel KO can no longer support his continued employment.

The Ugly:

Christian Morecraft: Though Ludwig and Guillard have landed in hot water due to their fortunes at UFC on FX, only Christian Morecraft has truly suffered a potential career-killing blow. This is made all the worse by the fact that he looked the best he ever has in the Octagon and still got knocked out. Morecraft entered the UFC 6-0 with six first round stoppages but has never managed to achieve a .500 record in the organization or defeat a fighter with more wins in the Octagon than losses. Against Barry, he rolled well but failed to submit a man with arguably the worst submission defense in the division despite locking in a fairly deep Armbar. At this point, any claim that Morecraft is a UFC-level talent is laughable at best.

Mike Easton (top) will look to add another win to his UFC record and remain undefeated by dominating Jared Papazian with his superior ground skills. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

“The Young Assassin” Melvin Guillard (27-9-2) and Jim Miller (20-3) will enter the Octagon for a lightweight contest Friday as the UFC presents UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller, the company’s first offering under its newly minted contract with media giant FOX. The card has four fights slated to appear on the FX network, all of which hold interesting potential for UFC fans. “The Dentist” Josh Neer (32-10-1) and “Bang” Duane Ludwig (21-11) both have the ability to put on a stand-out showing. “HD” Pat Barry’s (5-5) heavyweight throwdown against Christian Morecraft (7-2) not only pits the brawler against the boxer but it holds additional excitement as either fighter could easily lose his job with a loss. Perhaps one of the most interesting bouts sees Mike Easton (8-0) pit his officially undefeated record against journeyman fighter Jared Papazian (13-6-1) in the latter man’s UFC debut.

At First Glance:  The bout is one that could easily have made the plot for a made-for-TV movie. On one side is Jared Papazian who after 20 fights over four years of struggles in the trenches has finally caught the eyes of the big league scouts. Across from him is a fighter who has had the proverbial horseshoe up his butt, Mike Easton. Easton is no slouch, but his only loss was in an unsanctioned bout not recorded by the commissions and his win against “The Rage” Chase Beebe (19-8) was a decision that was named “Robbery of the Century” by several noteworthy sources including members of the UFC brass. It’s the hardworking blue collar brawler vs. the man who was always in the right place at the right time, or at least it could easily be billed that way.

In Depth: Despite his good fortunes, Mike Easton did not make it where he is today through pure luck. He is a very competent striker and has a submission game that earned him a BJJ black belt as well as the UWC Bantamweight Title. His career filled with stoppage victories, including a second-round TKO in his UFC debut, only serves as emphasis that Easton is very dangerous anywhere the fight goes. For his part, Papazian is a very experienced journeyman fighter who has been the distance many times and is coming off of three straight wins including two title fights in the California-based King of the Cage promotion. He has been in the trenches with every kind of fighter on the pre-UFC circuit and won’t be easily overwhelmed by Easton. Papazian comes up short on the mat, where wrestlers have controlled him and BJJ fighters, like Easton, have submitted him throughout his career. Papazian has the ability to handle Easton on the feet, but will likely get submitted quickly on the ground should the fight go there.

Jared Papazian (white trunks) has the stand-up skills and reach to be a danger to Mike Easton, but he lacks the ground skills to win the bout if it hits the mat. (Photo courtesy of Sherdog)

Wild Card: While Mike Easton easily has the positional wrestling and submission skills to finish the fight, he falls a bit short in the takedown and control aspects of the ground game. Against Beebe, he was totally outmatched as a wrestler and was controlled the entire bout, offering little offense from his back. Should Papazian be able to keep the fight standing against Easton’s suspect takedown game, he stands a good chance of going the distance on the feet and winning a decision with his superior reach.   

