Lighter Fighters, Same Fireworks (UFC on Fox 8 Review)
It was the lighter weight classes that took focus on the last UFC card on the FOX network, UFC will be moving to Fox Sports 1 as of August 17th. The light weight classes are not known for being the most exciting divisions in the UFC but they would go out and look to change that. AT UFC on Fox 8 there would be only one fight that was Middleweight and nothing at a higher weight class. Meanwhile the Welterweights, Lightweights, Featherweights, Bantamweights, and Flyweights would take the centre stage. The UFC was built on the heavier weight classes when they first began using weight classification. The original stars of the UFC were the light heavyweights and the heavyweights who produced the vicious knockouts that people wanted to see. As Mixed Martial Arts became more evolved the fans became more educated and the sports became something more than the KOs. Knockouts are still a fan favorite but a good fight with plenty of action that doesn’t produce a KO is not that bad. This is what the lighter weights have provided as the KOs are not there like they were for the heavier weights yet the technical side of fighting is on full display. The speed and the pace are the impressive parts as the weights get lighter and the fighters need to use other aspects of the fight game to win fights. The excitement is not gone in these weight classes though as the night would have a total of 3 KOs and 4 Split Decisions. It was a good night for the light weight classes and it would all come to a head in the main event when Flyweight Champion Demetrious Johnson would take on John Moraga. The fight expressed everything that is great about the lighter weight classes as Johnson represented the fastest fighter in the UFC while Moraga provided the power in the Flyweight division. The champion is one of the best athletes in the UFC as he always uses his speed and technical ability to win fights. Johnson likes to put on a very quick pace that forces his opponents to gas quickly. Moraga is very different as he also has speed but has the power that not many Flyweights have. He would be looking for the KO and looking to prove that the Flyweights can provide a great knockout despite being only 125 lbs. The fight would begin with the champion using his speed as always to keep Moraga off-balance for the majority of the first round. Johnson would end the first round with a very good Guillotine but ran out of time before he could make Moraga tap. The second round saw Johnson use the same strategy taking Moraga down and grinding out another round although not settling for just laying on top of the challenger. Johnson would continue to try to end the fight early with a feverish pace of submission attempts and ground and pound. The third round would see much of the same as Johnson was clearly looking to dominate on the ground and avoid the power of Moraga. Johnson would continue his submission attempts throughout the round but Moraga would continue to defend. The championship rounds would see Moraga slow down like every other opponent that faces Johnson. Although Moraga would not be completely out of it the pace would take its toll in the final round when Johnson would prove that he wore Moraga down when he would go for the Kimura and end up in an armbar. Moraga would tap out to finish the fight and give Johnson the title once again. Johnson would defend his title again and show that the Flyweights are an exciting division that deserves the headlines. Moraga took the loss and will go back into the mix in the Flyweight division as his young career has just started making a return to a title fight likely. Johnson remains the champion and will look to potential challengers like John Dodson, Ian McCall, and Joseph Benavidez to finish their fights to find his next challenger. The Flyweights took centre stage and did not disappoint as the young division continues to grow and continues to impress.
Before the lightest weight class in the UFC determined their champion two Welterweights would look to earn a title shot in their division. Rory MacDonald and Jake Ellenberger would face off with what could amount to a title shot against the winner of the Georges St. Pierre-Johny Hendricks fight. Both fighters believed they deserved the shot and also believed that their opponents did not deserve to be there. It was a matchup of two fighters on different time frames of their careers. In one corner was the 24-year-old phenom in Rory MacDonald who started his UFC career in 2010 and quickly became one to watch in the welterweight division. With injuries hampering his rise MacDonald was trying to get back on track and get another win to continue his move up the division. Ellenberger on the other hand had been slugging it out since 2009 going up and down in the division and coming up just short of getting a title shot. Now Ellenberger was looking to get a win and show that he deserves a title shot ahead of the younger MacDonald. The fight would be built as a potential fight of the night with two very good and very powerful fighters in the division. Instead the fight would be one of the most disappointing of the night as MacDonald would take the win after three rounds of using his jab to keep Ellenberger on the outside. Ellenberger was not the same fighter he had been in past fights staying outside and avoiding a brawl. It was not an impressive win for MacDonald meaning the title shot might not be in his immediate future but a win means he continues his run up the rankings with a title shot in the distance.
Fight Bonuses
Submission of the Night
It took a long time to earn the Submission of the Night breaking the record for latest stoppage in UFC History but Demetrious Johnson still finished the fight with an Armbar to retain his Flyweight title
Knockout of the Night
Melvin Guillard would use his fight against Mac Danzig to announce that he is back and he did it in a big way with a vicious KO in the second round of his undercard fight earning him a tie with BJ Penn for most KOs in the lightweight division with 7
Fight of the Night
The Lightweights were the real stars of the night as Ed Herman and Trevor Smith set the tone early with an all out brawl for three rounds that would end with a split decision victory for Ed Herman
Fight Results
Main Event:
Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson def. John Moraga [Flyweight Title]
(Submission; Armbar, Rd. 5)
Main Card:
Rory “Ares” MacDonald def. Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger
(Unanimous Decision)
“Ruthless” Robbie Lawlor def. Bobby “Vicious” Voelker
(KO; Rd. 2)
Liz “Girlrilla” Carmouche def. Jessica “Bate Estaca” Andrade
(TKO; Rd. 2)
Undercard:
Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal def. Michael “Maverick” Chiesa
(Submission; D’Arce Choke, Rd. 2)
Danny “Last Call” Castillo def. Tim “Dirty Bird” Means
(Unanimous Decision)
Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard def. Mac Danzig
(KO; Rd. 2)
“Detroit Superstar” Daron Cruickshank def. Yves Edwards
(Split Decision)
Ed “Short Fuse” Herman def. Trevor “Hot Sauce” Smith
(Split Decision)
Germaine “The Iron Lady” De Randamie def. Julie “Fireball” Kedzie
(Split Decision)
Justin “J-Bomb” Salas def. Aaron Riley
(Split Decision)
Yaotzin Meza def. John “Prince” Albert
(Submission; Rear Naked Choke, Rd. 2)
Upcoming Events
UFC 163: Aldo vs. Korean Zombie (Saturday August 3rd; 10:00 pm ET)
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil (HSBC Arena)
Main Event: Jose “Junior” Aldo vs. “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung [Featherweight Title]
Notable: Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida vs. Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis
Notable: Cezar “Mutante” Ferreira vs. Thiago “Marreta” Santos
UFC on Fox Sports 1: Shogun vs. Sonnen (Saturday August 17th; 6:00 pm ET)
Boston, Massachusetts (TD Garden)
Main Event: Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Chael Sonnen
Notable: Allistair “The Reem” Overeem vs. Travis “Hapa” Browne
Notable: Urijah “The California Kid” Overeem vs. Yuri “Marajo” Alcantara
UFC Fight Night 27: Condit vs. Kampmann II (Wednesday August 28th; 8:00 pm ET)
Indianapolis, Indiana (Bankers Life Fieldhouse)
Main Event: Carlos “The Natural Born Killer” Condit vs. Martin “The Hitman” Kampmann
Notable: Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone vs. Rafael Dos Anjos
Notable: Kelvin Gastelum vs. Paulo Thiago
The Sport Addiction 