UFC 126 Results: Anderson Silva Shocker
By Ben Bieker
Main Event:
Anderson “The Spider” Silva (28-4-0, #1 Middleweight) def. Vitor “The Phenom” Belfort (19-9-0) by KO at 3:25 of round 1
A lot of talk has been made about how GSP and Anderson need to fight each other to solidify their legacy. Truth be told, I think this fight just solidified Anderson’s legacy. I honestly thought in his long speech after the fight that he was retiring. It didn’t happen, but I almost half expected it. To be honest there is not much left for him at this point. I don’t even care about the fight with GSP because honestly there is still more to do for GSP at 170. Everyone said that Vitor had better striking than Anderson and that Anderson had never met a good striker. It is hard to meet a good striker when you are the best. In the end, Anderson also showed why he s the best with that creative kick.
Next for Anderson Silva: He needs to fight Yushin Okami. Okami deserves the shot, and Anderson needs to show he would have won that fight without using an illegal move.
Next for Vitor Belfort: There is a lot of options for Vitor he could match up well with Chris Leben if he wants to ease back into competition, or if he wants to get a near a title shot quickly he could fight the winner of Bisping and Jorge Rivera as both of them will need one more win to solidify their shot at the title.
Co-Main Event:
Forrest Griffin (18-6-0, #3 Light Heavyweight) def. Rich “Ace” Franklin (28-6-0) by unanimous decision
This fight shows what happens when two mirror images of each other fight, but one is just about 20 pounds heavier. Forrest controlled the first two rounds using competent striking and a good ground game. In the third, Rich came out and out struck Forrest to win the round. If Rich wasn’t as easily overpowered as he was he would have had more of a chance considering he was stuck on the ground for the majority of the first round. The fight was not as crazy as some might have hoped for, but it was still good. Plus, it was a good result as both didn’t lose much in the fight, with neither getting severely blown out of the water, which is a good thing for two fan favorites.
There is not much to say about the fight, but I enjoyed it. I do not where Rich goes from here since he lost this fight by essentially being out muscled, but showed he is still a game fighter and can hang with the top of two divisions. He cannot move back down to 185 with both Vitor and Anderson there, two people that destroyed him. Forrest takes a step closer to title contention and he is still a legitimate threat having already beat the champion once. If he can stay healthy and get a few more fights he may be able to be in the title picture early next year.
Next for Forrest Griffin: If Lyoto gets past Randy then it would be a good fight because it would be student avenging master. If not then maybe someone like Vladimir Matyushenko who has been around for a long time, and is a good win for anyone to have on his record.
Next for Rich Franklin: I do not know if he will ever make it to a title shot, but to keep him around for these fights for the fans is a good idea. Like they did with the Wanderlei and Dan Henderson fight, I think it would be nice to see him fight Tito if he won his next fight or even Randy Couture would be an interesting matchup.
Jon “Bones” Jones (12-1-0, #5 Light Heavyweight) def. Ryan “Darth” Bader (12-1-0, #7 Light Heavyweight)
I don’t know who can top Jon Jones, but apparently Shogun Rua is going to try. Jon did the same thing he has been doing in his last few fights, outclassing his opponent. These are good fighters too. Ryan is a legitimate threat and he was just utterly beaten down in this fight. He had nothing for Jon. Jon could take him down at will, avoid his power punches, and transition to almost any position. In the end, he submitted him, but there is no doubt in my mind he could have finished this fight other ways if he wanted to.
Jon Jones is scary and I bet he gives most fighters nightmares when they dream at night. Right now he is riding the same train that Lyoto Machida had at one point, where everyone is trying to figure him out but it is hard. Eventually someone will, but it could be a long time until that happens. I am worried though as he is having a two month turn around for a fight, and in most situations that is not unheard of, but for a title shot that is a little scary. I hope he is ready for Shogun on such short notice, but nonetheless it will be a fun fight to watch.
Next for Jon Jones: Mauricio “Shogun” Rua
Next for Ryan Bader: Winner of the Matt Hamill/Phil Davis fight would be a good matchup as all fighters concerned are around the same spot int heir career.
