Heroes in Boston: UFC Fight Night, Shogun vs Sonnen

 

Heroes in Boston: UFC Fight Night, Shogun vs Sonnen

 

Two spits in a bucket and can we all agree that was a kind of special UFC card? From Prelims to Main Event every fight was at the very least interesting and at the most as fascinating as it was thrilling.

It’s only fair to begin with the man of the hour, the show stealer, the living breathing Gangster that is Chael Sonnen. Coming of his devastating one sided defeat to Jones a lot of questions hung over the former #1 contender, many felt a defeat would spell the end. Its crazy how many people saw him as a big underdog, in his walk in Joe Rogan talked him up, he obviously also found it hard to believe how many people had written him off. This is the thing with Sonnen-you either love him or hate him and if you hate him you tend to not rate him at all. But put me in the former and why? The first five seconds of the fight would be a place to start! Sonnen charges out of his corner and just puts the former World champ, Pride grand prix and BJJ black belt on his back! It was the sort of moment that reinforced his claim to be the best wrestler in UFC. Just watching him is a pleasure, he has such a unique style, he literally just mauls his opponents on the ground. Did you watch the pre-fight video? Did you listen to what Joe Rogan said? He said Sonnen had a very underrated submission game and his point was proven as he made Rua tap out. What’s the lesson in this kid? Listen to Rogan! He isn’t just some American guy who goes crazy when a knockout happens, he is a Martial Arts expert! You can read as many Bruce Lee quotes as you like but you will learn more by listening to Joe Rogan.

Special mention to Sonnen’s post fight antics-is there anybody better on the mic than Sonnen? Not just in MMA but in wrestling also? Picks up the biggest win of his career then cuts a promo calling out the Axe Murderer in 3 months time, grabs his wife’s hand and walks out the Octagon-WHAT  A GANGSTER! Is it silly talk to start talking up another Chael Sonnen run for the title?

 

Alistar Overeem. Oh Alistar Overeem-when will you learn? I want to tell you a story about myself. A few months back I entered a tournament in my home town. I was feeling good about things going in; I hadn’t been training properly but was confident enough with my fitness. Come fight time I was gassing within 30 seconds, I lost two fights that day and not to take anything away from the men who beat me but I lost the fight on my own due to being unfit. I was too cocky with my fitness and I learn a valuable lesson that day. Since then I have entered every tournament training to my absolute maximum and I know I never will find myself in that situation again, from now any fight I lose it will be because the other guy was a better fighter, not because I was panting like a fat dog. What’s this to do with Overeem? Well in my story I explained how I made a mistake in a fight and learned from it-Overeem made a mistake his last fight and he never learned from it!

For the second fight in a row he had victory within his grasp and for the second fight in a row he never respected his opponent and for the second fight in a row he got himself caught. Was the first time not a hard enough lesson for him? Taking nothing away from Browne, he was outstanding all in all; to weather the storm and go on to win by KO is some real heroics. But Overeem has to have a long look in the mirror, he should be number 1 contender now but instead he is in danger of being cut from the UFC. When he defeated Brock Lesnar it seemed he was destined to be heavyweight champion, now he looks destined to go down as a man who never lived up to his potential.

 

Other observations and thoughts

-Have you ever seen a fighter so early in his UFC career as over with the crowd than Conor McGregor? His walk in was a moment to remember and his performance was top draw stuff. I think after this fight everyone believes the hype, this guy very may well be the future of the UFC, he just screams money. Everyone loves a fighter they can get behind; it’s something that so very few have, that ability to muster a following by having a strong fighting spirit.

 

-Is Uriah Hall ever going to come good on his promise? 2 Fights in now and big question marks are starting to appear. The fight was a strange one; they both just respected each other to much. Hall seems to be caught between being an entertaining fighter and being a fighter who gets the job done. It takes years of experience to be both and even when you get there it’s not easy, look at Anderson Silva’s last fight for a prime example. Rogan hit it on the head when he said that the level of fighters in the TUF house was a lot below the level the current UFC roster. If he should bomb for a third time I can see UFC cutting him, for a man who looked so promising his legacy may just end up being the single most devastating knockout in Ultimate Fighter history. Which to be fair isn’t the worst thing to be known by.

 

The show was a huge success on all fronts for UFC. It was a show aimed at attracting new fans and for first time viewers this must have been a blast, it was a show that showcased what makes MMA such an addictive sport. It was also a ratings winner and a dream start for the new Fox Sports 1 channel (and same could be said for BT Sport in the UK).