Ladies and gentlemen, I've got a handful of things I'd like to write about today. But the first thing I want to do is congratulate 49 year old Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins, who won yet another world title on Saturday night. Just last week I wrote about how age catches up to us all, and especially to fighters. Well, I guess he is the exception that proves the rule. Bernard fought for his first title more than 20 years ago. That's right. More than 20 years ago. Saturday he looked almost as good as he did for that first title fight back in 1993. Of course, some might argue that he looked even better. After all, he lost that first title fight to Roy Jones Jr. (he would avenge that loss years later), but he won on Saturday.
Put simply, the man is an inspiration. And an anomaly. Some credit his incredible self-discipline for his even more incredible longevity. He doesn't drink, he doesn't do drugs, he doesn't eat junk, and he doesn't cheat on his woman. That's quite the discipline cocktail right there. Props to him for maintaining an iron will, and props to him for whipping butt long past the age when most boxers have hung up their gloves.
Now let's talk briefly about the UFC fights from Saturday. First of all, Fabricio Werdum looked good in dominating Travis Browne. Ironically, Browne put a beating on Werdum in the first round. In fact, he was razor blade close to finishing the fight. It was reminiscent of the beating Alistair Overeem put on Browne months earlier. Browne survived that horrible beating, and came back to win. Likewise, Werdum survived Browne's early onslaught. Then he thrived.
Next up for Werdum is an Ultimate Fighter coaching gig and a title shot against the juggernaut, Cain Velasquez. In Mexico, of all places. I'm excited about that fight. Before anyone writes off Werdum, they should be reminded of just how good Werdum is off his back (which is where he will likely find himself against Cain). He caught the greatest heavyweight in the history of our sport, Fedor Emelianenko, with a triangle choke while on his back. Fedor was legendary for his ability to fend off submissions. Just check out his fights with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira to see this for yourself. But Werdum caught him and made him tap.
As good as Cain is--and he is exceptional--he is not perfect. He has been caught with big punches by Junior Dos Santos and by Chieck Kongo. Who is to say that he can't be caught by a big submission? If he can be, Werdum is the man to catch him. He has truly world class jiu-jitsu skills; better than anyone Cain has faced.
Plus, Werdum may be the only other heavyweight in the world who can keep up with Cain's pace. Let me be clear, I still think Cain holds a cardio advantage over Werdum. But perhaps his advantage won't be as overwhelming as it is against other heavyweights.
Meisha Tate came from behind to defeat Liz Carmouche in a close decision. I'm not sure where either woman goes from here. Both have been defeated by champion, Ronda Rousey, and neither looked spectacular on Saturday.
Edson Barbosa and Donald Cerrone, however, stole the show. As was expected, these guys came right out and started throwing down. Though Cerrone looked more than willing to trade bombs, it was Barbosa who was landing the better shots. In fact, Barbosa looked spectacular. At least until Cerrone hit him with a stiff left jab. The jab dropped Barbosa, which of course makes me call his chin into question. We all know Cerrone hits hard. But a jab? Sure, I've seen people get dropped by jabs before, but it doesn't happen often.
Regardless, Cerrone took advantage of the moment by jumping on Barbosa's back and sinking in a rear naked choke. For their efforts, Cerrone and Barbosa both earned fat performance bonuses. And they earned them. Good job, gentlemen.
I've written in the past about Yoel Romero. In fact, I dedicated an entire blog post to him. You can read it HERE. Well, he looked as good as ever in his manhandling of game Brad Tavares. His wrestling was ridiculous. Tavares, a strong fighter on a five-fight win streak, was tossed around like a child by the former Olympian. As before, Yoel looked to be enjoying himself in the cage. Winning was, I'm sure, a welcome early birthday gift for him since he turns 37 in a week. We will have to wait and see if he'll be one of those rare athletes like Bernard Hopkins or Randy Couture who continues to perform at a world-class level past the age of 40. If so, Yoel has time to work his way to a title shot. With his stellar wrestling background and his ever-evolving striking game, he may be a legitimate threat to the champion, Chris Weidman.
But if he's like most fighters, he'll start to lose a step--and maybe sooner than later. I hope that isn't the case, because I'm sure enjoying watching him work. He has a rare combination of natural ability, insane work ethic, and a genuine fighter's heart. I'm definitely looking forward to his next fight.
Speaking of looking forward to a fight, this weekend is UFC 172 (Jones vs Teixeira). That should be awesome. I hope to work in some pre-fight thoughts and predictions this week, so stay tuned.
Until then.
No comments:
Post a Comment