UFC Fight for the Troops 2 Surprising Results
By Ben Bieker
Main Event:
Melvin “The Young Assassin” Guillard, 27-8-2, def. Evan Dunham, 11-2, by knockout at 2:58 of round 1
A lot of people would have thought Evan would have won after the performance he had against Sean Sherk, and especially no one would have thought he would have lost in the fashion he did. Melvin proved all the talk he had been saying before the fight by stopping a top prospect in Evan. In doing so he also gained back his contender and prospect status he had coming off the Ultimate Fighter. Also, he showed a lot of people in the Lightweight division that he still ahs some of the biggest power in his hands, and no one should let him land a clean shot on them unless they want to lose consciousness.
Next for Melvin Guillard: If Sean Sherk is going to be healthy soon he could really test Melvin’s ground game and see if Greg Jackson has really fixed it.
Next for Evan Dunham: Matt Wiman would be a good fight considering the strength of his performance at this event.
Co-Main Event:
Matt “Meathead” Mitrione, 4-0, def. Tim “The Thrashing Machine” Hague, 12-5, by knockout at 2:59 of round 1
Not much to say here as Tim still seems to have the mental block that has kept him from showing his true skill in the octagon. Even though he had two-first round knockouts outside of the UFC he got one here, but unfortunately he was on the receiving end. They like to say Brendan Schaub is the hot prospect of the NFL fighters coming of the Ultimate Fighter 10, but I think the best prospect is Matt. He has credit for sending Kimbo Slice out of the UFC, and earned my respect by knocking out Tim Hague which only one other man had done for a fastest knockout record in the UFC. If Brendan’s performances gave him a step-up in competition then so does Matt’s.
Next for Matt Mitrione: Shane Carwin needs a fighter to fight him for his comeback fight, and if Matt really believes in his hands let him test them against the heaviest in the division.
Next for Tim Hague: This was his third stint in the UFC and probably his last.
Mark “The Machine” Hominick, 20-8, def. George Roop, 11-7-1, at 1:28 of round 1
The fight did not last long, but it proved one thing. Mark Hominick is the number one contender for Jose Aldo’s belt. He obliterated George Roop who never got anything started t all. Mark will not have much time to rest as he has Jose on his plate next and quick as the fight is set to take place in Canada in April.
Next for Mark Hominick: Jose Aldo. That’s it.
Next for George Roop: Fredson Paixao would be a nice match for him.
Pat “HD” Barry, 6-2, def. Joey “Mexicutioner” Beltran, 12-5, by unanimous decision
Many people are again saying that Pat Barry does not have killer instinct, but I think he had something a lot sicker in mind in this fight. I think he just wanted to punish his opponent. He beat Joey Beltran down from start to finish, took all of his punches, and kept coming forward. I think he just wanted to show that he can bring it in a fight, and he did. He showed he has some of the nastiest leg kicks in almost all of the UFC. I would not want to be his next opponent.
Next for Pat Barry: I would like to see him fight Matt Mitrione, but I doubt it will happen as they are teammates. Cheick Congo has not fought in a while and I would like to see him fight Pat as they are both very good kick boxers.
Next for Joey Beltran: Even though he has lost two in a row I am sure he will stick around as he always comes to fight, and he has never been finished which I am sure Joe Silva is busy finding someone to do that right now. Sean McCorkle would be a good fight after fighting killers in Matt Mitrione and Pat Barry.
Matt “Handsome” Wiman, 13-5, def. Cole “Magrinho” Miller, 17-5
This fight went the complete opposite of what I thought. Matt WIman did to Cole Miller what I thought Cole Miller was going to do to Matt Wiman. Matt beat him int he clinch, on the ground, standing, and just about any other place a fight can go. I guess the one thing Cole can take away from this fight is he is just about as consistent as a fighter can be going 2-1 in a three fight set for his last 9 fights. I would hate to be his next opponent. Matt should excellent control in this fight and is 7-2 in his last 9 fights. One of those being to top contender Jim Miller and the other a controversial loss to Sam Stout in Canada in which the Canadian crowd booed the decision. His next fight should for sure be a step-up for him.
Next for Matt Wiman: I think that Evan Dunham would be a good fight for Matt considering he needs to see if he can hang with the top of the division, and a win over Evan could prove that. Furthermore, it would test his weak spot, which is his wrestling.
Next for Cole Miller: I said he should fight Willamy, but if that does not happen a rematch from the Ultimate Fighter in Joe Lauzon would be a good fight for Cole.
The UnderCard:
Yves “Thugjitsu Master” Edwards, 37-16-1, def. Cody “Big Time” McKenzie, 12-1, by submission at 4:33 of round two
The step-up in competition was just to much for Cody. He did not get blown out of the water though which is something for any newer fighter to say when going up against someone as experienced as Yves. I think if Cody could get hooked up with the right camp he could make something of himself, but he needs to evolve his game from more than just one move if he wants to make it in the UFC where people can defend that choke. Yves was supposed to take on a better fighter in Melvin Guillard, but still came away with the win. I hope he gets a bigger name in his next fight as he showed that he is still a dangerous fighter.
