UFC on Fuel TV 5 Main Card Recap

Stefan Struve finishing Stipe Miocic

The UFC continues to deliver on their smallest scale of fight nights on the obscure Fuel TV. This event had brutal knockouts, slick submissions, big upsets, and the emergence of some extremely promising fighters. Fuel TV continues to deliver exciting UFC events, which is sad because no one is really watching these fights. Anyway, let’s head into this event and look at some possible matchups for winners and losers of this event.

Che Mills vs. Duane Ludwig: This fight was rather confusing. I thought it would be an awesome standup war, but Mills instantly went in for a takedown. He softened Ludwig up a little bit with some ground and pound but Duane got up soon after that. Then, all of a sudden, Duane fell to the ground waving off the fight. Apparently his knee gave out. Honestly, this is the perfect sign that Duane should retire. I love the guy but his time in this sport is done.

Possible matchups for Mills: Despite this weird "win", Mills is still a very promising fighter with a well rounded MMA game. Another fighter who is very exciting and looked great on Saturday was Dan Hardy. A fight between these two guys would fun and would show how far Mills can go in his UFC career.

John Hathaway vs. John Maguire: Horrible is the only word to sum up this fight. It was like watching a sparring match between two aspiring MMA fighters. Hathaway took a decision and we all went "meh".

Possible matchups for Maguire: Despite this boring and embarrassing loss, Maguire is still one of the most promising welterweights in the UFC. He needs a rebound fight but if you want to stay promising, fight another prospect. Kyle Noke is coming off of a huge TKO win over Charlie Brenneman that instantly made him one of the most promising 170ers in the UFC. This could be a fun grappling match.

Paul Sass vs. Matt Wiman: Paul Sass came into this fight as one of the biggest prospects in MMA today. There was a monster hype train that was submitting people left and right with triangles and heel hooks. He came into this fight as a favorite to win and was fighting one of the most underrated fighters in MMA today, Matt Wiman. We at CR were very confident that Wiman would win this fight, and win dominantly. But we had no idea that it was really going to go the way it did. No one expected Wiman to win this fight by way of submission. He further proved why he is so under appreciated. The first round armbar was beautiful.

Possible matchups for Wiman: With this fight, Wiman has finally cemented himself as a top guy at 155 pounds. Even though it may not be a fight he would want, another undefeated fighter that holds unlimited potential is Khabib Nurmagomedov. Khabib is coming off of a really close decision win over Gleison Tibau that made him a top-20 lightweight himself. The winner of this fight should most likely face a top-10 guy afterwards.

Possible matchups for Sass: Despite this loss, Paul Sass is still one of the most promising fighters in the UFC. If he wants to continue to seem like he has the future we all want him to have, then he needs to fight another good fighter. Jamie Varner is coming off of a triangle loss in one of the best fights this year and I'm sure Sass saw a lot of opportunities for some triangles himself. Jamie Varner would be a huge test for him and if Sass could win, that would be a huge feather in his cap as Varner has a lot of name value.

Brad Pickett vs. Yves Jabouin: Everyone expected this fight to be one of the best on the card, and it delivered exactly what we expected, plus a little extra. Jabouin was looking solid in the beginning of the fight, getting the better of the favorite to win, Brad Pickett. I was starting to become really impressed with how well Yves was utilizing his unorthodox striking to get the better of the Brit. But then, out of nowhere, Pickett lands a monstrous uppercut that put Jabouin out cold. Brad Pickett finally lived up to his nickname of "One Punch".

Possible matchups for Pickett: With this huge win, Pickett should be put in a number one contenders match. Michael McDonald is most likely still healing his broken hand, but once it heals, those two should fight in what could very possibly be one of the best fights of the year.

Possible matchups for Jabouin: Yves was looking awesome up until he got caught with a monstrous uppercut. I think he should still fight a good fighter, like Takeya Mizugaki. Mizugaki is fighting Jeff Hougland next, and win or lose, he should fight Jabouin in what would also be an awesome fight.

