UFC 71: Liddell vs Jackson II is in the books and as always there is a lot to discuss. In today's edition of Intelligently Defending we will take a look at each fight and more importantly try to figure out where the fighters from the card will go from here.
Another week has passed and another UFC pay-per view is in the books.
I was not all that excited for the fight card heading into UFC 71 but after all was said and done I was pleasantly surprised with how the event turned out. It was well-worth my $40 investment.
At the night's end there were some exciting fights that went the distance, a couple of spectacular knockouts, and as is the case many times more questions left than answers.
Here now are my thoughts on the night's action and some insight into where I think the UFC 71 combatants are heading next.
Result: Wilson Gouveia wins by submission at 3:06 in the 1st round by guillotine choke.
Analysis: This fight was a nice surprise after the main event as PPV customers were treated to this prelim bout. It was pure domination. Gouveia had some brutal leg kicks and after dropping Marrero with one of them he was quick to lock-in the guillotine for the tapout victory.
What's next for Marrero? This may have been the last time we see Carmelo for awhile. He is now 1-2 in the UFC with his only victory coming in a three round lay and pray split decision win over Cheick Kongo. Marrero is an excellent wrestler but has shown the ability to do little else. BJJ black belts have now submitted him in consecutive fights and I do not see the UFC being in any rush to bring him back for another chance. I would expect he will next be seen on a smaller show getting some much needed seasoning.
What's next for Gouveia? I become a bigger fan of Wilson Gouveia every time I see him fight. As mentioned before, he has some nasty leg kicks and great BJJ. He is now 3-1 in the UFC with his only loss coming in a close decision to Keith Jardine. He is still a win or two away from the main card but this past Saturday was a step in the right direction towards getting there. He will probably get an upgrade in competition in his next fight. I am thinking his next opponent will be someone along the lines of a Jason Lambert.
Result: Din Thomas wins by submission at 2:44 in the 2nd round by arm bar.
Analysis: Another bonus fight for all those who ordered the PPV. This was exciting bout but was never really in question. Basically, the veteran Thomas took the rookie Stephens behind the woodshed. Stephens made it interesting with his submission escapes but was ultimately done in by a beautiful arm bar. There was a little controversy since it did not appear that Stephens tapped however, a couple more seconds and his arm would have been mincemeat. A great post-fight interview was delivered by Thomas when he called out all those boxers talking shit.' Right on Din.
What's next for Stevens? Jeremy was throw to the lions in his first UFC fight. Still, the 21 year-old did decently for himself. He showed some crafty defense on the ground and was willing to standup to throw with Thomas. He will certainly be given another shot on the prelims of a card. I am thinking the loser of the upcoming UFC 72 Guida/Griffin showdown could be in Stephens's future.
What's next for Thomas? If it were not for Matt Serra's victory over GSP, Din Thomas would be considered the most impressive fighter to come off of TUF4. The experienced Thomas is on a roll with three straight UFC victories since coming off of the reality show. In my opinion, he has asserted himself as a threat in the 155 pound division and his next fight should definitely make the main card of an event. It should also come against some solid competition. How about Thomas vs. Huerta? They can't spoon feed Roger forever.
Result: Alan Belcher wins by submission at 0:53 in the 1st round by guillotine choke.
Analysis: I caught this fight courtesy of UFC on Demand. Blink and you will miss it as Salmon goes in for a takedown and gets caught in a guillotine. Belcher gets a much needed win and Salmon gets his walking papers.
What's next for Salmon? I could be wrong but I think the next time we see Sean in the UFC will be in a highlight reel as Rashad Evans takes his head off. This was his chance to show he had some skill and he blew it. WEC maybe?
What's next for Belcher? Alan took this fight on short notice and it was a good thing for him because he got a victory and improved his UFC record to 2-2. He will now certainly get another chance to fight the question is against who? Belcher will most likely move back down to 185 after he dappled at 205 for this fight. The 23 year-old loves to stand which makes me think the UFC will put him in there with someone who compliments his style in order to get an exciting fight. Maybe a returning Martin Kampmann in the opening fight of a PPV will be next for the Talent.'
Result:Thiago Silva wins by stoppage (referee) at 1:06 in the 1st round by injury.
Analysis: This was another fight I caught on UFC on Demand. Here is the basic play-by-play: Irvin stuns Silva with a jab but Silva quickly recovers. They circle for a few seconds and Irvin scores the takedown. Silva gets to his feet and Irvin wraps him up for another takedown. Irvin makes the attempt and OH DEAR GOD THAT HURT! Irvin's ACL is popped and D-O-N-E -- so is this fight. If you are into seeing multiple replays of horrific injuries I suggest you go check this fight out for the $2 at UFC.com.
What's next for Silva? The much anticipated debut of the Chute Box prodigy was over before it really got started. He will need at least one more prelim fight to get a better gauge of his skills before they promote him to the main card. My instincts tell me an unknown fighter from a smaller promotion will be brought in for his next fight, but if not the UFC will find a banger on their roster to go to war with Silva -- Alessio Sakara for example.
What's next for Irvin? Physical therapy. Lots and lots of physical therapy.
Result: Kalib Starnes wins by unanimous decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round
Analysis: A fun little middleweight bout got the live PPV started on Saturday. This one was back and forth with both fighters looking like they were about to end things at certain points in the fight. As expected, Starnes dominated when he got it to the ground and Leben was the better striker. Starnes ended up getting the nod from the judges in a fight that could have gone either way. True to his moronic nature, Leben hogged the limelight in the post-fight interview. He went on a rant about how the judges screwed him, and how he wants to give the fans a good fight every time, and blah blah blah. If there were ever a case of a fighter thinking he is far more important than he actually is it is Chris Leben.