The Verdict: Papazian can take advantage of his reach and Easton’s shoddy takedowns, but it takes only one slip-up for the fight to hit the mat where Easton will dominate. Papazian’s weak ground game coupled with an opportunistic takedown will likely spell defeat for him in his UFC debut. Easton via Submission (Rear Naked Choke), Round 1

Christian Morecraft (blue gloves) has a serious advantage in size over Pat Barry, but offers little else to threaten the former K-1 fighter. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

The UFC’s new deal with FOX officially kicks off Friday as “The Young Assassin” Melvin Guillard (27-9-2) takes on Jim Miller (20-3) at UFC on FX: Guillard vs. Miller. Shoring up the main event are several fantastic matches including “The Dentist” Josh Neer (32-10-1) vs. “Bang” Duane Ludwig (21-11), Mike Easton (8-0) vs. Jared Papazian (13-6-1), and the opening fight between beleaguered K-1 fighter “HD” Pat Barry (5-5) and heavyweight brawler Christian Morecraft (7-2). The match is an important one for both men as the Zuffa contract axe looms in each of their futures should they fail to deliver in their match-up.

At First Glance: Morecraft and Barry are both in a similar position. Each man is 1-2 in their last three bouts with definitive stoppages in each of the losses. For Pat Barry, matters are even worse as his current UFC record stands at 3-4. Not many fighters get a match after falling below .500 in the UFC, let alone when it is backed with an overall even record, so Barry is facing considerable pressure to perform. Morecraft, for his part, has been unable to recreate his career successes inside the Octagon. He is 6-0 with six first-round finishes outside the UFC, but that’s fast becoming nothing more than a fluff piece to make defeating him seem like more of an accomplishment for a UFC-level heavyweight. If Morecraft wants to avoid a label as a tomato can, he needs an impressive win.

In Depth:The disparity in technical skill level in this bout is nearly as vast as the difference in size. At 5’11” and 235lbs. Pat Barry could easily make the light heavy or even middleweight division. He is, however, a striker whose skill as a kickboxer and devastating leg kicks can match any striker in the UFC. Morecraft stands 6’6” and has to cut weight to make the 265lbs. heavyweight limit. However, his advantages as a fighter stop there. He is a brawler through and through and has found his success in bullying his opponents around until he can score a big hook. Morecraft is also a very soft heavyweight who could stand to lean out and make himself a more solid 250lbs. heavyweight. The combination of Barry’s brutal leg kicks, more crisp, technical striking, and superior conditioning should spell an early end for Christian Morecraft.

Pat Barry (black trunks) holds nearly every key advantage in his UFC on FX bout, but Morecraft's sizable reach advantage could hand Barry a repeat of his come-from-behind loss to Cheick Kongo (white trunks). (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

Wild Card: Morecraft’s reach and height advantages are absolutely colossal. While “HD” is a far superior striker, the reach of Morecraft means that Barry must always be pushing forward once he is inside the larger man’s range to avoid getting stiff armed unconscious on the outside. Barry will likely collapse the pocket and batter Morecraft from inside, but with that necessary aggression comes the danger of suffering a repeat of Cheick Kongo’s (17-6-2) highlight reel come-from-behind KO.    

The Verdict:  At the end of the day, Morecraft is simply outclassed in the UFC at this point. He is one of the very few heavyweights that lacks the ability to take Pat Barry down and is in well over his head standing. Barry will close in tight, stay in Morecraft’s face, and batter his legs into some form of black and purple jelly with leg kicks en route to a first round TKO. Barry via TKO (Leg Kicks), Round 1

Jose Aldo's (red glove, center of crowd) emotional reaction and the Rio fans' reaction to it following his brutal first-round KO of Chad Mendes has ensured him a place on every UFC event in Brazil for a long time to come. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

The UFC has come and gone and the once deafening roar of the Brazilian crowd is now silenced following an electric night of first-round stoppages at UFC 142: Aldo vs. Mendes. Headlining the all too brief card was UFC Featherweight Champion “Junior” Jose Aldo (20-1) who successfully defended his title in front of a fanatical hometown crowd by blasting the title dreams, consciousness, and undefeated record of “Money” Chad Mendes (11-1) into non-existence with a brutal knee strike. Former UFC Heavyweight Tournament and Light Heavyweight Champion “The Phenom” Vitor Belfort (21-9) came to the cage looking dangerously eager to face ill-fated former welterweight “Rumble” Anthony Johnson (10-4) and made quick work of his foe, submitting “Rumble” with a Rear Naked Choke. “Toquinho” Rousimar Palhares (16-5) sent a clear message to the rest of the division against Mike Massenzio (13-6) as he added yet another vicious Heel Hook submission win to his record. Controversy filled the air when Erick Silva (8-3) completely destroyed Carlo Prater (28-11-1) in just 29 seconds only to have his victory taken from him as referee Mario Yamasaki ruled the bout a disqualification due to illegal strikes. The opening fight of the night saw British brawler Terry Etim (15-4) suffer one of the most spectacular KO losses in MMA history as Edson Barboza (10-0) nailed him square on the jaw with a spinning hook kick. In a night where all but one bout fails to go past the first round, it is very clear who the winners and losers are, but divining the level to which those victories and defeats impact a fighter’s career takes The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.  

