It was interesting round of results on the UFC 88 fight card. Sometimes I have picks in my mind about who I would “prefer” win. Some UFC’s are sorely disappointing and others are elating. It was a bit of a mix this weekend.
An early fight was Ultimate Fighter reject Matt Brown vs. Dong Hyun Kim. Don’t get the wrong idea, I kind of like Matt Brown, but I still have a lot of resentment toward the idea of taking the losers I didn’t pay to see on Ultimate Fighter and putting them on my Pay-Per-View event. If you want them to build some credibility on Fight Night Live or something, go ahead, but I truly dislike finding them in my line-up I’m paying to watch. Back to the fight. The Brown vs. Kim match-up was good and fairly exciting. It really showcased the lack of a good scoring mechanism for MMA. I understand why the judges gave the nod to Kim, but I could also see a good argument for Brown winning that fight.
I was excited about the Nate Marquardt vs. Martin Kampmann fight. I’m not a big Marquardt fan, but I know he is explosive and often fun to watch. I have really enjoyed Kampmann fighting in the past, so I expected an exciting show. What impressed me most was Marquardt when he staggered Kampmann. He worked both sides of the head and down to the body with hard, but precise, shots. Kampmann didn’t have opportunity to regather his wits or take any counter-offensive. Marquardt commented on this himself following the fight, and I agree, that was a key part of the victory. A tip of my hat to Marquardt’s striking, I may come around to being a fan after all.
Dan Henderson fought Rousimar Palhares in a three-round battle that ended with Henderson by decision. I thought both of these men looked pretty good; I was looking for a little more aggression to press the action, but you couldn’t have asked for some better competitiveness. Henderson won by keeping Palhares out of his game. He started to play his game for a while but quickly learned the better of it. I’d like to see Palhares again, and hopefully Dan Henderson will start showing off some of his legendary abilities from his PRIDE days.
Rich Franklin moved back up to the 205 division and fought up-and-comer Matt Hamil. Now, let me in fairness say that I don’t lump Hamil into the Ultimate Fighter rejects club—he was game to keep going, but the doctors wouldn’t let him fight, for his safety (which was the right call). I continue to be impressed with Matt Hamil. Think back to how terrible his striking was back on Ultimate Fighter. Saturday night, he went toe-to-toe striking with one of the most precise strikers in the business. Sure, he lost, why wouldn’t he? He is not at Rich Franklin’s striking level, but the point is, he is light years improved in his striking. Matt Hamil is a young, strong man. If he can continue to improve at the same rate he has already shown, I’m scared of what this man can accomplish. I just hope this defeat doesn’t set him back in his confidence. Hamil didn’t land near the number of blows as Franklin, but “Ace” looked like he had taken a thrashing by the end of the fight. Congratulations to Rich for a great victory, and cheers to Matt Hamil for the obvious work he is putting into his MMA game.
Now, the fight of the night, Rashad Evans and Chuck Liddell. When Rashad first appeared on the scene back in the early Ultimate Fighter, I was anything but impressed. He was tough but lacked any real talent. He could not finish anybody. It became my around-the-office joke that Rashad could lay on top of anyone for 15 minutes and win. Much like Hamil, discussed earlier, Rashad has put in some time and effort. He has added to his raw athletic ability some real MMA skills. He has had a number of impressive finishes now in his career, and a knockout of Chuck Liddell is icing on the cake. I still hate the showboating Rashad throws into every match and eagerly await the person who beats him to a pulp; however, that day is not today! Great, great showing from Rashad. What can be said of Chuck Liddell? He is a legend. He defined striking in the UFC. When you become the picture of how something is done, it is only a matter of time before everyone else learns to do it just like you do. It’s the evolution of the sport. Liddell has licked the canvas thanks to Jackson, Jardine, and now, Evans. I don’t think it is as much that Liddell is losing his edge, it’s that everyone else has figured out how he does it. Don’t believe me? Replay Evans’ over-the-top right and tell me you haven’t seen Liddell level opponent after opponent with the exact same shot.
Don’t write Chuck Liddell off just yet. This reminds me of when Royce Gracie came back to the octagon, only to be pummeled by Matt Hughes. When you are the best, everyone tries to become you. Chuck Liddell has got to expand his skillset now and become something else, something more than what we are used to. Too many people now know how to beat the current Chuck Liddell. Me, I’m hoping he goes back to camp and comes back with something new and dangerous. Time will tell.