What's next for Kailb Starnes? Kalib brought his UFC record to 2-1 with his victory and looked pretty good in doing so. I have a feeling that this was a main card bout mainly do to Chris Leben and not Starnes, so I expect for Kalib to be back on the prelims in his next fight. The winner of UFC 72's Smith/Herman fight is a possibility or even a match-up against Ivan Salaverry.
What's next for Chris Leben? The Chris Leben mystique has worn its welcome. Anderson Silva dispelled the myth of his iron jaw and Leben is now 1-3 in his last four UFC fights. If he wants to go fight for ICON Sport like he was threatening to do before this fight, he should go ahead and do so. In fact, I believe this is exactly what Leben will do and he will have his record further tarnished when Robbie Lawler schools him in an ICON Sport Middleweight Championship fight.
Analysis: The biggest upset of the night happened to come in the shortest fight. Jardine rocked Alexander early but Houston had a quick recovery and delivered some vicious punches that eventually knocked Keith cold. No one saw that coming except of course for me, as our 411 UFC 71 Roundtable proves.
What's next for Alexander? With his brutal KO victory, Houston Alexander now finds himself as a fighter who fans are anxious to see fight again. Was it a fluke? Can he do it again? That is the question on everyone's mind and it may be enough to get Alexander another main card fight for his next bout. Houston has shown that he is dangerous so the UFC would be hesitant to put one of their potential poster boys in the octagon with him. A good fit could possibly be the fallen-from-grace Stephan Bonnar on an Ultimate Fight Night. This is of course only if Bonnar gets by rumored opponent Mike Nickels at UFC 73 which I expect he will.
What's next for Jardine? So much for Jardine as a title contender. Keith was riding a high wave of momentum going into Saturday, but it all came crashing down on him. Since he is no longer in-line for a title shot I don't suspect the UFC will have much reason to protect him any further. Up next I could see him fighting David Heath who was his original opponent for UFC 71, or in a fight I would really like to see he could tangle with Ryoto Machida.
Result: Karo Parisyan wins by unanimous decision at 5:00 in the 3rd round
Analysis: A very entertaining co-headliner took place in this fight. Karo basically dominated every aspect of the contest. Parisyan had an answer for everything Burkman threw at him. Karo's stand-up was much better, he stuffed most of Burkman's takedowns, and threw in a couple a very cool judo throws throughout the fight. An argument could be made for Burkman winning the third round, but this one was never in question.
What's next for Parisyan? After suffering a tough loss to Diego Sanchez, Karo finds himself on a roll. He now has capped off two straight wins and looks great now that he has made the transition to Randy Couture's camp. He has placed his name firmly into the mix for the 170 pound title. Unfortunately for everyone in that division, Matt Serra will not be defending his championship until November or December when he takes on Matt Hughes. Until then I am hoping for a Parisyan/Fitch showdown followed by the winner taking on the winner of Kos/GSP.
What's next for Burkman? Josh Burkman is in a tough spot at the moment. He holds a UFC record of 4-2 and has faired well against lesser competition. The problem is that whenever Josh has been put up against top-notch opponents -- such as Fitch and Parisyan -- he has come up well short. This leads me to believe that Burkman's UFC career will most likely have him serving as a sort of measuring stick for up-and-comers. I expect his next fight will be up against someone like a Jeff Joslin in the hopes of getting his confidence back before giving him to another top tier fighter.
Result: Terry Martin wins by technical knock out at 2:04 in the 1st round .
Analysis: Terry Martin gave Ivan Salaverry a cold welcome back to the UFC. The two traded blows on the feet for a little bit before Martin proceeded to toss Salaverry around the octagon. Terry ended it with a big slam followed by a number of punches to the downed Ivan. There are some who feel the fight was ended a bit early, but with no complaints coming from Salaverry or his camp I tend to believe it was the right call.
What's next for Martin? I am officially calling my seat on the Terry Martin bandwagon. If anyone else would like to follow suit you better hurry because if Terry scores one more impressive victory the wagon will have standing room only. Martin is a former pro-boxer with very good wrestling. He seems much better suited for the 185 pound division and I firmly believe he will be a contender soon. I expect the winner of UFC 72's MacDonald/Singer showdown to be next for Martin.
What's next for Salaverry? I am interested to see what the UFC does with Ivan Salaverry from here. He is a former contender who makes a lot of money per fight. He may be getting paid too much to waste on a prelim fight with an unknown fighter, but that may be necessary in order to get his confidence back. While I predict Martin will get the winner of MacDonald/Singer, I believe Salaverry will get the loser. If it is Singer, expect it to be on a prelim.
Result: Quinton Jackson wins by technical knock out at 1:53 in the 1st round
Analysis: There is really not much to say about this fight that has not already been said. Jackson landed a punch flush on Chuck's jaw and followed it up with some punches on the ground. Liddell went limp and McCarthy stopped it. There was no early stoppage end of story.
What's next for Jackson? It seems that we already know the answer to this question as Quinton will be taking on Dan Henderson in his first fight since beating Liddell. I am not sure whose belts will be on the line in this one but I am looking forward to it regardless. Jackson sure did look like he came to fight Saturday and if he is serious about his training, like he claims to be, it will be hard to take the title from him.
What's next for Liddell? It also appears that we know when Chuck's next opponent will be when he takes on Wanderlei Silva. This fight would have of course meant a lot more had it happened this time last year, but it still will be heavily anticipated. Liddell was really only caught with one punch and I still think he is at the top of his game. If he gets by Silva, which will not be easy, he should set himself up for another crack at Quinton.
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