The card that the UFC put together in order to push the PPV buys away from Affliction: Banned wasn't exactly the most star-studded lineup we've seen from the UFC this year, but it did feature one of the most dangerous strikers in the sport in Anderson Silva. Did it live up to the hype? For the most part, fans got what they came to see, but the rest of the card was rather lackluster from the perspective of this hardcore fan. Let's check out some of the action...
Anderson Silva vs. James Irvin
I want to say one thing before we break down the short amount of time this fight actually took place. James Irvin didn't have a chance that night, nor did he have a chance a few weeks ago when this fight was beginning to gain some steam from casual fans believing Irvin's power would be a factor. Plain and simple, Anderson Silva is one of the best range strikers in the sport, and James Irvin has huge problems gaining the inside track on rangey opponents.
Silva is one of the most powerful strikers in MMA today at range. Not only has he been able to display his striking prowess in nearly every matchup, but he's been able to accurately and deceptively throw his power shots with full extension onto his opponent's chins successfully. His movement in the cage is well-trained, and using that movement along with his range striking will be a nearly impossible feat for anyone to overcome. Irvin never had the toolkit to move inside on Silva, but he did have the explosive history to potentially put a devastating blow on Silva's chin. Unfortunately, trying to kick Silva while he's at range was a huge mistake.
Silva caught the kick and immediately connected with a punch that ended the fight after Silva pummeled him on the ground from the punch's knockdown. If you bet the farm on Irvin, you probably weren't alone, but styles make fights. It surely wasn't a smart bet to put Irvin down as a winner when Silva's dominance, range, and deceptive power continue to be unsolvable.
Brandon Vera vs. Reese Andy
A huge disappointment for Brandon Vera, that's all we can really conclude from this fight. Joe Rogan pushed the theory that the weight cut had likely drained Vera's power during the fight, and Vera confirmed that the cut was somewhat of a problem. Andy definitely showed a powerful physique that could have been a problem to deal with, but the biggest flaw in Vera's game seemed to be his inability to pull the trigger in the standup.
Vera's reach and size to Andy's beefiness was unfathomable. Andy was lunging to land even the most simple jab while Vera clearly could have unloaded some choice shots at any moment. In the clinch, Vera was also dominating, but relenting at times. Hopefully, Vera can use the experience at the lower weight class to make his next cut to 205 a bit better for him.
Frankie Edgar vs. Hermes Franca
While I had some doubts about Edgar going into this fight, I wasn't comfortable enough with Franca's standup to pick him to win this one. Franca showed some decent jiu-jitsu on the floor to put Edgar in danger at times, but Edgar's relentless onslaught from the top proved to be the deciding factor in an easy decision win for him. Franca is still a dangerous opponent in the division though, and look for him to bounce back with a win in his next performance.
Where will Edgar go? He should be beginning to look toward the upper echelon of the division, but his loss to Gray Maynard has definitely stopped his ability to move up quickly. It'll be interesting to see who Joe Silva finds for Edgar to fight next.
Cain Velasquez vs. Jake O'Brien
The most impressive part about Velasquez is that he has been so dominating while making it look so easy. Jake O'Brien is mainly known for being a boring lay n'pray fighter for most of his career, but he's had to use his wrestling pedigree to set those types of fights up. Cain used his superior wrestling abilities and some nice reversals to stop that from happening. Once he was on top of O'Brien, he was relentless in landing strikes and ending the fight in impressive fashion. I'm ready to see Velasquez move to the middle of the pack.
Kevin Burns vs. Anthony Johnson
I don't have much to say here other than I believe Johnson was winning this battle until the eye poke occurred. To be perfectly honest, using palm strikes in an MMA fight is ridiculous even if you're protecting your hand. Granted, Burns was trying to win the fight any way he could with a bad hand, but palm strikes open up the potential for what happened to Anthony Johnson. Bas Rutten could probably teach you the correct palm strike technique pretty quickly... to the side of the head, not the eye.
Burns shouldn't get the win in this fight, and hopefully we'll see a rematch between these two in the future. My only worry is that Johnson looked gassed as we moved into the third round, and he needs to work on his cardio more. It's surprising considering he trains out of Colorado where high altitude training is considered normal.
CB Dolloway vs. Jesse Taylor
This fight went as expected with Dolloway not succumbing to Taylor's top control for very long. I didn't actually believe Taylor could work his lay n'pray on Dolloway like he had during the show due to the fact that Dolloway has some power and some good transitions on the floor to work with. At least this fight will allow Dolloway another chance in the UFC, and hopefully he will work hard to improve his skills enough to prove he can stay in this type of competition.
Other action...
Credeur over Yarbrough via TKO, Round 1
Markham over Farber via headkick, Round 1
Loughran over Ress via triangle choke, Round 1
Blackburn over Giboo via TKO, Round 2
Gugerty over Hartt via TKO, Round 2
Overall thoughts
It was the most lackluster card of the weekend for this writer, but it did show us some of the upcoming talent in the UFC. I like some of the acquisitions that the UFC made in terms of exciting the fanbase. Markham may not be the quintessential answer to the talent gap, but he's a damn exciting striker who never disappoints when it comes to knocking guys out. Blackburn was also another nice pickup from the IFL.
Kevin Burns is potentially making a name for himself in the UFC. Even with the controversial win that I believe he should have overturned, he lasted much longer than anyone really believed he could. He showed some promise, and with some solid training, he could become a decent middle of the road fighter in the UFC.
Velasquez is a monster, and it's only a matter of time before he gets matched up with a name people will recognize. If he can manage to win those key fights, his popularity and the UFC's aim to push the heavyweights could soon move into the spotlight. It's tough enough finding great heavyweight talent, and the UFC has landed on a potential goldmine in Velasquez.
The UFC doesn't have much lined up in the coming months, but Georges St. Pierre vs. Jon Fitch should be enough for some fans to fill the void. I'm not exactly amped about the matchup as I truly believe GSP will steamroll Jon Fitch, but hey, prove me wrong.