UFC 156 Prelim Recap

Hieron following Woodley's KO.
Photo via Yahoo! Sports.

Francisco Rivera vs. Edwin Figueroa: This was a great way to start off one of the best cards in recent memory. It was well known that both of these guys were most likely going to put on a barnburner and that is exactly what it was. In the early goings of the first round, Figueroa caught Rivera on two occasions and even dropping him with the second punch. Rivera showed great recuperation ability as he came back and made the first round much closer than it seemed it was going to be. Rivera landed several takedowns before the round ended. The second round was a different story though. Figueroa landed a takedown early, but Rivera was able to get back up, showing off his improved ground game. Shortly thereafter, Rivera rocked Figueroa and finished him after landing several huge haymakers.

Possible matchups for Rivera: The former featherweight is really finding his home at 135 pounds. With two straight knockout finishes, Rivera is starting to cement himself as a contender at bantamweight. This wasn’t a flawless victory, so a bout with another up and comer should be put in the works with a fighter like Johnny Bedford.

Possible matchups for Figueroa: Despite this loss, Figueroa is still an exciting prospect. He has potential to be a star with his hispanic background and entertaining fight style. If he wants to get back on track he should face off with Azamat Gashimov, who is coming off of a first round submission loss to Ivan Menjivar.

Chico Camus vs. Dustin Kimura: We have a very promising fighter in the works ladies and gentlemen. The fight was very close throughout the first two rounds. Camus would slightly out-strike Kimura but then go for the takedown, only to be attacked by a crazy amount of submission attempts. Camus clearly had the better standup so I found it confusing as to why he continually went in for the takedowns. When he went for the takedown in the third, Kimura reversed it and ended up in mount. The rear naked choke came soon thereafter, tapping the Roufusport fighter.

Possible matchups for Kimura: I am in love with Kimura’s fighting style. I love fighters who feel comfortable fighting off of their back and are constantly threatening with submissions. I want the UFC to be smart in developing Kimura into a star, so I would like to see a fight with Issei Tamura to build up his stock.

Possible matchups for Camus: Chico Camus is a very good and well rounded fighter, but one thing that he greatly lacks is fight IQ: it is very poor. He should learn from this fight that he should keep it standing against a guy who is mainly a ground fighter. He should fight the loser of Kyung Ho Kang and Alex Caceres in order to stay with the UFC.

Yves Edwards vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg: The Strikeforce imports have now started 1-0. Facing off with such a veteran of the sport like Yves is a difficult task, but Isaac Vallie-Flagg seemed very ready for it. He started and ended the fight as the aggressor, something he is very well known for. After a very close first round that showed Ike coming forward while Edwards would land counters here and there, Edwards came back strong. The second was all Edwards as he got Ike’s back and nearly finished him with a rear naked choke. Vallie-Flagg then found his stride in the third round as he consistently moved forward and landed tons of strikes, earning himself the split decision win.

Possible matchups for Vallie-Flagg: A win over Yves Edwards is always a very impressive feat. With a charismatic personality and entertaining fighting style, Vallie-Flagg could build up a nice fan base. I would like to see him fight the winner of Paul Sass and Danny Castillo, who are fighting in a few weeks at UFC on Fuel 7.

Possible matchups for Edwards: There isn’t much more for Yves in MMA anymore. If he doesn’t retire, the only matchups that I would like him to be in are fan friendly fights. If this is what he wants, I would love to see a fight with Donald Cerrone, who is coming off of a TKO loss to Anthony Pettis. Though the fight doesn’t necessarily make sense in the title picture, it does for entertainment.

Jacob Volkmann vs. Bobby Green: Strikeforce: 2. UFC: 0. I was very confident coming into this fight that Volkmann was going to easily dominate this fight. That is how it started out, but Green showed a lot of toughness and skill. Green came back in the second and showed fantastic top control over Volkmann as he elbowed his head multiple times. The third was much of the same as Bobby also showed a great bottom game as he swept Volkmann, getting his back and finishing him with a choke.

Possible matchups for Green: Coming into the UFC, Green was an exciting prospect, but no one expected him to beat up Volkmann the way he did. I would to see a fight with fellow up and comer in Rustam Khabilov, who is coming off of a fantastic first round KO over Vinc Pichel, which came via slam.

Possible matchups for Volkmann: It seems as though every time that I believe Volkmann will pretty easily win, he loses. With him now only 1-2 in his last three, I see him getting released if he loses his next fight. Michael Johnson is coming off of a surprising decision loss to Myles Jury. Johnson and Volkmann should fight in what should be a fun grappling affair.

Jay Hieron vs. Tyron Woodley: Strikeforce imports are going to officially go undefeated tonight. There isn’t much to say about this fight. I felt as though Woodley would grind Hieron out for a decision. It was the complete opposite. Woodley landed a haymaker and ended up knocking Hieron into rigor mortis. It was beautiful, violent, and impressive. Hieron now has an overall record of 0-4 in the UFC. He just can’t keep up with UFC caliber fighters anymore.

Possible matchups for Woodley: Apparently Woodley wanted to prove a point following his loss to Nate Marquardt. He did better against Hieron than anyone ever did. For his second UFC fight, I would love to see him fight Thiago Alves, a fight that could truly be his coming out party.

Gleison Tibau vs. Evan Dunham: Evan Dunham just loves to put himself in slugfests. This one was no different. Tibau came out strong in the first round but Dunham came back and implemented a great gameplan. Evan loves to come out slow in the first round and come back strong. He came out and jabbed Tibau and landed several huge knees in the end of the third round to gain himself a split decision win.

