UFC Fight Night Results: Antonio Rogerio Nogueira – Phil Davis Shocker
By Ben Bieker
Phil “Mr. Wonderful” Davis (9-0-0) def. Antonio Rogerio “Minotoro” Nogueira (19-4-0, #9 Light Heavyweight)
I thought after the first round that Antonio was going to take it, but his wrestling failed him again. In the pre-fight hype he promised to submit Phil if the fight went to the ground, but he was unable to. Antonio, just like his brother, may be nearing the end of his athletic and fighting career. He will need to fix his wrestling if he wants to make something of his UFC career.
Phil may not be Tito Ortiz, but he knows how to play him in a post-fight interview. He blamed his lack luster performance on injuries. Before the fight people were saying he was on the level of Jon Jones, but this fight proved he is not. There is only one Jon Jones out there. I hate when fighters bring up an injury after a fight. It was your choice to fight no one else. Do not blame a bad performance on anything, but your inability to perform. If your training camp was so bad then maybe you should not have fought. That is the bottom line
Next for Phil Davis: The loser of Matt Hamill/Rampage Jackson would be a good move toward a title shot.
Next for Antonio Nogueira: If Vladimir Matyushenko gets past his next opponent give him the rematch he wants against Lil’ Nog.
Co-Main Event:
Anthony “Rumble” Johnson (9-3-0) def. Dan “The Hardy” Hardy (23-9-0) by unanimous decision
Everyone thought that Anthony had the advantage standing going into the fight, but after the fight we know he had the advantage on the ground also. The first round started how the fans wanted it to go with the two fighters standing. After Anthony dropped Dan with a head kick it was a grappling clinic after that. The boos echoed throughout the arena, but Anthony got what he wanted, a win. He took a long layoff, but came back with a win over a former top contender.
Next for Anthony Johnson: Dennis Hallman is on the rise also. Match these two potential contenders up to see who will make it, and who will fail.
Next for Dan Hardy: Counting his shot at the title he is 0-3, and in those fights he has not shown any sort of offense. This may spell an end to his time in America, as he may go back across the pond to restart his career.
Amir Sandollah (5-2-0) def. DeMarques Johnson (12-9-0) by TKO at 3:27 of round 2
Crisp is the only word to describe Amir in this fight. His striking looked effortless in his win over DeMarques. DeMarques had no response to Amir’s striking. When he could get it to the ground nothing happened except a stall in the round. Joe Rogan asked if he thought he should be fighting the top ten fighters of the division, and he may have answered yes but he is not ready. Amir may have won but a win over DeMarques is not determinant of moving up the Welterweight ladder.
Next for Amir Sandollah: 4-1 in his last 5 fights, but none of those win are over top contenders. He should fight someone on the level of Paulo Thiago who has had a few losses, but has been shown to be able to hang with the top of the division.
Next for DeMarques Johnson: 1-2 in his last three and 3-3 overall could spell the end of his career in the octagon.
Jung ”The Korean Zombie” Chang-Sung (11-3-0) def. Leonard “Bad Boy” Garcia (15-7-0-1) by submission at 4:59 of round 2.
No gift decisions in this fight. No, Jung dominated on the ground and submitted Edgar in the second round. He may have made a lasting impression in the WEC by having two losses, but he made an even better impression in his first fight in the UFC. Not only did he avenge a loss that should not have been a loss, he also pulled off a submission move that no one else had ever used in the UFC. He may have had some slip ups in his first few fights under the Zuffa banner, but now Jung looks primed to make a run int he Featherweight division.
Next for Jung Sung: I would like to watch him go up against BJJ savant Mackens Semerzier. Someone who had a rough stretch of fights but showed his potential tonight.
Next for Leonard Garcia: Nam Phan should still get is rematch. Even more that Leonard lost in this fight.
The Undercard:
Aaron “A-Train” Simpson (8-2-0) def. Mario Miranda (10-3-0) by unanimous decision
Aaron went back to his bread and butter to win this fight. He is a high level wrestler and he relied on that ability to push Mario around for three rounds. It is understandable as he needed a win under his belt. Now that he got it he needs to return to the style that made fans like him if he does not want to be left on the undercard.
Next for Aaron Simpson: C.B. Dollaway is looking to redeem himself after a tough loss. Wouldn’t mind seeing those two hook it up in the cage.
Next for Mario Miranda: He’s done. 1-2 does not translate to a good work portfolio.
John “The Hitman” Hathaway (15-1-0) def. Kris “Savage” McCray (5-3-0) by split decision
Really, a split decision judges? John absolutely dominated Kris in this fight. Given Kris had his moments, but the fight was all John. Knowing wrestling was his weakness in his game after the Mike Pyle fight it looks like John is correcting that weakness. John was taken down by Kris, but he was able to get up easily. Striking played a big part as john was able to out strike and out maneuver Kris in this fight en route to his decision win.
