UFC Fight Pass: Struve vs Volkov - Sep 2

[Shane O' Mac Version 2]

That's the best thing about MMA. "Star power" means fuck all in regards to the actual content on the night. GSP was a star attraction, but how many of his fights were true barnburners? You can have a card full of no names and they can put on a showstopper of a card once the fights begin. That's what we had for the most part here. Reminded me a bit of an Aussie Fight Night a couple of years back, might have been Sydney, that broke the record for finishes on a UFC card.

That Zabit Magomedsharipov, holy shit. Didn't know who he was and I was watching the prelims this morning with my best mate that doesn't follow UFC, and he made instant fans out of both of us.

Taisumov was another one I'll be paying more attention to going forward. Sick finish. I had vaguely heard of him, but couldn't pick him out of a line-up, but his performance and his charismatic post-fight interview went some way to changing that. "Nate Diaz, I think he smoke too much". Fucking love it.

There's something intensely unlikable about Darren Till for me. Confidence can be endearing sometimes- I think Conor plays it well- but Till comes across like a cocky prick that thinks he's far better than he is. Definitely talented, but I'm looking forward to seeing him get knocked off his perch. A bit like Luke Rockhold.

Marion Reneau impresses me every time I see her. Amazing to think she's 40, comparing her athleticism and cardio to the men in the UFC at her age. Apart from Yoel, she smokes most of them. Bernardo was impressive on short notice too. Maybe I wasn't paying close enough attention, but I didn't notice them bring up De Randamie until Dan Hardy said her name in the post fight interview. Rightfully in the doghouse. I have to have some level of respect for every fighter because they step in the cage, but Germaine is right at the very bottom of the totem pole for me. I've talked shit about Michael Bisping before, but compared to GDR, Bisping is fantastic.

This is how much the card flew under the radar, I had no idea we had an Aussie in the co-main, and I had never heard of this Rob WIlkinson fellow. Looked like he had a bit of skill about him, but got a tough first draw in Siyar, pot belly and all. Wonder if he could get cleared soon enough to redeem himself on November's Sydney card?

The main event was a lot of fun, very pleased with how both heavyweights performed. Felt super bad for Struve, all the ups and downs in his life and career, and on a technical level it was maybe the best I've seen Stefan Struve, but he just ran into someone better on the night. He's got a ton of miles on his body for 28/29 as well, so each time he gets finished in the cage I worry a bit for him. Always had a lot of time for the Skyscraper (except when he's fighting Mark Hunt). Comes across like a sound dude.

Was nice to get some UFC action after a bit of a drought. Gotta catch up on the last 3 weeks or so of DWTNCS too.

[wandshogun09]

Can't really add to what's been said. I only watched the main card, haven't had time to do the prelims unfortunately. Really enjoyed it. 

I will say though, it's easy for people to say after the fact 'hey, it doesn't matter about names on a card, no names can deliver great fights' etc. It's easy to say that when the card turns out good. Of course sometimes the no names bring it. And sometimes the huge names don't. It's just the way fights go sometimes. But it can't be denied this was a very thin card. A lot of the names on there I didn't know, and even a lot of the ones I did know I had to run through Sherdog's Fight Finder thing to refresh my memory. There wasn't really anything to sink your teeth into. Even the fighters on the card who I liked, they were mostly matched up with guys I was indifferent to or unaware of. Nobody is going to convince me they were overly excited going into this one. And that's what made the card more enjoyable on the night, expectations were low. 

Struve vs Volkov was a fun one. Lived up to expectations. Struve's always been granite. He's basically Joe Lauzon on stilts. Good win for Volkov though. It's a shame but I think the miles on Struve are too much now. He's not quite 'shot' like a Bigfoot or BJ Penn, but I think he's getting there. It's reflected in the poll as well. Not one of us picked Struve to win this. He's been in so many wars. 

Was chuffed to see Siyar Bahadurzada get that win. He's been out so long he must've thought he'd never be back. 

Leon Edwards looked good again. Did well to survive that knockdown and mostly bossed the rest of the fight. 

I'll have to give some of the prelims a watch when I get chance. 

[ColinBollocks]

Yeah, I think you're right about Struve, Wand. Realistically, at 29, he should really be picking up, but it definitely feels like he's never going to reach the potential some expected. Of course, with Heayweight you only need a couple of wins and you're back, but Struve seems very beatable.

[Noah Southworth]

Thibault Gouti (155lbs, 11-3) vs. Andrew Holbrook (156lbs, 12-2) was a pretty entertaining slugfest, neither Gouti nor Holbrook showing much in the way of striking defence. Holbrook went for a couple of takedowns but they were badly telegraphed. The end came after Gouti dropped Holbrook with a head kick, Holbrook holding on to Gouti’s arm for a kimura attempt to try and clear his head, but Gouti never let up and Holkbrook wound up trapped against the cage, taking punishment, forcing the referee to step in.
Five Word Review: Nice way to start off.

