Tag: Dominick Cruz

video review : Khabib Nurmagomedov versus Conor McGregor at UFC 229

video review : Khabib Nurmagomedov versus Conor McGregor at UFC 229

The most interesting part of this fight is what happens at the end. After beating Conor McGregor via a Round 4 neck crank submission, Khabib Nurmagomedov hops the Octagon fence and jumps into the crowd to attack Conor’s crew. Joe Rogan calls it stupid and unnecessary. I call it badass.

He could’ve caused a riot; the crowd has McGregor’s back in the figurative sense; but his antics provide this UFC bout with the kind of over the top entertainment you normally get in WWE, full with members of his crew invading The Octagon to attack an already beaten McGregor.

The fight itself, though nearly overshadowed, provides some excitement of its own when the action isn’t being restrained on the mat with Conor, who’s greatly outmatched when it comes to wrestling. Nurmagomedov also scores a surprise knockdown with a punch to the face.

my rating : 4 of 5

2018

video review : Rose Namajunas versus Jéssica Andrade at UFC 237

video review : Rose Namajunas versus Jéssica Andrade at UFC 237

This fight ends with Rose getting slammed on her head. That’s what she gets for shaving off her beautiful hair. It could’ve cushioned her head and maybe won her the fight. That’s said in jest, of course, but it is unsettling seeing her get dropped like that. She could’ve easily broke her neck.

Cage fighting is a dangerous sport, but Thug Rose was winning until that unfortunate turn of events. Jéssica Andrade is a knockout artist; she sent Karolina Kowalkiewicz on a trip thru the cosmos in her last bout; but Namajunas is faster and more skilled on the feet. On the head? Not so much.

my rating : 4 of 5

2019

video review : Dustin Poirier versus Justin Gaethje at UFC Fight Night

video review : Dustin Poirier versus Justin Gaethje at UFC Fight Night

Head punches versus leg kicks; that’s the story here. It’s Justin who almost cripples Dustin while taking repeated, albeit partially blocked, shots to the face. It’s standup action; the fight goes to the ground for just a second; that pauses only when a fighter gets poked in the eye.

Justin Gaethje gets a stern warning from Herb Dean the first time he does it. He gets a point taken away the second time. Dustin Poirier then gets a poke in of his own before going on to win via TKO in what has to be one of the most enthralling fights in each of their careers.

my rating : 4 of 5

2018

video review : UFC 241

video review : UFC 241

Before UFC fans can get over the shock of Mike Beltran’s missing mustache, Ian Heinisch kicks Derek Brunson in the head. Dominick Cruz thinks it’s an instant knockout; you can hear the crack when it lands; but Brunson, fighting smart for a change, goes on to win via decision.

Decisions also go to Paulo Costa over Yoel Romero and Nate Diaz over Anthony Pettis. The former is the best fight; their muscles are impressive and their power is extraordinary; though it’s the latter, specifically Diaz’s return after a three-year hiatus, that was most anticipated.

Stipe Miocic puts on a surprisingly lackluster performance against Daniel Cormier in their Heavyweight Championship title bout; a rematch from UFC 226. He gets punched in the face repeatedly until he finds DC’s weak spot; the liver area Anderson Silva once exploited; and knocks him out.

my rating : 4 of 5

2019

video review : Cris Cyborg versus Amanda Nunes at UFC 232

video review : Cris Cyborg versus Amanda Nunes at UFC 232

Declaring her “the greatest women’s mixed martial artist of all time”, as Joe Rogan does here, is a ridiculous overstatement, but you have to give Amanda Nunes a lot of credit. She knocks out Cris Cyborg; a fighter I rank above her; in less than a minute; about the same amount of time it took for her to beat “goat”-contender Ronda Rousey.

Rousey is just a tough woman though. Cris Cyborg is, from the looks of it, a virtual man, which, considering modern society’s delusional coddling of so-called transgenders, shouldn’t be regarded as an insult. That makes this Nunes victory all the more impressive, though a rematch could help remove the feeling of flukiness.

my rating : 3 of 5

2018

video review : Tony Ferguson versus Anthony Pettis at UFC 229

video review : Tony Ferguson versus Anthony Pettis at UFC 229

Pettis is no slouch, but Ferguson’s fighting style is hard to deal with. It’s a barrage of pressure from a guy who doesn’t seem to get tired. He gets rocked in round 2 but recovers and continues to attack.

The ending is, as Jon Anik describes it, somewhat anticlimactic as the bout ends with Duke Roufus throwing in the metaphorical towel for Anthony Pettis. He’s apparently done in by a broken hand.

my rating : 4 of 5

2018

video review : Jared Cannonier versus Anderson Silva at UFC 237

video review : Jared Cannonier versus Anderson Silva at UFC 237

Anderson Silva’s UFC 234 bout against Israel Adesanya almost ended like this. The Stylebender landed a kick to the knee of The Spider’s lead (right) leg early in the third round that buckled him, but he recovered. Jared Cannonier must’ve studied that fight. Here he kicks Silva’s same leg until it gives.

It’s an odd and anticlimactic ending to a fight it seems was just getting started. Anderson Silva goes down near the end of the “very” first round; a point at which Jared Cannonier’s speed and strength advantage has him at a slight edge, though Silva manages to land some impressive kicks of his own.

The man is 44 years old and looks good for that age, but these losses are adding up, which only tarnishes his legacy as arguably the best UFC fighter ever. If he’d retired after his first loss to Chris Weidman, which is what I said he should’ve done at the time, there wouldn’t be much to argue about.

Instead he went for a rematch and got his leg broken. That loss is eerily similar to this one, which takes us back to the question of the end. BJ Penn, who Silva once praised as one of the best ever, earned his seventh straight loss at this same 237 event. The way Silva’s career is going isn’t much better.

my rating : 3 of 5

2019

video review : Israel Adesanya versus Anderson Silva at UFC 234

video review : Israel Adesanya versus Anderson Silva at UFC 234

I expected Anderson Silva, arguably the best pound-for-pound fighter in the history of The UFC, to get knocked out in the first round of this fight. Silly me. Even at 43, which is old for the sport, he’s got skills. The Spider is long past his prime; he’s slower and more tentative; but is able to hang with a top newcomer.

Israel Adesanya is, in essence, a younger version of Anderson Silva; a man he once idolized. Silva does some Matrix-style dodges in the first round and actually outstrikes Adesanya in the second, but it isn’t enough. Adesanya wins mostly by staying busier, particularly in the third, where Silva seems to fade.

my rating : 3 of 5

2019