MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer</B><BR><BR>
So, another event is officially in the books, and thank the higher powers that be, it was a damn fine one! After a string of cards that produced more frustrating decisions than decisive stoppages. UFC 123 was a breath of fresh air that yielded a string of impressive stoppages.<BR><BR>
George Sotiropoulos looked a little shaky in the opening frame of his bout with Joe Lauzon. J-Lau came out and looked the superior striker early, shrugging off Sotiropoulos?s takedown and attempts and firing off crisp punches that frequently found their mark. Unfortunately for Lauzon, George began to find his rhythm as the round came to a close. The second frame was all Auzzie, as Sotiropoulos found his range, and successfully executed the takedown. A fading Lauzon game up his arm, and George took full advantage, snagging an impressive kimura victory midway through the fight. The win over Lauzon puts Sotiropoulos at 7-0 inside the octagon, and should he get past Dennis Siver at UFC 127, George will likely get his shot at the lightweight title.<BR><BR>
Unfortunately for Tim Boetsch supporters, he didn?t find quite the success Sotiropoulos did. Rather, he was outclassed by the insanely athletic Phil Davis. Davis looked a little slow out of the gate, but quickly found his comfort zone, taking Boetsch to the mat, and controlling the action. Tim looked game as can be, but a modified kimura from Davis ended any hope of victory for Boetsch in the second round.<BR><BR>
In an interesting debut, Maiquel Jose Falcao Goncalves earned a decision win over Gerald Harris, but not after some questionable tactics. At times the Brazilian looked overtly hesitant, while other moments saw the ref struggling to keep Falcao in control. After some brilliant moments inside the first two rounds, Falcao was up on the cards after taking the first two rounds, and unfortunately coasted for the third. While there were some seriously scary moments during the fight, Falcao looked inconsistent, and a little unstable upstairs if you know what I mean.<BR><BR>
In perhaps the nights biggest shocker, BJ Penn put on a vintage performance against Matt Hughes, destroying him in just 21 seconds. A clean right hand over the top dropped Hughes early, and Penn seized the moment in a major way, pouncing on his downed foe and rendering him unconscious with some brutal ground and pound. It?s the best we?ve seen BJ look in years, but ironically enough he?s painted himself in the Rich Franklin picture, seemingly unable to dethrone the lightweight champion as well as the welterweight champ. A win over Jon Fitch at UFC 127 could once again line BJ up for a shot at the welterweight title.<BR><BR><!--more-break-->
Quinton Jackson and Lyoto Machida put on quite an interesting performance. The bout featured a whole lot of Rampage swinging and connecting flush with air, and The Dragon scratching his back against the cage. While Jackson?s aggression kept the fight from venturing into ?boring? territory, Machida?s precision in the third round kept the mystery alive. In the end, Machida?s dominant final frame was a bit too little too late, and Jackson walked away with a controversial split decision win. Fans are now crying out for a rematch, feeling Machida was wronged, but Dana White doesn?t seem too keen on that idea, and I for one am with him; let?s get these two fighting different opposition, if a rematch is truly warranted, it will inevitably happen.<BR><BR>
Miscellaneous notes: Highly touted Edson Mendes Barboza Jr. looked every bit the animal he?s been billed, this guy appears to be the second coming of Jose Aldo; Matt Brown is one of the most exciting fighters in the game, win, lose or draw; Karo Parisyan should begin examining other career options; Mark Munoz embodies determination, and young prospects would do well by following his go-for-broke style.<BR><BR>
Source: http://www.mmanews.com/home.php
Thales Leites Justin Levens Dean Lister Nate Loughran Travis Lutter
No comments:
Post a Comment