Tag: Jon Anik

video review : Jan Błachowicz versus Israel Adesanya at UFC 259

video review : Jan Błachowicz versus Israel Adesanya at UFC 259

Even if this were a three-round fight, I’d give Jan Błachowicz a close decision victory. Israel Adesanya seems a little off (slow/hesitant) here, probably because he’s fighting in a higher weight division than normal. The final two rounds, in which Błachowicz takes him down and holds him there till the ends, just reinforces it.

I thought Adesanya would win this, but I also thought it was a bad idea to risk his undefeated streak for the Polish powerhouse. Doing it and potentially becoming double champ for Jon Jones would’ve made a lot more sense. Now that epic showdown, one of the most anticipated in UFC history, seems a lot less competitive.

my rating : 3 of 5

2021

video review : Amanda Nunes versus Megan Anderson at UFC 259

video review : Amanda Nunes versus Megan Anderson at UFC 259

There’s a video of Megan Anderson looking like the walking dead when she first arrived at the Apex arena; not in a sinister Undertaker kind of way but the way a death row inmate might look on the last day of her stay. The method of execution? A one-woman firing squad.

“Amanda hits so damn hard,” Joe Rogan observes; Daniel Cormier also provides funny commentary; as the purported WMMA “goat”; I still don’t know if I’d put her above Cris Cyborg; goes on to win her easiest fight yet. Ronda Rousey at least landed a punch before her pummeling.

my rating : 4 of 5

2021

video review : Maycee Barber versus Alexa Grasso at UFC 258

video review : Maycee Barber versus Alexa Grasso at UFC 258

This is the UFC 258 bout I anticipated the most and it doesn’t disappoint. I was rooting for Alexa Grasso but would’ve bet on Maycee Barber, partly because of her confidence. She said she’d become the youngest champ in The UFC, but apparently predicting The Future isn’t one of her skill sets.

She wins Round 3; Joe Rogan commends her for that comeback effort; and a 5-rounder might’ve went her way, but Alexa Grasso takes the first two. I like watching her (Grasso) fight; she’s so cute and reserved; and she seems to be getting better. Who would’ve thought she’d dominate on the ground?

my rating : 4 of 5

2021

video review : Dan Hooker versus Michael Chandler at UFC 257

video review : Dan Hooker versus Michael Chandler at UFC 257

I’d say Bellator fighter Michael Chandler couldn’t have hoped for a better UFC debut, but perhaps it wasn’t a matter of hope. He seemed confident in not only getting an impressive victory here but going on to become UFC Champ and he’s already accomplished the first goal.

All it takes is a fake right followed by a sneaky left (punch) to the face to drop The Hangman just halfway into the very first round. The only solid strike a backfooted Dan Hooker, who hints at retirement by throwing his gloves down after the bout, manages is a low calf kick.

my rating : 3 of 5

2021

video review : Khabib Nurmagomedov versus Justin Gaethje at UFC 254

video review : Khabib Nurmagomedov versus Justin Gaethje at UFC 254

“Number one pound-for-pound fighter in the world”? My reply to such a bombastic claim is probably not; there are a lot of unknown fighters in the world; but it seems Khabib Nurmagomedov is currently the best pound-for-pound fighter in The UFC. He’s also one of the best ever, which makes news of his retirement; he announces it in his post-fight interview after an emotional salute to his father; that much more impactful.

I thought Justin Gaethje’s chances of winning this bout were being overhyped by MMA fans, but he does even worse than I guessed. That’s not so much a criticism of his skills; he does manage to land a few of his “patented” leg kicks, which Nurmagomedov doesn’t have much of an answer for; but how long he lasts. At not even two full rounds, it’s the champion’s quickest victory since pummeling Thiago Tavares back in 2013.

my rating : 4 of 5

2020

video review : Israel Adesanya versus Paulo Costa at UFC 253

video review : Israel Adesanya versus Paulo Costa at UFC 253

It seems Israel Adesanya is fulfilling his own prophecy by becoming one of the greatest UFC champions of all time. He has to acquire a lot more wins to reach the level of Anderson Silva and Jon Jones; two fighters his style comes across as a combination of, also my two favorite fighters; but he’s on his way.

“I wanna make him my bitch,” The Last Stylebender said of Paulo Costa in a promo interview and that’s exactly what he does. He bruises his body with vicious leg kicks, bruises his ego with a second round knockout and simulates prison rape via dry humps right there in the center of The Octagon.

my rating : 4 of 5

2020

video review : Dominick Reyes versus Jan Błachowicz at UFC 253

video review : Dominick Reyes versus Jan Błachowicz at UFC 253

It doesn’t really make sense that Jan Błachowicz calls out Jon Jones after this fight, which is a title bout only because Jones decided to vacate the Light Heavyweight belt to compete in the Heavyweight division, but his victory is damn impressive. He’s able to do to Dominick Reyes what the former champion couldn’t, knocking him down and out in just the second round. “Polish power” indeed.

my rating : 4 of 5

2020

video review : Uriah Hall versus Paulo Costa at UFC 226

video review : Uriah Hall versus Paulo Costa at UFC 226

Uriah Hall might’ve won this fight if he were more evasive. Instead of sticking and moving, he stays planted in front of powerhouse Paulo Costa, where he does find some success. That comes mostly in the form of a “nasty” jab that bloodies Costa’s face in the very first round. He gets tagged and knocked down (out) in the second.

my rating : 4 of 5

2018

video review : Sean O’Malley versus Marlon Vera at UFC 252

video review : Sean O'Malley versus Marlon Vera at UFC 252

Another hype train derailed? Perhaps, but not so fast. Sean O’Malley seems on his way to victory here until his right leg fails him, which causes him to fall and lose. Whether that’s because of a kick from Marlon Vera or a fluke injury is the question. The answer will probably determine how much of “the it factor” he (O’Malley) retains going into his next bout.

my rating : 3 of 5

2020

video review : Kamaru Usman versus Colby Covington at UFC 245

video review : Kamaru Usman versus Colby Covington at UFC 245

This is a case of two wrestlers canceling each other out in the sense that it seems neither wants to go for a takedown. The result is a virtual kickboxing match full of action. It’s a back and forth brawl, very close, until the final round when Usman puts Covington down.

my rating : 4 of 5

2019

video review : Anthony Smith versus Glover Teixeira at UFC Fight Night

video review : Anthony Smith versus Glover Teixeira at UFC Fight Night

I was rooting for Glover Teixeira but damn. I didn’t want to see Anthony Smith get his teeth knocked out. That’s sad. Daniel Cormier blames his garrulous corner coaches, but Lionheart’s main problem here seems to be his stamina. He does well in the first two rounds before being pummeled in the other three to the point of a TKO stoppage.

my rating : 4 of 5

2020