UFC
This past Saturday UFC presented the eighth installment of fights for the Fox network. Demetrious Johnson showed why he is a champion getting an armbar finish in the 5th round at 3:43 seconds which set a record as the latest finish in a UFC fight ever. John Moraga delivered one strike that seemed to break the champion’s nose but the two fighters were seemingly on different levels the whole fight. The 125 pound weight class doesn’t have a ton of contenders ready so the landscape is open. Demetrious Johnson brought up the idea of a super fight against the 135 pound champion, I like the champs swagger but we saw that fight and the champion Dominick Cruz always seemed one step ahead. I like seeing Demetrious at 125 and I look forward to his next defense.
Rory MacDonald and Jake Ellenberger had a fight a lot of people are talking about. The two men seemingly respected each other too much to engage left the fans wanting more from the encounter. Rory Macdonald won, but those looking for a virtuoso performance from the highly touted prospect against a top contender will have to wait.
Two performances that gave the fans what they wanted were from Robbie Lawler and Liz Carmouche. Robbie dominated Bobby Voelker and I believe his next opponent may be a top name given the discussion on the UFC post game show. Liz Carmouche who made her name losing to top name opponents beat a women who was unknown to most fans. Jessica Andrade had her first fight in the United States this Saturday was game competition but Liz was far too big and got the finish in the second round. Liz in her post fight interview with Ariel Helwani said she was ready for a title shot but the boss Dana White in his interview said she may be getting ahead of herself. I look forward to the future matchups Liz and Robbie have.
Bellator
The big news this week is the reported boxing match between Roy Jones Jr and Quentin “Rampage” Jackson. Roy today is a relevant play by play analyst for HBO hasn’t been a relevant boxer in a few years. He was seen recently at UFC 162 with reports saying he was there looking to build to a fight against Anderson “The Spider Silva”. With Silva’s loss Roy may have moved on and sees potential in a fight with Rampage. If these reports are true and this is the direction Viacom is going I believe this boxing event will be looked upon with mockery and not gain the “eyes on product” that they are looking for.
The long, hard, frustrating road to build fan interest is to deliver interesting cards. Bellator is doing just that this Wednesday night. July 31, 2013 Bellator will be live from the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. We will see title defenses from Ben Askren and Michael Chandler we will also see the finals of the light heavyweight tournament as “King” Muhammed Lawal takes on Jacob Noe and the finals of the heavyweight tournament as Ryan Martinez takes Vitaly Minakov. We will also see the return of the man who had an incredible title fight on the first Bellator on Spike tv show as Patricio Freire takes on Jared Downing. The 2011 NCAA Division I Championship at 157 lbs Bubba Jenkins makes his debut with the company on this show though it looks right now as it won’t be televised. Bubba is a prospect to keep your eyes on.
— Alex Goff (@AlexGoff84)