UFC 91 Lessons Learned
By Curtis Clontz on Nov 21, 2008
The smoke has cleared from UFC 91 and it is time to break down what we learned from the night. My predictions were solid as I only missed 2 of the fights on the card. Overall this was one of the better fights of the year. Amazingly time allowed for every fight of the night to be televised. If you paid for the PPV you got your money’s worth. You got to see an amazing submission by Dustin Hazelett, one of the best uppercut knockouts ever, as well as a changing of the guard atop the heavyweight division.
Jorge Gurgel…Showed once again that he is the type of athlete that is incredible in the gym, but has problems putting it together in the cage. We talked about it on the post UFC 91 podcast and it is surprising how great Hazelett’s jits looked and he is the student. Gurgel has top notch jits but has problems showing it. This loss proves to us once again that he will never be a top contender for the title, and now it looks like he may not even be a gate keeper.
Demian Maia…Proved once again that his jits is great! His submission win over Nate Quarry proved that he is no fluke. It pushed his win streak to 9 and 4 in the UFC, and may have also opened a door to be a coach on next season’s TUF. What else does this guy need to do for a title shot?
Kenny Florian…Says I want Penn’s title, and I want it now! Impressive victory over former number 1 contender in Joe Stevenson was a huge statement to Dana and the rest of the UFC. Kenny Florian is the real deal and deserves the title shot promised if he beat Roger Huerta. He should get Penn after his fight against GSP.
Brock Lesnar…Defies all of the odds and wins UFC gold in his 4th pro MMA fight. Like it or not he is the new heavyweight champion in the UFC. His strength seemed to be the difference as he caught Randy Couture with a shot that dropped him. Lesnar was able to capitalize and finish the fight. The most impressive part of the fight was the post fight interview. It was more like a respectable fighter and less like a WWE personality. It wasn’t about selling himself, or as he says “being confident”, it was about defeating a legend and showing him the respect he deserved. Everyone thinks Lesnar is the future of the division. The future is here and he is the new champion.
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I’m sorry if I sound like a spoiler, but the fact that Brock Lesnar even got a title shot, is an insult to MMA fighters and fans of this great sport. It’s apparent that Dana White is trying to get the massive WWE audience converted over to the real fight, UFC game.
As far as I’m concerned, even with Lesnar winning, he was/is the big-mouthed A-hole with a WWE following. I’ve never heard of a sport where someone comes in with 3 prior competitions in that sport, and then participates in the Grand Prix event of that discipline.
Dana, if you want to do the sport’s die hard fans a real justice (you know, the fans that kept the interest in this sport alive since ’93, and got YOU started), please bring in Fedor to fight Lesnar next. This way, we don’t have to tolerate Lesnar’s embarrassing behavior, and lack of true MMA skill-set, for any longer than a month or so. Lesnar can go back to whatever farm he’s most comfortable on, planting whatever, wondering how he’ll NEVER beat Fedor. Or, maybe better yet, you can also schedule an immediate return match with Couture, as Randy has NEVER made the same mistake twice.
Watching UFC 91, my friends and I were wondering how the night seemed like a tribute to Lesnar, with constantly referring to him as the biggest, baddest, and most dangerous fighter to ever walk into the Octagon. WHAT THE F**K!!!
I usually love Joe R.’s and Goldie’s commentary, but for UFC 91, they seemed like bought and paid for girlfriends of Lesnar. Their constant gushing over this guy was an added insult to their audience, and the legacy of larger and much more dangerous martial art masters that have already entered the Octagon. And some, who entered the Octagon during the days of tournament style competition (with multiple matches for a single fighter, per night), and no time limit, which was infinitely more brutal and taxing on each fighter, then the current rules will permit.
My guess for you, Dana, is that you will now milk Lesnar for all he’s worth, so you can add a flock of WWE, cartoon plot following mental defectives to your audience. You’ll know them – when you hear the constant booing crowd of the martial arts ignorant, during every action lull, or when the fight goes to the ground for any length of time.
I’ve been a devoted martial arts fan my whole life, and was stoked and remained devoted since the ’93 entrance of the UFC. I left the crooked, dissatisfying, and often laughable boxing game as a fan, in a heartbeat. And you are already aware that you have had some pretty suspect and suspicious judging and officiating taking place for some UFC fights.
If this is the kind of management that will exemplify the future handling of the UFC, I’ll likely go back to being boxing fan. Because at least, I know what I’m in for.
Please Dana, don’t start hiring every ham-hocked, over-sized farm boy as an MMA novice, then giving them a title shot. Let them do what is foundational to every great sports career, let them “EARN IT.” As you have with so many other great UFC up-and-comers.
