UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs Arlovski - May 8th

[Noah Southworth]

Sean Soriano (145lbs, 8-1) vs. Chas Skelly (145lbs, 12-1) saw Skelly look to make it two-for-two with his second fight in just 13-days and Skelly pulled it off and looked impressive in doing so considering the circumstances. He was gassed out by the end of the second round, understandably so, but Skelly just kept coming and Soriano had no answer for the grappling and submissions of Skelly. Skelly continues to show potential as both a fighter and a personality.

 

The other notable thing about the first fight, though, was that just under two-minutes into the second round, they very obviously cut some of the crowd mics, which was very weird and I don’t know they did that because the fans were making some good noise for the first fight of the night and you’d think UFC would want that to come across.

 

We got a great preview of the upcoming TUF season and it looks like someone gets removed Team Pettis; they don’t explicitly say why but one of the clips showed someone having collapsed in the house and an ambulance being called so they might have been medically disqualified. In any event, the woman who has to go over from Team Melendez to replace her is not liked at all by her new teammates

 

Chris Beal (135lbs, 9-0) vs. Tateki Matsuda (135lbs, 10-5) was a fairly good fight with Beal using grappling to dominate Matsuda for the most part, with Matsuda looking strong for most of the second round with some heavy leg kicks which helped set up punches to the head. Matsuda might have edge out the second round because of that but instead of sticking with that strategy in the third, he kept trying to grapple with Beal and it likely cost him the fight because Beal got 29-28 on two scorecards and if Matsuda had kept with what worked, he might have got the win

 

Rafael Natal (185lbs, 17-6-1) vs. Chris Camozzi (186lbs, 19-8) saw Natal outgrapple Camozzi for the first half of the fight and then start to fade and early in the third, Natal was out on his feet. Camozzi tried to pile on the pressure with strikes but was himself tired enough that couldn’t land that big blow that would have likely got him a finish. Natal got the nod on a Split Decision and it probably comes down to the second round and whether you give it to Natal for dominating the first half or Camozzi for dominating the second half.

 

You know, I keep forgetting who’s in that A Walk Among the Tombstones movie; I need someone to keep reminding me.

 

Al Iaquinta (155lbs, 8-3-1) vs. Rodrigo Damm (156lbs, 12-7) saw Iaquinta light Damm up all fight long and Damm seem to forget that he had a ground game, because he made little attempt to get the fight to ground. Even when he tried, though, he couldn’t get it there and Damm paid the price because he was getting tagged constantly. The fight was almost stopped early in the third round when Iaquinta knocked Damm down and Damm wouldn’t get up; he motioned for Iaquinta to come down to him. Herb Dean threatened to stop the fight, and went to do so, but Damm quickly got back up and the fight continued for a little longer before Iaquinta finished Damm by TKO.

 

John Moraga (126lbs, 14-3) vs. Justin Scoggins (126lbs, 9-1) saw the greatest finish in UFC history because Moraga had Scoggins in a guillotine choke and right as Kenny Florian was saying quite assuredly that Moraga was too flat on his back and that he didn’t have position to finish it, Scoggins tapped out. Moraga got the choke off a takedown attempt early in the second round after being fairly well dominated in the first; he’d gone for the guillotine choke a couple of times in the first round but couldn’t quite pull it off, which is probably why Florian was so confident in saying Moraga wasn’t applying it quite correctly when he in fact was. Jon Anik was surprised by the finish too but Florian getting caught off-guard by the finish was priceless.

 

Joe Lauzon (155lbs, 23-10) vs. Michael Chiesa (156lbs, 11-1) was a great way to open up the main card; standing up or on the ground, it was all action, and this one was very evenly matched, though I thought Chiesa had a good chance of finishing Lauzon because he was the heavier hitter.  And he might have but in the second round, Lauzon landed a series of knees in a linch that busted Chiesa open above the eye, and when the fight was halted for the doctor to check the cut, the doctor called the fight off. An unfortunate end to what was turning into a great fight, and whilst Chiesa was understandably upset over the fight ending like this, it was the right call because that was a nasty cut Chiesa had.

 

Matt Mitrione (255lbs, 7-3) vs. Derrick Lewis (264lbs, 11-2, 1 NC) was expected to be heavy hitting, and it delivered, though it only lasted about thirty seconds and, unfortunately, Mitrione won. Fuck him.

 

Alistair Overeem (248lbs, 37-13, 1 NC) vs. Ben Rothwell (264lbs, 33-9) was another fight that promised to be heavy hitting and it delivered, this one lasting just over two minutes. Overeem landed some heavy kicks early and was also doing well with knees. Rothwell landed a big right that felled Overeem but was back up quickly, but not long after, Rothwell landed another big right and this one Overeem wasn’t able to recover from and some heavy ground strikes from Rothwell ended this one at 2:19 and Rothwell pulls out what was, according to the odds, a major upset and it looks like we might never get JDS/Overeem because that was being looked at as a title eliminator if Overeem won. Overeem wasn’t happy with the stoppage but he given more than enough time to recover. Overeem also looked rather sad when the decision was announced but the heavyweight division is thin enough that he could still fight his way back into title contendership. The only problem is that Overeem is very hit-and-miss so who knows what’s in his future. On the bright side, he looked cleaner than in days gone by.

