UFC on Versus: The Winners and Losers
The second free UFC event to take place on the Versus channel instead of their more familiar home Spike TV saw the continuing rise of a prospect, a Japanese legend regain some of his mystique, and several other prospects possibly break through the prelim barrier.
In the main event Jon Jones made quick work of yet another veteran opponent the UFC were hoping would give him a decent test. It took him just under two minutes to get the better of Vladimir Matyushenko, and understandably Jones is eager for a tougher test.
As Jones said before the fight, Matyushenko realistically was a step sideways after the beating he was putting on Matt Hamill until being disqualified.
Dana White has promised Jones a top eight light heavyweight as his next opponent, while Jones himself believes he is ready for a top five opponent. White’s use of such a strange number though probably implies that he already has someone in mind, and most of the top eight are already tied up with other bouts right now.
Assuming Jones isn’t going to want to wait several months in between fights, the most likely fighter White has in mind then is either Rich Franklin or Thiago Silva, depending on how long the latter is sidelined with his current back problems.
If he should get past his next opponent, Jones will have quickly established himself as one of the best in the division, and if he keeps up his current pace he will probably be on the way to a title shot in the near future.
There is also talk of him eventually moving up to heavyweight, and at 6,4 his days of cutting to 205 pounds might be over quickly as he continues to grow and fill out. He apparently already walks around well into the 230 pound range when not in training, and if he gets much bigger making the cut will become very difficult.
Next for Vladimir Matyushenko will probably be more gatekeeper work. Being the wrong side of 39 and fairly one dimensional by today’s standards, he can continue to provide a stern test for up and comers while not particularly threatening the top dogs of the division. So long as he can sort the main card caliber fighters from the perennial prelim dwellers, he will probably always have a job with the UFC.
Just before the main event Yushin Okami took a split decision victory over Mark Munoz in a closely contested middleweight battle between two fighters somewhere in the middle of the pack at 185 pounds.
Neither has yet put together enough of a winning streak or built a big enough fan base to warrant being mentioned in the title hunt yet, but both are solid and improving with each appearance.
In possibly the most anticipated bout of the card, Takanori Gomi proved his critics wrong as he flattened Tyson Griffin with a thunderous right hook reminiscent of his Pride days. Looking sharp and in shape for the first time in years, Gomi baited a perhaps overconfident Griffin in on the feet before unleashing a punch that saw the XtremeCouture protege face plant into the canvas.
From there a brief swarm and a couple of extra punches sealed the victory for Gomi. Griffin tried to protest after the fight, but did so on unsteady legs, and was not moving his hands to protect himself after being dropped.
Just what this means for Gomi in the longer term isn’t clear because although he always poses a danger of knocking out his opponents, he has shown holes in his game in the past, which may or may not have been plugged.
Until he gets taken down by a good wrestler, which incidentally Griffin seemed to forget he was, and more importantly taken into the later rounds, it’s impossible to see just where Gomi is at right now. A manageable but durable opponent next would be a good barometer of what if any progress he has made.
This set back is yet another for Griffin, who a few years ago many were picking as a future lightweight champion. Just when he appears to be gathering some momentum and fulfilling his potential though, he loses, setting him back to square one.
Being on the smaller end of the lightweight scale, eventually a drop down to 145lbs might be an idea for Griffin to consider, especially now that the lighter weights are finally starting to gain some recognition.
Until then, he will have to continue the long climb back into lightweight contention, probably being given a prelim appearance and debuting opponent for his next fight.