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UFC WICHITA RECAP

The UFC’s inaugural event in Kansas, and for all the people who’ve never been – Kansas is actually pretty dope in my opinion. Nothing like getting fucked up in Flatland.

(Editor’s note: in my continuing incompetence, I missed the first four fights and the first round of Dawson-Erosa).

Grant Dawson v. Julian Erosa (FEATHERWEIGHT)

Winner: DAWSON BY UNANIMOUS DECISION

Maybe I’m way off here, but I’d like to see Erosa move up in weight – and I’m not trying to knock Dawson in any way with this, his pace was spectacular – his frame looks to me like he could move up without problems. Tactically, Dawson’s ability to shut down Erosa’s muay thai and continually close the distance proved the difference. Erosa had some good moments here and there on the feet but couldn’t keep Dawson at range. Dawson was just superb closing it out in the third round, and I’m interested in seeing what tools he’ll add to his game before his next fight.

 Yana Kunitskaya v. Marion Reneau

Bantamweight

Winner: KUNITSKAYA BY UNANIMOUS DECISION

The crowd was particularly unhappy with this decision and I thought that was fair. This card’s judging left much to be desired, and the PRIDE’s concept of scoring the fight as a whole kept coming to mind. You could make the case that Kunitskaya won the first two rounds and that the last round wasn’t necessarily a 10-8, but I’m not convinced – while Yana had some successs early Reneau finished the round in a dominant position.

At the same time, if two people fight for fifteen minutes and one person has a broken nose and is covered in blood and the other’s leg is chewed up – how do we score damage? Some fighters wear damage worse than others, while some (Anderson Silva) have ironskin that betrays no hurt. Personally, I don’t mind rematches and if a fight goes to a decision I never mind running it back, because I’d like to see a definitive result. This was one of the better fights on the card. Kunitskaya is absolute warrior for battling with a smashed nose – Reneau’s boxing was very, very crisp. Enjoy her before she retires!

 Anthony “Rocco” Martin v. Sergio Morales

Welterweight

Winner: MARTIN BY UNANIMOUS DECISION

The big homie Paul Felder alluded to the possibility of Morales having a rough cut for this fight, and he certainly did not look his best on the night. (Side note: I thought the standup in the first round wasn’t prompt enough). Conversely, Rocco Martin looked sharp – he was able to continually score with boxing and kicks to the calf and thigh. It’s hard to criticize any part of Martin’s game – although I’d like him to have gone inside with the leg kick and been more aggressive looking for the finish, it probably has more to do with five straight decisions in the middle of this card. Give Rocco a bigger name next, he deserves it.

 Tim “The Barbarian” Boetsch vs. Omari Akhmedov

Middleweight

Winner: AKHMEDOV BY UNAMINOUS DECISION

Another fight, another decision, another smashed nose. This was one of those fights with two smashing machines that don’t quite live up to your expectations. Akhmedov was criticized for not engaging enough. Did I want them to stand and trade? Yes, but I wouldn’t ever advise it. Boetsch was cut up bad by the end of the fight, but he didn’t seem close to being out. It doesn’t matter how much damage you deal to the Barbarian – if he’s standing, he’s a finisher. Just ask Okami.

 Drew Dober vs. Beneil Dariush

Lightweight

WINNER: DARIUSH BY ARMBAR

This was excellent. Dober looked prodigious on the feet, cracking Dariush several times. His main mistake in my opinion, was tactical. Specifically, his willingness to grapple with Dariush, who is unbelievably slick on the ground. Prior to the sequence that led to Dariush’s finish, Dober had the opportunity to separate but fatefully declined. Absolute class from Dariush on his release of the submission, who showed great chin and heart in this one.

 Blagoy Ivanov vs. Ben Rothwell

Heavyweight

Winner: IVANOV BY UNANIMOUS DECISION

Good to see Rothwell back, and although I personally thought Ivanov landed the better shots in this one I can see the crowd/commentator’s confusion with judges’ decision. Rothwell certainly dictated the pace of this fight and honest to god might be an action movie villain come to life; his whole persona: the walkout, the curious footwork, the relentless forward pressure, his dead yet menacing expression is just fucking excellent. He’s honestly a fucking Jason out there. Ivanov has had to deal with some tough matchups during his time in the UFC so far, and I’d like to see where he goes from here.

 Interlude: this curly haired Kansasian goddess is doing something to me.