Bojan Mihajlović (205lbs, 10-5) vs. Abdul-Kerim Edilov (204lbs, 16-4) was a completely one-sided fight, with Edilov using Mihajlović for target practice for the entire duration of the fight. Mihajlović has lost three straight and will probably be cut, as much for the fact that he’s just not any good as for his repeated losses.
Five Word Review: Edilov batters a tackling dummy.

Mike Santiago (145lbs, 19-9) vs. Zabit Magomedsharipov (146lbs, 12-1) had Santiago fighting just 11-days after fighting on Dana White’s Tuesday Night’s Contender Series. Whether it was the quick turnaround or Magomedsharipov being that good, Santiago appeared to be out of his depth in this fight, with Magomedsharipov showing a varied skillset as Santiago was just hanging on, trying to survive for most of the fight. Magomedsharipov even pulled out a slightly less spectacular version of ‘The Showtime Kick’, and if that and his overall performance in this fight are anything to go by, Magomedsharipov has the potential to make some serious waves in the featherweight division.
Five Word Review: Magomedsharipov shines in UFC debut.

Francimar Barroso (204lbs, 19-5, 1 NC) vs. Aleksandar Rakić (205lbs, 8-1) was a solid fight, lots of striking, with Rakić doing a good job of walking Barroso down and keeping things tidy and methodical. It felt like Barroso was trying to find the right opening, waiting for his moment to really go for it, but Rakić simply never gave him the chance as he relentlessly stalked Barroso throughout the fight.
Five Word Review: Rakić shows patience and skill.

Rustam Khabilov (156lbs, 21-3) vs. Desmond Green (155lbs, 20-5) saw sambo matched up against freestyle wrestling, and for the first two rounds, this as a nice little fight.
Five Word Review: A fairly entertaining grappling battle

Michel Prazeres (159lbs, 22-2) vs. Mads Burnell (155lbs, 8-1) was sparse with the excitement, Prazeres content to ride and control Burnell and only occasionally go for a submission, and in this case, Prazeres favoured the north-south choke; Prazeres kept going for it whenever he felt he had the chance, and it finally paid off early in the third round when it finally gained the submission. Prazeres missed weight and you can see why because the guy looks jacked.
Five Word Review: Prazeres dominates with positional control.

Mairbek Taisumov (155lbs, 26-5) vs. Felipe Silva (155lbs, 8-0) was developing slowly, like most fights, when commentary started talking about Silva saying he likes to knock people out; as if on cue, he did just that, catching Taisumov coming in with a big right hook and Taisumov did a face plant to the canvas having been knocked silly. It should be noted that there was heavy late betting on Taisumov, to the point that one betting site removed the fight from their listings, so this one may come under some heavy scrutiny.
Five Word Review: A highlight reel KO finish.

Darren Till (170lbs, 14-0-1) vs. Bojan Veličković (171lbs, 15-4-1) was a decent fight, with Till showing a lot of potential; the way he carries himself, his footwork and body movement remind me of Stephen Thompson, because he’s very loose. There are holes to be exploited, though; Till leaves his lead leg wide open and he appears to lack either the ability or the inclination to defend against leg kicks, neither of which is good. Till has talked of himself becoming a champion by the end of his current five-fight contract. A title may be in Till’s future, but I don’t think it’ll be at welterweight as he’s a small for the weight class and he’d be giving up a lot of size against the top guys in the division.
Five Word Review: Till tills for the future.

Leon Edwards (168lbs, 13-3) vs. Bryan Barberena (170lbs, 13-4) opened up the main card and they had a fight that was, for the most part, good. Edwards dominated Barberena in the first round with clinching and grappling, and he was working for a rear naked choke for the final minute of the first round. The second round wasn’t really engaging until Barberena cracked Edwards with a well-timed uppercut that dropped him, and Edwards was hanging on to survive and it looked like the referee came close to stopping it but Edwards survived the round. The third round was pretty much a replication of the first, which meant Edwards walked away with the unanimous decision victory.
Five Word Review: Edwards effectively edges past Barberena.

Marion Reneau (135lbs, 7-3-1) vs. Talita Bernardo (135lbs, 5-1) saw Bernardo coming in as a late replacement for Germaine de Randamie. Bernardo did well for herself under the circumstances, even quickly taking the fight to Renau and going for a leglock early on. Renau returned the favour, with interest, through the fight, catching Bernardo in submissions that Bernardo worked hard to survive, which she did, but Bernardo couldn’t see out the fight, getting flattened out and TKO’d at 4:54 of the third round.
Five Word Review: Bernardo impresses despite failing short.

Siyar Bahadurzada (186lbs, 22-6-1) vs. Rob Wilkinson (185lbs, 11-1) had Bahadurzada fighting above his usual weight class, welterweight, because he’s still coming back down to his proper fighting weight. The extra weight didn’t appear to give him too much trouble, as, even though he wasn’t quite back to his best, Bahadurzada was more than Wilkinson could effectively handle. Not that Wilkinson was a walkover; he made a fight of it, and was able to take Bahadurzada a few times. But he couldn’t keep him down, and when Bahadurzada was standing and striking, it was just too much for Wilkinson to put up with.
Five Word Review: Bahadurzada beats up on Wilkinson.

