UFC Fight Night 114 was this past weekend. Let’s get right to the rundown.
UFC Fight Night 114
GOOD – Jimmie Rivera vs. Thomas Almeida: Things started off wildly in the first round, as Rivera dropped Almeida twice. They slowed down a bit in the second round, but they were still going at each other. Rivera showed some good striking and Almeida showed good toughness to take those shots and keep coming. This was a fairly close fight, but Rivera was just a bit better. He’s looked really good in the UFC and called out either Dominick Cruz or T.J. Dillashaw for his next fight. I’d love to see either of those fights.
GOOD/BAD – Patrick Cummins vs. Gian Villante: The fight itself was GOOD. Yeah, it slowed down a bit in the later rounds, but it was still pretty good. The BAD comes from the decision, which saw Cummins pick up the split decision. Cummins landed more, but I think Villante landed the more impactful and damaging blows. Maybe if I rewatched the fight I would feel differently, but it just seemed like Villante did more than the judges gave him credit for. Villante really needs to start listening to his coaches more. It’s frustrating for me as a viewer to see him ignoring them, so I imagine it’s a million times more frustrating for them to be giving advice and he completely ignore it.
BAD – Darren Elkins vs. Dennis Bermudez: I didn’t care for this fight much at all. There was some action, but way too much inaction. Holding onto a guy, controlling him, that stuff is just boring and uneventful. Like I said, there was some action, but not enough of it. Elkins won the split decision in a close fight.
GOOD – Chris Weidman submits Kelvin Gastelum: Gastelum came out strong in the first, nearly finishing Weidman at the end of the round. The bell saved Weidman, though, and he battled back and took control. He used his wrestling and his striking to great effect here. Gastelum didn’t fold his tent up, he was in there fighting too, but Weidman showed that he’s still got elite talent. He had lost three fights in a row, so he had to have a win here, and he got it in emphatic fashion. He got Gastelum down, took his back, cinched the choke and got the tap.
This was a good comeback win for Weidman. Yeah, he had lost to three really good fighters, but still, guys in his position aren’t used to losing three in a row. He had to go back to the drawing board and figure some stuff out. And to his credit, he did. Weidman showed he still has the talent to get it done. Gastelum is a good fighter. A submission win over him means something. I would imagine that Weidman uses this momentum to propel himself back into the title picture. He’ll have to win a few more fights, of course, but he’s certainly capable of that. This was a good rebound win for him. Now he can focus all his energies on getting back on top. Weidman had a major career stumble there, but he can use that to get better than he was before. This win will give him the confidence he needs to achieve that. This win could end up being one of the most important wins of his career. And that’s a good way to end a card.
Comments and suggestions can be emailed to me at hydenfrank@gmail.com and you can follow me on Twitter at @hydenfrank
NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S COLUMN: HYDEN’S TAKE: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly from Bellator 181 and UFC Fight Night 113
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