 Tim “Dirty Bird” Means vs. Niko Price

Welterweight

Winner: YOU, THE VIEWER; PRICE BY KNOCKOUT

HOLY SHIT YOU NERDS

WORDS CAN’T DO THIS ONE JUSTICE GO FIND IT ON THE INTERWEBS. READER, THIS WAS PURE FUCKING BLOODSPORT DID YOU EVEN SEE THIS SHIT LIVE PRICE CAME OUT WITH THE HEAT AND LOOKED LIKE HE WAS GOING TO STEAMROLL THE DIRTYBIRD BUT GODDAMN THE BIRD IS DIRTY AND PULLED A TAKEDOWN OUT OF HIS VETERAN BAG OF TRICKS NEXT THING YOU KNOW HE’S LOOKING LIKE FUCKING IP MAN WITH THESE COMBINATIONS BUT DON’T THINK FOR A MINUTE THAT NIKO PRICE WASN’T GOING TO TURN THAT SHIT AROUND WITH SOME THUNDER

Bullshit this was the REAL fight of the night you and I both know the dirty bird deserves that FOTN$$$$$

 Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos vs. Curtis Millender

Welterweight

Winner: DOS SANTOS BY REAR NAKED CHOKE

This EZDS looks like the real deal; he got Millender’s attention on the feet with a quick combination and a flawless shot. I would have liked to see more of dos Santos’ striking but it’ll come soon – he took no damage and showed himself ready for the next level of competition. While this sucks for Millender, who should have exploded with everything he had right before dos Santos zoomed on his back like a cat, he also didn’t take any significant damage, and this fight showed him exactly what he himself needs to make the leap.

 MAIN EVENT: Derrick “the Black Beast” Lewis vs. “Cigano” Junior dos Santos

Can every fight be at heavyweight? Some days you only want that heavy leather.

This was an intriguing matchup between the former Heavyweight Champ (JDS) and the Scrap Recap’s endorsed candidate for the 2020 election (Black Beast for President). This one had me on the edge of my seat until Lewis ate that kick to the body. Even compromised, Lewis remained a danger, but JDS has been in the game long enough to know how to manage that risk.

This was an excellent performance by the former champ. Cigano’s bodywork is some of the best in the division and he was smart to employ it against Lewis. Even more devastating for the heavyweight division was his singing of happy birthday to his son during the post-fight interview, making him undeniable threat to Daniel Cormier’s reign as Daddest Man on the Planet.

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UFC 235 RECAP

Fight pass recap:

I don’t have fight pass/I skipped these to get high and make dinner (Sicilian sausage), but it looks like there were some good scraps. Sorry!

 Diego “Nightmare” Sanchez v. Mickey Gall:

Winner: SANCHEZ BY KNOCKOUT

Gall is a young dangerous fighter with penchant for finishing by rear naked choke.  Gall has made a name for himself in his young career by beating some distinguished names –punishing CM Punk to the delight of all of America – and was the favorite coming into this bout. I like Gall, but was pulling for Diego, as the veteran who has given so much to the sport and the fans, and it was magnificent to see the stalwart veteran earn his first finish in ELEVEN YEARS!

The first of two Nightmares, Diego’s ability to hang in the fight while taking cataclysmic damage – which he attributed after the fight to his passion in anti-aging – transforms him into an increasingly dangerous fighter the longer the fight goes – appearing fresher than his opponent. Promising to get a first round finish, Gall pursued Sanchez with power shots, but was unable to hurt Sanchez, who admitted in the post-fight interview that he planned on letting the younger fighter punch himself out.

 Cody “The Spartan” Stamann vs. Alejandro “Turbo” Perez:

Winner: STAMANN BY DECISION

The first and the more successful of our two Cody night, Stamann’s volume carried the day. The commentators bemoaned Perez’s lack of volume/combinations. Specifically, I think he’d have done better concentrating on attacking Stamann’s lead leg, which he would occasionally attack and then forget about it – obviously easier said than done. Not the best nicknames or tattoos in this one, but I wouldn’t mind running this one back for a more definitive finish.

 Johnny Walker vs. Misha Cirkunov

Winner: WALKER BY KNOCKOUT

Cirkunov is no joke and I have a lot of admiration for taking this fight. Walker came in with a lot of hype and showed that it wasn’t hype, just facts. At the moment Walker is only 205er on the roster with the frame, creativity and athleticism to potentially hang with Jon Jones down the road (please do not rush him), Johnny Walker (just an unbelievable name; God bless Brazil) put Cirkunov down with a flying knee on some Tony Jaa shit and then promptly dislocated his shoulder during his celebration. Walker’s entertaining style and aw-shucks-blew-my-shoulder-out-doing-the-worm attitude demands that the UFC find him a higher ranked opponent.

