Jon Jones – I still may not think he is God’s gift to MMA but Jones was impressive at UFC 135. My biggest qualm with the young man to this point is that there is still a lot to learn about him but we did learn something in Denver. We learned that he is patient, his reach is going
to be a huge obstacle (even for sharp , technical striker) and he won’t be baited into a dumb fight strategy. Jackson was physically outmatched and really needed Jones to mentally laps to use his superior boxing; Jones wouldn’t bite. Jones has a very bright future and this is a huge step in the right direction.
Rampage Jackson – Look, he may have lost but that one of the best incarnations of Rampage Jackson I have seen. His head movement and footwork looked fantastic and his punches early in the first two rounds were scaring Jones into some serious, albeit smart, backpedaling. Rampage has nothing to be ashamed of - Jones reach and stature was just too much, but he put on one hell of a show.
Nate Diaz - I've been a little down on Diaz (pictured) lately but he shut me up quickly at UFC 135. This was easily the best Nate Diaz we have seen. His striking wasn’t just accurate; it seemed to have increased power. Diaz’s boxing quickly broke Gomi and Nate is all the sudden an interesting 155 poundprospect again.
Tim Boetsch and Toney Ferguson – Both men got big wins on the UFC prelims, wins that should qualify them for a more prominent spot next time around. Ferguson looked as impressive as any TUF winner in some time and Boetsch did what he always does, smashes folk. Keep an eye on both these men in the not too distant future.
The Bad
Takanori Gomi – I am all about Asian fighters finding success in the United States but I think Gomi might be done. He looked bad. Gomi stood right in front of a fighter who was beating him to the punch by a mile and his takedown attempts could have been stuffed by kids in the Make A Wish Foundation. My hat is off to Diaz but Gomi’s performance was nothing to get excited about.
Travis Browne – This might not be fair. I think Broughton is a really tough dude, way tougher than I gave him credit for. However Browne should have been able to turn up the heat when this fight was in his hands. He got tired quickly (even at that altitude) and just seemed incapable of going in for the kill. This isn’t so much that Browne looked bad (like gomi did) but that Brown didn’t look good. This is simply a matter of expectations and I expect more out of Browne.
The Ugly
Big Men At High Altitude - Next time the UFC does a show in Denver perhaps it should consider leaving off the big sluggers. Don’t get me wrong, I loved watching Hunt (pictured) v Rothwell and to a lesser extent Browne vs Broughton. The elevation significantly decreased the chances of a finish though and made those big fists swing awful slow awful early in the fight. Rothwell and Hunt looked like zombies but man did they give it their all. Some people were sore about it but those two literally could not give more to that fight. It was ugly but in a good way.
Koscheck vs Hughes – It wasn’t really good or bad. The fight itself wasn’t really ugly but the outcome sure was. Matt Hughes basically out boxed Koscheck for a round and then Koscheck decided to swing for the fences until he caught him. I think Kos is a great fighter but he used almost none of his actual skill to pull off this win. Hughes was so physically outmatched that all the technique in the world wasn’t going to get him that win as Kos swung for his head and just kept moving forward.
Jon Jones Behavior – Ok I guess I’ll close out with some hate. In all earnestness though this guy acted like a child more than once at UFC 135. First, the lift of Rampage after the bell was busch league to say the least. Even Joe Rogan lauded it as a demonstration of skill. Seconds after the bell he lifted a man that was in the process of standing up anyway. It demonstrated nothing and accomplished less. All it showed was that Jones could do something after the bell that he had been incapable of during the round, physically dominate Rampage. At the end of the fight Jones pouted about Rashad Evans inclusion in the post fight festivities claiming that Evans had “ruined his night for the second time.” I’m sorry – what? Evans comes into the ring to do an interview and you say he ruined your night then walk off in a huff? I know Jones is the youngest champion in UFC history but does he really need to act like it? As proud of this win as he should be, he should really second-guess himself on his actions outside of the fight.
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