 

Joe Silva didn’t look that happy during the post-fight hand shaking.

 

Jacare Souza (185lbs, 20-3, 1 NC) vs. Gegard Mousasi (186lbs, 35-4-2) was the main event with the winner likely getting the next shot at the Middleweight title. This wasn’t totally one-sided but it was close to it, with Souza dominating Mousasi throughout. You figured Mousasi had the edge standing but Souza was more than up to the task of standing with Mousasi, using lots of feints and head movement and having great footwork. Mousasi, for whatever reason, couldn’t get anything off standing up and it seemed like Mousasi just didn’t know what to do. And once the fight went to the ground, forget about it; that was all Souza, and Mousasi was doing well just to hang in there and defend. He couldn’t defend forever though and a takedown late in the third was swiftly transitioned into a nasty guillotine and Mousasi was forced to tap. Souza winning was not a surprise but winning in this manner, where he was totally dominant, was a surprise. Souza has put a firm stamp on a title shot and he’ll make a great challenger for the winner of Weidman/Belfort.

 

The night started slow but it picked up and turned into a very good night of action and some very definitive statements were made.

 

 

[wandshogun09]

Ha, I'll have to go back and listed to Florian during Scoggins-Moraga. I was disturbed by my screaming daughter before the finish so only caught it on the replays.

 

Overeem looked fucking crushed. Looked like he'd been crying when they returned from the break to get Buffer's announcement.

[Noah Southworth]

I think Overeem realized or believed he's never getting near the title.

[wandshogun09]

Yeah, I think the move to Jackson's was kind of a last-ditch effort for him to rejuvenate his career and he's got off to the worst start imaginable.

 

I've never been keen on Rothwell but I enjoyed him busting out some moves post-fight, I must admit. All the girls say he's pretty fly for a fat guy.

[jimufctna24]

I've never been keen on Rothwell but I enjoyed him busting out some moves post-fight, I must admit. All the girls say he's pretty fly for a fat guy.

You must really hate Overeem to get joy out of that. 

 

Part of me hopes Cain vs Rothwell 2 does happen. Knowing my luck, Rothwell would find a way to win 

[hbk4life]

Can't say I'm a fan of the Rothwell truffle shuffle. I'd much rather of seen Overeem win, Rothwell is another body for JDS or Hunt to beat up I suppose.

[wandshogun09]

I'm no fan of Rothwell either. And although I'm not Overeem's biggest fan, I don't dislike him as much as Frank Mir, Meathead, Schaub. But Rothwell's little jig made me chuckle.

 

It definitely would've been better if Overeem won though and set up either the JDS fight or even got a title shot at Cain/Werdum. I'd give him very little chance in those fights but they'd still have been big fights and in the case of JDS, a grudge match. Rothwell's just eliminated those possibilities and there's not even the silver lining of him being an interesting contender off the back of it.

 

Overeem and Barnett getting taken out of the title race by Rothwell and Browne was just shit for the division.

[jimufctna24]

You have a very diverse hatred Wand

 

Meathead - A complete cretin, who could not be witty or funny if he tried

 

Frank Mir - A clever git, he could be perceived as smug.

 

GAD -  A combination of the above, coupled with dire fashion sense.

 

You do not discriminate on intelligence, I give you that

[hbk4life]

Who even would be next after Werdum? Anyone decent is coming off a loss - Overeem, Browne, Barnett, even JDS hasn't had a fight since the last Cain fight. Miocic is on run but you'd of thought he needs a win over one of those guys I just mentioned to get him a shot, but with the lack of challengers maybe he wouldn't.

 

I suppose there is always Rothwell, Mitrione and Arlovski on winning streaks 

[jimufctna24]

Who even would be next after Werdum? Anyone decent is coming off a loss - Overeem, Browne, Barnett, even JDS hasn't had a fight since the last Cain fight. Miocic is on run but you'd of thought he needs a win over one of those guys I just mentioned to get him a shot, but with the lack of challengers maybe he wouldn't.

 

I suppose there is always Rothwell, Mitrione and Arlovski on winning streaks 

I think Miocic would be fastracked 

 

Then they would let Hunt and Rothwell fight in the process (possibly in a rematch against each other if Hunt beats Nelson), with the most impressive getting the title shot

[GlennCullen]

You have a very diverse hatred Wand

 

Meathead - A complete cretin, who could not be witty or funny if he tried

 

Frank Mir - A clever git, he could be perceived as smug.

 

GAD -  A combination of the above, coupled with dire fashion sense.

