UFC 104 Post-Mortem: New Questions
Jake Rossen Oct 26, 2009
Will the UFC get philanthropic about the
Machida/Rua rematch?
The last time a main event was marred by questionable ruling, Ken Shamrock was forced to get his head thumped by Tito Ortiz a third time -- on free television. If the UFC is looking to tranquilize fans upset by the outcome, airing the rematch on Spike would do it. “Manswers” plugs are a small price to pay for closure.
Do heavyweight strikers have a
chance?
While a sizable number of athletes in lighter-weight classes can wrestle and kick with near-equal credibility, style vs. style is very much a factor in the heavyweight division. Ben Rothwell was bulldozed by Cain Velasquez, a fate shared by Cheick Kongo; two grapplers in Shane Carwin and Brock Lesnar are set to decide the title holder in November. If heavyweights still operate in one dimension, we generally know what grapplers do with strikers: this division could begin to resemble the NCAA finals, and soon.
Should Anthony Johnson’s fight have been canceled?
Commissions normally make a one-pound allowance for non-title affairs; Johnson weighed in at 176 for a 170 lb. bout against Yoshiyuki Yoshida, which was a greater differential than it appears. If Johnson couldn’t cut six pounds, he was straining his own credibility. Someone should have put him on a scale five minutes before the fight, just to rub it in. Victory via glycogen isn’t that impressive.
Does Cain Velasquez have power?
Beat a guy bad enough to take his wallet -- if he had one -- and it’s still not enough for some observers who criticized Velasquez’s inability to deliver definitive loss of consciousness to his opponents. (Ben Rothwell, alarmingly, could still stand up at the time of the stoppage.) A 240 lb. man is going to be able to hit and hurt whatever he wants; but Velasquez, still just 7-0, may not have fully adapted to a style yet. Chuck Liddell decisioned three fights in a row before going on an 11-bout T/KO streak.
The last time a main event was marred by questionable ruling, Ken Shamrock was forced to get his head thumped by Tito Ortiz a third time -- on free television. If the UFC is looking to tranquilize fans upset by the outcome, airing the rematch on Spike would do it. “Manswers” plugs are a small price to pay for closure.
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While a sizable number of athletes in lighter-weight classes can wrestle and kick with near-equal credibility, style vs. style is very much a factor in the heavyweight division. Ben Rothwell was bulldozed by Cain Velasquez, a fate shared by Cheick Kongo; two grapplers in Shane Carwin and Brock Lesnar are set to decide the title holder in November. If heavyweights still operate in one dimension, we generally know what grapplers do with strikers: this division could begin to resemble the NCAA finals, and soon.
Should Anthony Johnson’s fight have been canceled?
Commissions normally make a one-pound allowance for non-title affairs; Johnson weighed in at 176 for a 170 lb. bout against Yoshiyuki Yoshida, which was a greater differential than it appears. If Johnson couldn’t cut six pounds, he was straining his own credibility. Someone should have put him on a scale five minutes before the fight, just to rub it in. Victory via glycogen isn’t that impressive.
Does Cain Velasquez have power?
Beat a guy bad enough to take his wallet -- if he had one -- and it’s still not enough for some observers who criticized Velasquez’s inability to deliver definitive loss of consciousness to his opponents. (Ben Rothwell, alarmingly, could still stand up at the time of the stoppage.) A 240 lb. man is going to be able to hit and hurt whatever he wants; but Velasquez, still just 7-0, may not have fully adapted to a style yet. Chuck Liddell decisioned three fights in a row before going on an 11-bout T/KO streak.
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