UFC Newark was this past weekend. Let’s get to the rundown and then hit some MMA news.
UFC Newark
GOOD- Darko Stosic vs. Kennedy Nzechukwu
Stosic landed three low blows over the course of the fight and had two points taken off. That by itself is almost enough to lose the fight but Nzechukwu also fought well enough to earn the decision. Nice win for Nzechukwu.
GOOD- Scott Holtzman stops Dong Hyun Ma
Holtzman used his wrestling and some heavy strikes to close the eye of Ma and force the cageside doctor to stop the fight in between the second and third rounds. Strong win for Holtzman.
UGLY/GOOD/UGLY- Gerald Meerschaert submits Trevin Giles
The first UGLY is for Meerschaert doing a lot of lay-and-pray in the first two rounds. It was so boring and dull you could have fast-forwarded through the rounds and not missed anything. In the third round, Meerschaert was able to lock in a tight guillotine and get the stoppage. That’s the GOOD. The second UGLY is for Herb Dean missing the initial tap and Giles going out cold. That’s only going to amplify the cries for Dean to be removed from refereeing. Nonetheless, the fight sucked but the finish was nice.
GOOD- Nasrat Haqparast stops Joaquim Silva
The first round was close but the second ended with a bang as Haqparast blasted Silva with a powerful shot that put him out. Big win for Haqparast.
GOOD/UGLY- Jim Miller submits Clay Guida
They exchanged big punches, with Miller’s stunning Guida. Clay shot in for a takedown but Miller locked in a guillotine and Guida went out. It took Herb Dean a moment to notice before he jumped in. Bad night for him. Good win for Miller.
GOOD- Colby Covington vs. Robbie Lawler
Covington worked Lawler over in every facet of the fight. His wrestling was intense and pressure-filled, and his striking was fast and furious. He threw tons of punches, more in the later rounds after he had wore Lawler down. Covington landed a bunch of takedowns in the first two rounds, then he moved into doing more striking in the last three rounds. He mixed it up very well.
This was a thorough and dominating performance from Covington. His postfight comments are drawing boos from some people as he said that Lawler should have learned from Matt Hughes that you get off the tracks when a train is coming. Hughes nearly lost his life after his truck was hit a train a few years ago. For his part, Hughes brushed off the comments, as did Lawler for the most part.
Were the comments in bad taste? Yeah, but Covington wants to be the bad guy. He wants to troll everyone. He’s doing whatever he thinks he has to in order to get his name out there. He crossed the line for some, but again, he wants to be the villain, he wants to be hated. He wants people to pay to see him get his ass kicked. It’s a time-honored strategy in fighting, and it’s working again.
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The Cyborg situation
The big news of the week is that Cris Cyborg is gone from the UFC and likely heading to Bellator. She’s called Dana White a bully and it seems that bridge is burned. Wherever she goes, Cyborg is still a top fighter. She might not be the best anymore, but she’s still really good and will bring eyeballs wherever she goes.
Comments and suggestions can be emailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @hydenfrank
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