UFC 134 In Retrospect

UFC 134 was one of the most exciting and generally fun cards put on by the company in recent memory. The Brazilian crowed was absolutely electric and clearly well versed in MMA. Did they ever get their money’s worth as Brazilian fighters put on clinics for the most part, earning four victories on the main card and went 3/3 in the main events, all by way of knockout or technical knockout. Without further delay lets get down to the business of UFC 134.

Okami…. Okami, Okami, Okami

I hate to start with the fallen challenger given how impressive Anderson Silva looked but no one shocked me more than Yushin Okami. He almost didn’t show up at all. I am not one to queuestion fighters too often but Okami looked (again I stress, looked) scared. I am not sure how to explain this. He had all the tools to be competitive in this fight; I still believe that. It seems that Okami felt the power of Silva once and lost all hope of taking him down. I was wrong, dead wrong about Okami in this fight. I was sure he was going to give Silva a serious fight but he came in and really tossed away his big chance. I doubt he will get another one.

Big Nog Lives!

Folks had all but counted out Big Nog, leading many to crown Brendan Schaub the next legend killing blue-chipper. Not so fast – in typical Nog fashion he took shots to the face and head region en rout to knocking out his inexperienced counterpart. The group I was watching the fight with had screamed “it’s over” at least twice before Nog finally set the record strait. Now lets not get carried away and call for a title shot. Dana White said Nog has gone from the brink of retirement to the path to a title shot but I am skeptical. Nog has lots of fight left in him and could have some moments of greatness ahead, but the heavyweight division has some amazing talent at the top of the mountain and the division is only going to get more overpopulated. For now though, Big Nog is back and he looks pretty damn good.

Newsflash: Shogun is Still Really Good

I have been hearing and reading a lot of negativity about Forrest Griffin. Seems that a lot of fans and talking heads are questioning his future in competitive MMA. Lets be very clear about something, Forrest Griffin is still a top 10 light heavyweight. He is a highly skilled, tough, physically daunting fighter. The simple fact of the matter is he got beat to the punch buy a top-notch fighter. Shogun Rua is no joke and losing to him does not render one “done” or “washed up.” Shogun is well on his way to another title shot in a very competitive division. If Shogun can stay healthy and in shape we are going to see more of kind of action – a lot more. Watch for Rua to bring his electric striking every time out while pursuing redemption and a title shot.

The UFC Can and Should Return To Brazil

If you didn’t watch the show there is no real way for me to explain how jacked up this crowd was. Brazilian fans had waited a long time to see their best fighters come home to fight. Hours after getting their wish the buzz began about a stadium show, a show that could host up to 100,000 fans. Brazil could be a more regular, profitable, and all around beneficial second home to the UFC than England. Regardless this is not going to be a rare treat any longer.

Anderson Silva!

What else is there to say? This guy is simply the best. I no longer even entertain the GSP/Silva/Pound for pound conversation. It is dead… dead. Anderson Silva has won 15 fights in a row, finished 13 of those, and disposed of competition in two weight classes. This guy is light years ahead of anyone around him when it comes to striking and now is to the point of beating guys before they even get in the cage. World class fighters look scared when they go to fight Anderson Silva, not scared that they will lose but scared that they will get hurt or embarrassed. There is no one better than Anderson Silva right now and he demonstrated this truism again in Rio. I for one think the time has come. It is time to either convince GSP to move up in weight (a move I think GSP still has a work to do before given the opportunity for) or send Silva to light heavyweight. The man will do what he thinks is best for his career but I for one want to see some new competition for the best pound for pound fighter in the world, if not all time.