Apr 10
12
Thoughts on UFC 112
UFC 112 started off great. Due to the odd time slot, we watched it on delay (which was normal time) at Fight Pastor‘s house, rather than at the church. It was a really cool environment, and we debated all night as the fights progressed.
The first two fights were everything I love about MMA. Mark Munoz and Kendall Grove had a great battle, with a terrific mix of styles and some very close calls. While it looked like Grove would pull out a submission victory, the humidity proved to be too much and Munoz slipped out. Eventually, Munoz went “Team Punishment” style ground-and-pounding his way to a TKO win.
Rafael dos Anjos beat Terry Etim with a sick armbar, climbing the cage with his feet for extra leverage. You could see Etim’s arm hyperextend! But again, there was some great action in this fight, and what I like most isn’t necessarily a lot of stand-up work, but the back-and-forth jockeying for position that happens in a well-matched fight. When people say fighters like Jon Fitch are boring, it’s not because they don’t understand the ground game. It’s because it’s not fun for a viewer to watch Fitch fight the way he does. There’s hardly any movement, and it’s been a while since we’ve seen Fitch end a fight.
But I digress. From the end of the second fight on, the night took an odd turn. Another member of the historic Gracie family managed to disappoint by looking completely unready and outclassed in the Octagon. Matt Hughes wisely picked his shots and picked apart the lead leg of Renzo Gracie (who refused to pull that leg back, oddly). Not an exciting fight, and not what I wanted to see … I’d love for the Gracie family to become prominent in the UFC again. But it was what it was, and another Gracie was proved to be from another era.
The first Title fight of the night was B.J. Penn defending against Frankie Edgar. Should have been a sure-fire victory by Penn, so it was a surprise to see Penn hit the ring with a wrap on his knee and looking softer than we’d seen him against Diego Sanchez. Edgar never switch from high-gear the entire five rounds, wearing down Penn and even managing to hit a couple of takedowns. Edgar grinding out an upset with the decision victory. I’d like to think Edgar might hold that belt for a while, but Gray Maynard must be chomping at the bit for another title shot against someone he’s already beaten once. I think Edgar just had the right combination of styles against a less than motivated Penn.
The final fight of the night was supposed to be a blowout victory for Anderson Silva against a third-string replacement in Demian Maia. Despite the UFC pushing Maia hard, everyone knew that he wasn’t Chael Sonnen, nor was he Vitor Belfort (neither of which were supposed to win either). Silva should have had the fight won in the second round.
You knew something was up when Silva hit the Octagon and bowed during the faceoff. As Fight Pastor said, “He’s in one of his weird moods,” suggesting a repeat of his antics against Thales Leites. Sure enough, Silva danced around more than he fought, and while utterly dominating Maia in the early two rounds, proceeded to disengage and circle Maia for the remaining three, even earning (a far too late) warning from Dan Mirgliotta for failing to fight.
It’s almost more interesting to see what didn’t happen. The judge’s scores were not announced (it was a unanimous victory for Silva), Dana White did not present the belt to Silva (he walked out on the fight in the third round, giving Silva’s manager Ed Soares his belt in disgust), and there was no talk of Silva moving down a weight class for a “superfight” with Georges St. Pierre.
I’m glad we didn’t choose to show this fight at Canyon Creek Church, because I wouldn’t have wanted that to be someone’s impressions on why we’re passionate about MMA. The first two fights were completely eclipsed by Silva, and I think the UFC has a right to be angry with him for leaving fans with such a poor impression on what was a historic night for the company.