Alexander Volkov (251lbs, 28-6) vs. Stefan Struve(264lbs, 28-8) was a really good brawl, and a great way to cap off the evening. The reach and length of Struve didn’t give Volkov many problems, although Struve did inflict a nasty cut beneath the left eye of Volkov in the first round. It was pure striking battle, mixing boxing and muay-thai fighting, and it was really exciting because Volkov and Struve were willing to stand and trade. Both fighters were bloodied in this one, but Struve more than Volkov, who showed a lot of patience and was far too precise for Struve to deal with, and he finally got dropped in the third and didn’t take too much more before the referee stepped in. I don’t know that Volkov will get to the heavyweight title, but it could be a fun ride along the way if this fight is any indication.
Five Word Review: Volkov victorious in violent war.

I didn’t mention the repeated eye pokes in the main event because I wanted to talk about the subject separately. This eye poking bullshit needs to stop, now. It’s been going on too long without any serious attempt to rectify the problem. The referee’s are supposed to issue warnings and then dock points, but what good is that if all the warnings lead to is more warnings and no points get taken away? Struve was repeatedly warned about moving forward with his fingers extended before poking Volkov in the eye, and what happened? He got another warning. Then, Struve did it again. He poked Volkov in the eyes. And what happened? He got another warning. Then, in the third round, we had a double eye poke, and what happened; again, just a warning for both fighters

Mark Goddard is a great referee but he dropped the ball on this one so badly. How many times did Struve have to both ignore Goddard’s warnings and poke Volkov in the eyes before Goddard docked a point? And it’s not just Goddard; every referee seems to be petrified about docking points for the extending either the fingers, which is meant to be illegal, or poking people in the eye. They both happen all the time but how many times does it ever result in a point being docked? The commentary talked of changing the glove design so that the fingers curve inwards, and while that is a good idea, it wouldn’t change the fundamental problem regarding eye pokes in MMA, which is that referees are too scared to dock points, and that’s the problem that should be addressed first.

 

[wandshogun09]

Meant to mention as well, I got a kick out of seeing Semmy Schilt and 'Dirty' Bob Schrijber work the corners for Volkov and Struve respectively. Old school. 

[Egg Shen]

real fun little show this.

wand. you did yourself a bit of a disservice by only watching the main card. The prelims were real good. The UFC i think sometimes puts together cards that are a little too competitive, it can lead to a lot of long fights and it can make for a boring night. There's nothing wrong with a couple of almost squash-like matches on the prelims to let these up and comers shine and create a bit of a buzz for themselves. That's how a few of these prelims felt, there were some big favorites and they looked great.

As a few others have said Zabit Magomedsharipov looks the absolute business. I thought Gooden & Hardy did a great job hyping these guys pre-fight and i got excited during Zabit's walk-in saying that guys like Frankie Edgar rave about him. He looks pretty unassuming but what an arsenal of strikes. Gonna be a lot of fun watching this guy, mark him down as one to watch.

i mean, i'll be honest. If he confronted me in the queue at McDonalds, i'd fancy my chances.

Mairbek Taisumov as well, been a fan for a while but to see him buried on the prelims is abit criminal. 5 straight UFC wins, 5 KO's, 3 straight POTN bonuses. There's not many people boasting them kind of numbers. The guy is fucking deadly, beautiful counter right hand one punch KO. He even showed some character on the mic. Get this guy on a PPV or a Fox card.

Echoing was Shane said about Darren Till, yep there's something unlikeable about him but in that good way where i still want to watch him fight. He's very Conor-esque in the way he fights too, composed and throws similar kinds of shots. Entertaining fight, i could have done without the bromance sessions though. Till called out Ponzhinibbio, good fight! Again i'd be happy to see that on a PPV.

The two 205lb'ers who won the undercard were impressive too. Abdul-Kerim Edilov & Aleksander Rakic.

Main card wasn't as good as the prelims but i enjoyed seeing Siyar come back and win. He really needs to go back to 170 because he's outsized at Middleweight but ive always been a fan and he talks a good game so if he can stay healthy there's should be some good fights ahead.

Main event justified it's slot too, good heavyweight fight. Both guys had success but Volkov just out-toughed Struve. Both guys landed big shots and it just seemed that it all caught up with Struve in the end. Volkov's a decent addition at heavweight. Well earned Fight of the Night.

 

 

[wandshogun09]

22 minutes ago, Egg Shen said:

wand. you did yourself a bit of a disservice by only watching the main card.

Yeah, it wasn't that I didn't want to watch the prelims. Just never got around to it over the weekend due to family stuff. I did make sure to catch up on the Magomedsharipov fight earlier though, after all the raving about him I saw on here and elsewhere. Justified totally. I love when a guy comes out of nowhere and bursts on the scene like this. Hopefully he can keep it rolling. He's surely bagged himself a main card spot next time out, maybe on a PPV or at the very least a Big FOX show. 

[Egg Shen]

yeh, he called out Artem Lobov post-fight. Lobov's since answered and said if he gets by Andre Filli he'll fight Zibat in Novemeber.