Tuesday Morning Quarterback: UFC 116 Delivers from Top to Bottom

By Elton "Hobbie" Hobson


Has there been a more exciting night of fights this year than Saturday’s UFC 116?

Ok, Aldo vs. Faber was a doozie of a card, but other then that no event has delivered the goods like 116 has. Top to bottom, there wasn’t a fight to complain about, nor a blown call to lament, or a bad decision to decry, or a debilitating injury to dampen the mood. This card seemed tailor made for causal fan appeal, and in that regard it more then delivered.

Watching it was like watching a Michael Bay movie, with just barely enough time to catch your breath before SOMETHING TOTALLY OVER THE TOP AND INSANE HAPPENS! Be it Gerald Harris’s power bomb KO, Chris Leben winning via triangle choke from the bottom, or Brock Lesnar’s straight-outta WWE style comeback - it was an entertaining night to say the least.

Before I get into a breakdown of the night’s festivities, I think it’s time to give a well deserved and long overdue shoutout - to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In recent months, the Gentle Art‘s place as an integral part of Mixed Martial Arts competition has endured some criticism. We all heard the pronouncements. “The Closed Guard is dead!” “Wrestler’s are going to dominate once again!” “Submissions at the upper level are almost impossible!”

Well, Closed Guard, take a bow. Last week, we saw the greatest fighter in the history of the sport fall in under a minute to an elementary triangle choke, expertly applied. Last night, the Gracie art was, as it was in the beginning, the true showcase of the evening. We saw expert, high level guard play even into the later stages of the fight. We saw grappling exchanges that rivalled any standup battle in intensity and excitement. We saw sloppy, go for broke brawlers and one note, powerhouse wrestlers alike forgo their normal gameplans to win fights with slick submissions.

Jiu-Jitsu lives - if ever it had died. And speaking of the Gentle Art, it looks like someone has been strapping on his Gi and taking some lessons.

Welcome to the Lesnar Era

Ok, so I probably shouldn’t be so quick to jump to conclusions - we all remember how long the vaunted “Machida Era” lasted.

But seriously, is there a heavyweight fighter out there who can take Brock Lesnar? Only a few short days or weeks ago, the answer would have certainly been yes. There were many questions that remained unanswered about the former WWE star. Did he have a chin? How was his cardio? Could he rebound from a near death illness and over a year on the shelf? Could he bring the rest of his game up to the level of his wrestling?

I don’t think anyone is going to tell you that Brock Lesnar is the world’s most polished fighter. His standup still looks stiff and robotic. He displayed a tendency to cover up and retreat every time Carwin came forward (though can you blame him?). He’ll have to tighten up his boxing against the likes of Cain Velasquez or Junior Dos Santos.

But any doubt about his talent or his place in the MMA world are over with. Brock Lesnar has arrived, both as a serious MMA competitor and legitimate divisional number one. All the questions have, to my mind, been answered. Yes, Brock Lesnar has a chin, maybe the best at heavyweight. Yes, Brock Lesnar has fully bounced back from his bout with stomach-holio. Yes, Lesnar is both as mentally and physically tough as fighters come, and can reach pretty damn deep.

In the heavyweight version of Hughes vs. Trigg II, Lesnar survived an absolute thrashing in the first round to take the fight via arm triangle over a gassed Carwin. A lot has been said about referee Josh Rosenthal’s performance in this fight, with some praising his poise in allowing the fight to continue, and some saying he should have stepped in when Carwin was pounding on Lesnar early in the round.

Personally I think the best evidence one way or another lies in the fight itself. Lesnar survived the beating, got back up, and won the fight. Not just that, but by the end of the round he had gotten back to his feet and was pressing Carwin up against the fence.

And Brock haters? Well, I think you guys have to take you’re medicine now like men (or women, as the case likely may be). Brock Lesnar showed a ton of heart in coming back from an absolute prison beating to win the fight, and his will to win cannot, I believe, be questioned. He showed an iron chin by surviving an absolute carpet bombing from THE hardest hitter in the heavyweight division, if not the sport itself. He showed he has matured in his game by forgoing ground and pound to win with a textbook head and arm triangle.

So like Mike Goldberg is fond of saying: who can stop him?

Ugly>Sexy

You know what definitely isn’t sexy? Being trapped with your head in Chris Leben‘s taint. Yoshihiro Akiyama found that out about 1 second before he tapped out in one of 116’s “Fight(s) of the Night”.