Jake Ellenberger (23-5-0) def. Carlos Eduardo “Ta Danado” Rocha (9-1-0) by split decision
Jake had some scary moments in the first round, but he should what makes a good fighter and reversed his fortunes in the last two rounds. Beside the crackhead judge who gave it to Carlos the scores were spot on. He did not look highly impressive in the fight, and I do not think a fight with Jon Fitch is warranted after a performance like that. I do think he is one of the hotter prospects at 170 because of his age and experience. Carlos surprised me and I am sure a few others in this fight. People did not give him a big chance and he sure shone in this fight. The future is bright for him, Jake was just a big step up and a little too fast.
Next for Jake Ellenberger: The winner or Martin Kampmann and Diego Sanchez would be a good step up for him.
Next for Carlos Rocha: He needs to take it a little slower, but still deserves good competition. The returning Mike Swick could be a good fight.
Miguel Torres (38-4-0, #4 Bantamweight) def. Antonio Banuelos (18-7-0, #8 Bantamweight)
Miguel Torres did a real disservice to the lighter weight divisions the way he fought tonight. The hype was at an all time high with how these fighters would be the best thing to watch on a UFC PPV, but this fight was the worst fight on the whole card. Plus, we know he can fight better fights, we have seen them before. I think the two losses really shook him up and it may take a while before we see the aggressive Miguel Torres again. He got the win, but he did not gain any fans.
I will give credit to Antonio though he tried to make it exciting. The biggest thing for him in this fight is he showed why we still need a 125 division. He is a good fighter, but losses when he is out-powered, out-muscled, or in this case outreached. At five foot three he is small, and a weight cut of 10 pounds is not out of the question. If that division is put into the UFC he could be the first to fight for the belt, and rightfully so.
Next for Miguel Torres: Former champ on a two fight win streak is a dangerous place to be in. With one more fight and a dominant win he could be at the top of the division again, but if he loses he may be gone for a long time. A fight with Demetrious Johnson could be good and make them wait it out while the winner of Wineland/Faber dukes it out with Dominick Cruz.
Next for Antonio Banuelos: Hoping for the 125’s, but if that does not happen a match with Kid Yamamoto would be entertaining.
The UnderCard:
Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (14-3-0) def. Paul “Tellys” Kelly (11-4-0) by submission at 3:48 of round 2
The first round opens and as they go to touch gloves, but Paul Kelly goes for the punch instead. He pays for it in the round as Donald picks him apart on the feet, and when the fight hits the ground he cuts Paul’s face open. He wins the first round, and Paul as not able to do much to him. When the second round opens Donald still is having his way on the feet, and then the fight hits the mat. He tears him up with ground and pound and eventually Paul rolls over. From there Donald locks up a rear naked choke and Paul taps out.
Next for Donald Cerrone: He wants Cole Miller and even though he recently lost I say still make the fight. The fans and the fighters will enjoy it so why not.
Next for Paul Kelly: 1-2 in his last three fights and 2-3 in his last five may spell the end for Paul’s UFC tenure. He may get another shot, probably on an England card, but I doubt it.
Chad “Money” Mendes (10-0-0, #3 Featherweight) def. Michihiro Omigawa (12-9-1, #5 Featherweight)
The first fight was even with both fighters content to stand with Omigawa getting the better of the standup. Chad kept shooting for takedowns, and Omigawa was able to shrug them off for a whole until he got taken down. Once on the ground Chad was not able to do much except almost get arm barred, and then he was able to get back up where the round ended on the feet.
The second started and Chad caught Michihiro coming in, but he was able to recover. About three minutes in and they were tied up against the cage with Chad still working for a takedown, but he was unable to get it until about the last 20 seconds. The round ended with Chad on top and pounding on Michihiro. Not too much to say about it as the round was a little slow and light on action.
The fight starts and Omigawa has a huge cut above his eye. Chad goes for a takedown and is unable to get it, but Omigawa drops back for a guillotine choke. Chad slips out and is able to get top control over Omigawa. They are on the ground as Chad controls the fight, but with about 90 seconds left Omigawa is able to slip back to his feet. Omigawa is able to catch Chad, and once he is starting to piece some punches together he gets taken down. This is where the fight ends and it is another loss on Michihiro’s UFC record.
Next for Chad Mendes: Being 5-0 and the Featherweight division short on challengers means that Chad could be on a short list after Mark Hominick. A fight with Diego Nunes could sort out who is the next contender.
