UFC 48

I went to the bar looking forward to not having to deal with tools in Affliction shirts since no one knows what the WEC is or who those fighters actually were. I have to say this was the most annoying experience I had in the my time watching the fights. On one side of me was a group of guys who whispered more secrets to each other than two teenage girls on Harriet the Spy. The other side featured a guy who actually knew his shit, a girl who was that “rah-rah” girl who is always at the fights and a black guy who said 145 and 135 fighters shouldn’t be in the UFC nor fighting on TV. Ugh. It was like going on chat roulette. (I’ve never been on there but I’ve heard the stories. Honestly.)

Fights
I’m glad Anthony Pettis disposed of Alex Karalexis like that. I would have liked to see Karalexis’ KO face, but I’ll take his triangle one instead.

Chad Mendes finished someone. Is he still that boring ground and pound guy? I feel bad for Anthony Morrison and then I’m like “This was his one chance to fight a non ATT guy. He should have jumped all over it.”

Korean Zombie and Leonard Garcia. I didn’t score this fight. The crowd at the bar loved it. I enjoyed it like I do previews at the movies. Both guys won more fans. By the way, does Leonard Garcia get all of our respect for fighting through a broken hand? (cough Brian Bowles cough)

Antonio Banuelos vs. Scotty Jorgensen
This was my favorite fight of the night. I have to admit I was taken aback when I saw Antonio getting over on Scotty in the first round. I was thinking, “Damn. Has this guy regressed? Has the Jordan Breen hype machine got me rooting for someone who is going to lose again?" Then he came out in the second and absolutely embarrassed Antonio. He used his reach to just land pinpoint jabs and he cut the cage in half. It was really, really sexy boxing. Scotty put a lot on the line in this fight and I want to see him avenge his loss to Demacio Page. I also became a huge fan of his. Anyone who can adjust mid fight like that is always going to be a favorite of mine. IMO Antonio Banuelos will always be a gatekeeper at 135. He is well rounded but he just isn’t getting better in his career. Everyone else at 135 is and they are leaving him behind quickly.

Congratulations to Brad Pickett and Takeya Mizugaki for their UD wins. Tyler Toner thank you for finally being on JBS and winning emphatically. It’s good to finally have you in the WEC.

419 Nigerian Mail Scam vs. Team Takedown
Shane Roller did exactly what he needed to do. Very disappointing to see 419s gaping holes. MMA can be such a bitch sometimes.

Manny Gamburyan vs. Mike Thomas Brown
I didn’t give Manny any chance in this fight. I thought Mike Brown would toss him around the cage and then ground and pound him. I like how there is a new contender at 145 because it’s something Jose Aldo needs, but I’m also sad at the same time for MTB. It came out from Dana that he had a lot of personal problems and quit training for two weeks during camp. That’s not good. I’m worried about him because when he’s not 100% mentally there, he gets absolutely worked in the cage. I don’t know what it’s going to take for him to get mentally right but I hope it happens soon because he’s in the prime of his career. I would hate for him not to get back to the top because he has poor choice in women.


Cowboy vs. Smooth
Donald damn near broke my heart losing that way. That being said, Ben has a great guillotine. It’s one of the best in the game. He’s a tough match up for anyone at 155 WEC or UFC wise. It’s great to have a champion like him. Honestly though, this sets up a great fight between Varner and Cowboy. These two don’t like each other and they need to throw on the gloves and settle this like the homosexual skinheads they are.

Aldo vs. Faber
Urijah Faber got a little black in him and decided not to check leg kicks. Aldo chopped the Sacramento Kid down. It was brutal to watch. A dominating performance by one of the baddest men in the world.

I’m not going to touch the issue about the WEC brand not being built upon. Zuffa put on a damn good show. This is what Strikeforce’s April 17th show should have been like. No matter what number they pull, it was one of the best cards of the year so far.