Rapid Reaction: UFC on Fox 14
Jan 24, 2015 Comments
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Related: UFC on Fox 14 Play-by-Play
9:51 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: It's like I presciently joked on the roundtable and on Twitter: for whatever reason, when he gets fouled, Anthony Johnson goes into this insane rage mode, both guns ablazing, and normally comes out with a brutal knockout. Ask D.J. Linderman and many others. I don't want to say I “knew” it was over when the eye poke happened, but when Gustafsson tried to jump all over him immediately, I sensed danger could await. We've got our first meaningful, substantial upset of the year and it happens on enemy soil. What a story of vindication for Anthony Johnson, who is one of the biggest hitters in the history of this sport.
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9:47 p.m. ET Jeff Sherwood: I might finally agree with some of Joe Rogans propaganda that Anthony Johnson might be the scariest fighter in the UFC.
9:40 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: The light
heavyweight title eliminator, our main event, is on deck from the
Tele2 Arena. A win for Gustafsson will bring 26,000 fans to their
feet and crystalize a rematch with Jon Jones, a reiteration of one
of the best fights in MMA history. If Johnson pulls it off, it'll
likely be a brutal knockout that hushes tens of thousands of
Europeans in Stockholm and finally gives him a crack at UFC gold,
35 pounds north of the weight class he debuted in.
9:37 p.m. ET Jeff Sherwood: I agree Jordan. Dan's legacy is secure for sure at this point. But in a time of brain injuries and athletes showing effects of combat sports and him having so many wars I don't agree that the stoppage was a real bad thing.
9:26 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: More from FightMetric egghead wizard Michael Carroll:
That was the 15th knockdown suffered by Dan Henderson, the most
in UFC/PRIDE/WEC/Strikeforce combined history.
— Michael Carroll (@MJCflipdascript) January
25, 2015
One of the toughest of all-time. If Henderson doesn't hang them up, I hope it's just one last fight to ride off into the sunset, regardless. His legacy is secure.
9:24 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: Henderson gracious in the postfight, calling the stoppage “unfortunate.” Apparently Mousasi caught Henderson in the eye early with a strike and Henderson already couldn't see before the weak sauce stoppage. Really, just a false start of a fight all around. Let's hope Gustafsson and Johnson put on a banger and resurrect this card.
9:22 p.m. ET Jeff Sherwood: Everyone knows I very rarely argue stoppages. Better safe then sorry with an exception of title fights, but that did seem a bit early. But at this point in Dan's career I do not have a huge issue with it. Not to mention he just said he couldn't see out of his eye.
9:18 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: What's worse is that Leon Roberts is usually great about letting guys fight out of adverse circumstances. He let Carlos Condit come back from the brink of death against Jake Ellenberger after minutes of assbeating. Give me that consistency. I know everyone gaffes, but that seems like one that could've been more reasonbly avoided, especially given how solid of a referee Roberts typically is.
9:15 p.m. ET Jesse Denis: Lame stoppage for Henderson, especially considering Mouasasi didn't really connect with more than one shot on the ground. If that is to be Hendo's last fight, Leon Roberts did him dirty, you let Dan Henderson work through adversity.
9:17 p.m. ET TJ De Santis: The biggest oversight in this stoppage is who Leon Roberts is protecting. Did he not see the Shogun fight? Henderson isn't out until he is out. Clearly, he was not out.
9:16 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: Wow. I love Leon Roberts as a referee, but that's a bad stoppage. Henderson got his equilibrium thrown off there, but Mousasi didn't even get a clean ground-and-pound shot in on the ground. This is not like Amirkhani-Ogle earlier. Henderson was legitimately shocked when Roberts tackled him from behind. Henderson would've likely got lit up anyway, but that's just lame. A lot of disappointed feelings.
9:11 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: Dan Henderson-Gegard Mousasi time in Sweden. If anyone is calling the 44-year-old “Hendo” for another vintage, tough guy clobbering in spite of improbable odds, speak now or forever hold your peace. Mousasi is too good of a defensive fighter for Henderson to be able to bank on right-hand windmills. It will take something truly special for Henderson to pull it off.