The Good:

Jose Aldo:  What can be said about Jose Aldo that hasn’t already been said about a Category 5 Hurricane? The man is a force of nature that destroys everything in his path and it is best just to stay out of his path. In addition to inciting a crowd reaction that guarantees he will defend his belt on every upcoming UFC event in Brazil, Aldo took every piece of criticism the pundits had and made them eat it. A Div. I All-American wrestler was unable to achieve anything remotely resembling a takedown against the champ, silencing talk of his suspect wrestling. He then blasted said NCAA Div. I All-American with a knee that ended everything with just one second left in the round, banishing the specter of recent lackluster performances. Aldo cashed his check and now has job security as long as there is a Brazil for him to fight in.

Vitor Belfort: One of the single most cliché expressions found in MMA is the cry of “He looked like the OLD (Fighter Name) tonight! (Fighter Nickname) is back!” when a veteran or former champion wins. This time it was very appropriate, not because Vitor showed the razor’s edge that made even the smallest mistake a critical failure, not because he dominated his opponent, and not because he stayed completely in control even when his opponent managed to gain top position, but because when Vitor walked to the cage he was intense, focused, and for the first time in a very long time, completely free of the fragile mental state that has marked him since his sister disappeared in 2004. That Vitor, the old Vitor, is possibly the most dangerous fighter on the planet.

Rousimar Palhares (black shorts) has the kind of leg locks that stick out in the minds of the fans not because they end fights, but because they end careers. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

Rousimar Palhares: When the previously mentioned most dangerous fighter on the planet is mentioned, Palhares definitely deserves at least an honorable mention. His leg locks are a thing of nightmares even for elite level ADCC grapplers. He may not ever make the top pound-for-pound fighter rankings, or even the top five in his weight class, but the fact remains that he can end a fight, and a career, at the drop of a hat. The Brazilian submission fighter locked Mike Massenzio in an inverted Heel Hook submission and immediately attempted to forcibly remove the leg from the American’s body. Several submission fighters have been said to collect necks, arms, and even legs based on their preferred submissions. Palhares is starting to collect ACLs.

Erick Silva: Erick Silva arguably did everything right. His timing was unquestionable, his killer instincts were razor sharp, and his technique was flawless when he blasted Carlo Prater with a knee to the body. He then fired away with hammerfists until the fight was stopped just 29 seconds into the bout. All was well until the official decision was called a DQ due to blows to the back of the head. This raised a serious issue as replay showed clearly that all but one of the hammerfists were legal by the “Mohawk” definition of the back of the head. However, the blows were mostly questionable by the “Behind the Ears” definition, making it highly unlikely that the commission will change the bout to a No Contest. Silva did impress his bosses though and will likely come out unscathed in the eyes of the Zuffa brass.

Brazil native Edson Barboza (left) opened up the UFC 142 main card with a third-round head kick KO over Terry Etim (right) for which he claimed "Knockout of the Night" and "Fight of the Night" bonuses.

Edson Barboza: One of the lightweight division’s most prolific young strikers, Edson Barboza, has done nothing but impress since coming to the UFC. He entered his UFC 142 bout on the heels of a TKO win and two clear cut decision wins as a solid blue chip prospect and he came out the other side an instant top contender and the owner of one of the most awe inspiring highlight reel KOs in UFC history. Just over two minutes into the third round, Barboza landed a spinning hook kick to the jaw of Terry Etim that instantly rendered the British fighter comatose. It earned him a “Knockout of the Night” award and more importantly burned his name and likeness into the mind of every UFC fan watching.      