Ten out of ten. Would recommend.

 Zabit Magomedsharipov vs. Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stephens

Winner: MAGOMEDSHARIPOV BY DECISION

This, to me, was a worthy candidate for fight of the night had the next fight on the card not occurred.

Whose wife is Jeremy Stephens fucking?  A veteran of 44 professional fights, Stephens was coming off a tough loss to the legendary Jose Aldo only take on the latest Dagestani boogeyman, Zabit Magomedsharipov. In an alternate dimension, Abraham Lincoln never abandoned his wrestling ways (300-0-1 as an amateur) and disdained politics for Wu Shu. That dimension’s Lincoln is named Zabit, and he’s here with us now.

Zabit’s laconic style and blending of skills made him a great foil for Stephens and I really enjoyed this matchup. The first two rounds showcased Zabit’s class footwork, as he was able to land strikes and avoid Lil Heathen’s power right hand. Closing the distance on Zabit is a puzzle that has yet to be solved. Stephens was able to crack him a few times but Zabit’s chin, combined with his footwork was able to hold up. As in the Bokniak fight, Zabit seemed to slow down somewhat in the third round – although Stephens seemed to win the round, he needed the finish to take the fight and was unable to do so. Zabit’s height and reach advantage pays serious dividends within this division but he has seemed somewhat diminished towards the end of the fight. Decisions aren’t always satisfying to watch, and while this was a tough loss for Stephens, he shows that he’s still among the division’s elite. With this win over a highly-ranked opponent, I hope to see Zabit get increasingly higher profile fights.

 Pedro “The Young Punisher” Munhoz vs. Cody “No Love” Garbrandt

Winner: MUNHOZ BY KNOCKOUT

Holy fuck this was some wild ass shit.

Despite being favored in this matchup, I had a bad feeling about this bout for Garbrandt and thought Munhoz would carry the day, albeit by submission. The Young Punisher is just that, and after back-to-back losses to TJ Dillashaw, Garbrandt accepted a very tough fight on his way back up.

Garbrandt’s power is legitimate and for his weight class it is absurd. His handspeed, boxing skills, and wrestling background gave him all the tools to seize the championship from Dominic Cruz in late 2016. However, it wasn’t just those skills that made him king – his performance against Cruz showed great generalship and poise in the cage, and he dropped and frustrated Cruz over the course of five rounds. Since then, however, No Love’s aggression has worked against him. Like Aaron Pico, he’d be better served if he didn’t know how hard he hits.  Munhoz came out looking for and throwing the overhand right -- and in his post-fight interview had a sense of his opponent’s emotional nature.

Having cracked Munhoz, Garbrandt threw caution and hands to the wind, and they proceeded to recreate the Max Holloway-Ricardo Lamas stand and bang. Garbrandt has now lost three in a low and while still young, needs to quickly learn out how to manage his bellicosity – no easy task, since it was his power and finishing mentality that brought him to the show.

Munhoz showed unbelievable heart and skill (as well a spectacular chin) and ought to be on a very short list of fighters due to fight for the title. An excellent submission grappler, this victory showcased his improving stand up and I hope the UFC rewards him for his efforts.

 Weili “Magnum” Zhang vs. Tecia “The Tiny Tornado” Torres:

Winner: ZHANG BY DECISION

The betting underdog, Torres was game and enjoyed occasional success against Zhang, landing clean several times in the fight. Unfortunately for Torres, these moments were too infrequent -- Weili’s volume

The difference in this fight was Zhang’s inside leg kick and her continuous efforts in transitions – whenever Torres gained a dominant position, she was never able to maintain it. While at no point did it seem as if Weili was close to finishing Torres, I think that says more about the heart and skill of the latter; Zhang finished the fight in dominant position (but I’m not sure that she won all three rounds; what the hell qualifies these idiots to judge fighting).

Now the owner of a nineteen-fight win streak with sixteen finishes, Zhang presents a compelling matchup for the Strawweight Queen Rose Namajunas. I don’t know what the rankings are and I don’t give a shit; you and I both know at the very least Zhang deserves a top ranked opponent.

  Ben “Funky” Askren vs. “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler

Winner: ASKREN BY SUBMISSION

It was odd to hear the commentators refer to Herb Dean as “the gold standard” just two fights after his massive fuck up in this one.

