BEHIND THE SCENES MMA ARTICLES & INTERVIEWS
06/28/2012
Takeaways from UFC On FX 4 and UFC 147
By Christopher “sLapDatSuCKa” Jester
After UFC on FX 4 and UFC 147 the result fans and fighters were left with was a culmination of amazing fights but also a bit of strangeness to add to that. UFC on FX had a main event that no one thought would be as bizarre and as uneventful as it turned out to be more of a track meet than a fight. Prior to UFC 147 making it to air time it was mired by a heavy dose of injuries that had UFC matchmaker Joe Silva scrambling to find replacements for the card’s match-ups which surprisingly ended up being Rich Franklin vs. Wanderlei Silva and they turned in “Fight of the Night” performances. From a botched running-and-gunning gameplan to a veteran still acknowledging he has the chops to compete at the top of the sport, this weekend was full of craziness that could be good and bad for the UFC.
With all of that in mind, there were a few key takeaways from this weekend:
1. Injuries Suck – Without a doubt the major key takeaway from this weekend was that injuries plagued these two cards; particularly UFC 147. What would have been a major fight to sell in Brazil between Vitor Belfort and Wanderlei Silva, the fight that ended up happening was a fight that not many wanted to see. The rematch between Rich Franklin and Wanderlei Silva really did nothing for any division in the UFC, and actually hurt Wanderlei Silva but boosted the image of Rich Franklin. While the bout turned out to be entertaining in its own regards, could you imagine how Belfort vs. Silva would have been received by the fans in Brazil?
2. Gameplans are not always Smart – Greg Jackson is usually a virtuoso in picking a gameplan that works for his fighters and helping them implement them in the cage. In the main event at UFC on FX this did not work at all. In fact, it ultimately nearly ruined last weekend, because American fans were not sold on UFC 147, so it was most fans only event that seemed to be worth watching. Clay Guida came into the fight as the favorite to entertain, but nearly put on a snooze fest when he continuously avoided Gray Maynard for most of the fight. While, Guida’s teammate Carlos Condit pulled off a similar gameplan against Nick Diaz, at least Condit put on a daring performance and was not gun shy. Guida did not seem like the Guida everyone knows and loves, and that gameplan did not work in gaining or sustaining any fans.
3. Rich Franklin is still Relevant – After surviving a near knockout or TKO loss to Wanderlei Silva in the second round, the former school teacher was able to maintain his cool and endure the next three rounds. Although an aging veteran, Rich Franklin showed that he has what it takes to withstand punishment and still be able to put on an entertaining performance. The 37-year-old Rich Franklin still has what it takes to be formidable at middleweight, and this fight proves that he is capable of making one last run in the tough UFC middleweight division.
4. Fabricio Werdum derails Mike Russow’s mini-hype Train – Coming into this fight Mike Russow had garnered enough fans from his previous victories that people were actually giving him a fair enough chance to pull off the upset victory. It was not meant to be though as Fabricio Werdum showed that he has been working on his standup skills and blasted away on Russow in the first round scoring the knockout. He may have beaten a guy some may have said was not deserving of such a match-up but the way he did it was most impressive. What makes Werdum’s story so interesting is that not many fighters get a second chance in the UFC and put on performances like he has done in his two outings. It goes to show you that a little time away to hone your skills can go a long way. Now, Werdum wants his rematch against JDS and if Junior dos Santos was not already tied up with Cain Velasquez, the UFC would be hard-pressed not to fulfill that rematch.
5. Wait! Don’t blame Greg Jackson just Yet… – Before everyone plasters master trainer Greg Jackson with insults about his choice of gameplans, look back at the fight that really got UFC On FX started – Another Jackson protégé Cub Swanson taking on Ross Pearson. Swanson has been hot-and-cold in his career but his performance against Pearson was scorching. His gameplan was simple: strike with him and strike with him he did, and it resulted in Swanson pulling off a KO victory over the heavy-handed Ross Pearson.
While the weekend was bizarre in its own way, there were some things about it that had eye-opening scenes of violence, but also some dismay. The one thing to take away from this is that mixed martial arts is not perfect. There is some bad judging, which we saw in UFC on FX’s main event, as well as in the first fight on the Brazil card. MMA still has a way to go in order to fix some of the issues that plagues it. But needless to say, even amongst the disappointments there will always be entertainment and violence to be found.
Follow Christopher “sLapDatSuCKa” Jester on Twitter @sLapDatSuCka
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