The Bad:

Chad Mendes: “Money” Mendes actually entered the cage against Jose Aldo as a favorite in the eyes of many pundits. His unstoppable takedowns and endless cardio were supposed to give him the ability to shut down Aldo’s offense and tax the champion’s questionable stamina to the breaking point, earning him a decision win in Aldo’s own backyard. Things didn’t quiet pan out that way for the undefeated challenger. Mendes failed to even come close to grounding the champ and with just one second remaining in the round he suffered the greatest pitfall of a one-dimensional skill set when Aldo slammed a knee into his face, ending Mendes’ night and his undefeated run.

Carlo Prater: Carlo Prater may have gotten the win, but there is nothing good about getting wrecked in 29 seconds. The journeyman fighter came out of the gates swinging and was instantly outclassed by Silva’s vastly superior stand-up. Prater instantly grabbed his shoulder after the stoppage, perhaps trying to save face by blaming the loss on an injury, but he got the win anyway when the bout was ruled a DQ. Unfortunately for him, he may have the win but he didn’t fool anyone into thinking he is capable of competing on a UFC level.

The Ugly:

Mike Massenzio: A submission loss to Rousimar Palhares in just over a minute isn’t necessarily enough to land Mike Massenzio in The Ugly. Even seeing his UFC mark fall to 2-4 is excusable to a certain extent given the names he has lost to. The thing that places Massenzio squarely in the same career death category as “Rumble” Johnson is the potential damage done to his knees by Palhares. There was real pain in the fighter’s reaction to the Heel Hook and he had to be assisted from the cage following the lock. Good luck will find Massenzio sore for a few weeks. Bad luck will find him in an ACL surgery that his shaky career won’t likely recover from.

Anthony Johnson (black shorts) not only missed weight for a third time despite moving up a weight class, he was utterly dominated by "The Phenom" Vitor Belfort (white shorts), losing both the fight and his job in the first round. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

Anthony Johnson: “Rumble” missed weight. Again. This time he missed it by an absolutely appalling 11 pounds. Before he ever entered the arena for UFC 142, Dana White said that win or lose, Johnson’s job was on the line. This led many to believe that “Rumble” not only had to win, but dominate, in order to stay in the UFC. Instead, a fighter who was unapologetic about missing weight after going up a weight class to avoid just such an issue got completely dominated by a fighter who proved superior on every level. There was absolutely nothing good about this bout for Anthony Johnson and the result is so ugly that this article should henceforth be known as “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, and The Rumble” just to make sure everyone knows that a screw up this bad makes a KO loss while on a three-fight losing streak look good.

Terry Etim: Any fight that sees a competitor topple over stone rigid and completely unaware of his own name, let alone his surroundings, is a very bad thing for a career. Etim wants to be known as a streaking young fighter who is dangerous in every aspect of the game, not as that guy who was put in a temporary coma by a spinning hook kick courtesy of Edson Barboza. Add to the KO a pedestrian 3-2 mark in his last five bouts and you have a fighter who is several years away from where he was just two fights ago when he was riding a four-bout hot streak.

The last time Anthony Johnson (blue gloves) faced a credible striking threat, he relied on his size and power wrestling game to win a decision. Against a larger opponent with faster, more powerful punches it is unclear if that will be enough to get him the "W" at UFC 142. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

The first UFC offering of 2012 comes to fans this Saturday in the form of UFC 142 where UFC Featherweight Champion “Junior” Jose Aldo (19-1) will defend his belt against “Money” Chad Mendes (11-0). The card marks the organization’s second return to the country of Brazil since the beginning of the Zuffa era and, as is often the case when the UFC travels abroad, it features a majority of fighters from that country. “Toquinho” Rousimar Palhares (15-5) will take on American middleweight Mike Massenzio (13-5), “Indio” Erick Silva (8-2) will face off with fellow Brazilian “Neo” Carlo Prater (27-11-1), and Edson Barboza (9-0) will put his undefeated record on the line against British striker Terry Etim (15-3). Serving as the co-main event is a middleweight match-up with a serious impact on the top of the division’s food chain. Former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion and UFC 12 Tournament winner “The Phenom” Vitor Belfort (20-9) will seek to further erase his loss to current champion “The Spider” Anderson Silva (29-4) by knocking out former welterweight contender “Rumble” Anthony Johnson (10-3) who will be making his 185lbs. divisional debut.   

