DC Crowned King
Daniel Cormier stamped his name in the history books on Saturday, July 7th by becoming just the fifth fighter in UFC history to win championships in two different weight classes when he knocked out, arguably the best heavyweight champion of all time, Stipe Miocic. He joined an elite list, with Randy Couture, BJ Penn, Georges St. Pierre and Conor McGregor…the latter of whom is the only other simultaneous two-division champ.
Although it was a first round knockout, the fight was very competitive up until that point. Cormier displayed a surprisingly effective jab against the taller, rangier opponent and Miocic was doing a good job using his size and reach advantage to test DC’s chin. Early in the round, Miocic was able to control Cormier in the clinch against the fence but it turned out ot be fool’s gold. DC repeatedly baited Miocic to engage the clinch in the center of the cage and once he did Cormier used his far superior Greco Roman wrestling background to slip his opponents body lock and land the right hook that ended the fight. Miocic never even saw the punch coming and was floored instantly. For good measure, DC bounced Stipe’s head violently off the canvas with an additional right hand forcing referee Marc Goddard to stop the fight. Miocic was noticeably upset after the stoppage and even shoved the ref once he had reached his feet, but Goddard made the right call.
Cormier now hold both the Light Heavyweight and Heavyweight belts, so he’s got a lot of opponents to choose from. Obviously, there’s the shadow of Jon Jones lingering in the background but it looks like it will be former UFC HW Champion and WWE superstar Brock Lesnar who gets the next crack at DC. Having set the record for consecutive title defense at HW, Miocic isn’t going anywhere. He should take some time off to recover from the KO and get into the mix against either Alexander Volkov, Curtis Blaydes or Derrick Lewis.
Lewis Gets Win Over Ngannou, Fans Lose
In a fight that replaced the co-main event, Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis outstruck Francis “The Predator” Ngannou 20-11, yeah that’s it, to earn the unanimous decision. Neither man really wanted to engage throughout the entirety of the 15-minute contest which resulted in one of the most boring fights in recent memory. Both fighters clearly had respect for the other’s power, but I only recall one other fight where the referee was forced to warn the fighters based on inactivity. While Herb Dean shouldn’t be able to deduct points for a fighter moving backwards, I understand where he’s coming from.
Neither man raised their stock any, but I did bet on Lewis to win, so at least there’s that. Lewis could fight Miocic, Blaydes or Volkov depending on how they want to do a title eliminator. Ngannou may need to take some time off to assess his position in the division after his gun shy performance, but Mark Hunt could be a good next fight for him.
Perry and Felder Go to War
After both men lost their original opponents, Platinum Mike Perry and Paul Felder squared off at 170-lbs. Felder typically competes at 155-lbs, but didn’t want opportunity to pass him by and the resulting fight was probably the best one of the evening. These two competitors went at it for 15-minutes and the fight was about as even as it gets.
The biggest difference was the visible damage Perry was able to inflict on the Irish Dragon. Early in the first round, he opened Felder up with a cut on the head, likely caused by a head-butt although the referee didn’t declare it as such. The fight was more of the same into the second until Perry land a left hook that immediately cut Fleder and created a large knot on his forehead. Felder was bleeding all over the place as the fight went into the third round, but he never backed off and the two men continued to slug it out until the final bell. It was a close, hard fought battle but the judges gave the split decision to Perry 29-28, 29-28 and 28-29.
Perry might be able to climb into the top-15 at welterweight with the win, or at least get a top 15 opponent now. Felder will likely return to lightweight, but if anything, his stock at 155-lbs should get a boost. He may be in line to fight Anthony Pettis who picked up a win in the prior bout.
Pettis Taps Chiesa
Once upon a time, Anthony “Showtime” Pettis was the next big thing in MMA. He had a rude welcome to the UFC at the hands of Clay Guida, but rebounded to win the lightweight title off of, a relatively dominant, Benson Henderson at the time. While he hasn’t been competing at that level in a while, other fighters still want to put his name on their resumes and Michael Chiesa is one of those guys. Chiesa had won The Ultimate Fighter reality show and made a name based on his relentless pressure and grappling acumen. He strung together a bunch of wins to climb inside the top-10 at lightweight, but hadn’t gotten that signature win.
Chiesa came out aggressive to start the fight and landed a big shot while trying to pressure Pettis and put him against the fence where he’d been beaten by skilled grapplers in the past. He almost found a submission right away but Pettis is no slouch on the ground. Chiesa’s plodding, methodical style got the desired takedown again but left opening that Pettis made him pay for at the end of the first round. Showtime pounced to start round two and hurt Chiesa again, looking for a choke to end the fight. To his credit, TUF winner survived and moved to top position but he was still hurt as Pettis looked to lock up a triangle choke from the bottom. Chiesa tried to roll out and Pettis snatched the armbar for the tap out.
