Jaana Rocks!

I finally got to see UFC 117. Great freakin’ fights! The headlining event was fantastic, of course, but I would have given Fight of the Night to Big Country Nelson vs. Junior Dos Santos. And how about that Stefan Struve comeback knockout of Christian Morecraft?! EPIC.

I had my reservations about Sonnen and his smack-talking, and I wholeheartedly imagined Anderson Silva to knock him out with a flying knee to the face, but I was pleasantly mistaken. After that escape roll in the first round (pictured above), I went nuts and all my reservations rolled away with that move. I love Anderson Silva, but props and respect to Sonnen for giving him 4 1/2 rounds of hell. I tend to be biased against wrestlers, but if all wrestlers fought like that, I would be happy. There was substantial striking taking place, guards were passed and reversed…man, that was the most dynamic and exciting wrestling-dominated fight I have seen. My mind is blown.

I didn’t get a chance to see the fight live tonight, as I took my mom and dad out for dinner and Iron Man 2 for Mother’s Day. It’s now 1 a.m., and I just finished watching the evening’s bouts. Here are my thoughts:

Marcus Davis vs. Jonathan Goulet - I’ve always liked Davis ever since he appeared on season 2 of the Ultimate Fighter, and I was happy to see him win after two losses. Maybe Goulet should stop sporting the stupid haircut for a change of pace.

Joe Doerksen vs. Tom Lawlor - Lawlor is unrecognizable from his days on The Ultimate Fighter, now rocking a Freddy Mercury look. I was rooting for him after his, uh….colorful weigh-in. It was a pretty exciting fight, I definitely thought Lawlor had it, considering Doerksen was bobbing about like a drunkard, but he managed to pull off that choke and turned the game around pretty quickly. Kudos.

Patrick Cote vs. Alan Belcher - First of all, I didn’t have a favorite going into this fight. Second of all, what a horrendously unfortunate tattoo Belcher has. I just remember Belcher’s bloody fight against Akiyama at UFC 100, but I also remembered that he lost. Cote looked a little lazy to me, compared to Belcher, and overall, this fight was a “meh” for me.

Kimbo Slice vs. Matt Mitrione - Man, do I hate Mitrione’s face. I was really hoping that Kimbo would punch it in during this fight. I thought Kimbo was off to a good start and delivered admirably during the first round, and then he just lost it. It’s a shame that Kimbo wasn’t picked up by a legitimate fighting circle earlier in his life. I think he’s a talented striker, and as exhibited on last season’s Ultimate Fighter, eager to learn and coach-able. I think that years of street-fighting and dubious (if any) insurance coverage are catching up on him. I wouldn’t blame Dana White if he cut Kimbo from the UFC.

Sam Stout vs. Jeremy Stephens - A very exciting stand-up fight! I think both guys delivered admirably and definitely ended up putting on a fantastic show. A well-deserved “Fight of the Night!” Stay classy, guys!

Josh Koscheck vs. Paul Daley - Dude, let’s face it. This wasn’t a fight. This was a guy laying on top of another guy for 15 minutes, interrupted with a dramatic-yet-unconvincing performance by Koscheck. There are two “fighters” I absolutely abhor: one of them is Koscheck, and the other is Efrain Escudero, and both are “Lie-on-toppers.” Technically knowledgeable wrestlers may disagree with me, but what can I say, pure wrestlers bore me TO TEEAAAARS. I’m very disappointed in Daley, not for his post-fight antics, but moreso for not holding his ground. Yes, his cheap shot was illegal and dirty, but honestly, I was secretly cheering him on. I think a lot of people would jump at the chance to sucker-punch Josh Koscheck.

Lyoto Machida vs. Shogun Rua - Way to go, Shogun! It’s not that I’m not a fan of Machida, but I personally think he held the belt too long, and I have this tendency to cheer for the underdog. I think Machida is a very skilled and tactical fighter, but in that he can also be sort of boring, as he succeeds more than most at avoiding getting punched in the face. I predicted Shogun to take it in the second, but other than that, what can I say? Shogun delivered a solid knockout. Although, did anyone else think that his “trunks” were embarrassingly small…and white? lol He looked like he was fighting in his skimpies. He’s a classy guy, though, wishing all the moms a Happy Mother’s Day, haha.

I know I just spent an entire blog post on violence and bloodsport, but on that note, Happy Mother’s Day! Stop watching people beat up each other in a cage and go appreciate your mom!