I thought Lawler would win this fight convincingly – I didn’t think the layoff would hurt him, and I think he’d be a particularly bad match up for Askren, who has never faced someone with the striking prowess of Lawler. “Ruthless” has the kind of power can very quickly take control of the fight and put his opponent on the defense. Right away, I thought he’d prove me right, and he was doing just that.  

This was a disturbingly quick stoppage – Dean has let fights go on too long in the past – and we’ve seen fights stopped for less than what Lawler was doing to Askren early on. It did appear that Lawler’s arm went limp, but hindsight is 20/20.  

Askren was right to saw that he’s not to blame for the stoppage, but this fight showed that he’s not as unhittable against the elite – and that Lawler is still very much part of the elite at 170 pounds. I don’t know that we’ll see a rematch but I wouldn’t mind, and I think Robbie deserves it. At the same time, I’d like to see how the rest of the division handles Askren’s wrestling.

 Kamaru “The Nigerian Nightmare” Usman vs. Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley

Winner: USMAN BY DECISION                                            

The trash talk between Woodley and Usman allegorically centered on their big brother-little brother vibe, and this one played out like the little brother who has taken too much shit for too long.

AND NEW!

Now over, viewers hopefully appreciated Tyron’s title reign and class he showed as champion (doubtful), and the former champion made no excuses in defeat, making no excuses for his loss and congratulating the new champion. One comment in particular during his post-fight interview was especially poignant, describing his experience like “a bad dream”: Usman confirmed that he is indeed our generation’s Nigerian Nightmare. This was an absolute mauling. Woodley showed championship-caliber heart in absorbing what appeared to be 10,000 bodyshots, but was never in this fight managing limited offense: desperate guillotine chokes and waiting for the timing for this thunderous right hand. That time never emerged. Undeniably the man of the moment, Usman took the fight the Woodley for twenty five minutes straight. Again, some really awful refereeing in this one: at one point Mark Goddard separated the fighters, and responding to a puzzled Usman (who had been applying the punishment) he said “It’s a fight Kamaru”. Uh, no shit. Open your eyes.

While not necessarily the most fan-friendly aspect of MMA (and the meathead in all of us), the dirty boxing/clinch fighting is among its most exhausting and critical facets. Fortunately, these break ups in the action served only to reinforce Usman’s dominant performance and gave us a great quip from Dominic Cruz questioning Mark Goddard’s wrestling credentials (and Crus is probably right, let’s be real, Goddard is British).

Tyron Woodley has been a dominant champion and that alone probably gives him the right for a rematch. It’s no secret that “The Chosen One” isn’t among the promotion’s favorite fighters and that probably doesn’t do him any favors. Woodley never really got going on this one and while it stands to reason that he’d put a better performance together the second time, Usman’s focus and confidence will likely only sharpen and grow. Usman looks to have the tools and focus to rule the Welterweight division for years to come.

Sanchez and Walker certainly deserved their performance of the night bonuses, but whatever Usman’s win bonus was, he deserves more. The UFC’s first African-born champion delivered the performance of his life on the biggest stage possible.

 Jon “Bones” Jones vs. Anthony “Lionheart” Smith

Winner: JONES BY DECISION

Like Woodley, Anthony Smith never really got going. While not able to secure a finish, Jon Jones spent twenty-five minutes imposing his will on the challenger. Both fighters are listed at 6’4, but Jones appeared to have the height advantage in this one and enjoys a reach advantage over everyone but Reed Richards. (Also. I was out of weed by this time and honestly this fight suffered because of that. I hate paying rent.) If Usman-Woodley was a pit bull mauling, this was a big cat playing with its prey. The commentating crew mentioning during the first round that Smith hadn’t planned to come out of the gate aggressive, and it did not pay dividends. Then again, coming out swinging against arguably the most dominant champion ever is easier said than done. The variety of attack that Jones presents appeared to freeze Smith out of his usual aggression, and the champion systematically shut down Smith. Smith’s corner also did not appear to have helpful tactical advice during the fight, other than “find your why” and “you need to let your Lionheart out”. He’d have been better served with actual strategy. While Smith’s last fight with Volkan Oezdimir showcased his ability to continually stay in the fight, and his ability to stay focused on winning the fight while not losing rounds did not do him any favors on the night. Jones’ real opponent is himself. As long as his focus remains sharp, he will remain in a class by himself. Frankly, I would like to see him at heavyweight, not specifically to fight Cormier, but to add variety to his challenges.