In typical UFC fashion, the card that fans seemed less than excited about produced some pretty entertaining fights. TJ Dillashaw and Rafeal Asuncao began the main card. The fast paced bantamweights danced and traded punches early in the first until Dillashaw earned a takedown against the fence and took Asuncao’s back.
He then transitioned from a vicious neck crank to a rear-naked choke. The Brazilian’s eyes rolled back in his head as Dillashaw squeezed. Besides the wrenching look on his face, the jiu-jitsu artist (Asuncao) gave a thumbs up and worked his way out of the hold and back to his feet.
Rounds 2 and 3 unfolded differently as Asuncao exploited some of the holes in TJ’s striking (he doesn’t know how to throw a kick). Both fighters engaged in exciting exchanges throughout the fight, but it was Asuncao’s power that edged out a split decision in his favor. The fighters earned fight of the night bonuses for their performance.
In the first round of the second fight, Rousimar Palhares followed his usual formula. The bulging monster worked on a single-leg against the fence and to nobody’s surprise, dropped down into a knee lock. Before the two fell to the canvas, Mike Pierce tapped in agony. Palhares ignored the blatant tapping, disregarded any sense of sportsmanship, and held the lock in place for an eternity of seconds as referee Keith Peterson fought to free the trapped limb.
Unfortunately, this is only the most recent of a half-dozen Palhares infractions. Several of his fights have ended in similar fashion. This time however, would be his last in the UFC. The company has banned Palhares for life for his actions and pending a probable appeal, the popular fighter will most likely be seeking a new home.
Palhares, who looked like the incredible hulk in white spandex instead of purple shorts, will almost certainly have the PED protesters foaming at the mouth. Was the yellow tint in his eyes from the lighting? Is Palhares’ refusal to break his submission holds an act of roid rage? Who’s to say? In any case, it’s no longer the concern of the UFC.
Eat your heart out, Anderson Silva. Several times throughout his bout with Joey Beltran, fan favorite Fabio Maldonado leaned his weight back against the cage, hands by his sides, and waved his opponent in for a few free swings. To the home crowd’s dismay, Fabio didn’t land the spectacular counter knockout, nor did he get caught by Beltran.
The unseen strategy paid dividends as the fence prevented Beltran from being able to take Maldonado down. The two fighters traded punches, elbows, knees, and groin shots until the third when Beltran finally managed a takedown and landed a series of punches to end the round. The most handsome man in MMA would still claim the victory, however. Fabio Maldonado brought home the unanimous decision.
Thiago Silva failed to make weight for his fight with Matt Hamill. He stepped in to the cage at somewhere near 246lbs, wearing a pair of shorts he had to borrow from Mark Hunt. Initially pre-fight predictors reacted that Hamill’s cardio could be the difference over the ridiculously out of shape Silva.
In August of 2011, Hamill retired from the cage after being TKO’d by Alexandar Gustafsson. He made a lackluster return in a unanimous victory over Roger Hollett. Since that fight, Hamills’ long-time trainer Duff Holmes has refused to train Hamill for the bout with Silva out of fear for his fighter’s health.
Holmes’ concerns were validated as Hamill took punishing shots throughout the fight. The last three minutes of the bout were especially painful to watch as the Hammer was so exhausted, he struggled to keep his body standing upright. Thiago Silva’s lack of conditioning was the only thing that saved the Hammer from a devastating KO. Both fighters appeared well beyond their prime. To the fans who’d hoped this fight would bring some of the glory back to a thinning 205 division, keep waiting.
Erick Silva vs Dong Hyun Kim will have to be included in the next “Greatest Comebacks” collection. The South Korean (Kim) immediately pushed forward with his offensive in attempt to neutralize and force Silva into position to have to counter strike. Kim scored a takedown midway through the round, and worked to mount control in the first.
Booing Brazilians, familiar with Kim’s wrestling ability and submission disability, quickly changed their minds in round 2 of the fight. Erick Silva’s flashy aggressive striking began to overwhelm the Stun Gun. It seemed that Dong Hyun Kim had no more gas in the tank and no more answers for Silva. Then in a flash the two fired simultaneous left hooks. Kim connected cleanly and Silva back-flopped into unconsciousness. Kim was awarded KO of the night.
The main event was everything experts expected it to be. In a five round tickle fest, Jake Shields and Demien Maia set a new record Wednesday night. The two jiu-jitsu experts partook in the first five round fight in UFC history with zero significant strikes landed. Shields (who has yet to be submitted) spent enough time in dominant positions throughout the fight to earn the decision.
The most devastating strike of the fight occurred during an accidental clash of heads as both fighters shot for a takedown at the same time. Even though Shields has won his last four fights, he still has a lot of climbing to do. Coming off a recent suspension and two fights that have been less than exciting, it is unlikely a rematch with GSP will be on the radar any time soon.