UFC 208 was this past weekend, and it was a card marred by some controversial decisions. Let’s get right to the rundown.
GOOD: Dustin Poirier vs. Jim Miller
This was another typical Jim Miller fight. By that I mean that it was really close and very hard-fought. Miller was working over Poirier’s leg with kicks and it got so bad that Poirier couldn’t stand at the end of the fight. Poirier won the majority decision, but this was so close that it could have gone either way.
BAD/GOOD: Glover Teixiera vs. Jared Cannonier
Teixiera worked the takedowns effectively, but not a whole heck of a lot was going on. Cannonier seemed far too tentative and Teixiera didn’t seem to have his usual standup working. Teixiera won the decision with his wrestling and takedowns. It was smart and effective, but it wasn’t all that exciting.
GOOD: Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza submits Tim Boetsch
Jacare finished things with some dominant groundwork and showed that he needs to get a title shot and quick. Yoel Romero might get the next shot, but Jacare definitely needs to get the shot after that. He’s operating at another level than just about anyone else in the division. And he’s an exciting fighter. It makes sense from an entertainment aspect as well as the sporting aspect.
BAD: Anderson Silva vs. Derek Brunson
The fight itself was fine. It wasn’t “vintage Silva” or anything like that, but it was fine; it was somewhat watchable. The BAD comes from the decision, which saw Silva get the win. Watching it live, I felt that Brunson did more and deserved the decision. Maybe if I rewatched it, I would feel differently. Maybe I would feel that Silva won. Probably not, but it’s possible. The problem is, I don’t want to rewatch it. It wasn’t all that good the first time. I’ve seen people online say that they felt Silva won, so it’s certainly up for debate. It’s hard to feel too bad for Brunson because there were areas where I think he could have been more aggressive and gone after the victory more.
I don’t know if this is the last time we see Silva fight, but probably not, despite his comments after the fight. He’s said recently that he has four or five more fights left. That seems like a lot, but we’ll see. Obviously, Silva has fallen off that cliff that comes with his advanced age, and he’s not nearly what he once was. He hasn’t been taking a lot of damage in these fights recently, though, so if he wants to keep fighting, so be it. The number of guys he can beat, though, is shrinking so I imagine the UFC will start being selective about whom they put him up against. We’ll see if he still has any drawing power left when the numbers for this event come in. If they’re good enough, I would imagine we’ll see the UFC use Silva to try to prop up more events like this one, but if not, I think we’ll see the UFC try to get Silva to rework his contract or even shorten it.
BAD: Holly Holm vs. Germaine de Randamie
This wasn’t a very good fight. There were some decent moments, but I just keep going back to the really bad parts here. Twice during this fight de Randamie punched Holm after the horn. Points should have been taken the first time it happened, let alone the second time. The ref actually said that he would take a point away if it happened a third time. There are only five rounds in a title fight, thus only five chances to hit your opponent after the horn. What, you have to punch your opponent after the horn in over half the rounds in order to get a single point taken away? That’s just ridiculous. Either de Randamie knowingly hit an opponent after the horn twice or she lacks the awareness to know when the round has ended. She doesn’t come off looking good in either of those scenarios, so pick your poison.
This fight was for the inaugural UFC Women’s Featherweight Championship, and de Randamie will make a fine champion. However, having this fight without Cris Cyborg diminishes it. She’s the best fighter at 145 lbs. Now, she might be a headcase and had refused this fight or that fight or anything else the UFC has said she’s done. Or maybe she’s trying to work with the UFC and they’re the ones making it hard. I don’t know for sure, but I do know that they need to get Cyborg into the next title fight. I don’t care if the UFC is secretly hoping she’ll lose. It needs to happen if they want this division and its champion to look at all legitimate.
NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S ARTICLE: HYDEN’S TAKE: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from UFC Fight Night 104 including Korean Zombie, Andrade-Hill, OSP latest loss
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