Possible matchups for Dunham: After this very close fight with Tibau, Dunham puts him right back at the brink of contention. He’s not quite there, so I would like to see him fight the winner of Danny Castillo and Paul Sass. I believe a fight between Sass and Dunham would be a very good fight.

Possible matchups for Tibau: Now at 1-2 in his last three, Tibau is starting to fade and head near retirement. There isn’t much left for him so I think he is going to end up as a gatekeeper and stepping stone for up and comers in the UFC. I would like to see him fight John Cholish, who hasn’t fought since his very close decision loss to Danny Castillo.

UFC 150: Henderson vs. Edgar II Prelim Recap

Nik Lentz celebrating his victory over Eiji Mitsuoka. 

This was a solid night of fights that was sadly capped off with controversy. Every fight but two were entertaining and the prelims only had one fight go to a decision. This entire card was stacked from top to bottom with lower weight class fighters, something that has been slowly taking over the UFC with their entertaining fights and incredible speed. Let’s take a look at those fights and give some possible matchups.

Nik Lentz vs. Eiji Mitsuoka: Outclassed is the best word to describe Mitsuoka’s performance Saturday night. Lentz was clearly the stronger fighter and had the advantage everywhere that the fight went. He hurt Eiji with a beautifully placed knee on the chin that dropped him. Lentz got his back from there and slammed him, only to finish Mitsuoka off with strikes shortly thereafter. With that now making Mitsuoka 0-2 in the UFC with two TKO stoppages, he will most likely be cut.

Possible matchups for Lentz: Nik Lentz looked like he was on a whole other level to that of Mitsuoka. He rocked him, out grappled him, and finished him with strikes. He has the strength and wrestling ability to become an elite featherweight and the fighter to kick-start just that would be Matt Grice, who is coming off a dominating victory over Leonard Garcia. They are similar fighters and I believe Nik Lentz would take that fight.

Dustin Pague vs. Chico Camus: This was Dustin Pague’s third fight in three months, and it showed. Although he won the first round on two of the judges’ scorecards, he ultimately ended up losing the unanimous decision to the newcomer out of Roufusport.  Chico showed off a solid top game, especially for someone who is mainly known for his striking game. That’s now two in a row for Pague and 1-3 overall in the UFC. I would be surprised to see him back in action under the UFC banner.

Possible matchups for Camus: After his impressive performance, Camus clearly has a bright future. He fights with some of the best in the world: Ben Askren, Anthony Pettis, and Erik Koch, meaning that he might have what it takes to eventually be on the same level. If he wants to make it to that level, Vaughan Lee is still waiting for an opponent after his loss to TJ Dillashaw.

Ken Stone vs. Erik Perez: I was telling my dad as this fight started that Stone has one of the worst chins at 135. Right after I was done telling him about the brutal Jorgenson loss, he was dropped and finished. It couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. I really believe he should be cut and here is why: his only legitimate win was over Donny Walker (who isn’t exactly the greatest), three losses via 1^st round KO, not just TKO, but KO. And lastly, his last win was a slightly controversial decision over Dustin Pague who took the fight on one weeks notice, and only two weeks after his previous win. That, in my opinion, deserves a pink slip.

Possible matchups for Perez: Perez is the next big thing at 135. At only 22 years old, he has so much time to grow and he is already 2-0 in the UFC with two 1^st round stoppages, one by submission, and one by KO. Along with the fact that he trains out of Jackson’s and Winklejohn’s, he has what it takes to become an elite bantamweight. Edwin Figueroa and Perez are both looking for a step up in competition and that fight would be fireworks.

Jared Hamman vs. Michael Kuiper: I have to admit that I thought Hamman would rather easily dispose of the 23 year old Kuiper. But the Holland native really impressed me with his striking. Hamman was winning the first half of the opening stanza but Kuiper quickly turned that around with some nasty leg kicks that tore one of Hamman’s leg muscles. Kuiper would end up finishing Hamman with strikes in the 2nd round.

Possible matchups for Kuiper: At only 23 years old, Kuiper has a lot of time to round out his striking game, for it isn’t very technical. Chris Camozzi was originally supposed to fight on this card against Buddy Roberts but was then injured. Camozzi is visibly improving after each fight and I’m sure he’s itching to get back in there. A fight between these two would have the potential of being a barnburner.

Possible matchups for Hamman: Jared Hamman is one of the toughest guys in the UFC. He guts out big injuries and when he’s horribly rocked, he pushes forward. Rafael Natal and him are both coming off 2^nd round KO losses and are looking for rebound fights.

Dennis Bermudez vs. Tommy Hayden: Bermudez could be one of the first TUF runner-ups in a long time to actually be able to do something in the UFC. Although his chin is still suspect; which was shown with the knee that Hayden landed and almost KO’d Bermudez with. Bermudez still recovered and defended the rear naked choke that Hayden almost had. Dennis came back and submitted Tommy Hayden with a standing guillotine with seconds to spare in the first round. That Makes “Wild Card” 0-2 in the UFC with two 1^st round submissions, leading to the dreaded pink slip.

Possible matchups for Bermudez: Bermudez is one of the strongest guys at 145 in the UFC. He can outwrestle a lot of the guys at featherweight, almost purely based on strength. Sam Sicilia is fighting the winner of TUF: Brazil, Rony Jason. Bermudez should fight the winner of that fight if he wants to prove himself.

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