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By: Jamie Penick, MMATorch Editor-in-Chief
It was a mostly fun night of fights in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Wednesday night, with the UFC bringing 12 fights to the Bankers Life Fieldhouse headlined by Carlos Condit vs. Martin Kampmann. I was in attendance for the event, alongside MMATorch Columnist Rich Hansen, and as I'm on the trip back to Milwaukee for Saturday's UFC 164 event, here's what's sticking in my mind after the card.
-Carlos Condit is still one of the most dangerous men in this sport, but his major weakness is still a glaring concern. Martin Kampmann was able to take him down easily in the first round, so easily that it's clear he'll continue to have issues on that front against really strong wrestlers. However, he made adjustments after that first round, and when it was clear Kampmann wasn't offering much else, he started opening up with combination after combination, hurting Kampmann worse and worse until finally putting him away in the fourth round. It was a beautifully violent display in the final frame, and Condit got the win he so desperately needed.
-Martin Kampmann's not a top end welterweight. He's just not there anymore. Dana White was questioning his gameplan after the fight, but he was employing the only strategy that gave him any semblance of a chance against Condit. He was attacking that takedown weakness, but just couldn't do anything with it once he got the fight to the ground. That inability to score offensively, combined with getting lit up on the feet, made for a bad night for him, and he's just not going to be competitive really against the best of the best in this division.
-Speaking of… Donald Cerrone is very much done in any conversation as a contender in the lightweight division. I don't know if Rafael dos Anjos is truly amongst the elite in the division, as the other men who have defeated Cerrone have been, but he looked very good in picking up yet another win. Cerrone looked quite shell-shocked at times, and even though he won the third round he had no urgency to finish the fight after losing the opening frames. It was a crushing loss, his second in three fights, and it's just the nail in his run to be a contender.
-From another bright spot on the night, TUF 17 winner Kelvin Gastelum looked quite fantastic in his welterweight debut. The 21-year-old impressed during his time in the house earlier this year, continually improving before ultimately winning the show in an upset over Uriah Hall. He made the drop to welterweight on Wednesday, and his destruction of Brian Melancon was damned impressive. His striking continues to improve, and his instincts on the ground are excellent. His transition to the choke after knocking Melancon down was quick and simple, and he got the tap without much effort. Overall, highly impressive.
-Court McGee and Robert Whittaker had a really fun back and forth, competitive fight, ending with what I feel was the right decision in McGee's favor. Watching live in the arena, it appeared McGee was getting the better of the exchanges in the second and third rounds, and pressuring throughout said rounds. It was a close fight, and I don't think it takes away from Whittaker necessarily, but all in all a fun three rounds.
-I was impressed by Takeya Mizugaki, and underwhelmed by Erik Perez. The young bantamweight just couldn't in a rhythm, and with Mizugaki feeling like the measuring stick Wednesday night, Perez just isn't quite ready for the next level. He's got plenty of time and room to grow, but he's not there just yet.
-Stand outs on the preliminary card were Brandon Thatch, Jason High, and Zak Cummings with two nice finishes. Thatch just destroyed Justin Edwards in a fantastic bludgeoning; he was striking from all angles and Edwards just didn't know where it was coming from. That made for a hell of a finish, and he made an impression in his debut. High is just a genuinely nice guy and someone most want to root for, so it was great to see him get back into the win column and pick up an impressive guillotine win. As for Cummings, you just don't see the D'Arce choke often enough, and he pulled it off impressively against Ben Alloway.
It was a really enjoyable night of fights overall, with only a couple of fights hitting the "forgettable" note. And with Condit making a huge statement in the main event, it ended in spectacular fashion. Now on to Saturday night!
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Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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