Dan Hardy vs. Amir Sadollah: This fight wasn't exactly the fight that we hoped it would be, but it did have one pleasant surprise, it showed a new and improved version of Dan Hardy. I felt that Hardy would have the advantage on the feet and Amir would have the advantage on the ground, but it was quite the opposite. Amir was winning that standup, so Dan took it to the ground almost every round. Weird, right? Dan looked great on the ground and I look forward to how he is going to use his new arsenal in the future.

Possible matchups for Amir: After two very lackluster performances in a row, Amir is starting to lose my interest. If he wants to continue to show everyone why he was a TUF winner, then he needs to beat someone with at least a little name value. Pascal Krauss is coming off of a decision loss to John Hathaway and needs a rebound win.

Stefan Struve vs. Stipe Miocic: So many people were doubting Struve in this fight. Everyone was saying that Stipe would knock out Struve and become a top guy in the heavyweight division. But Dave and I felt that Struve would be the more composed fighter and wouldn’t wilt under pressure. We felt that he would submit him. Although we were partially right, we were also partially wrong. Stipe won the first round but Struve came out strong in the second. He started to catch Miocic with some solid jabs and straights that wobbled Stipe badly. Struve followed that up with some nasty uppercuts and the fight was finally stopped. Struve is now undeniably a top-10 heavyweight.

Possible matchups for Struve: With this win, Struve is possibly just one or two wins away from a title shot. He called out Fabricio Werdum after this win, and I love that fight. That would be a great number one contenders match.

Possible matchups for Miocic: Stipe is still one of the most promising heavyweights in the UFC. He has crazy athleticism that is unmatched by most other heavyweights. One other fighter that is also coming off of a loss who is also both promising and extremely athletic is Shawn Jordan. This would be a great fight.

Prelim recap here.

UFC on Fuel TV 5 Prelim Recap

Gunnar Nelson finishing DaMarques Johnson

The UFC continues to deliver on their smallest scale of fight nights on the obscure Fuel TV. This event had brutal knockouts, slick submissions, big upsets, and the emergence of some extremely promising fighters. Fuel TV continues to deliver exciting UFC events, which is sad because no one is really watching these fights. Anyway, let’s head into this event and take a look at some possible matchups for the winners and losers of this event.

Robbie Peralta vs. Jason Young: There isn’t much to say about this fight. It only lasted 23 brutal seconds. Peralta went out there and put his hands on him instantly. He landed a huge right hand and dropped “Shotgun”. A few punches followed and Young was as unconscious as unconscious gets. Peralta has emerged as a highly underrated contender at 145 pounds. And with this, Young is now 1-3 in the UFC, leading to the inevitable pink slip.

Possible matchups for Peralta: Peralta showed on Saturday that he has some of the best power for 145-pounds. He has a solid ground game that is overlooked as well. Another fighter who has similar skills, with technical boxing and a solid ground game, Nam Phan is coming off of a huge win over Cole Miller, a fight in which he easily outpointed the much larger Cole. This fight would show who is ready for that big step up in competition.

DaMarques Johnson vs. Gunnar Nelson: Gunnar Nelson’s UFC debut was one of the most anticipated UFC debuts in years. Many consider him to be the future of MMA as he sports a highly refined all around mixed martial arts arsenal. His first round submission win over DaMarques Johnson showed exactly why he is such a hyped fighter. He started out with an unorthodox karate stance, much to that of Lyoto Machida, and landed a nice headkick in the opening seconds. He then took him down and slowly worked his way to the back of Johnson and into a rear naked choke. It was a flawless performance and the sky is truly the limit of the 24-year-old Iceland native. And sadly, with this being the third loss in a row in which he was finished, DaMarques Johnson has to be done.