Remember Christopher Cross, Dana, who won 5-6 Grammy’s and even an Oscar (I think) for “Sailing” & “Arthur’s Theme” (1981 movie “Arthur”), and then, was never heard from again.
Roger,
Thanks for the comments.
I am not drinking the Lesnar kool-aid just yet either, but the UFC has a new cash cow. It is unfortunate for all of the hardcore fans that Lesnar has catapulted on such a rise. He is UFC champ faster than anyone in history. I say unfortunate because it is obvious he isn’t going anywhere for awhile. He will be in the mix for several years to come. He very well could be a future poster boy of the org like Ace or Chuck. The difference being is that his skill set isn’t near either of those. The problem with downplaying his skill set is that he just defeated Randy Couture. The hall of famer, Mr. Extreme Couture, and one of the smartest MMA fighters ever. Again I can’t stand it, and I would love to see Nog and Lesnar just because I want Brock to lose, but the UFC is all about money!
I am sure Dana and the owners sit and say…we can do anything, what else are they going to watch…Strikeforce?
I got to chime in for a second. Sure the officiating has its issues but understand that with the state athletic commission bringing in Boxing fashioned rules, then you do not have modern MMA in the United States. Hopefully, they’re working on changing the rules, but until then . . . it is what it is.
The whole argument over a MMA novice being offered the title with little to no experience has already been shot down. There are many fighters who got a title shot with less than 10 pro fights. Prior to Lesnar, only 3 fighters won the championship. Randy Couture won the championship in his 4th fight!
(source:http://www.ufc.com/index.cfm?fa=news.detail&gid=15745)
Fine, he came from WWE. He may act up a bit. But Lesnar’s striking has tremendously improved with a couple of fights. I know there are already a number of “How Bad He Is For The Sport” diatribes but think about the up-side. His popularity will help bring more publicity and money to other fighters. Florian already stated that how he felt about it, because he understands . . . it is a business. They’re all about the money, but it is clear that Dana is definitely a huge fight fan. And just to think, Werdum thought the whole tournament situation was not fair. Enter an unknown HW prospect who drops him in the 1st round.
^Roger, two things.
———————-
- Rogan and Goldberg gush over many fighters. It’s sickening some times, but it is their job. Let’s not act like Rogan and Goldberg doesn’t squirm for Couture. “That man is my hero!” Rogan is really sincere when he says that.
- And last time I checked, Captain America got beat twice by a man he decisively beat in 3 rounds.
I’m just saying.
While there is nothing false about your statement about Randy winnign it in his 4th, we have to be honest and realize that the sport is completely differant now than back then. Majority of the fighters are much more well rounded, stronger, and overall better athletes. As for Brock…It is all about the money!!!
When I talked to the ref at Antwain’s last fight he said that the athletic commission was a boxing commission that was trying to do MMA………It is something that we all have to deal with as the sport grows.
Curtis, the sport changed ever since the state athletic commission was introduced to gain more acceptance in the U.S. market.
Is it safe to say that Randy is not about his money? Probably still feeling a little slighted that Fedor can possibly come into the UFC and earned $1million for one fight. GSP, has a Hollywood agent helping him build a GSP brand. Cung Le probably won’t compete unless it is a really major fight, I’m sure Hollywood is paying well.
Is it safe to say that Brock really put time into his striking? Did he exhibit a serious amount of improvement since he fought Frank Mir?? I just don’t think Brock Lesnar is being given enough credit for his skill.
It is too easy to dismiss Brock by saying it is all about the money but I think there’s enough evidence in his first 3 UFC fights to show that he’s a fighter.
First off, Thank you, Curtis, for both your comments, and your original insightful article. For Vee, I would also like to say thank you for your comments and for your reminder about Couture (terrific article by T. Gerbasi), a fact that I didn’t remember. For this comment, I’ll refrain from getting into Gerbasi’s whole article, as I basically agree with the difference between our young MMA industry vs longstanding boxing title shot prerequisites.
Concerning Couture’s 4th match title shot, I would still cite, that though Couture did have a title shot as his forth fight, it is still an exception with most title shots having contenders with more than four fights under their belts. Especially citing Lesnar’s severely under-whelming performance for the Frank Mir fight, as one of his prior three fights. Even the Herring fight is suspect, but not for what might seem, obvious reasons.
