UFC 150 Wrap Up
UFC 150 was an exciting event with a great card. This post will contain spoilers obviously.
Max Holloway (W) vs. Justin Lawrence
Max Holloway came out like he always does. He kept the distance with his great jab and leg kicks and did a good job of catching Justin as he came in. While Max was clearly the more technically superior striker I was very impressed with the progress Justin has made. I don't remember him having such a variety of strikes in TUF although its been a while. However, his lack of experience was quite obvious. If he could string together all of his unorthodox strikes in to combinations better he would be a true force to be reckoned with. Overall Max's experience and superior technique showed and he was able to back him against the cage and finish the fight, but I was impressed with Justin's versatility and am really looking forward to seeing him grow.
Yushin Okami (W) vs. Buddy Roberts
Buddy came out aggressive with some very impressive striking. I think its fair to say he outstriked Okami which is a very impressive feat on it's own. The best part was Okami knew it. Yushin then decided to try and take the fight elsewhere and succeeded in taking him down and getting the mount at the end of the first. He was able to do the same thing in the second. This is another fight where I was more impressed with the defeated than the winner. Yushin did what he had to but Buddy showcased a lot of potential and if he could work on his takedown defense and ground game he could be a true contender.
On a side note fans need to stop booing every time the fight goes to the ground. Yushin showed great passes and was always working for the mount. MMA isn't all flashy punches and blood. Learn to love all of the sport.
Jake Shields (W) vs. Ed Herman
This was a fight that was fought completely wrong. Ed Herman looked like he had a clear striking advantage and he just forced Shields against the cage. Shields displayed superior grappling which we already new he had and grinded out a relatively boring decision. If Ed had tried to stay standing he would have had a chance. You could hear his corner begging him not to clinch but he didn't listen. Jake did what he had to and his takedowns looked very good. I really don't know what to say about this fight. A big let down.
Donald Cerrone (W) vs. Melvin Guillard
What a fucking roller coaster. Cowboy came out running at Guillard like a maniac and got caught. Melvin attempted to finish him and was unsuccessful. Afterwords Melvin got careless and failed to defend a head kick correctly. Cerrone jumped in and through a great pinpoint accurate right hand and knocked him out cold. It is hard to discern anything of value from such a short crazy fight but we do Cowboy has heart and can be deadly when he smells blood.
Benson Henderson (W) vs. Frankie Edgar
I'm gonna start this by saying it is quite possible I am being biased be cause I LOVE Frankie. How can you not? This fight should not have been at all close. Benson is stronger, has a reach advantage, and way better kicks. Frankie however had the speed advantage and he used it very effectively. Every time Benson went in Frankie caught him usually with the right hand. I thought he did enough to win. I had round 1 to Benson 2 to Frankie 3 to Benson and than 4 and 5 to Frankie. Benson was clearly frustrated as hell. At one point he dropped his hands and yelled at Frankie to do something. Frankie then proceeded to counter his jab and pop him right on the nose. Benson had all the right tools but he didn't use them right. He dominated the first round with that great calf kick and then proceeded to stop throwing it all together. He needed to utilize the jab a lot more too. He has a strong stiff jab but he was so afraid of the counter he never through it with any intention of landing it. All in all it was an incredibly close fight. Benson did what he had to do but he had the tools to dominate Frankie and didn't use them effectively. I think Benson needs to shape up if he plans on keeping that belt. He needs to work on his mental game and utilize all of his great strikes better.
I hope to see Frankie come back. I would like to see him experiment with a drop to featherweight. I am not sure he has the right frame but if he could do it I think he would have a much better chance there. He is just too small to compete with lightweights like Henderson. Not to say that he can't, but he is always the underdog and does great from that position. However, at lightweight on equal footing with his opponents I feel he would be much more successful.
DISCLAIMER
I lack previous knowledge on many fighters and am in no way an MMA guru. These are my opinions and may be misguided or straight up wrong.
Thanks for reading.