8:57 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: Biggest win of Ryan Bader's career, as he could get into a title eliminator type scenario. Obviously, no one is clammoring for him to rematch Jon Jones for apparent reasons, but it's refreshing to see guys keeping their nose to the grindstone and achieving. Especially when they get clobbered by a left-for-dead Tito Ortiz.
As for Davis, he really seems to have hit his ceiling. Even though he tried to turn on the jets in the last minute of round three and steal the fight with some aggressive kicking, he's simply not a natural striker. His wide shoulders and long arms create constatnly looping, awkward punches. He can't sit in the pocket and comfortably move, block, counter or exchange. His wrestling and matwork are fantastic, but he struggles brutally to close the distance against elite fighters at 205 pounds. The blueprint is so defined on how to beat Davis. I wonder what he can do, if anything, to overcome it.
8:55 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: A split decision win for Ryan Bader! My underdog picks are on point tonight. Looking at my Twitter timeline, seems like people were split 50-50 on it. I liked Bader in the first and third rounds, where he easily stuffed Davis' takedowns, landed copious jabs, busted his face up and walked through his volume kicking. Very, very close fight and certianly not an enjoyable one for a very sleepy Swedish crowd, though.
8:52 p.m. ET Jesse Denis: 29-28 Bader on my card. That third round could arguably have gone either way. A split decision seems right.
8:47 p.m. ET Jesse Denis: That brief time spent on the mat served to give us a good look at the welts on Bader's legs.
8:46 p.m. ET TJ De Santis: Anyone's fight after 2. There are five minutes left and this fight can be won with a single takedown. I have to favor "Mr. Wonderful" here in the final frame.
8:39 p.m. ET TJ De Santis: I love this fight. It's like an old midwestern regional fight at the highest level. Two really good wrestlers who are forced to strike. 10-9 Bader despite the graphic telling me Davis scored more strikes in that round.
8:35 p.m. ET Jesse Denis: We knew coming in that Corassani's chin isn't what it once was, but that was an absolute highlight reel KO. I mentioned the competition for that "Performance of The Night" bonus, but short of someone lacing Ryu's hurricane kick, I don't see how Sam Sicilia doesn't take home some scratch with that level of V.
8:33 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: Courtesy of Sam Sicilia's expeditious and gruesome handiwork, it's now time to find out who the toughest championship gatekeeper is at 205 pounds, as Phil Davis takes on Ryan Bader. Both guys have been stuck in a familiar holding pattern for a while and can't seem to break through to that contendership level. A win here is massive for the victor and a loss even more calamitous than usual for the defeated fighter. However, we might not be looking at a real action fight here.
8:22 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: One massive overhand right from Sam Sicilia kills Akira Corassani as well as the crowd of 26,000-plus in Stockholm. Positively brutal knockout by Sicilia and honestly, Corassani's deteriorating chin is an issue. That's six knockouts in his six career losses, including some pretty harsh ones. That third straight loss should also be the end of his UFC tenure.
8:05 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: Main card time in Stockholm. Tele2 Arena looks great on TV. Speaking of trying to make a good initial impression, beginning of the Fox card means it's time for the puncher's special, that unique match on any UFC on Fox card earmarked for car-crash violence to get the main card ignited properly. At 145, Akira Corassani meets Sam Sicilia in a battle of free-swinging strikers with little defense. Yeehaw.
8:02 p.m. ET Jesse Denis: That intro was odd. I'll never understand the need to shove an action movie like "Kingsman" down the viewer's throats and intercut it with fight footage.
7:42 p.m. ET Jesse Denis: I, too, am interested in seeing how Tumenov progresses from here. I'm not sure how I feel about a match-up with Rick Story, mainly because the defensive wrestling is still a work in progress, but this was his fourth fight in the promotion and is now riding a three-fight win-streak. He has to take that next step at some point, "The Horror" may very well be his guy.
7:41 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: Not only was that fight a reminder of how important and devastating the jab can be in MMA, it was also a nice refresher on how a solid, engaged crowd can elevate a fight, any fight. This was just entertaining undercard fodder, but the Stockholm crowd was pumped and audible throughout, which adds a gravitas you just can't get with a dead audience looking at their phones.