Jokes aside, this fight was a stirring and surprising showcase for the versatility and heart of either guy. “Sexyama” showed he has a pretty solid chin, as well as some of the power he displayed in the Belcher fight. He hung in every firefight with iron-jawed, stone-fisted Leben, took his best shots, and wobbled his legs on several occasions.

As for Leben, well, what more can be said? The guy who only a short while ago was going to sleep against no less a submission wizard then Jake Rosholt notches a tapout victory over a multiple time Japanese judo champion. Coming off another impressive stoppage over Aaron Simpson at last June’s Ultimate Fighter Finale, the late replacement for Wanderlei Silva has, in two weeks, gone from gatekeeper to newest member of the middleweight top 10.

Not too shabby.

“Sexyama” had a bit of a brain fart in this match, as he seemed content to enter into wild kickboxing exchanges with Leben rather then fight at a technical range, or work his Judo game. Basically, he played right into “The Crippler’s” hands. It may have been exciting for the fans and netted him a “Fight of the Night” cheque, but it also left him gassed and vulnerable to Leben’s triangle. A more nuanced, tactical approach might serve him better - as would a cut to the Welterweight division if he can manage it.

As for Leben, I say he has earned exactly what he wants: a date with Wanderlei Silva. Is it TUF material? I’m not sure, although either guy is a casual fan favourite with crowd pleasing styles and made for TV personalities. I’ve seen worse matchmaking on the show’s coaching staff (Hughes/Franklin anyone?). Regardless, this should be either guy’s next fight - unless the UFC doesn’t want to keep the suddenly red hot Leben on the shelf for the half a year Silva needs to rehab his injuries. They could book Leben vs. Alan Belcher in the meantime to determine who gets a shot at Wanderlei once he comes back.

Stephen Bonnar: Back from the Edge

Coming into his rematch with Soszynski, Stephan Bonnar was riding a three fight losing streak, dating back to the Jon Jones fight last January. Despite Dana White saying the original TUF finalist would “always have a job” with the company, well, let’s just say four in a row is a little hard to defend. Just ask Keith Jardine.

One dramatic performance later, and Stephan Bonnar has breathed new energy into a career that was on life support.

The first Bonnar/Soszynski fight was an all out brawl, and this fight picked up right where the first one left off. Both guys took turns pounding away on each other like Rock ‘em Sock ‘em robots to the crowds delight. If you were looking for polished, technical kickboxing, you’d best move along - and stop ruining all the fun. The two men delivered a Light-Heavyweight version of Garcia/Korean Zombie, only this time the fight was finished.

Both men beat each other with everything including the kitchen sink, until one guy couldn’t take it anymore. That guy in this instance turned out to be Soszynski, as the “Polish Experiment” crumpled to a Bonnar knee in the clinch in the second round. Bonnar emerged with two deep cuts, a multitude of bruises, and an exciting victory that marks him as a guy fans want to see fight.

If ever there was a signature Stephan Bonnar fight, that was it.

Sotiropoulos Puts Lightweight Division on Notice

Already one of the most talked about prospects at Lightweight, George Sotiropoulos made a big statement to everyone else in his division - a statement that Australia’s biggest MMA export may be ready for a shot at the title.

Against Kurt Pelligrino, one of the divisions toughest tests on a four fight win streak, the Eddie Bravo protégé impressed in every department. It was another showcase display of rubber guard against a high level, elite grappler and BJJ Black Belt in Pelligrino. As well, Sotiropoulos displayed solid standup skills, good power, and the ability to recover quickly when rocked.

With the exception of that third round, when Kurt had Sotiropoulos badly hurt, the fight was all George, and should serve to establish him as a solid top 10 (hell, maybe top 5) fighter at 155 lbs. With this win, talk of a potential title shot will almost certainly emerge, and I for one believe it is warranted. In only a short time, the Aussie has displayed a remarkable amount of growth and progress, and he has the kind of workrate and flair to his ground game (especially his bottom game) that you often don't see anymore. He’s also well-rounded enough to be a threat anywhere, at any time.

Is he ready for a Frankie Edgar or a BJ Penn? I think he is, though the UFC will likely give him one more fight against a top fighter to truly establish his place and his title shot legitimacy. My vote would be for Jim Miller, or for a more serious test, the winner of Florian/Maynard with the winner getting a title shot.

In short, it should be nothing but blue skies and big fights from here on out for Sotiropoulos. And, if he keeps improving and working at the rate he is, we could be looking at the first Aussie champion in UFC history (unless Elvis Sinosic won a title once while I wasn’t looking).