Being a Herring fan, even he was one of the cream of the crop Pride fighters who came to the UFC, only to turn in almost bizarrely incompetent initial fights. Enjoying the fact that Herring has returned to a serious re-commitment to his training, the fight with Lesnar can still line up with one of his worst performances. I’m not one of those viewers who saw that match as a testimony to Lesnar’s close-to Superman powers, as so many have, as I saw that fight as another inconsistent, mediocre Herring effort.
As far as Lesnar being ‘good’ for the sport. I have no interest in this sport becoming as big as the NFL, if it means sacrificing the origins of the disciplines involved. As far as popularity goes, we have already seen fighters (Liddel, Franklin, maybe Griffin now – this is not my main interest in the fighters, so I haven’t done the current research), who have become millionaires through their fight pay and endorsements. I would say becoming a millionaire satisfies fighters already being able to feed themselves and their families WITHOUT the assistance of Lesnar’s popularity.
I’ve never been a fan of athletes who strive for, or exemplify their sport as a road to untold riches, multi-million dollar bank accounts and super-elite status, versus what commons Americans make for a living. I’m happy they can make money, where they can, but it’s not my standard for judging the quality of a sport. In my estimation, there’s nothing wrong with an athlete making a hundred, or a few hundred grand a year, where, by choice, they get to spend every chosen hour in their favorite gym. What the hell is wrong with that? Again, I’m not denying them making whatever they can, but I’m just not interested in Lesnar joining the UFC to up the pay grade of other fighters.
Look at we already have to contend with considering the fact that the UFC is already growing in record setting leaps and bounds. I don’t know about you, but, as cited in my first comment, listening to the ever growing audience that loudly “boos” during some of the most intense fighting, and strategic maneuvering, that ISN’T ‘punch for punch’ action is, for lack of a better term, embarrassing to watch. Never mind, absolutely distracting and annoying to listen to. How many times has Rogan cited the mismatch of audience reaction, versus the actual quality of a particular fight?
It obviously shows the complete lack of MMA sport awareness the growing popularity of the UFC has garnered in its super growth spurt already. Now you want to add more of that. Too many other sports, music, comedy and other entertainment has gone the route of appealing to the “lowest common denominator” to attract a larger fan base. When do Americans start standing up for quality vs quantity, again? Quality, used to be an American hallmark, in almost anything we endeavored to do. But, no longer.
Being a drummer from a family of seven drummers, I can personally tell you about the loss of work and effect on my own family, just due to the popularity of “Rap.” Most people are clueless as to the quality of music and musical artistry they are denied in their lives, just because we have a music industry bent on “making money” vs bringing the most talented, inspirational, and artistic music to the masses. You likely have no idea about how many brilliant and talented musicians are out of work, or can’t find enough work to support their families, all due to the fact the music industry doesn’t support talent. It supports money making popularity.
Why do you think they are finally getting their comeuppance by the revolt against them on the Internet. People are finally sick and tired of paying a lot of their hard earned money, for bulls**t music. Now you want to see that happen to the UFC. I don’t think so, not if I have anything to say about it (thank God for the Internet, eh?)
The UFC is the first industry in decades that was born of its purity of dedication to the founding disciplines that make it possible. Without the multi-decade devotees of the sport (likely, the majority, starting as very young children), you wouldn’t even have this sport. That is what the Gracie’s contributed to UFC’s initial popularity. Showing that, through the pursuit of personal excellence (not mediocrity or lowest common denominator), a smaller man, in his defense, can take down a much larger man. The amazing initial reaction to this sport was almost based on seeing smaller men, beating much larger men, through the application of disciplined excellence.
The example has NEVER BEEN, bring in genetically mutant giants, swinging mailboxes for fists, for the cheers of the greatest masses. As far as I’m concerned, that would make the UFC closer to the constantly complained about perception that this is a gladiator-like blood-sport. It’s been frustrating, for years already, to constantly be ‘defending’ the UFC on so many points where the general public has the completely wrong impression of what the UFC even is.
I, for one, do not want that to be the legacy of the UFC, no matter how big it grows. You might as well go back to promoting bar-bouncer competitions, where winning through giantism and lack of discipline, is the norm. This industry isn’t called “Just Smash the Other Guys Face”, it’s called Mixed Martial ARTS. Speaking to the ‘art-form’ of excellent and disciplined fighting skills, and execution thereof.
For this the balance of this Lesnar-subject address, I’ll leave it with what Curtis stated, “As for Brock… It is all about the money!!!”
As for officiating, here is one thing that could be done immediately that would drastically adjust the fairness of ring justice, and possibly, match outcomes. If a fighter uses his hands (even once) to grab onto the cage/fence walls, deduct a point. Period.
