Now that we've all had a chance to vent about how and when we saw UFC 120, let's all make like elected officials under investigation and put aside what we knew and when we knew it so that we might discuss what actually happened in London this weekend.
Maybe it wasn't such a great night for most of the British fighters on the main card, but the event still got a great reaction from the always enthusiastic U.K. crowd, even if there weren't quite as many soccer chants and sing-alongs as I'd like.
But enough with the preamble. Let's take a look at the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between from UFC 120.
Biggest Winner: Carlos Condit
Thanks to Condit's well-placed left hook, standing and trading with Hardy no longer seems like such a bad idea. Funny how quickly that can happen. Almost from the very beginning Condit looked like the sharper striker, and he clearly didn't fear Hardy's power the way some previous opponents have. I don't want to be that guy who gets carried away all because of one memorable victory, but come on, did you see what happened? He knocked Hardy into the spirit world with that punch, and that's not so easy to do. I'm not saying that qualifies him for a title shot, but it sure would be interesting to see if he could repeat that performance against another top contender in the division.
Biggest Loser: Yoshihiro Akiyama
With the decision loss to Bisping, Akiyama is now 1-2 since coming to the UFC -- and the one win wasn't terribly convincing. All his fights in the Octagon have been exciting (and I defy you to name a more uniquely moving entrance), but even "Sexyama" needs to start winning some fights if he wants to justify his spot in the big show. It's not that he doesn't have the talent, either. He's hung tough in both of his losses, but he just can't turn the corner down the stretch. Maybe it's a conditioning issue, or perhaps just a mental one. But if he doesn't get it figured out soon he and his magnificent entrance will go the way of Akihiro Gono: back to Japan, where they appreciate such showmanship even when you lose.
Best Post-Fight Image Resurrection: Dan Hardy
One minute he's laid out on the canvas, dreaming of ale or an audience with the queen or whatever it is that British people dream about, and the next he's charming Joe Rogan with his self-effacing post-fight remarks. There's only one way for a big talker like Hardy to suffer such a devastating KO without immediately becoming an object of derision, and it's to handle it exactly as he did. Admit the obvious, give credit to your opponent, and tell your fans that you'll get the kinks worked out and come back stronger. It also helps to have a sense of humor in the process, if only to prove that your prefrontal cortex is still intact after taking such a pounding.
Most Delusional: Michael Bisping
He looked good picking apart Akiyama, and I give him credit for keeping his composure when things got a little rough, but to say he's one win away from a title shot is nothing but wishful thinking. He's 2-1 in his last three fights, all against guys who were coming off of losses. If he wants to vault himself up in the rankings, it would help to beat someone who has a winning streak going. It would help even more to actually put them away. As it is, Bisping is a sharp, technical fighter who is at his best when he maintains a high work rate that wears his opponent down. That's great against fighters like Akiyama, who are very wear-down-able, but it doesn't make him title contender material. Not yet.
Most Surprising Upset Loss: John Hathaway
The 23-year-old Brit was dominated by Mike Pyle en route to his first career loss. While you have to give him some serious toughness points for lasting through that dismal second round, the sad truth is that he was never able to launch anything resembling an effective offense. Granted, Pyle is much better than many fans realize, so dropping a decision to him isn't a sign that you should hang up your gloves and enter that Starbucks executive training program that your dad keeps harping on you about. Still, the loss will bring Hathaway's runaway hype train into the station for a pit stop, which isn't all bad. Consider it a helpful reminder that experience still counts for something in this sport.
Biggest Cheater: Cheick Kongo
Usually when the referee brings the fighters together before the bout to ask if they understand the rules, it's just a formality. But I'm starting to wonder if Kongo might not have some kind of learning disability when it comes to what he is and isn't allowed to do in the cage. Hardly a fight goes by without him slamming his opponent in the groin at least once, and this weekend's scrap with Travis Browne was no exception. Then, as if that weren't enough, he held on to Browne's shorts like a drowning man clinging to a sponsor-covered life preserver, thus costing himself a point and a victory (that he didn't deserve anyway, but more on that below). They say you can't hide from who you are in the cage, and in Kongo's case that certainly seems to be true. It's just too bad that who he is happens to be an unrepentantly dirty fighter.
Worst Scoring Screwjob: Travis Browne
He rocks Kongo in the first, flings him around the cage in the third, and still somehow the best he can do is get a draw from the judges, even after Kongo lost a point for his little wardrobe malfunction? Sorry, but the math on that one doesn't add up. Browne deserved to win that fight 29-28 even before the point deduction. Is it possible that all three judges mistakenly deducted a point from the wrong fighter?
Best One-Trick Pony: Paul Sass
Of his ten submission victories in eleven pro fights, eight have come via triangle choke (hence the nickname "Sassangle," which doesn't exactly roll off the tongue). The other two submissions? Those were both due to heel hooks, which is the other move that Sass kept repeatedly trying for against Mark Holst. There's something to be said for playing to your strengths, but in the UFC it helps to have a more diverse skill-set. Who knows, maybe Sass has more tools than he's showing. Maybe it's just a matter of facing an opponent who will force him to use them. But at this level, with a reputation and nickname like his, he's not exactly sneaking up on anyone from here on out.
