UFC 130 was seriously hurt by the absence of a rubber match between Frankie Edgar and Gray Maynard (and also, to a lesser extent, the replacement of Thiago Silva with Matt Hamill). In the makeshift main event, Rampage Jackson beat up Matt Hamill for three rounds but failed to electrify the crowd. That said, last night provided several good bouts well worth checking out.
Renan Barao def. Cole Escovedo via unanimous decision
Michael McDonald def. Chris Cariaso via split decision
Gleison Tibau def. Rafaello Oliveira via submission (choke), round two
Tim Boetsch def. Kendall Grove via unanimous decision
Demetrious Johnson def. Miguel Torres via unanimous decision
Brian Stann def. Jorge Santiago via TKO (punches), round two
Rick Story def. Thiago Alves via unanimous decision
Travis Browne def. Stefan Struve via TKO (punches), round one
Frank Mir def. Roy Nelson via unanimous decision
Quinton Jackson def. Matt Hamill via unanimous decision
- Kendall Grove is a really long fighter who doesn't control the distance as much as he should be able to. He has an up-and-down record and this isn't his first two-fight losing streak, which is bad news. Does the UFC have any goodwill left for the TUF champ?
- Miguel Torres vs. Demetrious Johnson perfectly illustrated why many fans don't like the current judging criteria. It was a great scrap and personally, I would have been satisfied with either decision, but it goes to show that takedowns/top control will always likely be scored higher than an active, offensive guard.
- Brian Stann's move to middleweight is turning out to be a great career decision. He's proving to be a real force at 185 as cemented by this fantastic performance against a tough opponent.
- Joe Rogan's comments about Thiago Alves not circling off the cage were dead on. He had the crisper striking when at the center of the cage, but he continually backed himself up against the fence and allowed Rick Story to close distance at will.
- Travis Browne with a Superman punch that would have KO'd Doomsday. Nice highlight reel he's building up for himself.
- The first round between Roy Nelson and Frank Mir was a very interesting, technical battle. (Loved Mir's harai goshi hip throw/sweep.) It's too bad Nelson gassed that badly; this could have been a great fight.
- Do you think Rampage Jackson's slow and steady dismantling of Matt Hamill was enough to earn a title shot?
