Didnt watch all of Fisher/Stout but i wonder how Fisher could look that good and smooth vs. Stout (a skilled in pure kickboxing) and then get smashed by Franca? Styles & fights and all that? I know Franca's got power but I thought for sure Fisher's quickness and fluidity would be too much for Franca standing?
Anyhow, great win for Fisher, he'll make the LW div only better if he's around and fighting like that. Very smooth and as Rogan mentioned, what a versatile striking attack he threw at Stout.
FITCH/CARNEIRIO
I thought Fitch was in trouble! Not just from the anaconda but from how Carneirio took him down twice and controlled him from the head and arm position and how Fitch didnt get anything going in the first round.
Guess thats where balls/experience/composure/whatever comes in. Did you guys catch Fitch's post fight comments in his Rogan interview when he said his corner mentioned that Carneirio looked like he was having trouble adjusting the range in the standup? So Fitch threw a double jab and that was the end.
Strategy, execution, fight over. Huge comeback win for Fitch to stay in contention. Carneirio should be kept too. He looked good (for a round anyhow).
TAVARES vs. BLACK
Holy fuck did Black get wooped. Dam. Is Tavares that good or was Black that drained from the drop? Did he fight Aoki at 170 or 155 or whatever? Tavares should everything in that fight. The LW div is suddenly nearly as deep as the WW div. How the fuck did this happen?
MCFREIDIES vs. guy that got KTFO
Guys got great hands (speed and power) and heart and a chin (as shown vs. Sakara). I was pretty disappointed that a guy training with MFS would get tapped that easily from a kickboxing based fighter in Kampman but bottom line is that McFriedies is back in the W column and the MW is still pretty thin. Good for him. He's def fun to watch.
I didnt say he was one dimensional, he obviously proved he's not but he cant have been doing subs for that long or at least not long enough to catch a MFS guy that easily but perhaps McFriedies wasnt giving enough attention to that area of his game.
Kampmann is at 185 btw (no need to talk about him in the most deep division in the sport either unless he goes thru all those people).
Just looking at Carneiro's record, i guess its not that surprising he ended up losing, his record is quite spotty and though he looked great for a round, he got quickly ran over in the next.
How much does 1 great round vs. a quasi top 5 guy mean? It still makes me wanna see Carneiro again though.
"Fitch won tonight with his smarts....he adjusted and listened to his corner."
He didnt just listen though, anyone can listen but he executed like it wasnt a thing. I didnt think his standup was looking that impressive at all either. It sure didnt vs. Hironaka and Hironaka's isnt that great either.
Bottom line though, a win's a win, a finish is a finish.
Great win for Fitch. Its easy to hiccup a round over the stretch but he handled it.
"Just looking at Carneiro's record, i guess its not that surprising he ended up losing, his record is quite spotty and though he looked great for a round, he got quickly ran over in the next."
Jucao almost always starts strongly, and often fades as the fight wears on. He's also usually pretty boring. Great skills, but lacks the intangibles needed to be a great fighter, IMO.
Fitch has them in spades.
And Kampmann is an awesome grappler. The UFC commentators are wrong to call him a kickboxer. He's very well rounded.
Tavares looked way better tonight than I'd ever seen him before. Wow.
"Didnt watch all of Fisher/Stout but i wonder how Fisher could look that good and smooth vs. Stout (a skilled in pure kickboxing) and then get smashed by Franca?"
Against Franca it looked like Fisher was holding back and waiting in the pocket too much. Against Stout he hunting the whole time, throwing bombs and beautiful combinations.