A quick trip to Utah has necessitated a slight delay a response to one of the UFC’s most underwhealming cards of the year. UFC 127 passed with little fan far and left us with almost as little to get excited about. The main event ended in a draw, unknown fighters pulled off decision upsets, and Michael Bisping won yet another fight that leaves people saying “so what.” That isn’t to say that the card was without its impact, the impact just came from all the wrong places.
- Michael Bisping’s Actions Ring Louder Than Words
There are very few fighters that I dislike but it sets my mind at ease when I am not alone in a negative evaluation. Even “objective” journalists tend to let their feelings on Bisping bleed through in their writing. The stains are unmistakable in reports regarding his most recent actions. The criticisms, however subtle, seem more warranted than normal this time around. Bisping’s actions must be set against the background of the fight. Jorge Rivera made spoof videos of the Brit in a self-admitted attempt to get into Bisping’s head before the fight. Bisping then turned around and won a fight over an opponent that he is likely more skilled than, giving him the “bragging rights” after their heated preflight exchange. With that established, Michael Bisping did three things that warrant the ire of MMA fans: he spat at his opponent’s corner, he kneed a down opponent that was no where near returning to his feet, and he questioned a clearly concussed opponent’s cardio and will to fight after giving the opponent the concussion (or at least serious head injury) with an illegal blow. Most of that seems pretty self-explanatory, but allow me to elaborate. During the fight Bisping was winning exchanges with crisp strikes but then decided to throw an illegal knee to Rivera’s head while Rivera was down and making no upward movement.. Frequently this happens to fighters who are on their way down or up and the incident is remember as an unfortunate accident. However, I have yet to discern the “reason” Bisping even registered the strike in the realm of possibilities. Rivera was clearly on his knees blocking everything but a knee to the forehead, hence the ease with which it landed flush. If it wasn’t enough that the illegal strike landed cleanly and clearly changed the fight, Bisping then went on to question his opponents cardio and mocked him for not being prepared. Ohh and to add insult to injury “The Count” decided that it was ok for an adult professional fighter to flip off his opponents corner and then to spit at them. To save myself the time of an endless rant I will end with this. Michael Bisping should not be rewarded for this win, but he will be. He should be suspended or fined, but I doubt he will be. Would Bisping have won the fight without the knee? Likely. However a strike like that is an egregious violation of well-documented rules and his actions after were a clear affront to professional sports ethics.
- Penn and Fitch Decide Nothing But Prove Judging Flaws
If the most important thing to take away from UFC 127 inspired a lengthy response, the second will inspire brevity. Jo Silva’s deserves some credit here because the main even he set up turned out to be highly competitive. The first two rounds were very entertaining but the third put a damper on the evening’s festivities. Jon Fitch dominated BJ Penn in the final stanza to the point of inciting a 10-8 score from two judges, enough to necessitated a tie that left everyone with a bit of a sour taste in their mouth. My issue with this comes in two waves. First, I think a 10-8 round should be harder to earn than this fight would lead us to believe. If Fitch were doing a great deal of damage or making multiple attempts to finish, perhaps his position would warrant such a score, but he was maintaining control with little to no chance of losing position or winning the fight. Second, even if this were a 10-8 round, the fight should not have been allowed to be rendered a draw and would not have if MMA Judging were to include analysis of “fight as a whole.” BJ Penn essentially eeked out two razor thin rounds, one of which I actually scored the other way and then was dominated in the third. If judges were able to evaluate the fight as a whole after seeing all three rounds, a tie seems unjust if not absurd. Every few months a high profile fight gives us reason to reevaluate MMA judging and UFC 127 should bring these two issues sharply into the conversation.
- Siver Upsets Sotiropoulos
At the risk of isolating people who do not take the sport remotely as seriously as I do, this fight necessitates a slightly more sophisticated analysis. To fully understand why Siver walked away with an upset win and Sotiropoulos found himself with the short end of the stick, one must understand an nuanced aspect of the fight. When taking down an opponent Soti likes to grab a knee and then pull and spin towards his opponents planted leg. This effectively spins his opponent to the ground, utilizing balance, momentum, and shoulder/back strength. To this point his tactic has served him well but Siver’s legs were unmoved, literally, by his attempts and one look at Siver will tell you why. His legs are like tree trunks, trained by years of high-level kickboxing. So as Soti tried to put the fight where he held the advantage only an overpowering opponent met him as he could not pull Siver’s knee up with the appropriate torque to complete his takedown. That left Soti fighting Siver’s game and that is not a game you are going to win frequently. Two early knockdowns were enough to win the lay-fan’s nod for the fight and a steady onslaught of strikes throughout all three rounds were enough to win the judges. This match represents Siver’s biggest win of his career and Soti’s only lose, a lose that will set him back quite a bit in his hunt for a title shot. Siver might find himself a win or two (at the most) away from a title shot of his own. Pre-fight, this was one of the most important fights on the card. In retrospect, this fight will have more impact on its division than any other fight at UFC 127.
- Ebersole Seizes Big Chance
As I mentioned before the fight, no one gets 50+ fights without being a game fighter. Ebersole took full advantage of his opportunity, winning the biggest fight of his life on the big stage. Seeing as how I don’t see Ebersole as a potential contender nor do I see him as a fixture in the UFC as a long term staple, the biggest ramifications for this fight come for the loser and the man that didn’t even fight. Chris Lytle is back to the drawing board and again securely fixed in his gatekeeper position. Lytle will need to accrue another impressive winning streak to get another opportunity like the one he let slip away here. Carlos Condit on the other had must have been kicking himself and cursing the injury gods knowing that he could have finished the Lytle that showed up at UFC 127. He gains nothing from the upset but loses a potential return opponent in Lytle. Condit should hope for a top contender to close the gap between himself and a title shot and not Ebersole, who should provide an exceptionally winnable fight, but one that is impotent in its ability to provide upward mobility.
- Mark Hunt Hits Walk Off KO
It is a shame that American MMA fans are not better acquainted with Mark Hunt. I think they would like him if they could just get to know him or if they could of at least gotten to know him in his prime. In short, Mark hunt has a cinder block head that can absorb a ridiculous amount of punishment and hits as hard as probably any man in the world, a true heavyweight slugger if there ever was one. MMA fans that were able to catch his fight against Tuchscherer got a small taste of what Mark Hunt is all about. After peppering Tuchscherer and delivering to him a cut that drew the special attention of the referee and the doctor alike, Hunt landed multiple shots that culminated with a huge uppercut, literally knocking Tuchscherer goofy and unable to standup or see strait. Every MMA coach tells fighters to continue until the referee stops the fight but Hunt didn’t need anyone to tell him what his hands already knew, that he just earned a serious knockout victory. The win is important for Hunt, who likely wants to stay in the UFC as long as he can. MMA fans need to watch for his next booking. If Dan White smiles on Hunt and the fans a like he will be booked against a slugger, a treat for anyone who enjoys heavy-handed knockouts.
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