Fighter of the Month: April 2012 – Eddie Yagin
By Christopher Jester
Fighter of the Month: Eddie Yagin
Event: UFC 145
Opponent: Mark Hominick
Result: Split Decision
Why He Deserves It?
The decision to pick the winner of Fighter of the Month was a close one for April. But what was the edge that made the decision a bit easier was the will and the guts displayed by one Eddie Yagin. At UFC 145, Eddie Yagin was a for sure underdog going into his fight with Mark Hominick… and not without fair reasoning. Yagin’s UFC debut against Junior Assuncao left more to be desired, and despite Hominick’s 7-second loss to Chan Sung Jung; most chalked it up to be a poor game plan choice.
Well, Yagin proved that none of those things mattered, and within the very first round Yagin knocked down Hominick in what was nearly an early stoppage but Hominick survived. Throughout the fight, Yagin kept doing exactly what he had did in the first round, planting a right-uppercut and left-hook combo. In the second round, Yagin caught Hominick again nearly 3:00 minutes in, but following up with devastating ground-and-pound that once again nearly stopped the fight.
Proving that he could stand with Hominick, who many would argue is the more technical fighter, Yagin went into this fight determined and put on a very impressive performance against a man who went toe-to-toe with Jose Aldo for five rounds. He showed the type of guts, iron clad balls and patience it takes to become a true contender in the UFC’s Featherweight division. In the end, because of his slugfest war with Mark Hominick, the pair was rewarded with Fight of the Night honors.
Yagin deserves this reward because he truly went into this bout without fear and unseated a top contender in the Featherweight division. Supplanting Hominick from his spot, Yagin now sits firm in his rank in this stacked division. But he got there off guts and the will to put on a great performance.
PunchDrunkGamer would like to reward Eddie Yagin for being PDG’s April Fighter of the Month. Thanks for an exciting bout and we look forward to seeing such stellar performances from you again in the future!
Runner-Up(s):
1. Alexander Gustafsson –This was a really close call for Fighter of the Month. Gustafsson had all of the qualities to become April’s FOTM. In his fighter against Thiago Silva, Gustafsson showed the kind of workmanship performance that will suit him well in the UFC’s Light-Heavyweight division. If this was a litmus test to how he will succeed in the division, then Gustafsson passed it with flying colors. He did well to avoid Silva’s power punchers and he even went as far as knocking Silva off his feet on occasion. He proved that he’ll do well against his division’s top ranked fighters.
2. Siyar Bahadurzada – “Siyar The Great” literally had an amazing debut. Coming into this fight, not many would think that the fight would be as short as it was against the always tough Brazilian fighter Paulo Thiago. But within just 42 seconds, he turned out Thiago’s lights and became the first person to finish Paulo Thiago. The knockout earned him the Knockout of the Night reward and put the rest of the UFC’s Welterweight division on notice.
3. Eddie Alvarez – The first time he fought Shinya Aoki he lost in the first round via a heelhook submission. This time though, Alvarez wasted no time, dispatching Shinya Aoki in the first round with some deadly ground and pound. With his contract with Bellator Fighting Championships coming to an end, Alvarez went out there to prove that his career deserves more greatness, and he proved that in his annihilation of Shinya Aoki. With such victories and stellar performances, Alvarez could be knocking on the door of the UFC right now.
Follow Christopher “sLapDatSuCKa” Jester on Twitter @sLapDatSuCka
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