Ten Thoughts on UFC on FOX 10

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10 Thoughts on UFC on FOX 10:

1. Benson Henderson looked…average. Not to take away from what he did because of course he’s an elite fighter and he performed well. But he didn’t fight that “wow, he’s back” type of rebound fight you might expect from a guy who just lost his title that is as skilled, talented and hungry as Henderson. That’s probably a credit to Josh Thomson and how skilled he is as a fighter. But if Henderson wants to earn another shot at champion Anthony Pettis, a guy who beat him twice and the last time very convincingly, he didn’t exactly silence any of the doubters and critics. Pettis beat him by submission and for a guy who lost his title by getting subbed, you’d think he would be extra cautious in that area. Yet how many times did Thomson get his back and put him into potentially dangerous situations? Granted Henderson showed high level submission defense and escapes, but getting into those spots in the first place is a problem. And Henderson didn’t exactly put Thomson into deep waters really at any part of the fight. That’s not even considering that Thomson injured his thumb, which clearly took him down from being 100%. Henderson won, but he didn’t garner much confidence in his abilities and the case for a rematch with Pettis is clearly not there yet.

2. Hats off to “The Punk”.  Thomson deserves a ton of credit for fighting through his injury and giving it his all. He even got a nod on one of the judges score cards and many thought he won the fight clearly. Had he not injured his hand, we might very likely be looking at a different outcome. You have to wonder about the wisdom of fighting with an injury like that though. Fighter safety should always, always, always be the first priority, regardless of what the potential implications of a fight are. Titles, belts, and rematches will always be there, but fighters only get one body. It was a finger injury, and not something like a knee or elbow or shoulder, but that one injury visibly affected his performance from then on and could easily have led to another, more serious injury. Thomson is a smart guy though and chose to keep fighting and nearly pulled off an almost impossible feat, beating Benson Henderson with an almost useless hand. If he doesn’t retire, you’d think he would give Pettis a better challenge than Henderson at this point.

3. Miocic is making moves. Gonzaga is no easy out. Miocic, aside from absorbing some leg kicks, was clearly on another level and quickly made Gonzaga look terribly outmatched. That’s back to back wins now over fringe top ten fighters. Granted both guys are basically head hunters, but not many can get past three rounds of Roy Nelson and make Gonzaga look so average. The ones who can are elite fighters and usually are in title talks. You better believe Miocic gets a top ten guy next to see where he stacks up.

4. Cerrone is officially on fire. Back to back finishes, one by sub and one by headkick KO, both against very good fighters. The leg kicks against Martins were more than getting the job done and Cerrone was probably on his way to winning that first round. But even then, the fight was close and it looked like it was going to turn into a three rounder. Then that kick happened. Cerrone apparently had other plans and throwing to the body and legs really opened up the window for that head kick and what a beaut it was. The replay showed it landed on Martins’ neck/jaw and the way it shook his face around was unforgettable. That was precision, technique, experience and ability all in one. Cerrone is back and back with a vengeance. (kudos to John McCarthy for jumping in quickly to prevent further unnecessary damage)

5. Good wrestling isn’t enough. Stephens vs. Elkins was a great illustration of how modern MMA can quickly expose deficiencies. If your striking is going to be your clear strength, your takedown and submission defense better be damn good. Stephens was just that and showed the total package against Elkins. He stuffed Elkins numerous times, got back up quickly when taken down and even took Elkins down a few times for good measure. Elkins on the other hand…if wrestling is your greatest strength, it better be good enough to take your opponents down quickly and keep them there, especially if they outclass you in striking. Elkins’ striking wasn’t up to par with that of Stephens and his wrestling couldn’t save him. Back to the drawing board.

6. Caceres is a dangerous fighter. Rogan kept referring to him as wild, but he’s also patient. The big punch that floored Pettis was huge, but he didn’t just swing for the fences after that happened, and he didn’t try to recreate that punch for the rest of the fight. He set up that RNC wonderfully, with a mixture of making things happen and letting things happen, waiting for the right moment and then seizing upon it. What a stunning way to pull off a finish in a fight he was in big danger of losing.

7. Sergio Pettis has a bright future. Yes, he lost in pretty stunning fashion to Bruce Leeroy Caceres, but if he manages to survive until the final buzzer, he probably wins that fight. That was only the second fight for Pettis in the UFC. It sure didn’t look like it against a guy as good as Caceres. Pettis looked very cool and calm out there, fighting his fight and winning. He was moving well and timing his strikes perfectly, really making the taller and longer Caceres struggle. If you rematched these guys, Pettis might very well win. He’s 1-1 in the UFC now, but he was about 35 seconds away from 2-0. He’s going to be fine.

8. Wineland isn’t going anywhere…down at least. He buzzed through a very good Yves Jabouin. Wineland is a very unconventional stand up fighter, who keeps his hands a little low and just kind of uses his head movement to avoid damage and land some big shots. He ate a bunch of solid strikes from Jabouin, and basically just walked right through them to put the hurt on. It was the kind of fight you’d expect from a guy like Wineland after his loss to Renan Barao, a great rebound performance.

9. Good offense beats good defense. “Junior” Hernandez decided to turn it on in Round 3 against Hugo Viana and when he did he had him on the ropes. But where was that in the first two rounds? You could same the same for Mike Rhodes and George Sullivan, although to be fair, Rhodes took the fight on short notice as stated numerous times during the broadcast. In both of those fights, Sullivan and Viana were the aggressors. They pushed the action and threw a high volume and variety of strikes. That’s what won them the fight. They aren’t necessarily better fighters, but they did go into the Octagon on a mission, with far more aggression and determination. Sometimes it’s just about staying busier.

10. Cruickshank impresses. What a great way to get back into the win column. He displayed excellent striking, a good submission escape (his leg/knee looked like they were in DEFCON 3 status), and brutal and deadly kicks. Explosive potential with this guy. He just needs to string together some consistency and maybe get an opponent closer to his level of abilities before taking a major step up in competition.

Dan is a new addition to the InsideFights team. When not teaching at the local college during his day job, he likes to ride his fixed gear bicycle around town. Given the choice, he'd rather bike than drive any day (ride on!). He also enjoys trying new craft beers and vegetarian/vegan foods, playing guitar, writing fiction and of course, catching up on all things MMA. Dan currently lives in Los Angeles with his awesome wife.