Matthew's Take
MATTHEW: The Chopping Block - UFC 116 edition; are any of the fighters at risk of release?
Jul 7, 2010 - 6:46:35 PM MATTHEW: The Chopping Block - UFC 116 edition; are any of the fighters at risk of release?

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By: Sam Matthew, MMATorch Columnist

In what many MMA fans, including myself, have considered the "Ultimate" fight card ever witnessed, UFC 116 showcased not just the progression of the sport, but also how incredibly entertaining the game can be.

It was such an amazing card, with every single televised fight appearing to be better than the last all the way to a main event that didn’t disappoint in the slightest, that UFC 116 will go down in history as one of the best MMA shows ever.

In this week’s edition of “The Chopping Block” we are going to look back on some of the fights and I will make the case that none of the fighters broadcast on such an overwhelmingly awesome card should be cut. Hell, fighters need to be compensated with bonuses for hanging themselves out like that.

• Looking back, all but two of the eleven fights were aired on TV between Spike TV’s UFC 116 Prelims broadcast and the actual PPV. Of those two, the Daniel Roberts vs. Forrest Petz bout went to a split decision, so I wouldn’t expect for late-replacement Petz to be cut after losing a close battle.

• The other fight is a different story altogether in Jon Madsen vs. Karlos Vemola. I wonder if Madsen will become the first fighter to be cut following a win. Does the UFC really want to pay fighters to lie on top of each other for 15 minutes, turning away fans in the process? Just imagine if that fight had led off the free prelims broadcast. Very smart production on the part of Zuffa to bury that fight because it very well could have ruined an otherwise perfect night.

• And now onto the three fights that were aired on Spike, beginning with Seth Petruzelli vs. Ricardo Romero. Petruzelli came into this fight on short notice and really took it to Romero, landing heavy-handed combinations throughout the first round and into the second. Strong uppercuts took the fight to the mat where a grappling battle ensued, with the former TUF alum even throwing double-handed gorilla-head-bashers (appropriate from a fighter nicknamed “The Silverback”).

Unfortunately all the power he threw wore him out enough for a tough Romero to outlast the damage and take advantage of Petruzelli's weak cardio by locking up a nasty armbar submission after escaping a similar move earlier in the round. A pained Romero hardly looked the victor as he flopped off Petruzelli with some serious damage evident on his face. Even with Petruzelli seeming unable to find a victory in the Octagon, this was an awesome hook to entice the fans and a great war, so neither fighter should be cut; and even a rematch is perhaps warranted to see how Petruzelli would fare with a full training camp.

• Brendan Schaub showed his explosive power yet again as he finished Chris Tuchscherer in the first round by taking advantage of his wrestling-geared opponent's very hesitant and meek stand up game. Tuchscherer came out obviously trying to wrestle with his tentative striking posture leaning way back and just looking for the clinch. You could argue that a big heavyweight with no stand up whatsoever and a weak chin could get cut from the UFC, but this big boy trains with Brock Lesnar so he’ll probably receive some special treatment and get one more opportunity, maybe welcoming a debuting fellow wrestler.

• Gerald Harris continued to impress with a Rampage-esque knockout slam of David Branch. This followed a two and a half round battle showcasing unorthodox striking and beautiful displays of grappling. Branch looked awesome landing kicks and knees from a distance, and even threatening from the bottom. That was, of course, up until he decided to jump guard with one of Harris’ arms trapped. This was all the UFC vet needed as he avoided the sub by putting his forearm across Branch's face and slamming down as hard as possible, dropping Branch straight on the back of his head for a knockout of the night victory. Harris earns a step up in competition and Branch definitely deserves another shot.

• And finally onto the PPV broadcast, where the fights only got better. Despite George Sotiropoulos taking Kurt Pellegrino to a unanimous decision, the fight was action-packed with the Aussie controlling the grappling and stand up. Pellegrino was still able to get his own licks in, especially when he knocked his opponent down in the last couple seconds of the fight with a well-timed knee to the jaw.

