UFC 142 Parting Shots

If I had to describe UFC 142 in one word, it would be “memorable”. With what will undoubtedly be 2012′s Knockout of the Year, an early contender for the best submission, a very controversial stoppage and a great, star-making moment for Jose Aldo, every main card fight gave fans something to talk about.

Welcome to the UFC, Jose Aldo

I have said several times that Aldo still needed to have that one brilliant performance to really become a star in the UFC. With his scintillating TKO win over Chad Mendes, he’s done it. He capped it off with a moment that was both unforgettable and pretty freaking crazy, running into the crowd, getting mobbed and ultimately being hoisted up in celebration by the Brazilian fans in attendance.

I’ve always been a person who recognizes the importance of a wrestling base for MMA fighters. Being able to either take the fight to the mat or deny your opponent from doing so is a fundamental part of being a high-level fighter. However, there’s a lot to be said for just being a fighter. You know, being someone who can inflict damage upon an opponent in creative, unpredictable, even unstoppable ways at a moment’s notice. Aldo is that kind of competitor. While Mendes is a remarkable athlete, a gifted wrestler and a great talent, Aldo is just great at hurting people. There’s a big difference.

It’s the equivalent of the difference between someone in a band who can play all the right notes and someone who can truly improvise. When Mendes is along the cage and someone gets separation, he will always look to close the distance and put the pressure back on his opponent. Seeing this, Aldo reacted in quickly in a way that most fighters would never be able to. In its own way, that knee that led to the finish was every bit as impressive as any of the others we saw on Saturday night.

Palhares: Most Intimidating UFC Fighter?

You might think that I’m exaggerating by saying that there’s no scarier fighter in the UFC than Rousimar Palhares, who of course, only fights at middleweight and doesn’t have a string of violent knockouts to his name. I stand by that, though, and here’s why: the guy is pretty much batshit crazy.

That’s gotta count for something, right? Do you want to be locked in a cage with someone who could literally do just about anything without surprising anybody? If you step in there with Palhares, you have a very good chance that you won’t be stepping anywhere else for the forseeable future, because Palhares will get ahold of your leg, and he will then cause excruciating pain and probably a serious injury, to boot.

The combination of exquisite technique and absolute savagery present in Palhares’ heel hook of Mike Massenzio on Saturday night was something to behold. To quickly transition from a failed takedown attempt to seizing Massenzio’s leg like he did, trapping it with his own so Massenzio couldn’t escape and then expertly applying the hold with brutal strength is really remarkable.

Think about it: there’s already nobody in the history of the UFC with anywhere close to as many heel hook victories as Palhares has, though he’s only fought in the organization nine times. To be able to pull off a move that rarely done even though your opponents are extremely wary of being caught in it and are now expecting you to attempt it is very impressive. If Toquinho can at least avoid being the kind of crazy that costs him wins, he can be about as good as anyone else in the division not named “Anderson Silva”.

Quick Shots

–Am I impressed by Erick Silva? Sure. He’s got a rare combination of finishing skills and composure that allows him to fight aggressively without leaving himself open to counters from his opponent. We need to see him against some better competition, obviously. As far as the Mario Yamasaki/disqualification situation, I’ll say that it was unfortunate. That doesn’t mean it was necessary the wrong decision, either. I’ll get into it more tomorrow, as it deserves a lot more attention than I can give it in this column.

–Also on the docket for tomorrow’s column will be the myriad issues surrounding the Vitor Belfort-Anthony Johnson fight. What I will say now is that Vitor looked great. Even with an assist or two from Dan Miragliotta, who was doing his best Steve Mazzagatti impression with the quick standups and separations, Belfort showed much improved takedown defense and focus. As for Johnson, it’s unfortunate to see him get cut, since he has a lot of natural talent and has worked hard to become a good fighter. You have to make weight, though. It’s a big part of the job, and missing three times by at least several pounds (and most recently much more) is unacceptable. It may surprise longtime readers, but ultimately I’m okay with the decision to cut him. You’ve got to be a professional.

–Michihiro Omigawa came to the UFC on a five-fight winning streak eleven months ago. A consensus top-ten ranked fighter by the MMA media, he had won eight of his nine fights, including wins over the likes of Hatsu Hioki, Nam Phan and Marlon Sandro, among others. Now, he’s lost three out of four in the UFC and surely faces the chopping block as a result. While Omigawa’s specific problems (too easily controlled, not an aggressive finisher) don’t mean much in the bigger picture, you do have to recognize that many, many highly-respected fighters come to the UFC from other organizations and promptly disappoint with their performances. Omigawa is simply the latest in a long line to do so.

Say What?!?

It poses a question: what do you want to do? Do you want to take a chance and risk getting KNOCKED OUT?- Joe Rogan, who was making an interesting point on the mentality of a fighter who’s already down two rounds to none in a three-round fight, but was interrupted by Edson Barboza’s ridiculous spinning heel kick KO right as he said the words “knocked out”. Could there be a better-timed call than that? And like so many great things, it was done completely by accident.

Beautiful Loser Award

This goes to Sam Stout, who fought well and even had Thiago Tavares on the proverbial ropes late in their fight en route to a unanimous decision loss. I thought about Chad Mendes, who fared no better than Aldo’s other challengers but impressed me by sticking to what he does best instead of irrationally fighting Aldo’s fight the way that many others tend to do. Erick Silva would also be an obvious contender, but he didn’t “lose” in any real sense, just as Jon Jones didn’t exactly get beaten by Matt Hamill.

Movin’ On Up Award

Erick Silva yet again fought and demolished an opponent within a minute at UFC 142. Though he was officially given a loss by disqualification for hitting the back of Carlo Prater’s head, expect the UFC to proceed as if Silva had won for matchmaking purposes.

Holy $#!% Award

This can obviously only go to one person: Edson Barboza. If his spinning heel kick (or “wheel kick”; I go with the other term because I first learned the kick in tae kwon do) knockout of Terry Etim doesn’t end up as the consensus Knockout of the Year in eleven months, I’ll eat my words. No, literally: I’ll print out this column, eat it and put the video on YouTube. And then I’ll maintain that my colleagues in the MMA media are crazy for even thinking of crowning anything other than that ridiculous kick as the best KO of the year.

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Tags: Anthony Johnson, awful refereeing, Carlo Prater, Chad Mendes, Edson Barboza, Erick Silva, Jose Aldo, Mike Massenzio, Rousimar Palhares, Sam Stout, Terry Etim, Thiago Tavares, UFC, UFC 142, Vitor Belfort