Underwhelming Finish in Vegas (UFC 191 Review)
UFC 191 was an exhibition of the two extremes of the sport as the last two fights represented two very different spectrums of the fight game.
On the one hand there were the biggest fighters in the UFC represented by Andrei Arlovski and Frank Mir in the co-main event.
Then there was the smallest fighters in the UFC represented by Flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson and challenger John Dodson in the main event of the night.
There could not be a bigger difference and it is a lot more than just the size of the fighters in the division.
The heavyweights are considered some of the most exciting fighters in the UFC largely because they bring the most power.
They are big men ready to swing away to finish fights and more often than not there is an end to the fights.
The flyweights are the polar opposite as not many have the power that can earn consistent knockouts.
Instead they rely on blazing speed and technique to put on great fights that are often decided in close judge’s decisions.
As these two divisions took centre stage at UFC 191 there were also a couple of outliers in the octagon.
The heavyweights are generally bangers who like to stand and trade but this co-main main event featured one of the few BJJ practitioners in the heavyweight division with Mir.
The main event also featured an outlier in Dodson who has the best knockout power in the flyweight division.
These outliers got their chance to make an impression on two divisions in a big stage as the UFC returned to pay per view.
For Mir the fight was all about continuing his run towards another title after two impressive wins that broke a long losing streak.
That was the same motivation for Arlovski who returned to the UFC last year and took three straight wins.
Both veterans and former champions were set to face-off looking to move up the rankings and get another shot at the title by continuing their run.
The fight itself never really lived up to the hype that surrounded it as the two heavyweights were expected to throw bombs for as long as it could last.
That didn’t exactly happen though as they threw some good shots while Mir attempted to wrestle but nothing really came of anything.
The fight was a letdown with two veterans facing off but in the end it was Arlovski that got the win after doing more damage on the feet than Mir did.
It wasn’t an easy decision but Arlovski took the win while Mir will go back to the drawing board and figure out where he goes from here.
Arlovski will get the boost but it wasn’t impressive enough to make him the top contender in the division as he might need one more win to get to the champion.
For the outlier in Dodson the fight was all about proving that he truly does belong among the best in the flyweight division.
Dodson had already fought for the title once before but it was only after fights into his UFC career after participating in The Ultimate Fighter.
The fact was that the flyweight division was young and nobody had the time to move their way into the title picture after Johnson had taken the title in the flyweight tournament.
Dodson was given the chance and many considered him more of a sacrificial lamb than anything else.
He proved everyone wrong as he tested Johnson in the closest flyweight title defence he has ever fought.
Johnson still took the win and kept the belt while Dodson seemed to disappear from the division altogether.
He fought once more after the title fight in 2013 and suffered a knee injury that only allowed him to fight once in 2014.
His inactivity was noticed as nobody was talking about him at the top of the division but a good win earlier this year told everyone that he was back and ready.
He got the title shot and came into UFC 191 looking to show Johnson that he had improved enough to take the belt this time around.
Johnson had been improving as well with many considering him the best pound for pound fighter in the UFC who continues to round out his game.
The rematch was essentially a measurement of just how much each fighter had improved as the first time they met Dodson almost ended the fight early twice.
It turns out that is was Johnson who got better as he utterly smothered Dodson not allowing him to get any great shots off.
Johnson was just the faster fighter as he stayed away from any of the big shots that could end a fight and clinched with the challenger.
It was far more dominant than their first fight as Johnson was the clear winner with Dodson unable to get any shots off.
Dodson returns to the flyweight division where he will likely need to go through much more of the division if he wants to get a title shot again.
Johnson continues his reign as the flyweight champion and as one of the best fighters in the UFC with few options as challengers, only Henry Cejudo and Jussier Formiga are in the top five and haven’t fought Johnson.
For a card that was to show the best of the two polar opposite divisions the UFC likely feels disappointed as neither fight was that great although the rest of the card was pretty entertaining.
The Sport Addiction 