This proved not enough, however, and Sotiropoulos earned himself a crack perhaps at fellow fast-rising lightweight prospect Evan Dunham to find out who breaks the cusp into Top 10 status. Pellegrino is still a pretty high-profile fighter and looked good against a simply dominant opponent, so his future in the UFC is somewhat uncertain, but expect to see him in the Octagon at least one more time.

The best part of this fight was how active the ground game looked, with both parties throwing punches and elbows, passing and advancing position for a war that can be shown as a great example of exciting grappling, a stark contrast to some of the more boring wrestling matches some UFC fights are infamous for (Jon Madsen).

• The Stephan Bonnar vs. Krzysztof Soszynski rematch proved to be an all-out slugfest. Soszynski looked like an animal charging in and throwing bombs that Bonnar, for the most part, defended expertly while landing his own straight punches. He still took a lot of damage as seen at the end of the first round, but he wasn’t done yet. Battered but not beaten. Bloodied but not broken.

Bonnar came back from the edge of the abyss to drop his opponent and keep his UFC career alive. He used good head movement with his hands up while landing knees and uppercuts on his wild-swinging foe. Serious props on his win and he earns the scariest post-fight pose award, as well with a chilling staredown etched on his macerated face. Fight of the Night honors to both and Soszynski earned the most ridiculously-hard-to-spell-or-pronounce name award as well.

• Up next we saw Chris Lytle display his underrated submission skills by wrapping up Matt Brown in a combination reverse triangle choke/painful armbar finish. This was truly impressive jiu-jitsu to watch, especially considering Lytle’s long-term tactic of allowing Brown to wear himself out working his own arm triangle choke in the first round. Matt Brown stays safe as he’s entertaining to watch and always brings it, and as for Lytle, it’s hard to say who’s next though I’d like to see a matchup against Mike Swick or maybe even Matt Hughes.

• In the Kendall Grove v. Goran Reljic fight, Grove likely saved himself from the axe with a close split decision win after his critical comments of Spike TV and its producing and editing of The Ultimate Fighter reality show had his fight removed from the prelims broadcast. Grove did more damage even from the bottom and looked good against a game opponent who I think deserves another shot despite two losses in a row.

• For the historic evening’s co-main event, Chris Leben upset Japanese fan-favorite Yoshihiro Akiyama, and he did it on only two weeks notice after another come-from-behind win over Aaron Simpson. Perhaps most impressive, Leben stayed true to himself by taking damage and letting his adversary punch himself out. But Leben actually finished the fight by throwing his legs up and locking on a fantastic triangle choke at the very end of the third round, avoiding a possible decision loss. After such a string of dazzling fights, how could the main event compete?

• Fortunately for us, the legendary Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin mega-fight went above and beyond everyone’s expectations and answered the biggest questions plaguing both fighters. Is Carwin’s cardio strong enough to keep up with his power? No. Is Lesnar’s chin capable of withstanding serious punishment? Yes.

Incredibly, these answers were the story of the fight. And with much debate going on about referee Josh Rosenthal’s decision to allow the fight to continue with Carwin beating mercilessly on Lesnar after dropping him, all I can say is that most refs probably would have called it. Even with Lesnar moving as he was and actively defending himself with arms raised, a lot of those heavy shots got through, and even I thought it was over on three separate occasions.

Lesnar proved the referee right as he survived the round and came back to truly test his opponents ground game by taking the weary man down and earning a submission of the night with an arm triangle choke. Who would have predicted Lesnar winning by a choke submission? Unbelievable.

And Carwin’s performance should be commended for showing the beast is human and can actually be hurt. I’m hoping Carwin goes back to the gym and works on his cardio, because its obvious that for the first time in his career he heard the bell and went back to sit on his stool in between rounds that his body cramped up and his own exhaustion beat him. If UFC 117 and 118 can come even close to delivering a night like this, Zuffa will be well on their way to utter domination of the global MMA scene with Brock Lesnar at the helm.

RELATED STORY: AMADI: Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin gave each other a fight like no others could give them at UFC 116: [CLICK TO READ FULL ARTICLE]