UFC 191 had its fair share of bumps and obstacles in the road leading up to the MGM Grand event, the final product was a fun (while not so surprising) event. It showcased the greatest 125er MMA may ever see, the comeback of a former Heavyweight champ, and showed why competitors should stay far, far away from Anthony “Rumble” Johnson’s right hand.
Unfortunately this fight night didn’t have a lot of buzz surrounding it, and the numbers for PPV will be nowhere near what UFC 190 attained. The Las Vegas event still had some big winners, and a few losers who’s stock in the UFC could be plummeting faster then the NASDAQ.
Winners
Demitrous Johnson
Why don’t fans enjoy watching “Mighty Mouse”? Are they “height supremacists”? (I’d like to thank “The League” for that line) The P4P best was booed most of the night in his one-sided decision win over Dobson Saturday night. Johnson has dominated in the Flyweight division and has defended his title eight times, taking down everyone who has stepped in his way. Where does he go now? Mighty Mouse may find himself ruling the division for years to come and become number one as the pound for pound best when it’s all said and done.
Andrei Arlovski
Where do I even begin? Two years ago, if someone would’ve told me that Andrei Arlovski would be back in the UFC making a run for the title in 2015, I would tell that person they were out of their mind. After going on a 4 fight losing streak, The Pitbull seemed down and out for the count. Luckily for Arlovski’s career, a coaching change and a revamped standup game helped him get back to his former glory. He’s composed an impressive 10-1 record in his last 11 fights. Arlovski’s comeback story continued Saturday with a win over Frank Mir. Although neither fighter looked like a title contender in this bout, the now 4th ranked Arlovski continues to keep finding a way to win. Arlovski could very well fight the winner of the Dos Santos/Overeem fight, for what should be a shot at the title. Could the enigma that is Andrei Arlovski regain the title he held almost 10 years ago? We certainly will find out soon.
John Lineker
Want to make a name for yourself in the UFC? Just do what John Lineker did last night and get into an absolute slugfest that earns you “Fight of The Night” honors. Lineker, who was known for his power at 125, had multiple weight management issues, which forced him to move into the 135 division. Luckily for Lineker he easily made weight at UFC 191 and lost none of the power that made him so dangerous in the featherweight division. Lineker found himself on the better end of the exchanges. Fans saw both men throw a total of 100 combined strikes in 2 minutes and 8 seconds. Lineker finished his bantamweight debut with an impressive Guillotine choke from guard and notched his 3rd win in a row. Watch out Bantamweight Division John Lineker is ready to stand and go with any of you.
Losers.
John Dodson
Where does John Dodson go from here?
“The Magician” is one of the best fighters in the division, but UFC 191 proved that he’s not better than the champ Demitrous Johnson. Johnson got the better of “The Magician” for the entire fight, making the usually exciting stand-up of John Dodson look sluggish and very underwhelming. This lackluster performance now puts Dobson 0-2 against the Mighty Mouse and leaves him at in a real crossroad. Does he stay in a division in which he may possibly always be second or third best? Or move up in weight and abandon the division that helped make him the dynamic striker he is. For now, Dodson needs to go back to the drawling board and figure out what went wrong Saturday night.
Paul Felder
The fanboys drool has finally dried, and Felder has now lost back–to-back fights. In the Barboza fight it was easy to see why the hype was building for Felder; he flashy, tough as nails and quite exciting to watch. But his fight Saturday against Ross Pearson may stop the hype train in its tracks. The former Ultimate Fighter winner learned that flash and fancy strikes don’t really work when someone can time and counter them with effective jabs. Even though the Felder took this fight only 5 weeks after his last bout and it ended in a split decision loss, this should have been a winnable fight for the Philadelphia native. Losing to Ross Pearson is not the worst thing in the world, but it’s definitely a giant step back considering Felder’s last opponent is currently ranked 7th and Pearson sits outside the top 20. With this most likely being his last fight of 2015 we may see Paul Felder get lost in a very stacked Lightweight division.
Jimi Manuwa
Why Manuwa given this fight in the first place, the world may never know. The English fighter asked for a shot at Anthony Johnson and paid the price. Johnson dominated Manuwa in every sense before brutally knocking him out in the beginning of the second round. The 35-year-old Manuwa never once had the fight under control and looked very outmatched. While this is only Manuwa’s second loss, UFC 191 showed he might not have what it takes to be a top contender in the Light Heavyweight division. Jimi Manuwa aka “The Poster Boy” was posterized on Saturday by a giant right hand landed by a fighter he really shouldn’t have been fighting in the first place.