 

You do not discriminate on intelligence, I give you that

Mitrione did actually throw out a line from Old School during TUF, that made me laugh a lot. Since then though hes come across as a tit.

 

Mir is smug as shit.

 

Fuck Gad. Fuck GAD.

[wandshogun09]

Jim - you can add Shayna Baszler, Mr Cupcake Caraway, Thiago Silva, War Machine, Travis Browne, Greg Jackson, Javier Mendez, Josh Koscheck, Tim Kennedy and Luke Rockhold to the list of MMA folk I don't like. Some for good reasons like War Machine and Thiago Silva. Others just because I find them annoying, slimy, smug, cunty or whatever, just by existing.

 

Oh and Justin Buccholz. Can't fucking stand him, for no reason. I just don't like his face. I saw him in TJ Dillashaw's corner at UFC 177 and I found myself grinding my teeth at the sight of the bloke.

 

I suppose there is always Rothwell, Mitrione and Arlovski on winning streaks 

That's actually quite depressing, because it's true. The way things are going one of them might actually end up getting a title shot just because there's no-one else.

 

UFC 194: Velasquez vs Meathead - ONLY ON PAY PER VIEW!

 

Urgh.

 

We need Josh Barnett to get back in there and go on a tear. Miocic is good but I'm just really indifferent to him.

 

Anyway, the MMA schedule rolls on.

 

Well this is down as a Fight Pass card, but we're getting it live according to the listings I'm looking at. Think we're just getting the main card. It's listed for 1am on BT Sports 1 on the Saturday night/Sunday morning (13/14 Sep).

 

 

FIGHT PASS MAIN CARD

Antonio 'Bigfoot' Silva vs Andrei Arlovski

Gleison Tibau vs Piotr Hallmann

Efrain Escudero vs Leonardo Santos

Santiago Ponzinibbio vs Wendell Oliveira

Iuri Alcantara vs Russell Doane

Jessica Andrade vs Larissa Pacheco

 

FIGHT PASS PRELIMS

Godofredo Pepey vs Dashon Johnson

Igor Araujo vs George Sullivan

Francisco Trinaldo vs Leandro Silva

Paulo Thiago vs Sean Spencer

Rani Yahya vs Johnny Bedford

 

Yeah, not much into this one at all. It's a one fight show and I'm not even that arsed about that fight, truth be told. Especially with how terrible Arlovski looked against Schaub in his last fight.

 

Bigfoot vs Arlovski 2, I don't know. Like I said, it's just not that interesting. Their first fight in Strikeforce was alright but it's not like people were itching to see the rematch. Their last fights couldn't be more opposite. Arlovski is coming off the stinker against Schaub, a fight that's probably my worst fight of 2014 so far. If not then it's right up there. Bigfoot's last fight was the war with Mark Hunt in December. Probably my favourite heavyweight fight in MMA history. Ended in a draw then Bigfoot got a nine month suspension for elevated testosterone levels.

 

And here we are. Somehow we've arrived at Bigfoot vs Arlovski 2. Maybe it'll surprise us. I fancy a KO win for Bigfoot within two rounds myself. Especially if Arlovski comes in as gun-shy as he was in June.

 

The rest...I can't even be arsed. I'm sure a couple of them will be good. I've just got nothing to say about any of it. Doesn't help that the only other guys on the card who I like are all on the FP prelims which I won't see. Trinaldo, Thiago and Yahya are all fighters I like. And Pepey's coming off a spectacular flying knee KO. But I'll have to make do with Ponzinibbio and Escudero on the main card. I like Gleison Tibau and Jessica Andrade so hopefully their fights will deliver something worthwhile outside the main event.

 

The following week we've got the Hunt vs Nelson Japan show, with Gomi, Sexyama, Tate etc on the undercard. So this'll do while I wait for that.

 

[pryko]

Who even would be next after Werdum? Anyone decent is coming off a loss - Overeem, Browne, Barnett, even JDS hasn't had a fight since the last Cain fight. Miocic is on run but you'd of thought he needs a win over one of those guys I just mentioned to get him a shot, but with the lack of challengers maybe he wouldn't.

 

I suppose there is always Rothwell, Mitrione and Arlovski on winning streaks 

Isn't JDS' last fight a KO win over Mark Hunt?  Or was that prior to him getting destroyed by Cain?

[wandshogun09]

Nah he beat Hunt in May last year to earn the rubber match with Cain. Then got destroyed by Cain again in October.

 

The UFC wanted to set up JDS vs Overeem after Overeem beat Mir in Feb, but Overeem suddenly realised he wanted a break or was injured (he couldn't decide which but neither were an issue when he was calling out Brock). Then the UFC booked JDS vs Miocic for May but JDS got injured (broken hand, I think). I imagine that fight will be re-booked on JDS' return. He's meant to be good to go by Oct/Nov as far as I know.

[waters44]

Who is GAD?