At First Glance: While title implications are not a significant part of this bout, there are still major waves to be made by both fighters, especially considering the comparative lack of depth in the 185lbs. division. Anthony Johnson is making his first appearance at middleweight and consequently his first appearance in the UFC that will not require him to make a +50lbs. weight cut. The presence of such a large and athletic middleweight could jumble up the upper ranks of the division in a major way, especially if he makes a splash with a win over a consensus top ten middleweight. Vitor Belfort is preparing to take on the role as coach for The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil opposite long-time rival “The Axe Murderer” Wanderlei Silva (35-11-1) and needs to enter the show on the heels of another victory to keep the relevance of his post-season bout with Wanderlei alive. Vitor’s only loss at 185lbs. is to the current champ, so a loss would be all the more damaging as it will significantly hurt his standing in the division as well.

Vitor Belfort's (black trunks) ability to exploit even the tiniest of openings to devastating effect is critical to his success against a power wrestler like Anthony Johnson. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

In Depth: The long and short of this fight is Johnson’s power wrestling and raw size vs. Belfort’s sickening hand speed and tremendous knockout power. Belfort’s Achilles’ heel has always been his wrestling, but he more than compensates for it with explosive hand speed that allows him to demolish wrestlers as they come in for the takedown. Still, against skilled wrestlers, Belfort has a record of 2-4 which doesn’t bode well for “The Phenom” against Johnson who has a respectable if not exceptional wrestling pedigree. For Johnson’s part, he is a larger fighter, as is almost always the case in his bouts, and will have the added bonus of cutting 15 fewer pounds for this bout than he was forced to as a welterweight. What he does lack, however, is any evidence that he can handle the blistering hand speed and power of Belfort’s boxing. Johnson has faced a skilled striker only once in his career and even then was lost on the feet and resorted to lay-and-pray wrestling for the win. Against Belfort who has superior takedown defense, boxing, hand speed, and power when compared to “The Outlaw” Dan Hardy (23-10), the only credible striking threat of “Rumble’s” career, the outlook doesn’t look good for the newly minted middleweight. For Johnson, the fight is all about closing the distance with his head in tact and controlling Belfort long enough to pull out a decision win. For “The Phenom” the bout balances solely on his ability to make Johnson pay for any opening he presents, and in a violent fashion.

Wild Card: The x-factor in this fight is obvious – it is Johnson’s size, but not in the way most would think. While “Rumble” will cut from around 225lbs. to make weight, giving him around a 20lbs. advantage over Belfort, his size may actually work against him. Belfort began his career as a heavyweight and spent the majority of it at light heavyweight. He is more than comfortable fighting opponents the size of Anthony Johnson. “Rumble” by contrast wrestled at 174lbs. and spent his MMA career at 170lbs. and is thus used to having a very significant advantage in size and strength. If he has come to rely on that advantage too much over the course of his career, there is a very good chance that Belfort will expose it in a manner that leaves “Rumble” devoid of his consciousness.   

The Verdict: At the end of the night, this is Belfort’s fight to lose. His worst enemy was always himself and he seems to have put the mercurial nature of his youth behind him. Johnson is fighting at a new weight against fighters larger than any he has faced before. Even though he is still the bigger man, he will not enjoy the kind of advantage he has become accustomed to and that may very well spell the end for him. Look for Johnson to struggle to close the distance only to be left on his back after a vintage Vitor Belfort blitzkrieg. Belfort via KO (Punches), Round 1

Terry Etim's (gray trunks) striking is dangerous enough that most fighters find it a safer choice to fight him on the mat where his submissions are excellent but his positional wrestling is less than stellar. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.).

