The Ultimate Fighting Championship of Saturday November 15th, 2008 proved a few things that many UFC fans had been wondering about. I am not about to talk about all the fights that transpired, but there were a few eyebrows raised after the event.
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Josh Hendricks
The first fight that answered some questions last night was Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Josh Hendricks. Only one minute into the first round, Gonzaga was able to connect with a well-timed strike and drop Hendricks.
Even though Gonzaga recently won against Justin McCully in July, he seemed nervous, and out of sorts and didn't seem to have a plan prior to the fight.
Gonzaga was destined for greatness early in his UFC career, with early wins against up-and-coming Fabiano Scherner and Carmelo Marrero. He followed those two wins with a shocking knockout of Mirko Cro Cop. Now 6-2, Gonzaga looks poised to regain his status as a contender, and his confidence as a fighter.
Joe Stevenson vs. Kenny Florian
Another fight with possible championship implications was the match between Joe "Daddy" Stevenson and Kenny "Ken-Flo" Florian. Florian won the fight with a rear naked choke late in the first round, although many thought the submission game would be Stevenson's strength.
- B/R Ticket Guide
Even though Florian was already rising through the ranks of the lightweight class, Stevenson had been mired every few fights with a loss.
Florian's record (now 9-2) seems to be strong enough to challenge BJ Penn for his championship belt soon. Florian sports a uniquely balanced skill set.
As a Brazilian Jiujitsu specialist, Florian has also become one of the most adept with Muay Thai. Florian's disturbingly sharp elbows have ended a few of his fights, and more than one Octagon mat has absorbed a few pints blood from Florian's opponents.
Randy Couture vs. Brock Lesnar
Finally, the headline fight of UFC 91. Any reader of my November 14 article "UFC Championship Time: Couture vs. Lesnar" knows that I strongly believed in Lesnar as the favorite in this fight.
The battle played out exactly as I thought it would: Lesnar proved too fast, too strong, and too unbelievable for the likes of Randy Couture.
Brock Lesnar, the new heavyweight champion, will prove to be a formidable adversary for the next several fighters who challenge for the belt. It may be nearly impossible to find someone who can prove to be a real challenge to Lesnar's intimidating stature, especially since Tim Sylvia now seems completely out of the picture.
In fact, Lesnar's imposing strength and formidable power has only been rivaled once in the history of the UFC, by Dan "The Beast" Severn. Unless he has a clone about 15 to 25 years younger, Lesnar will sit undisputed atop the weight class for at least a few years to come.
For those unlucky enough to have missed UFC 91, do not miss the next event that Lesnar headlines. There is no telling how long he will remain a mixed martial arts competitor, and we don't know how long the fickle feelings of Dana White will keep Lesnar employed in the UFC.
Lesnar's future performances, especially if he keeps learning and improving at such an accelerated rate, will be like Michael Jordan's peak performances in the 90's.
I also think Couture will soon be calling it quits in the Octagon for good. He already tried to leave the UFC once, but I am pretty sure this one will stick.
Thanks for another great night UFC. I look forward to the next time I get to see Brock "Raging Bull" Lesnar in the Octagon. Until then...
comments (3) write a comment »
write a new comment
about 1 month ago
Did you watch the fight against Frank Mir? Lesnar lost that fight so I don't think it is right for you to refer to him like you do. As much as I believe he would be able to defeat Mir if they were to fight a second time I disagree with the fact that Lesnar will sit undisputed atop the heavyweight class.
I also don't think that after four fights you can compare Brock the the legend that Dan Severn was.
about 1 month ago
I think that the end will justify the means in this argument. Lesnar's reign atop the heavyweight division, once toppled in a few years or more, will be considered one of the greatest regimes by a champion in the MMA world. And again, that is IF I am right. I make no qualms about saying that I agree; Lesnar should not have gotten that opportunity so early on. But Dana White and I see eye to eye on the issue... If Lesnar does go on to a long and illustrious career in the UFC, I want to be known as the guy who saw it coming and pulled the trigger to make it happen. The only comparison I made to Severn, by the way, was in strength and power. Severn is the only competitor in the UFC to rival Lesnar's strength. (Unless my secret dream comes true, and Marius Pudzianowski of Poland learns to fight and joins the UFC. He could cause real panic in the heavyweight division. Anything he could get his arms around can be crushed to pulp.)
Thanks for reading my article.
about 1 month ago
I wonder whether or not Brock has reasonably effective submission defense. We'll find that out in his next fight. When I think of Brock, I think of Severn too. Brock has a better stand-up than did Severn. Other than that, there are many similarities between the two when Severn was breaking into the game.
Other than Fedor and A. Emelianenko, (and possibly Big Nog) I don't see Brock losing anytime soon, especially, since Dana refuses to risk his human money to fighters from other organizations.
write a new comment