After a soft opening with Ross Pearson and Francisco Trinaldo that ended in a UD for the latter, the big boys came out and everyone got wet with excitement. A lot of dancing around feeling each other out and two eye pokes later, we had Mitrione blinking all over the cage like he'd just lost a contact and entered the 3rd round with a snoozer. The eye pokes, however, eventually led to this:
He couldn't see, and thus didn't see, a straight from Browne that came down the pipe and fractured his orbital bone. It swelled immediately, and after being taken down and mounted, Browne happlessly punched him out until the ref stepped in. It was fairly overwhelming, but when Mitrione stood up we all saw the massive golf ball coming out of his eye. Disgusting to the point that FOX actually censored it, refusing to show the eye outside of when we caught a glimpse of it right after the stoppage.
Then we moved on to the Pettis-Alvarez fight. Yesterday I predicted Showtime would return to his championship form, but it was the exact opposite. Alvarez pressured and never really gave Pettis the room to open up, smothering him to a split decision win that was a bit of a snoozer. It was a frustrating watch - Pettis with so much talent now on a downswing after gracing the cover of a Wheaties box for the otherwordly striking abilities he'd shown just a couple years back, and Alvarez typically an all-action guy utilizing a smart, albeit conservative, gameplan to ride out the win. He called for a title shot after, but I'm not really interested.
So after a few lackluster bouts we got to the main event and honestly, there really wasn't a chance this fight would suck and it was important it didn't for the sake of the card. Both guys really delivered - it was a high-level, technical, tactical fight with tremendous footwork, angles, precision striking, and impressive scrambling when they hit the mat. In fact, it was Cruz who initiated the ground game the most, hitting 3 of 6 takedowns. The fight was incredibly close throughout, with neither guy truly in danger at any point. The most dramatic part of the fight was partially credited to Joe Rogan, who after a leg kick by Dillashaw in the 4th was convinced that he'd severely damaged Cruz's leg and the former champ was in serious trouble. Turns out it was his foot from a pre-fight injury, and Cruz mentioned after the fight it didn't really hurt until the 5th, a round he actually won on one of the judge's scorecards as well as my unofficial scorecard.
Nonetheless, Cruz took the decision. Two key takeaways from the fight:
- Cruz looked phenomenal after all that time off and reiterated what he's said for so long as a commentator - ring rust doesn't exist, not if you train hard. He'll be tough to dethrone, and you have to believe his toughest opponent will be himself (injuries).
- Dillashaw proved his mettle as a champion. Cruz said in the pre-fight buildup that Dillashaw needed his name for his resume. Although he didn't win the fight, Dillashaw made a pretty big statement that he was a worthy champ and, on a different night, could see a decision vs. Cruz go his way. These guys will likely fight again, and I expect the odds to be a toss up when the lines come out.
Matches to Make
- Travis Browne - really disappointing effort from Browne with the eye pokes. Stipe is next in line for a title shot after Werdum-Cain II, so give him a rematch against either Overeem or Arlovski. He previously felled Reem with the memorable front kick to the chin, but Reem has won 3 straight and is looking for the UFC title shot that has long evaded him. Arlovski is alos interesting as Browne lost in that one-round barn burner, but Arlovski is coming off the KO loss to Stipe and looking to rebound.
- Matt Mitrione - a surgeon, Dana White, then Mark Hunt. Take care of the eye, then head to UFC HQ to negotiate a new deal after your contract expired last night. I think Mitrione has a few more left in him, and can bring some excitement to the table against guys who don't liberally throw their fingers at the eyes of opponents. I'd love to see him in there against Hunt. Guaranteed KO for one of them.
- Eddie Alvarez - that Kabib guy. McGregor has the next shot at Dos Anjos in March, so give Alvarez another top guy. Kabib has been complaining for a title shot for a while now but can't stay healthy. He's a wrestler, so that should negate the ground game and force the fight to the feet. Kabib's interesting in that he's undefeated and has a win over Dos Anjos, but this could be a good chem check before a title fight for both guys.
- Anthony Pettis - Donald Cerrone part two. Both guys need a win, Cerrone is much improved from their first encounter, having earned (and lost in) a title shot last month. Pettis gets a shot to regain his dominant form against an all-action opponent he owns a win over, while Cerrone gets to avenge a loss and stay close to the top of the mountain. Why not.
- TJ Dillashaw - Aljamain Sterling. Top-5 opponent on the rise, clamoring for a title shot. Give him the former champ coming off a razor-thin SD loss. It's the closest thing without the real thing. For Dillashaw, he has the chance to turn down a rising star at the gate and reassure us he's still at the top of the mountain. Win, and he gets the rematch against Cruz or...
- Dominick Cruz - Urijah Faber. Might as well. These guys don't like each other, and Faber doesn't have much time left to win the UFC title he's never been able to win. His fights with Cruz have always been tough, he owns a win against him from years back, and with a win it could set up a fight against Dillashaw that many have been calling for ever since TJ left Team Alpha Male for Denver, CO. That fight only sells if it's for a title - imagine if it turned out to be Faber the champ after finally winning the title against his arch nemesis. A lot needs to happen, but the fight vs. Cruz sells itself and the long-term potential makes my mouth water.
-Besse
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