UFC 87 quick thoughts
UFC 87 delivered in a huge way this weekend. For my money it was the best MMA card of the year to date. "Affliction: Banned" gave us Fedor’s return but not too much else and UFC 84 was very good as well but this show was outstanding. A few quick notes ...
* Demian Maia looked very good in submitting Jason MacDonald. There are a lot of people who only enjoy the standing and banging of a fight but this was technical and exciting at the same time.
* Kenny Florian did exactly what people expected him to do against Roger Huerta. He was more experienced and more technical and just a better all-around fighter. I really like Huerta and I hope he can get his contract worked out with the UFC, but Florian was the smarter fighter and the more well-rounded fighter.
* Cheick Kongo destroyed the random brawler he was given. Big shock there. I think the only surprise among the group I watched with was why they even put that fight into the main card. I know the fight before it lasted less than 30 seconds, but put it at the end if needed.
* Georges St. Pierre put together another dominant performance against Jon Fitch. I knew St. Pierre was a gifted fighter and one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport but I thought Fitch would give him more trouble than he did. I still think Fitch is the No. 2 welterweight in the world but GSP showed he, like Anderson Silva, is in a class of his own. Fitch had a ton of heart and it was amazing at how quickly he recovered from some of St. Pierre’s strikes, but he couldn’t generate much offense. GSP is simply the better fighter in all areas, which led to a convincing all-around victory. His future match with B.J. Penn should be one for the ages.
* Brock ... freaking ... Lesnar. I picked him to win the fight but I was still floored with how he manhandled Heath Herring. Herring is a good fighter who has a ton of experience and has faced some of the best heavyweights in the sports history. Still, the rookie Lesnar destroyed him. Brock Lesnar is just a freak of nature. His upper body is scary. I think Lesnar’s conditioning wasn’t where it needed to be as he seemed to slow considerably in the second half of the fight but he did more than enough to pound out the win. I was shocked Herring wasn’t knocked out as Lesnar delivered some tremendous blows. The right hand from Lesnar to start the fight looked like a wrestling move after Herring fell backwards into a somersault. Lesnar still has some noticeable holes in his game but is rapidly climbing the depth chart in the heavyweight division.
Comments
Paulo Filho is the number 2 middle weight in the world.
Posted by: Z | August 12, 2008 11:34 AM
I know we all are pumped for Lesnar winning, but come on that fight should of been stood up many times, and of course one of the worst refs in the history of MMA in Big Dan M, did not stand up the fight, and he actually poked Heath Herring in the eye. Not saying any of this made a difference at all. Heath Herring is showing that he is a B level fighting, who can never defeat the upper tier of fighters that any MMA organization gives them. They say Kongo/Lesnar is probably going to happen, and I think Lesnar destroys Kongo with his incredible wrestling.
Ken-Flo (other than Forrest) is the best progressed fighter from any season of the Ultimate Fighter. His skills and smarts are almost unmatched in that division. Kenny Florian is still today one of the most underlooked fighters in the UFC, and he has said that he wants to return in December to fight. The only person I see him fighting is Gray Maynard. Ken-Flo is the 3rd best Lightweight in the UFC and top 7 in the world.
GSP is sick, but you have to respect Jon Fitch. If that was anybody else, they would of quit. Jon Fitch has the most heart out of every fighter I have ever witnessed. That was such a gritty and incredible fight to survive for Jon Fitch. GSP vs. BJ Penn II December 27th to go along with Mir/Minotaro and possibly Griffin/Liddell if Liddell wins.
UFC is great. WEC is getting there as well.
Posted by: Drew Chalfioux-Cryus | August 12, 2008 3:05 PM
the GSP/Fitch fight was the best i've seen in a long time if not the best, you saw a war of top level fighters, and as dominating GSP was, Fitch never broke down mentaly in the fight, this guy is so mentaly tough i found myself more worried that GSP was gonna brake down because of how Fitch can take his best shots and keep coming, never the less i find this fight is being over shadowed by the Brock fight, as evolved Brock's game has gotten, he still fought the most boring fight of the night, and i think the last thing the HW division needs is another boring HW, say what you want but we just watched Brock Lesnar laying ontop of Herring for 13 mins of a 15 min fight, landing just enough to justify not standing up the fighters, but other then the 1st punch Herring was never in danger of being stopped, and also showed alot of heart very similar to Fitch, staying in a fight where he has no answer to his opponents offense, but it seems to go unnoticed well everybody bad mouths him, which is bs because he was hand picked for Lesnar and he took the fight anyways, whether he's a top level fighter or a b level fighter, he was game the whole 15 mins, and showed alot of heart
Posted by: Josh | August 12, 2008 7:00 PM