From the looks of it, Luke lives up to his name in this Light Heavyweight debut. He’s 205 pounds of Rockhard muscle compared to his opponent, but that extra weight seems to slow his defenses. Jan Błachowicz lands several strikes during the first couple of Rounds before dropping him with a surprise left-hand bomb to the chin.
my rating : 3 of 5
2019
Johnny Walker looks like a peak Anderson Silva in this UFC 235 fight, which isn’t much of a fight. Misha Cirkunov throws a left hook out of range, then a left kick. Walker returns with multiple fakes, then boom; a flying knee to the chin. Fight’s over.
What’s unusual about this bout is what happens immediately after. Walker does a miltary salute, presumably to himself, purposely falls facedown on the floor, attempts to do one of his signature dance moves and injures himself in the process.
my rating : 3 of 5
2019
Despite Jon Anik’s claim that Nate Diaz is “supremely conditioned as usual”, he seems a little rusty to me. Anthony Pettis, who lands some solid head shots in Round 1, looks better on the feet. Still Diaz manages to outfight him, mostly due to his constant pressure.
my rating : 3 of 5
2019
There’s a point in Round 4 in which Gastelum has Adesanya hurt bad. He lands a kick to the face followed by a jab and another jab. Adesanya retreats and stumbles against the fence, but instead of another strike, Gastelum goes for a takedown and gets it stuffed.
It was a boneheaded decision; a move, perhaps brought on by fatigue, that might’ve cost him the victory. It was either man’s fight going into the final round, but it’s Israel Adesanya who rises to the occasion, knocking Gastelum down and nearly out by the end.
my rating : 4 of 5
2019
Yoel Romero probably would’ve won this fight via decision if he wasn’t so inactive in the first couple of rounds. It’s not until a jab swells his right eye nearly shut that he starts to pick up the pace.
Whittaker lands more strikes; he fights with constant pressure; but Romero’s are more effective. When he connects, he connects with power. Whittaker is knocked nearly limp a couple of times.
my rating : 4 of 5
2018
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
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
2019
espn.com
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
Thiago Santos hurts his left leg in Round 2 and it stays that way for the rest of the bout, which causes him to buckle and fall a few times. Still he gives Jon Jones a tough fight, causing him to endure some leg issues of his own. Santos almost floors him with a kick to the calf and goes on to put a nasty welt on his thigh.
Jon Jones is more distant and inactive than usual; he mostly stalks and stares, knowing Santos has the power to knock him out at any moment; but he manages to win the bout via split decision. I was rooting for him, but I’d vote for Santos. Even with his injury, which Joe Rogan speculates is a torn ACL, I think he won this.
my rating : 4 of 5
2019
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
It’s a relatively close fight, sure, but I think Demetrious Johnson is the obvious victor. Why two of the three judges give it to Henry Cejudo is a mystery to me. The wrestler scores some impressive takedowns but doesn’t do much with them. DJ is clearly better on the feet, where most of the fight takes place.
my rating : 4 of 5
2018