Tag: Joe Rogan

video review : Anderson Silva versus Vitor Belfort at UFC 126

video review : Anderson Silva versus Vitor Belfort at UFC 126

Two leg kicks is the only action for almost the first three minutes of this bout. That’s probably because both Anderson Silva and Vitor Belfort know they can get knocked out at a moment’s notice, especially Silva. Vitor Belfort is on a three-fight knockout streak.

He finally gets it going by, as Joe Rogan phrases it, tagging Silva with a left and the fight doesn’t last long from there. Silva, who displays outstanding head movement while dodging Belfort’s signature flurry, knocks him out with a front kick to the face. “Wow!”

my rating : 4 of 5

2011

video review : Anderson Silva versus Chael Sonnen at UFC 117

video review : Anderson Silva versus Chael Sonnen at UFC 117

Chael Sonnen dominates Anderson Silva for nearly this entire bout. “Is it too early for Chael to start celebrating,” Joe Rogans asks rather rhetorically after the wrestler scores yet another takedown near the start of the fifth and final round. At that point, a victory seems inevitable.

“You know what; you could never count out a guy like Anderson Silva,” the commentator ponders as Sonnen continues to win the fight, “Let’s see how much he’s got left; what kind of weapons he can pull out of his arsenal.” Those are words that, in hindsight, would stand among Rogan’s wisest.

What Silva pulls out is a triangle (“Triangle!”) choke with just two minutes left on the clock. Sonnen struggles to free himself but eventually taps; it takes a video replay to confirm it; which must be devastating for him. Silva, now 12 and 0, remains champ by the slimest of margins.

my rating : 4 of 5

2010

video review : Anderson Silva versus Chael Sonnen at UFC 148

video review : Tony Ferguson versus Kevin Lee at UFC 216

video review : Tony Ferguson versus Kevin Lee at UFC 216

I wouldn’t want to meet either of these guys on a dark street corner; Tony Ferguson looks like Count Orlok from Nosferatu; but Kevin Lee is more muscular and a little more intimidating. It’s his cardio that costs him this fight as he begins to tire in the second round, which eventually opens him up to a triangle choke.

my rating : 4 of 5

2017

video review : Anderson Silva versus Nick Diaz at UFC 183

video review : Anderson Silva versus Nick Diaz at UFC 183

Anderson Silva seems tentative and a little rusty here. What he does after his decision victory is announced; fall down and cry like a baby; suggests it’s because he’s nervous returning to The Octagon for the first time since getting his leg snapped in two by Chris Weidman.

Whatever the case, this fight starts off close and stays that way until the later rounds when Nick Diaz, who’s been taunting Silva much to the amusement of Joe Rogan; I think it just makes him look silly; seems to tire. That’s when Silva starts “loosening up” and taking over.

my rating : 3 of 5

2015

video review : Zabit Magomedsharipov versus Kyle Bochniak at UFC 223

video review : Zabit Magomedsharipov versus Kyle Bochniak at UFC 223

Zabit Magomedsharipov has a clear height and reach advantage here. That and his superior technical skills; Joe Rogan calls him “elite”; make it a tough fight for Kyle Bochniak. It’s Bochniak’s unrelenting persistence that keeps it competitive, especially near the end when the tide starts to turn.

my rating : 4 of 5

2018

video review : Weili Zhang versus Joanna Jędrzejczyk at UFC 248

video review : Weili Zhang versus Joanna Jędrzejczyk at UFC 248

Joanna Jędrzejczyk suggested this would be the greatest strawweight title fight in UFC history, which doesn’t mean much as she’s known for making grandiose claims. Remember her Boogeywoman shtick? She delivers on this one though with the help of opponent Weili Zhang, who happens to hold her former championship title.

This bout, an epic strikefest, is close, but, though I was rooting for Jędrzejczyk, I think the judges get it right. Weili Zhang gets hit more, but she hits harder, so Jędrzejczyk gets the worst of it. By the end, her face is drastically deformed. She leaves The Octagon with a swollen (“Frankenstein”) forehead and a crooked nose.

my rating : 4 of 5

2020

video review : Israel Adesanya versus Yoel Romero at UFC 248

video review : Israel Adesanya versus Yoel Romero at UFC 248

You can hardly blame Israel Adesanya for being tentative early, especially after taking a big shot to the face. He takes another in round 2. Yoel Romero is a beast, but his explosiveness comes in spurts, so the gaps are filled with tension. He begins this fight standing nearly still and it’s scary.

Intimidation only goes so far though and he doesn’t offer much beyond it. Adesanya, while cautious, is more offensive, especially with his leg kicks. Romero blames Adesanya’s “running” for his own inactivity during his interview with Joe Rogan, but he’s full of shit. No, I won’t say that to his face.

my rating : 3 of 5

2020

video review : Ronda Rousey versus Cat Zingano at UFC 184

video review : Ronda Rousey versus Cat Zingano at UFC 184

Cat Zingano begins this fight with a flying knee. At least that was the plan. Ronda Rousey dodges, wraps her arm around her head, takes her down, does a ninja flip which also flips Zingano and somehow transitions her into an armbar.

Zingano taps quickly and, in the words of Mike Goldberg, “It is all over!” That’s “it” meaning the fight. The most poignant part comes after when Joe Rogan interviews a terribly frustrated Zingano about losing her title shot in just a matter of seconds.

my rating : 3 of 5

2015

video review : Chris Weidman versus Yoel Romero at UFC 205

video review : Chris Weidman versus Yoel Romero at UFC 205

“He’s just so powerful and explosive,” Joe Rogan warns early on, “Out of nowhere he will explode.” Weidman, who otherwise matches even with Romero, finds that out the hard way in the final round.

Romero’s first name may as well be George as he lands a flying knee that turns Chris Weidman into The Living Dead. The Soldier Of God then hops The Octagon to celebrate with goddess Madonna.

my rating : 3 of 5

2016

video review : Valentina Shevchenko versus Katlyn Chookagian at UFC 247

video review : Valentina Shevchenko versus Katlyn Chookagian at UFC 247

Katlyn Chookagian looks good when it comes to her fighting skills; her face looks like a young Jamie Lee Curtis; but Valentina Shevchenko is on a higher level. Watch as the Bullet slices her open with a “nice” elbow in the first round and nearly KOs her with a spinning back kick in the second.

my rating : 4 of 5

2020

video review : Jon Jones versus Dominick Reyes at UFC 247

video review : Jon Jones versus Dominick Reyes at UFC 247

This is like the first Floyd Mayweather versus Marcos Maidana fight when Maidana (Reyes) bettered Mayweather (Jones) early but got outskilled, or perhaps just tired, as the match progressed. Still it’s a close bout, one in which the decision could’ve went either way.

I think Jon Jones should’ve lost his previous fight with Thiago Santos. It’s tougher to disagree with the judges on this one. Dominick Reyes displays more effective striking in the first three rounds, but the pressure of Jones has him on the backfoot for most of the bout.

my rating : 4 of 5

2020