Going into the UFC 130 Main Event, people were pondering how much former 205 lb. kingpin Quinton "Rampage" Jackson had left. Setting himself up for a career outside the cage due to his performance in the big screen of the adaptation of "The A-Team", people wondered how Jackson couldn't take his opponent, Matt Hamill lightly.
After UFC 130, Rampage didn't deliver the knockout he promised fans. Fans did boo. But 2 things can be concluded from the main event :
1) The year long sabbatical Jackson took clearly showed he had lost a step
2) Matt Hamill is a one tough guy.
Through 15 exhausting minutes, Jackson got inside and hit the former amateur wrestler known as "The Hammer" with several combinations, including hooks and uppercuts. After having his first (and subsequently every other) takedown stuffed by Jackson, Hamill went quite clearly into survival mode and was never in the running. The judges saw it the same way, with them awarding it to "Rampage" by unanimous decision, scores of 30-27 on all 3 scorecards.
Next for Rampage : During the post fight interview, Rampage announced he had suffered a fractured hand during training, but still fought anyway. That probably puts the breaks on a fight with current champion Jon "Bones" Jones. I say throw him in there with another prospect, say Ryan Bader.
Next for Hamill : Clearly showed he needs another fight or 2 to show his worth. I say perhaps a rematch with former middleweight champ Rich Franklin or Forrest Griffin.
The co-main event saw Roy Nelson take on former UFC heavyweight champion Frank Mir. A highly entertaining and competitive first round saw several tie ups, with Mir landing a head kick and a solid Muay Thai knee with "Big Country" hitting Mir with a nice right hand that left Mir a little wobbly. Mir got ahead and landed several knees that were thrown hard, but Nelson never backed away. Late in the first round, Mir got a trip right into a mount and while trying to go for a rear naked choke, lost position and Nelson able to scramble back up. The first round ended with Mir looking so tired he wasn't able to find his corner. The next 10 minutes were not as entertaining, and while Mir landed several knees to Nelson's face, was never able to put him away and simply tired, though he was able to get several takedowns and cruise to a unanimous decision victory, scores of 30-27 (twice) and 30-26.
Next for Mir : He clearly is still in the running for a title shot. I'd say either The winner of Brandon Schaub and "Minotauro" Noguiera or the loser of Carwin and Junior Dos Santos.
Next for Nelson : I'd say the loser of Schaub-Noguiera or perhaps the returning Brock Lesnar (more on that later).
The middleweight fight between former Sengoku champion Jorge Santiago and former Army officer Brian Stann was advertising as having fireworks, and it did not disappoint. The fight got off to a feverish pitch, with Stann landing a few solid combinations and Santiago circling around, trying to stay out of Stann's wheelhouse where he could land the big shot. Santiago threw several combinations, most missing while Stann was able to land some leg kicks and pepper Santiago with a few jabs. At just after the 3 and a half minute mark of the opening round, Stann landed a big right hand that dropped Santiago. He swarmed, but Santiago was able to weather the storm and survive the first by getting back up with about 10 seconds left. The second saw Santiago throw a combo and try for a takedown that was stuffed by Stann, followed by tie up and a knee by Jorge. Santiago had a lot of highlights in the next 2 minutes, landing several shots and taking a few from Stann and throwing a spinning backfist that Stann just seemed to walk through. At just under the 35 second mark of the second, Stann landed a right that clipped Santiago on the temple, with Stann coming in with mop up punches to end the fight at 4:29 of round 2.
Next for Stann : A game opponent would be nice. I say the winner of Maia and Munoz.
Next for Santiago : Jorge Rivera or Rousimar Pahlares.
The man known as "Mighty Mouse" Demitirous Johnson used his wrestling and low centre of gravity to carve and earn a unanimous decision victory over former WEC bantamweight champion Miguel Torres. While Torres was clearly the taller and rangier fighter, Johnson found his niche with timely takedowns and several escapes from Torres' submissions, including a kneebar and kimura attempt. Torres looked strong in the early going, but wore as the fight went on. Judges saw it the same way, 29-28 (on all three scorecards).
Next for Torres : Since the title doesn't mean much to Torres, how bout a taste of 145 to prove his worth? If that's not happening, how about a fight with Brad Pickett
Next for Johnson : a fight with with Brian Bowles.
Honorable Mention : Roy Nelson is about one of the toughest guys on the planet. He was able to take several knees from Mir and still looked to be fresher, despite the obvious fact he was losing the fight. The UFC brass might not be too happy with him (according a report on MMAJunkie), but he showed tremendous heart and stood in there. I think he should be proud.
Also, Herb Dean showed you why again he is the best referee in the sport. Taking Jorge Santiago aside before the 2nd round to warn him about "open finger" punches shows how much attention to detail he pays. If I ever fought a title fight, I'd request that Herb Dean call it because I know how safe He'd make me stay. If there's a reason to stop a fight, he'll stop it.
Santiago also threw a flying knee to go along with that spinning backfist. Johnson going through Torres' kneebar submission and not even flinching. Great balance and great positioning just showed you that it doesn't matter what the size of dog in the fight, but the size of fight in the dog.
Also, right before the Pay Per View broadcast on Spike, UFC president Dana White announced that Brock Lesnar had undergone surgery on his colon, and should be returning by the end of the year. Given there are no other problems with him, One can only hope.
All in all, 3-1 on my picks (though i went a 3-5 on the Sportsnet pool) but brings me to 22-16-2 on the year. I've won 7 of my last 8 overall however.
Until next time, fight fans!
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