UFC Fight Night 155 delivered a solid night of fights. The pace of the card was excellent, and I guess it helps when the last 3 fights of the night didn’t make it out of the first round. Heading into this card, I had low expectations, but it actually delivered well.
BEST WINNERS:
The California Kid Urijah Faber. What is there to say? There were two moments before the fight that told me Urijah was going to win. First, when Ricky Simon came to the octagon with his glorious mullet in braids. The second, seeing Urijah for the first time after “California Love” started and he was walking to the octagon. He looked reborn, and possibly younger than the last time we saw him. Having a kid seems to have given him dad strength, like we saw in Cowboy Cerrone. The crowd was pretty crazy for all of the Team Alpha Male guys, but when Urijah walked out, they went to another level. It was an electric fight atmosphere. I will say though, this was a good matchup for Urijah. A young, eager fighter looking to make a name for himself. Ricky Simon is not the most polished fighter. Urijah should keep this in mind when calling out Henry Cejudo. But it was amazing to see Urijah go out and get a 46 second KO.
Josh Emmett. Us bald guys have to stick together, and I’ve liked Josh Emmett for a while. Now that John Lineker is out of the UFC, I think Josh Emmett should be Hands of Stone. The guy has uncanny power for a featherweight. He just needs one punch. This time, he dropped Bektic with a jab before pouncing for the finish.
Germaine de Randamie. Speaking of one punch power…Germaine de Randamie beat Aspen Ladd with one fucking punch. I have never been a fan of de Randamie, mainly because the first time I watched her fight she hit Holly Holm after the bell a couple of times. I don’t like that bush league crap. I thought Aspen Ladd had a good chance of winning this fight, until she showed up to weigh ins. That bad weight cut has to have had a big impact on the one punch loss. Herb was a little quick to jump in. All that being said, de Randamie needed just one punch to get a win and a possible shot at the title. Good luck fighting Amanda Nunes.
Andre Fili. Andre Fili is a guy that has been around forever, but hasn’t had a marquee win. But he is still young and an evolving fighter. He said he has felt renewed since his loss to Calvin Kattar. He looked it when he got a first round KO of Sheymon Moraes.
Julianna Pena. This was Julianna Pena’s first fight since giving birth. The last time we saw Pena, she was fighting Valentina Shevchenko for a shot at bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes. Valentina beat Pena, and Pena took time off to have a kid. We didn’t know how Pena would look coming off of maternity leave. She looked amazing. Nicco Montano is a strong wrestler, and Pena had her way with Montano. Completely dominated every aspect of this fight.
WORST WINNER:
Benito Lopez. I’m not a fan of point fighters. I don’t like judges scoring fights for point fighters. It’s a fight. If one guy lands 100 punches and eats 50 punches, and has more damage done by those 50 punches than his 100 punches caused, he lost the fight. I didn’t think Lopez won this fight.
BEST LOSER:
Darren Elkins. Ryan Hall’s Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is incredible. The guy prays/preys for fighters to come into his guard or get close enough to get a hold of their leg. Darren Elkins is a pressure fighter. He keeps going forward. Elkins didn’t shy away from Hall. He didn’t bitch about Hall’s game plan. He just tried to keep the fight on his terms and, unlike Hall’s other opponents, not get rattled from Hall. He did that. This led to an exciting fight. Ryan Hall decision fights are usually boring, but Elkins wanted to fight on his terms and he tried.
MY FIGHTER OF THE NIGHT:
Ryan Hall. Since Ryan Hall has been on the Ultimate Fighter, I’ve had a soft spot for the Wizard. He is an interesting guy with an interesting background. His fighting style is unique, and he is a true specialist, in the mold of Demian Maia. When you fight Ryan Hall, you know he’s going to be diving at your ankles. Ryan Hall showed some evolution though. He dropped Elkins a couple of times. His striking has improved and he looked great. I’ll also mention, I’m a big fan of anyone that gets my man crush Kenny Florian on TV.
PERFORMANCE OF THE NIGHT:
Brianna Van Buren. When I saw Brianna Van Buren step into the octagon, I laughed. She is so small and friendly looking. I didn’t think she had a chance in hell. Halfway through the first round I had a flashback to Meatball Molly McCann. Then I had a panic attack that I would have to see these two fight, only to rush to check the weight classes and breath a sigh of relief that they are in different weight classes. BVB put on an awesome show and I think she has a bright future ahead of her.
SAVAGE OF THE NIGHT:
Marvin Vettori. Holy shit did Marvin Vettori look good. I barely remembered his fight against Israel Adesanya. I didn’t remember it being that close. So, I didn’t think too highly of Marvin Vettori. He talked himself up quite a bit and I was skeptical. He put on a clinic. He absolutely dominated this entire fight. Cezar Ferreira is a good grappler, and he was completely shut out. And to top it off, Vettori dominated on the ground too. I was very impressed with his fight.
NOT FIGHT OF THE NIGHT:
Benito Lopez v. Vince Morales
FIGHT OF THE NIGHT:
Urijah Faber v. Ricky Simon