Maybe it wasn't such a great night for most of the British fighters on the main card, but the event still got a great reaction from the always enthusiastic U.K. crowd, even if there weren't quite as many soccer chants and sing-alongs as I'd like.
But enough with the preamble. Let's take a look at the biggest winners, losers, and everything in between from UFC 120.
Biggest Winner: Carlos Condit
Thanks to Condit's well-placed left hook, standing and trading with Hardy no longer seems like such a bad idea. Funny how quickly that can happen. Almost from the very beginning Condit looked like the sharper striker, and he clearly didn't fear Hardy's power the way some previous opponents have. I don't want to be that guy who gets carried away all because of one memorable victory, but come on, did you see what happened? He knocked Hardy into the spirit world with that punch, and that's not so easy to do. I'm not saying that qualifies him for a title shot, but it sure would be interesting to see if he could repeat that performance against another top contender in the division.
Biggest Loser: Yoshihiro Akiyama
With the decision loss to Bisping, Akiyama is now 1-2 since coming to the UFC -- and the one win wasn't terribly convincing. All his fights in the Octagon have been exciting (and I defy you to name a more uniquely moving entrance), but even "Sexyama" needs to start winning some fights if he wants to justify his spot in the big show. It's not that he doesn't have the talent, either. He's hung tough in both of his losses, but he just can't turn the corner down the stretch. Maybe it's a conditioning issue, or perhaps just a mental one. But if he doesn't get it figured out soon he and his magnificent entrance will go the way of Akihiro Gono: back to Japan, where they appreciate such showmanship even when you lose.
Best Post-Fight Image Resurrection: Dan Hardy
One minute he's laid out on the canvas, dreaming of ale or an audience with the queen or whatever it is that British people dream about, and the next he's charming Joe Rogan with his self-effacing post-fight remarks. There's only one way for a big talker like Hardy to suffer such a devastating KO without immediately becoming an object of derision, and it's to handle it exactly as he did. Admit the obvious, give credit to your opponent, and tell your fans that you'll get the kinks worked out and come back stronger. It also helps to have a sense of humor in the process, if only to prove that your prefrontal cortex is still intact after taking such a pounding.
Most Delusional: Michael Bisping
He looked good picking apart Akiyama, and I give him credit for keeping his composure when things got a little rough, but to say he's one win away from a title shot is nothing but wishful thinking. He's 2-1 in his last three fights, all against guys who were coming off of losses. If he wants to vault himself up in the rankings, it would help to beat someone who has a winning streak going. It would help even more to actually put them away. As it is, Bisping is a sharp, technical fighter who is at his best when he maintains a high work rate that wears his opponent down. That's great against fighters like Akiyama, who are very wear-down-able, but it doesn't make him title contender material. Not yet.
Most Surprising Upset Loss: John Hathaway
The 23-year-old Brit was dominated by Mike Pyle en route to his first career loss. While you have to give him some serious toughness points for lasting through that dismal second round, the sad truth is that he was never able to launch anything resembling an effective offense. Granted, Pyle is much better than many fans realize, so dropping a decision to him isn't a sign that you should hang up your gloves and enter that Starbucks executive training program that your dad keeps harping on you about. Still, the loss will bring Hathaway's runaway hype train into the station for a pit stop, which isn't all bad. Consider it a helpful reminder that experience still counts for something in this sport.
Biggest Cheater: Cheick Kongo
Usually when the referee brings the fighters together before the bout to ask if they understand the rules, it's just a formality. But I'm starting to wonder if Kongo might not have some kind of learning disability when it comes to what he is and isn't allowed to do in the cage. Hardly a fight goes by without him slamming his opponent in the groin at least once, and this weekend's scrap with Travis Browne was no exception. Then, as if that weren't enough, he held on to Browne's shorts like a drowning man clinging to a sponsor-covered life preserver, thus costing himself a point and a victory (that he didn't deserve anyway, but more on that below). They say you can't hide from who you are in the cage, and in Kongo's case that certainly seems to be true. It's just too bad that who he is happens to be an unrepentantly dirty fighter.
Worst Scoring Screwjob: Travis Browne
He rocks Kongo in the first, flings him around the cage in the third, and still somehow the best he can do is get a draw from the judges, even after Kongo lost a point for his little wardrobe malfunction? Sorry, but the math on that one doesn't add up. Browne deserved to win that fight 29-28 even before the point deduction. Is it possible that all three judges mistakenly deducted a point from the wrong fighter?
Best One-Trick Pony: Paul Sass
Of his ten submission victories in eleven pro fights, eight have come via triangle choke (hence the nickname "Sassangle," which doesn't exactly roll off the tongue). The other two submissions? Those were both due to heel hooks, which is the other move that Sass kept repeatedly trying for against Mark Holst. There's something to be said for playing to your strengths, but in the UFC it helps to have a more diverse skill-set. Who knows, maybe Sass has more tools than he's showing. Maybe it's just a matter of facing an opponent who will force him to use them. But at this level, with a reputation and nickname like his, he's not exactly sneaking up on anyone from here on out.