There are way too many times where one fighter gets to grab the fence to avoid, in what likely will be, a devastating move being put on them. And the other fighter has the ref, inconsistently, all over them for lesser grabbing infractions. Kenny Florian, in his match with Joe Stevenson, prevented, what would have likely been a terrific body slam, by holding onto the fence wall.
The fight could have, just might have, ended there, if he didn’t grab the fence. My fan devotion to both fighters would have still picked Florian for the win, but the point of having random fighters using the fence-wall, some not, some refs citing each offense, some not, is “way too inconsistent.” We have seen too many fights end with a quick move, out of the blue. Then others, “prevented” by fence holding. In the recent Sokoudjou/Cane match, Sokoudjou did way too much fence holding, without penalty.
Fence holding is TOO connected to a matches outcome. If the ref doesn’t see it (especially when WE can), let a judge, or even Joe Rogan tell the Ref so he can apply the penalty. That will keep fighters from fence holding. It HAS TO END. IMMEDIATELY!
Lastly, at this juncture, an even lesser point to be made, there’s Rogan’s and Goldberg’s normal flamboyant, spontaneous, but honest commentary, and then there’s what they did for UFC 91. The SUCK-UP to Lesnar Show, with too often repeated, inaccurate accolades alluding to Lesnar, (paraphrased) being the most dangerous guy to ever walk in the Octagon. And, this being the most anticipated fight in UFC history. Oh really? Any long time fan already knows the inaccuracy of those statements. They were completely unnecessary. The only guy I ever hear cited as being the most dangerous fighter in the world, is Fedor. WHY!? Because it’s TRUE. The one fight that would truly be THE most anticipated fight in UFC history, would be Couture vs Emelianenko.
Please understand, I’m not against Lesnar from EVER fighting in the UFC. He’s definitely an accomplished wrestler, obviously talented, and already showing a bit of what the UFC fighters have exemplified from the beginning, humility and GREAT sportsmanship. I’m all for Lesnar having a chance to become a GREAT champion, IF it’s in his destiny to become a TRUE MASTER MMARTS fighter.
It’s just that I believe, and I think MANY others do also, that the UFC is a pearl, needing to be nurtured, needing to be guarded from eventually adopting the symptoms and traits of all too many other sports that have lost popularity due to their mission to become the BIGGEST sport in the world. I wouldn’t mind seeing the UFC only get ‘SO big’, where it can maintain the purity of the foundational disciplines that created it, and make it possible in the first place.
Thank you for your time and attention to this matter. Please excuse my lack of brevity, but I don’t subscribe to living in a ‘sound-byte’ world.
Roger,
- I agree with you about Herring’s effort. But in Lesnar’s defense, he utilize his reach advantage and hurt Herring early and then stuck to his simple game plan. Control him on the floor.
- Yeah, most of the audiences are (for lack of a better term) annoying and appear to be ignorant to the particulars of the different disciplines of MMA. I really understand why many fighters miss fighting in Japan or prefer Japan to the U.S. like Frank Trigg. Personally, I prefer fight performance over win-loss record . . . Go- Chris Lytle -Go! Although he should use his jui-jitsu skills once in while.**
- Electronic samplers, drum machines had a huge unforseen impact on musicians bottomline long before hip hop . . . although hip hop music did not help at all. Many top hip hop acts perform with a band and I’m not even citing the Roots. Don’t forget the budget cuts of music and arts program in schools really hurt the recording industry. A pop star can literally record a hit CD in a studio with a laptop and a mixing board, very unfortunate. If anything else, the history of popular music shows that everything is cyclical. (I wonder how you feel about the Rock Band and Guitar Hero games.)
- You’ll probably really like this Al Bundy (Ed O’Neill is ) interview.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=fsZDvDY50HY
And Royce Gracie’s feelings about Penn and Machida –(I totally agree).
http://mmayou.com/news-and-exclusive-interviews-with-mmayou/37-fighters/224-interview-with-ufc-champion-royce-gracie)
- Emelianenko takes Couture in the 1st or 2nd round. I felt that way before UFC 91. Kevin Randleman agrees.
- Ok, I may be really naive . . . but I really do think Lesnar wants to be a real MMA fighter. Like Randy said, he realizes his shortcomings and has a long way to go.
- As far as the MMA growth versus its purity, it is really going to be difficult to maintain integrity under the influence of the market demands. **Like Chris Lytle many fighters will continue to forgo a winning strategy, to excite the crowds and possibly get the Fight of the Night purse. And some of them have no business striking like Jorge Gurgel who also refuses to employ his expert BJJ in order to excite the crowd.
- We’re all (fan)atics. The soundbyte world lacks clarity and comprehension.