Making the Grade: Passes/Fails from the UFC's double-dip Saturday
Michael Bisping stayed relevant, Rafael dos Anjos shook up the lightweight division and Jordan Mein shed his prospect label.
We all know who won and lost Saturday at the UFC events in Macao and Tulsa. But here at Haymaker we're more concerned with digging deeper and going beyond the results.
Here's what we took away from the UFC's two-for Saturday:
PASSES
Knocked it out of the park
I got the chance to speak to Tyron Woodley last week before his fight with Dong Hyun Kim, during the height of tensions in Ferguson, Mo., the welterweight star's hometown. Woodley's words were ones of compassion and not politics. He wasn't happy with anything going on in the St. Louis suburb -- from the cops in riot gear using tear gas to the unnecessary looting. Woodley was there just a few days earlier and, from an insider's perspective, called it like he saw it. It wasn't a good situation, from top to bottom.
Woodley admitted it was a distraction knowing friends and family were so close to the madness in the wake of the shooting death of African-American teen Michael Brown at the hands of local police. After spending some time at home, he had to fly across the world to fight Kim in Macao. And all he did was knock Kim out with a monster right hand just 61 seconds into the bout. Woodley said he wanted to be a positive, high-profile face for Ferguson. He more than succeeded, in level-headed words and leveling punches.
In the right light
If Cung Le fought as well Saturday as he looked at the weigh-ins, he would have toasted Michael Bisping in the first round. Of course, that isn't the way MMA works and rippling physiques don't always translate into skills in the cage. If so, Cheick Kongo would be the reigning UFC heavyweight champion for the last five years. Actually, all Le's chiseled muscles got him was accusations of performance-enhancing drugs.
The former Strikeforce champion has never tested positive in his career, yet this is the world we live in -- when you're 42 years old and more jacked than ever, everyone will expect steroids. Bisping requested drug testing for the fight and the UFC granted it, since the organization was the regulatory body for the bouts in Macao. Good for the UFC for picking up the tab. It's a good precedent for the future. And maybe more fighters will ask from now on. This is hardly a solution for what could be a wide-spread issue with drugs in the sport, but it's a small step in the right direction.
Judge, jury and executioner
Imagine if the UFC could have removed a judge or two from that Albuquerque card in June. Ross Pearson would be a happier guy today. UFC president Dana White dismissed judge Howard Hughes after two controversial decisions to begin the UFC Fight Night card in Macao. Hughes scored a bout between Royston Wee and Yao Zhikui for Wee, when just about everyone thought Zhikui should have won. He then scored for Milana Dudieva in a bout against Elizabeth Phillips.
White would not mention Hughes by name, only saying he told his people to "go let him grab some beer and some popcorn and go sit down and start watching some fights, not judging them." Oddly enough, White said he agreed with Hughes in scoring the second bout for Dudieva. Perhaps ousting him was a snap judgment, but some accountability for judges -- for a change -- is excellent. The UFC regulated the fights Saturday in Macao and it does not in the states. But more commissions should be diligent about weeding out bad judging and refereeing.
FAILS
Really, Ronda?
Ronda Rousey told MMA Junkie's John Morgan this weekend in Macao that Gina Carano is the "worst style matchup" for her. This isn't the first time she has said it either. And you can probably expect a steady diet of that spin when and if Carano signs with the UFC and the fight with Rousey is booked for January.
It's completely unnecessary. No one actually thinks Carano has a chance to beat Rousey -- or get out of the first few minutes. That's OK, because they're going to pay for it anyway. There's no reason for the hard sell. Rousey and Carano's mainstream notoriety and looks will bring a large amount of casual interest to the UFC that night. It'll have nothing to do with whether or not they think Carano can actually win. But we suppose it's a better way to promote the bout than "Look, pretty girls fighting!"
What's up, doc?
Did the cageside doctor in Macao on Saturday realize that Cung Le is a movie star? Have some consideration for the man's face! In all seriousness, how bad did Le's eye(s) have to look for the doctor to stop the main event fight with Michael Bisping? What's the point of even having a doctor look at the competitors if they aren't going to make wise judgments? By the time Bisping finished things in the fourth round, Le was basically helpless and nobody wanted to see that.
Of course, it's everyone's job to keep the fighters safe out there -- from the referees to the doctors to, yes, even the cornermen. Le was not long for that fight, long before the fourth round. Someone should have stepped in and said enough was enough. Jokes about Bisping's punching power aside, he wrecked Le's face in impressive fashion starting with a left hook in the second round. It was all downhill, and bloody, from there.
Piling up
Kevin Casey. Robert Drysdale. Now Brian Ortega. Wanderlei Silva is skipping out on tests. Chael Sonnen is getting suspended for two years. Vitor Belfort is fighting for the middleweight title in December. Welcome to MMA in 2014, where performance-enhancing drugs are one of the biggest topics. This is not good news. Georges St-Pierre, Brian Stann and now Mark Bocek are saying they stepped away from the sport because of its apparent PED problem.
The UFC has reacted fairly well to the criticism and so has the Nevada Athletic Commission (NAC). Testing has increased and random drug testing has become much more prevalent. Of course, the UFC and commissions can be a lot more aggressive, but testing is also extremely expensive and the UFC is a business at the end of the day. Obviously, UFC president Dana White and CEO Lorenzo Fertitta want a clean sport. This is one of Fertitta's pet projects. But the reality is, there are still people using and not getting caught. And that number might be bigger than anyone realizes.
EPIC FAIL
Awful all around
We can't pretend to know what happened at the fighter hotel this week between Jordan Mein's father, James Lee Mein, and a housekeeper. All we know is what is being reported, that Lee Mein was arrested at the host hotel before the Tulsa weigh-ins on charges of sexual battery from an incident that happened last week. That's enough to make anyone's stomach turn.
The UFC made the decision to ban Lee Mein from the BOK Center after his release on bail and it was the right choice. That was not the case of assuming he is guilty, it was a decision to separate the organization from a toxic situation. How do you think the UFC felt when the top up-and-comer in its co-main event's father was busted for a felony? And what about Jordan Mein himself? Most importantly, there is the alleged victim in all of this to be concerned about. Just an ugly situation all around.