This was a much needed return to form for Pettis that should get him inside the top-10 at lightweight and point him towards another title shot down the road. A fight with Felder seems like a very enticing option after Saturday. Chiesa is going to have to regroup but should still fight a top-15 opponent. Al Iaquinta is a good fit for that fight.
Roundtree Shocks Saki
To kick off the Pay-Per-View, kickboxing legend Gokhan Saki took on, TUF product, Khalil Roundtree. This was one of three fights I had my eye on the money line and Roundtree was a big underdog. Despite his pedigree, and winning his first UFC bout, Saki looked less than stellar in his debut and tired down the stretch although he eventually scored the knockout.
Roundtree is just the younger, faster and stronger athlete who didn’t wait for Saki to establish himself and get into rhythm. He kept his distance and countered a low kick with a straight left that dropped Saki and then patiently beat hsi fallen foe with hammer fists until referee Jason herzog stepped in.
Roundtree deserves a top-15 matchup now and Sam Alvey would be a favorable matchup for him. While Saki is a phenomenal kickboxer, he’s not an accomplished mixed martial artist…not yet. He’s only 34 so he has time to make waves, but he is going to need some help in the matchmaking department.
Costa Devastates Hall in Prelim Headliner
Closing out the prelims, perennial crowd pleaser (#9 MW) Urijah Hall took on rising contender (#10 MW) Paulo Costa. Hall looked good early with superior timing and an excellent jab setting the tone, but as the first round went on Costa was landing big body shots in exchange for those jabs he was eating. Costa, being ultra aggressive with the body work, tagged Hall with three groin strikes. Only two of those halted the action and but all three slowed Hall’s pace and didn’t result in a point deduction for Costa. Both men were fighting well, but the pace was taking a toll on Hall.
Costa could sense Hall slowing and continued to invest in the body while beginning to land big upstairs. Hall’s jab could not longer keep Costa at bay and the damage was beginning to mount. Urijah fought valiantly but Costa’s power was overwhelming. After a big left from Costa, Hall covered up and Costa unloaded a vicious uppercut to the left side that crumpled Urijah and the fight was over. This was the third fight I wanted to bet on, but I backed off Urijah at the last minute.
Costa proved that his power is enough to engage with dynamic strikers and come out ahead. A bout with “The Last Style Bender” Israel Adesanya is an absolute must now, after Adesanya easily dispatched of (#8 MW) Brad Tavares one night prior. Hall should take on Tavares to see who gets to remain in the top-10 at middleweight.
Assuncao Dominates Font
In something of a foregone conclusion, (#3 BW) Raphael Assuncao cemented himself as the next best thing at 135-lbs with his bell-to-bell victory over (#11 BW) Rob Font. It’s clear that there is a large disparity between the top and bottom of the bantamweight division as this bout was a good example. Assuncao was simply too good on the ground for Font en route to a unanimous sweep, 30-27 across the board.
If (#2 BW) Dominick Cruz fights again, it should be against Assuncao first. They never fought while Cruz was the long reigning king of the division and now seems like the right time. Font, on the other hand, should get (#8 BW) Aljamain Sterling.
Klose Quiets Vannata
In a battle of lightweights looking to crack the rankings, Drakkar Klose picked up the unanimous decision win over Lando Vannata. This was a closer fight than the 30-27 scorecards would suggest. Vannata is a very tricky and creative striker who hits you from odd angles and mixes in some skilled grappling to keep you off pace. Unfortunately for him, Klose was just slightly ahead of him. By the end of the bout, it was easy to see that Klose had inflicted the majority of the damage and neutralized whatever Vannata was banking on.
Klose improved to 9-1-1 and should get a crack at a ranked lightweight like the winner of (# 13) Alexander Hernandez and Olivier Aubin Mercier. Francisco Trinaldo is the current gatekeeper and I wouldn’t mind seeing Vannata in that fight.
Millender Continues Streak V. Griffin
“Courteous” Curtis Millender rebounded from a shaky first round to earn the unanimous decision victory over Max Griffin. Griffin was able to secure the takedown and dominate the ground positions in the first round. Millender looked lost, but managed to not get finished. A few subtle adjustments in between rounds and Millender was never really in jeopardy of being taken down again. He stayed behind his jab, kicks and counter knees to bring the fight back where he wanted it.
It’s difficult to deny the Courteous one a top-15 opponent now. He’s 16-3 with 8-wins in a row. Let him fight Alex “Cowboy” Oliveira who can test Millender on the feet and on the ground. Griffin now has a losing record of 2-3 inside the Octagon and may not be around much longer.
Dan Hooker KOs Gilbert Burns in Round 1
Emily Whitmire Earns Unanimous Decision Vs Jamie Moyle
UP NEXT…
