(14-01-2012 01:42 )mitchell Wrote: Edson Barboza v Terry Etim - Etim Submission
Erick Silva v Carlo Prater - Prater Submission
Rousimar Palhares v Mike Massenzio - Palhares submisson
Vitor Belfort v Anthony Johnson - Belfort TKO
José Aldo v Chad Mendes - Aldo TKO
Edson Barboza v Terry Etim
Wow, I didn't see that one coming.... I guess I'm not the only one! The first round started well for Etim but as soon as the leg kicks started to sink in he almost stopped fighting altogether. I'm not sure what he expected from Barboza, surely he knew about the kicks, some fighters end up saying he hit harder than I expected, but If I was Terry Etim I'd have gone into the fight thinking I'm gonna get hit with the hardest kicks on the planet & would've formed a game plan around this but he didn't even try & step back or side step.
That said it was a fairly routine performance from Edson Barboza, not really getting out of first gear & the finish was a bit out of the blue, the kind of thing fighters like him try on the punch bags & think it'd be sweet if I could do that in a fight but thinking it probably won't happen.
I doubt this will knock Terry though as personally I think he's the one fighter ahead of Ross Pearson & John Hathaway who can challenge the top of their divisions.
Erick Silva v Carlo Prater
A bit of a strange one this but I thought the ref somehow got it right as he made the decision in real time & the replay showed one or two shots to the corner of the head
(If a head has got a corner) prompting Mario Yamasaki to call it a DQ.
I thought Joe Rogan was wrong to criticise the ref when speaking to Erik Silva in the octagon were all the crowed could hear especially knowing he'd be refing the championship fight. Rogan called Anthony Johnson unprofessional for not cutting weight & then goes out & does this.
Vitor Belfort v Anthony Johnson
Quality fight this one, 'Rumble' Johnson looked like he wanted to make a statment given it was his middleweight debut & all the issues with the weight but Vitor Belfort is a fighter who's seen it all before & coped well with being on his back.
Johnson looked ruffled in the stand up given Vitor's power & speed & it looked like it was gonna be a quick start to the 2nd round untill he got the two hooks in & decided to go for his neck & get the sub win.
This was his first submission win in 11 years & 15 years in the UFC albeit he's only fought 10 times in the UFC in those 15 years.
José Aldo v Chad Mendes
The first 4:59 of this fight was the typical striker v wrestler stalemate with only a few kicks of note being thrown & a few takedowns being attempted. José Aldo's 94% takedown defence has just gone up a notch or two & the finish was that of an instinctive KO fighter. I know he's down the pecking order but I'd like to see Dennis Siver fight José Aldo.
I thought this was a good main card show & the crowd for the last two fights was crazy, with the football & Ricky Hatton fans we get over here I thought this is the kind of atmosphere there'd be at every UK event this is what annoys me with some of the lesser know fighters they bring over here as I don't think the Brazil atmosphere is far away in the UK arenas if the fighters were a bit more wellknow or popular.