Possible matchups for Nelson: As I just mentioned above, Gunnar Nelson is one of the most promising fighters in the UFC today. Sporting a perfect 10-0-1 record, with the one draw being his MMA debut, Nelson is ready for a huge step up. Another winner on this card whom has a very bright future in the UFC is John Hathaway. Hathaway won a highly lackluster bout against John Maguire in a fight that I have no interest in recapping. Both these guys should fight and depending on how the fight goes, it will be quite telling on the future of the welterweight division.

Brad Tavares vs. Tom Watson: This fight was screwed out of the “Fight of the Night” in my opinion. This was a back and forth brawl between two highly touted middleweight prospects, including the long awaited debut of Tom “Kong” Watson. I really felt that going into this fight that Tom Watson was going to win the standup in this fight and stop any takedowns that Tavares went for. I, including many others, was wrong and underestimated the skills of the 24-year-old Tavares. Tavares out struck Watson, using pinpoint accurate jabs and solid combinations with leg kicks and takedowns mixed in. He used a much more versatile attack that ultimately won him the split decision, although it should have been a easy unanimous decision, as I scored every round for Tavares.

Possible matchups for Tavares: I truly believe that we have found a new contender at 185. Tavares has looked better in every one of his performances. Now that he is sporting a 4-1 record with the UFC, he could even be 5-0, he is now ready for the next level of competition. Chris Leben and Karlos Vemola are fighting at UFC 155 and the winner of that should fight the ever-improving Brad Tavares.

Possible matchups for Watson: Although he gave a spirited effort, Watson thoroughly disappointed many hardcore MMA fans around the world. He had one of the most anticipated MMA debuts, and he fell flat. If he wants to stay with the UFC, he has to impress in his next fight. One fighter that has yet to have his next fight set up is Clifford Starks, who is extremely athletic. Watson would have to win that fight to stay with the UFC.

Andy Ogle vs. Akira Corassani: Before this fight, I really disliked Akira. After this fight, I vehemently dislike him. He is an extremely dirty fighter, like a seriously grimy person. Not only that, but Goddard didn't even warn him on anything. It was enraging. Corassani lands a groin shot, head butt, highly illegal soccer kick that no one is talking about, and a huge haymaker that dropped Ogle that was thrown way after the bell. The guy is gross. And on top of all this, I scored the fight an easy 29-28 for Ogle. Akira ended up winning by split decision. Enraging is the perfect word to sum up this fight. Akira didn't deserve this win; Andy Ogle did. 

Possible matchups for Corassani: I have no interest in to where Akira goes. Cool, he has powerful standup, but his ground game and cardio sucks. Milton Vieira is coming off of a draw to Felipe Arantes. I want Vieira to go and submit him instantly.

Possible matchups for Ogle: I really hope that the UFC doesn't release Andy. He really got screwed with this loss. I thought he easily won. I think a fight with Cole Miller would be really fun.

Kyle Kingsbury vs. Jimi Manuwa: Jimi Manuwa was one of the many fighters making their UFC debut under a ton of hype. He both highly impressed and didn't. Although the first round was most likely a 10-8 for "The Posterboy", he was easily out grappled in the beginning of the opening frame. But once Manuwa made it to his feet, he lit up Kyle Kingsbury so bad that Kyle looked like Sloth from "The Goonies". It was both disgusting and hilarious. Manuwa seemed to have gassed out midway through the second round, so it was probably a lucky break that the fight was stopped after the second round. Kingsbury's eye was completely closed shut. This is now the third decisive loss in a row for Kingsbury, it's a shame but he will most likely receive his walking papers from the UFC.

Possible matchups for Manuwa: It's always a good thing to start off with an impressive debut over a solid veteran in the UFC. Although Jimi Manuwa gave us the formula for which you defeat him, take him down and smother, he still showed some of the best power in the light heavyweight division. He seems to be he perfect fighter to set up exciting matchups. Igor Pokrajac is coming off of a submission loss to Vinny Magalhaes and a fight with Manuwa would be an absolute slugfest.

Main card recap here.