Next for Yves Edwards: I would still like to see him fight Melvin, but with his win he is probably on to fight the top in the division so maybe having Yves fight the winner of the Spencer Fisher Ross Pearson bout in Australia because either guy would make a good opponent for him.
Next for Cody McKenzie: He needs time to grow and mature as a fighter, and I wanted to see him against Michael Johnson on the Ultimate Fighter, but never got to see it. That would be a fight I am still interested in too.
DeMarques Johnson, 12-8, def. Mike “The Joker” Guymon, 12-5-1, by submission at 3:22 of the first round
This fight never really got going. DeMarques did have Mike in a really bad position, but he never got to do anything with it as the body triangle he had on Mike made him tap out before DeMarques could ever put him in a real submission. Nonetheless he got the win because Mike had to give up. It was not the fight I expected, but it’s not DeMarques fault if his hold was so tight it injured a fighter.
Next for DeMarques Johnson: Putting himself up to 3-2 in the UFC and 3-1 in his last couple four fights is a good spot to be in. Mike Swick would be a nice step-up in competition and a good fight for his return.
Next for Mike Guymon: Two losses in a row and 1-3 in his last four most likely means his release from the UFC. He also has said it may mean retirement which may not be the worst idea. To come from attempted suicide to the UFC in a matter of a few months is quite an accomplishment, and he did more than most by actually winning a fight in the octagon. To call it a career now wouldn’t be too bad, but he will probably would go back to KOTC, give Quinn Mulhern a rematch for his only loss, and for the belt Mike gave up to come to the UFC.
Mike Thomas Brown, 24-7, #8 Featherweight vs. Rani Yahya, 15-6
I don’t know what is wrong with Mike Brown’s head, but he has not been the same since he lost his belt. Going 2-4 in your past six fight and being on a 2 fight losing streak does not sound like a former champion who was at the highest level, unless it is a fighter who is past his prime. Given his last losses were against top fighters in the division, and someone who could be considered the next big thing, but a loss to Rani Yahya who was a top fighter is not good. It is not to talk down Rani’s abilities because he was a top fight, but at a whole lighter weight class. In the end Mike did not look himself and taking a fight on really short notice is not an excuse. So, I do not want to take anything away from Yahya’s win, but I am more or less disappointed in Mike’s performance which should have been better.
Next for Rani Yahya: His ground game against Javier Vasquez’s would be something fun for the fans to watch. In addition, he should not be thrown in with to high of competition after beating Mike Brown, because the Mike Brown who is fighting now is not like the one who won the belt.
Next for Mike Thomas Brown: I hope he is not cut and gets one more chance in the UFC, and if he does I hope he takes a little extended vacation from the sport to reevaluate his losses and find his vigor for the sport he once had. The vigor that made him champion.
Waylon Lowe, 10-3, def. Willamy “Chiquerim” Freire, 18-4, by unanimous decision
I said Waylon had the tools to win this fight and he used those tools to win. He controlled the first two rounds of the fight on the feet and on the ground. Freire offered no real offense till the third round, or maybe Waylon let him control him there. Waylon did not do much in the third round and lost it on the judges scorecards. I do not know if it was because he was tired or he didn’t want to chance screwing something up, but he should not have rode it out no matter how comfortable he felt in the fight.
Next for Waylon Lowe: Since he seems content to ride things out when ahead let him fight someone who seems to do the same. Let him fight Jacob Volkmann do see who is the best grinder.
Next for Willamy Freire: Cole Miller looked bad tonight, but I would like to see two ground fighters show off with him against Willamy.
Charlie “The Spaniard” Brenneman, 13-2, def. Amilcar Alves, 11-3, by unanimous decision
Charlie did what I thought he could in this fight. He controlled Alves by controlling the ground game. He used better takedowns, and a smothering ground game to negate Alves’ one advantage, his grappling. It was not like Charlie only held Alves down either he used good transitions and decent ground and pound to stay busy and earn his win. In the end, it was one sided and enough to earn Charlie a clear cut win.
Next for Charlie Brenneman: He is 2-1 in his UFC career with his only loss coming to Johny Hendricks in which he could not rely of his wrestling when he got hurt on the feet. Dong Hyun Kim needs an opponent that he cannot control on the floor, and Charlie may be the perfect test.
Next for Amilcar Alves: Two straight losses against two of the better wrestlers in the divisions is not a good start. He might be out, but if he isn’t he could fight TJ as I am sure he will need an opponent for the Canada card.
Chris “Kamikaze” Cariaso, 11-2, def. Will Campuzano, 8-4, by unanimous decision
This fight was not the most exciting. It was mostly contested on the feet. Campuzano clearly won the second round, and Cariaso clearly won the third. The decision essentially came down to the first round which was close, but the judges gave it to Cariaso. Even though the crowd booed the decision, it was not because it was controversial, no, it was because Campuzano is from Texas, and as is sometimes when the hometown boy losses the winner gets booed regardless if he should have won or not. In the end the fight could have went either way, and no one can be upset for the way it went since it could have went either way in that first round.
Next for Chris Cariaso: Frank Gomez would be a nice test for Chris as he has fought world class fighter, but always came up short. If he fights and beats Frank he could be looking for a big step up in competition.
Next for Will Campuzano: Losing his last two fights and being 1-3 in his last four most likely spells an end to his UFC career.