Next for Michihiro Omigawa: He got beat, but he didn’t look bad. Wrestling is still his downfall and he needs to work on it to be a contender in the division. From here he could fight Josh Grispi who recently lost, and before that was a number one contender.
Demetrious “Mighty Mouse” Johnson (9-1-0, #7 Bantamweight) def. Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto (18-4-0-1) by unanimous decision
Demetrious Johnson won this fight, but not that dominantly. The fight was relatively even, but he did just enough to win every round. The determining factor was that Johnson was able to takedown Kid. In every round he won on points based on his takedown since the standup was relatively even, if not an edge for the aggression Kid showed. I would say more about the fight, but it was not that interesting and a little bit of a downer.
Next for Demetrious Johnson: Since the winner of the upcoming Eddie Wineland/Uriah Faber will most likely get the next title shot Demetrious can take on Miguel Torres for the shot at the next title.
Next for Norifumi Yamamoto: Antonio Banuelos could be a good fight between two talented strikers.
Paul “Relentless” Taylor (11-6-1) def. Gabe “Godzilla Ruediger (17-7-0) by KO at 1:42 or round 2
Taylor looks quick as he starts the first round tagging Gabe early. Taylor presses Gabe against the cage and both look for position trying to reverse off the cage, and eventually they move away. They start to trade again, but even though Gabe is firing back he is getting the worse of the exchanges. He goes for a takedown, but Paul shrugs it off and lets Gabe fall to the ground. Again Gabe goes for the takedown, but is unable to get it and the pace slows as he works for it. Even when though Gabe is able to catch a kick towards the end of the round he still cannot get the takedown, and Paul finishes with a flurry as the round ends.
It seems Paul knew the fight would not hit the ground as Gabe could not get him down in the first. This must have give him confidence as he was able to effectively trade with Gabe without showing any signs of slowing. After a failed takedown, Paul throws a high kick which finds its mark and drops Gabe, and that is the end of the fight.
Next for Paul Taylor: Paul’s up and down career with the UFC continues. With this win he upped his UFC record to 4-5, but despite the record he is always fun to watch. No fan would turn down a fight with him and “Lil’ Heathen” Jeremy Stephens.
Next for Gabe Ruediger: Back to the regional circuit or maybe to Bellator, but after a 0-2 stint there is not much reason for Ruediger to stick around.
Kyle Kingsbury (10-2-0-1) def. Ricardo Romero (11-2-0) by TKO at 0:21 of round 1
Can’t say much about a fight that only last 21 seconds. Kyle proved a lot of people wrong after they expected him to get beat by Ricardo since Ricardo was coming off that strong win over Seth Petruzelli. In this fight it was all Kyle as he controlled the standup by clinching and firing knees, until he pushed away and blasted Ricardo with a straight left. Ricardo turtled up and the ref had to stop as Kyle punched away with ease.
Next for Kyle Kingsbury: Kyle has 3 straight wins in the UFC after his loss to Tom Lawler. I would like to see him fight Alexander Gustafsson if he can get past James Te-Huna.
Next for Ricardo Romero: His brawling style would make a good fight for Tim Boetsch who needs following his loss to Phil Davis
Mike Pierce (12-3-0) def. Kenny Robertson (10-1-0) by TKO at 0:29 of round 2
The fight started on the feet with both fighters trading punches. Pierce gets a takedown, while Kenny worked for control but he couldn’t out-muscle Pierce. About halfway through the round Kenny was able to work back to his feet, where the two fighters traded knees. They clinch against the cage with not very much movement, and the referee restarts them. They trade few punches as the round ends, while Pierce tries for a takedown in the waning seconds.
In the second Pierce comes out and clips Kenny dropping him. He rushes to the floor and pounds away until the ref calls a stop to the fight. Not the most exciting bout, but kudos to any fighter if they are able to stop it.
Next for Mike Pierce: Being 4-1 in the UFC with your only loss to perennial top contender Jon Fitch calls for a step up in competition. Could be a good fight for when Josh Koscheck returns.
Next for Kenny Robertson: He lost his first fight in the UFC which isn’t uncommon, he will be given another chance, but maybe someone a little less on the level of Pierce. Charlie Brenneman would be a good fight for him.