The world’s premier mixed martial arts organization, the UFC, reloads and fires off its first event of the 2012 year as it returns toRio de Janeiro, Brazil for UFC 142 featuring a featherweight title fight between “Junior” Jose Aldo (19-1) and “Money” Chad Mendes (11-0). Co-headlining the card is Brazil’s prodigal son “The Phenom” Vitor Belfort (20-9) as he continues his middleweight renaissance against divisional newcomer “Rumble” Anthony Johnson (10-3). Playing anchor is a hard-nosed middleweight match-up between submission ace “Toquinho” Rousimar Palhares (15-5) and American ground fighter Mike Massenzio (13-5) preceded by a welterweight bout between Erick Silva (8-2) and veteran Carlo Prater (27-11-1). Opening the main card is a lightweight affair with career implications for both fighters as British slugger Terry Etim (15-3) seeks to regain his footing after falling short against Rafael dos Anjos (15-3) by following his last bout’s 17-second Guillotine Choke victory with a win over undefeated Edson Barboza (9-0).    

At First Glance: With all the understandable focus on the upper echelons of the various UFC divisions and the rise and fall of the sport’s biggest stars, the lower ranks of blue collar fighters grinding away at the millstone of a UFC career are often overlooked. The fight between Terry Etim and Edson Barboza is a perfect example. It will be written off by many pundits as meaningless due to its lack of title implications or as just another noteworthy name to pad the undefeated status of Barboza but for the two men in the cage it will be the most important fight thus far of their careers. Barboza is undefeated and that word carries a ton of weight with the all important casual fan base. With three straight UFC wins to validate his legitimacy, all he needs to get the hype train running at full steam is a convincing win over a respected opponent, like Terry Etim. Etim, for his part, hit a stumbling block against dos Anjos when the Brazilian snapped his four-fight UFC winning streak. He rebounded nicely with a lighting quick submission win at UFC 138, but at 6-3 in the UFC, 2-1 in his last three, Etim needs to get another lengthy streak going if he wants to have a meaningful career in the shark tank that is the UFC lightweight division.

Edson Barboza (blue gloves) has not finished any UFC caliber opponents in his MMA career, but the chances that his 27 career KOs are all a result of inferior competition are slim. (Photo courtesy of Zuffa, LLC.)

In Depth: This match is interesting in the fact that the two fighters have developed shockingly similar skill sets from completely different backgrounds. Etim started his combat sports life as a submission fighter and has finished the majority of his opponents in that fashion, but his lanky frame, solid kicks, and sharp jab have made him a fighter that few men want to stand with. He isn’t a knockout artist by any stretch of the imagination, but his striking is what he uses to dominate the majority of his fights. Barboza is a Muay Thai monster with leg kicks that have destroyed several opponents, but like Etim, he has a very strong submission game that has proven a danger to several of his foes. Etim’s striking is so dangerous in fact that his opponents are forced to fight on the mat in his wheelhouse. Barboza’s grappling is so solid that it provides little reprieve from his brutal striking game. Unfortunately for Etim, his striking is no match for Barboza’s so he will have to rely on more conventional methods to get the fight to the mat.

Wild Card: Barboza is a monster on the feet, of that there is no doubt, but he has yet to show that he has real finishing power at the UFC level. Before he came to the UFC, he destroyed everyone he faced. After joining the Zuffa family, his sole finish was at UFC 123 when 0-2 UFC fighter Mike Lullo (8-3) failed to regain his feet after three rounds of leg kicks. If it has been more a case of sub-par opponents making Barboza look more deadly than he is rather than his Thai boxing really being on a world class level, Etim may be able to embarrass him at his own game.   

The Verdict: Barring the possibility of Barboza’s 27 combined KO/TKO wins in Brazilian Muay Thai and MMA being more a case of poor competition than lethal skill, Etim is in a fight not to win but to survive. Etim’s stand-up game poses almost no threat to Barboza and the Brazilian can match his positional wrestling abilities on the ground even if he lacks Etim’s finishing ability. Look for Etim to take a round or two of severe beatings as he hunts in vain for a way to get the fight to the ground before Edson Barboza folds him in half like a paper sack. Barboza via TKO (Strikes), Round 3