Next for John Hathaway: Two fighters looking to win back the hype they once had are always good to match up. John against Martin Kampmann fight would be good.
Next for Kris McCray: 0-3 in the UFC and you are gone.
Mackens “Mack da Menace” Semerzier (6-3-0) def. Alex “Bruce Leroy” Carceres (4-3-0-1) by submission at 3:18 of the 1st round
Didn’t take Mack long to remind everyone why he got a chance after going 0-3 in his career. Alex had brief moments where he was strong in this fight, but his inability to defend the shot spelled the end of his night. Mack was able to take his back in a scramble, and, even though he was high, he was still able submit Alex. The end came fast, but it should have a lasting impression on Alex.
Next for Mackens Semerzier: He still needs to grow as a fight, but a fight against Chang Sung would be a nice fight.
Next for Alex Carceres: You usually have to win your fight after your season of the Ultimate Fighter to stay in the UFC so you can see what that means for Alex.
Christian Morecraft (7-1-0) def. Sean “Big Sexy” McCorkle (10-2-0) by submission at 4:10 or the 2nd round
Christian proved that Sean is nothing but a one hit wonder. Sean did not display much on an offense and ended up sleeping on the mat. The ground and pound, striking, and submission skills Christian showed could make him a real threat in the future. He did have a slip up against Stefan Struve, but he did win the first round in that fight. In the future, he will get bigger fights but will have to take some smaller fights having lost his first in the octagon.
Next for Christian Morecraft: Jon Madsen would be a good test.
Next for Sean McCorkle: After two straight losses he will be out of the UFC.
Mike Russow (14-1-0) def. Jon Madsen (7-1-0) by doctor’s stoppage
Mike proved why he has only lots one fight ever. His strong wrestling and striking won the night. Jon could never get it to the ground, like he wanted, and that spelled the end for him. Mike is remembered for his fight against Todd Duffe which is sad. He is a lot better than what he showed in that fight even though he won. Owning a three fight win streak of his own, as long as he is healthy, look to see more of Mike again soon.
Next for Mike Russow: Winner of Stefan Struve/Todd Brown would make a good opponent for the 3-0 Mike Russow.
Next Jon Madsen: A fight against Christian Morecraft could show who has the potential to make it in the UFC.
Michael “Mayday” McDonald (12-1-0) def. Edwin “El Feroz” Figueroa (7-1-0) by unanimous decision
These fighters will meet again, and it may very well be for a title some time down the road. Both fighters absolutely went at each other in this fight. If Edwin had not taken the fight on a couple of day’s notice, the fight may have gone a lot different. Michael proved why he is one of the fastest rising contenders in the 135 pound division, but Edwin proved that he belonged in the UFC and not by just being a late replacement.
Next for Michael McDonald: Former Champion Eddie Wineland would test Michael in every aspect of the game.
Next for Edwin Figueroa: His style matches up well with Antonio Banuelos so make it happen.
Johny Hendricks (10-1-0) def. Anthony “T.J.” Waldburger (13-6-0) by TKO at 1:35 of the 1st round
He did exactly what I said he would. Johny came out and beat down T.J. When a fight is less than 90 seconds there is nothing to say, but damn. Johny showed us that he does not need to meander around in the bottom rungs of the division, but deserves his shot at the top guys. He did have the slip up against Rick Story, but he proved tonight he is better than that performance.
Next for Johny Hendricks: I want to see Diego Sanchez tested by a wrestler better than him, and a striker with immense power. Johny is the right man for the job so make it happen.
Next for Anthony Waldburger: If Ricardo Almedia is still around.
Nik “The Carnie” Lentz (21-3-2) def. Waylon Lowe (10-4-0) by submission at 2:24 of round 3
Waylon almost had his way in this fight, but it was not to be. He was winning on everyone’s cards until the middle of the third round. He got caught in a guillotine while Nik dropped down which spelled an end to his night. This fight helped to prove a few things for Nik though. It showed he had heart. Many people believed him to be a grinder who just lay until he won, but this fight showed him what it takes to come from behind. It showed he has a standup game. He could not rely on his wrestling as he was getting beat there, so he had to strike to attempt to win. This fight, although tough, will help Nik tremendously in his career.
Next for Nik Lentz: Gleison Tibau had a good fight against Kurt Pellegrino, and albeit his inconsistency he is a good fighter. Nik against his would again put himself in a position where he could not power out a win. Those types of fights are key to making yourself a viable contender.
Next for Waylon Lowe: Waylon will be back, but he needs to work on that cardio to keep competitive in the UFC. He should not have fallen for that submission but he did. Look for him to take of a fight such as Kamal Shalorus. Tow fighters who need to prove their worth in the UFC.