Two New Contenders in Minny (UFC on FX 5 Review)
The UFC made their way to Minnesota this past Friday as they went to figure out the order of things in two divisions. The Flyweight and Heavyweight divisions are still a bit of a mystery in the UFC and UFC on FX 5 went a long way to figuring out who the top contenders would be. In the main event of UFC on FX 5 the UFC would see two more heavyweight fighters face off for the second week in a row as they looked to sort out the division. The only sure thing in the heavyweight division is that Junior Dos Santos will defend his belt against Cain Velasquez next. After that there are a number of big names looking to take that next shot at the title with plenty of fighters looking for their shot. Last week Stefan Struve threw his name in the octagon after a big win that put him amongst the top of the division, although not at the title level yet. This week it was time for Travis Browne to prove that he should be considered one of the top contenders in the division. He would take on a legend in the heavyweight division in MMA Antonio Silva who has done everything except win in the UFC. Browne was hoping to take the win and prove he deserves a shot at the title or at least a fight to be the #1 contender in the division after Cain Velasquez. Meanwhile Silva was simply looking for a win and a chance to stay in the UFC to make his own run at the title. Both fighters had a lot to lose going into their main event in Minnesota as Travis Browne wanted to prevent a situation where he would need to start over in his run at the top of the division. If Antonio Silva lost he would clearly not have come into the UFC as advertised and would have been forced to the bottom of the division in the preliminary fights with a chance that he could be on his way out of the UFC. With so much on the line and division positions to take both fighters came in looking for a quick night. In the heavyweight division the unanimous decision means a lot less than in other divisions as both fighters were expected to make it a short night. Both Browne and Silva have the strength to earn the KO but Silva may have wanted to take the fight to the ground where he is much more comfortable with black belts in multiple disciplines. As the fight started though it was clear that neither fighter wanted to take the fight to the ground. Both fighters stood in the middle of the octagon looking to feel each other out in round one. Silva seemed much more calm in the round though as he continued to circle and let Browne do what he wanted without taking any damage. Browne on the other hand was bouncing around and looking to get inside to get shots on Silva. Browne began throwing different types of attacks with high kicks and spinning attacks. Then came the turning point in the fight as Browne through a big overhand right that missed it’s mark. It seemed like a routine miss but Browne began favouring his left leg as he had over stepped his punch and hyper-extended his knee. As the fight went on Browne began favouring the knee more and more and he could not get the power behind his punches without a knee. This led to less mobility which played right in to Antonio Silva’s game. Silva began throwing his own punches that sent Browne against the fence where Silva finished the fight. With Browne against the fence and no way to get away Silva lined him up and threw a big right hand that dropped the Hawaiian to the ground where the Silva jumped on his chance forcing the referee to stop the fight. Browne took the loss thanks to an injured knee and will now drop back to the middle of the division and will need to work his way back to the top of the division. Silva on the other hand took the win, his first in the UFC, and showed that he is not an easy out in the division as he will likely climb up the ladder to face the big names in the division but will still be a ways away from a title shot.
Before the heavyweight division began finding out who the next contender would be the Flyweight division would find out their next challenger. The Flyweight division is the youngest division in the UFC as the first champion was crowned in late September. With such a young division the pecking order was still completely unknown with a number of fighters sitting as potential challengers to the title. UFC on FX 5 would be the event that determined the next man up to become the first #1 contender in the division. John Dodson and Jussier Formiga would get the chance to become the first challenger as they would fight for the #1 contender spot in the division and a chance to fight Demetrious Johnson for the Flyweight title. Both fighters came out and seemed to understand the gravity of the fight as they both looked like they did not want to make a mistake. It was still a fast first round as Dodson and Formiga set a torrid pace that has become the signature of the Flyweight division. In round two that changed as Dodson took charge of the fight landing two big left hands that put Formiga to the mat. On the second left Dodson went in for the kill as he jumped on Formiga and forced the referee to end the fight. With the loss Formiga will go back to the mess that is the Flyweight division as he looks to carve out his own spot and looks for another chance to get the title shot. Meanwhile Dodson will get his shot as he will face Demetrious Johnson for the Flyweight title in the first ever title defence in the division.
The free UFC card was once again a great display of the UFC when everything goes right meaning that the $40,000 bonuses were harder to determine than usual. The “Submission of the Night” went to Justin Edwards who opened the main card with a great Guillotine against Josh Neer. The “Knockout of the Night” went to Michael Johnson who earn the bonus after he came back to earn the KO against Danny Castillo. The “Fight of the Night” went to Bart Palaszewski and Diego Nunes for their war that ended with a unanimous decision win by Nunes. The UFC on FX card was another example of a free fight card that was more exciting than most pay per views. As the UFC hosts more free fights they continue to take the focus and in Minnesota they did just that as two new contenders in two different weight classes were determined and the rest of the card kept all fans entertained.
Fight Results
Main Event:
Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva def. Travis “Hapa” Browne
(TKO; Rd. 1)
Main Card:
Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger def. Jay “The Thoroughbred” Hieron
(Unanimous Decision)
John “The Magician” Dodson def. Jussier Formiga
(TKO; Rd. 2)
Justin “Fast Eddy” Edwards def. Josh “The Dentist” Neer
(Submission; Guillotine Choke, Rd. 1)
Undercard:
Michael “The Menace” Johnson def. Danny “Last Call” Castillo
(KO; Rd. 2)
Mike Pierce def. Aaron “A-Train” Simpson
(TKO; Rd. 2)
Marcus “The Prospect” LaVesseur def. Carlo “Neo” Prater
(Split Decision)
Jacob “Christmas” Volkmann def. Shane Roller
(Submission; Rear Naked Choke, Rd. 1)
Diego “The Gun” Nunes def. Bart “Bartimus” Palaszewski
(Unanimous Decision)
Darren “BC” Uyenoyama def. Phil “Billy” Harris
(Submission; Rear Naked Choke, Rd. 2)
Upcoming Events:
UFC 153: Silva vs. Bonnar (October 13th; 10:00 pm EDT)
– Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (HSBC Arena)
– Main Event: Anderson “The Spider” Silva vs. Stephen “American Psycho” Bonnar [Middleweight Title]
– Notable: Minotauro Nogueira vs. Dave Herman
– Notable: Glover Teixeira vs. Fabio Maldonado
UFC on Fuel TV 6: Franklin vs. Le (November 10th; 9:00 am EDT)
– Free Live on Fuel TV/Sportsnet
– Macau, China (Cotai Arena)
– Main Event: Rich “Ace” Franklin vs. Cung Le
– Notable: Thiago Silva vs. Stanislav “Stucky” Nedkov
UFC 154: St. Pierre vs. Condit (November 17th; 10:00 pm EDT)
– Montreal, Quebec (Bell Centre)
– Main Event: Georges “Rush” St. Pierre vs. Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit [Welterweight Title]
– Notable: Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann vs. Johny “Bigg Rigg” Hendricks
– Notable: Francis “Limitless” Carmont vs. Tom “Filthy” Lawlor
The Sport Addiction 