The Kimbo Season of The Ultimate Fighter is finally over. The finals featuring Roy Nelson and Brendan Schaub just ended. Check out some immediate reaction on that fight and the rest of the card.
Roy Nelson vs. Brendan Schaub
I was just writing down “Roy Nelson gets hit a lot, but he lands his” and then he laid Brendan Schaub out cold with an overhand right. I guess Dana White can say that he is impressed now. Nelson truly is the perfect veteran. He keeps his composure and always implements the same game plan. After having trouble getting into the UFC, it is nice to see that Nelson is where he should be. I’m glad he is still pushing for that Burger King sponsorship deal too.
Schaub was very impressive on the series, and he was landing straight punches against Big Country. He is a high quality athlete, and he will make an impact in the division before his career is over.
Jon Jones vs. Matt Hamill
A few of Jon Jones’ elbows were illegal, so the disqualification was justified. Rogan and Goldberg should have been able to understand that, but… Anyway, Jon Jones was still extremely impressive in this fight. His defense of the feet was great. He landed when he wanted to and Hamill did not land once. Once he got on top he quickly moved to the mount an rained down strikes. A lot of guys go crazy from the mount, but Jones was still being accurate with his strikes. Even with this loss, it will be interesting to see Jones continue to climb up the light heavyweight ranks.
Kimbo Slice vs. Houston Alexander
If Dana White was not so offense I would be asking “what did he do to deserve this?” The seemingly perfect fight between brawlers turned into a tired bar fight between geriatrics. At one point Mr. Slice was dropped with a leg kick, and it looked like he was going to need help getting up. Goldberg kept talking about Slice’s evolution, but it looked more like he learned enough to know that he can’t fight at a high level.
Houston Alexander seemed to be treating this like the fight of his life, but whenever he had the Slice hurt he would not capitalize. Hopefully the family man does not have to endure the wrath of White.
This fight was summed up in the closing moments. The bell rang and both fighters immediately put their hands on their knees in exhaustion.
Frankie Edgar vs. Matt Veach
This fight will be remembered as just another easy win for Frankie Edgar. However, the first few minutes showed his weaknesses as a fighter. Fighters who remain physical and continually work for takedowns, like say Gray Maynard, will have success against Edgar. Veach apparently lost interest in that game plan. He had nothing to offer Edgar on the feet. Not only could he not land strikes, but he also could not throw a strike without leaving himself completely open. Once Veach gave up on the takedowns it was only a matter of time.
Matt Mitrione vs. Marcus Jones
The hardest thing to watch in MMA is a quality fighter with a weak chin. Anyone who is a fan of Jonathan Goulet or Kendall Grove knows what I am talking about. Even before he was announced as a participant on TUF 10, I was worried about Marcus Jones’ chin. He is clearly an above average athlete who studies the ground game, but anytime hands are put on him it is over.
Mitrione showed some grappling improvements from the show, but he is still the same guy who got submitted by James McSweeney. There is always room in the UFC for heavyweights not named Neil Wain, but it doesn’t look like Mitrione is anything to get excited about.
Random Notes
1. Did anyone else think that Dana White was going to announce Hulk Hogan as one of the coaches of the next season of TUF?
2. The Irony of the fact that Kimbo fought in a catchweight fight after a season called The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights is not lost on me.
3. Fighters from the HIT Squad might not beat you, but they will slam you.
4. Joe Rogan falls in the commentator rankings for calling Matt Hamill a world champion wrestler. He is actually a deaf world champion.
5. Mike Goldberg called kickboxer Michael McDonald an American, he is actually from Canada.
6. Chuck and Tito will make great coaches, because they won’t tie up a title for six months.
Good thoughts mister.