7:38 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: Outstanding war of attrition between Albert Tumenov and Nico Musoke, and three 29-28 scorecards go to Tumenov. Musoke started fast with hard body kicks in the first round, but the Russian's jab was the story of the final 10 minutes. Tumenov landed a variety of hard combinations, but it was all set up by his brilliant jab that destroyed Musoke's face and left him looking like a horror movie victim. Tumenov's not a full-fleshed out fighter yet, but his boxing fundamentals, his kicks (which he didn't show in this fight) and improving defensive wrestling make him a very intriguing prospect.
7:15 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: Albert Tumenov and Nico Musoke are up at 170 pounds, but more importantly, I just stopped at my corner convenience store between fights and the Ethopian store owner wanted me to know in no uncertain terms that Alexander Gustafsson would win by knockout. You heard it here first. I didn't even know the dude knew a thing about MMA. Or maybe he doesn't.
7:05p.m. ET Jesse Denis: Did Jeff take that bet off-air, @tjdesantis?
7:05 p.m. ET TJ De Santis: What amazes me most is Robertson was a -125 favorite when the line opened and a +170 dog by the time the fight happened. Some people had to have cashed on that fight.
7:02 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: I want Kenny Robertson against the winner of Jordan Mein-Thiago Alves. I'm serious. It's Mr. Robertson's time, make sure your safety goggles are strapped on tight.
6:59 p.m. ET Jesse Denis: Kenny Robertson, be still my heart, coming up aces as he turns his body away from a spinning back kick, counters Aliev with gigantic overhand left to close things out. That Performance of the Night race is getting competitive.
6:58 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: Hey mama, I got one! Robertson comes through big and absolutely cranks Aliev unconscious with an overhand helicopter followed by ground-and-pound. Robertson is deceptively good. His first two UFC losses were to more experienced guys that were superior wrestlers in Mike Pierce and Aaron Simpson. Since maturing in the cage a bit, his only “loss” was to Sean Pierson, a fight he almost knocked Pierson out in, deserved a 10-8 round for a draw, but got hosed. Rich Franklin, move over, the UFC has a new favorite teacher.
6:52 p.m. ET Jesse Denis: I'm not even sure how many times I've seen Kenny Robertson lose his balance and slip on a banana peel off of a high kick. I think that was the third, at least.
6:47 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: Russian grinder Sultan Aliev makes his UFC debut at welterweight, taking on Metamora Township High School's favorite wood shop teacher and wrestling coach, Kenny Robertson. And no, I didnt' make that up. Robertson has been a surprising overachiver in the UFC and I think him at +160 and above is a fantastic bet. Aliev's gas tank was mediocre at 185, Robertson can potentially outwrestle him, and the midwesterner isn't a terrible boxer, either.
6:35 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: The postfight ends up being as notable as the actual fight itself, as Joe Rogan goes into the cage with the uber-charismatic Amirkhani, who is legitimate stoked to meet Rogan and praises his “Fear Factor” work, and essentially tells him that Kevin Sataki blew the stoppage and Amirkhani didn't really deserve to win. As I mentioned above, I didn't think the stoppage was great, but it's not exactly the time to submarine a dude in the postfight interview and be a total buzzkill. It's not even that Rogan asked about the stoppage, just that he belabored it as he tends to. Not surprisingly, the Twitterverse has quickly crucified Rogan.
6:32 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: Eight seconds is the official time of Amirkhani's blitzkrieg assault on Ogle, who has now lost four straight and is 1-5 in the UFC. Suffice to say that “The Little Axe” needs some sharpening.
6:30 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: That got popping in a hurry. Amirkhani came out with a flying knee, stunned Ogle, rocked him with an uppercut, then flurried on him until referee Kevin Sataki intervened. Even though people will be quick to say “Ogle was trying to take the ref down!”, that stoppage looked early. Ogle only grabbed onto Sataki as he forcibly inserted himself where Amirkhani's body was and he realized quickly that Sataki wasn't Amirkhani. Not saying Ogle wasn't hurt, but it seemed like Sataki reacted to the shock of the situation and leapt in the minute Ogle ate one hard ground-and-pound shot.
6:15 p.m. ET Jesse Denis: It's still surreal that Nikita Krylov has actually managed to put together a respectable UFC run. I still have vivid memories of tape studying the man on Youtube prior to his debut and burying him as a fighter. That being said, see you guys on the next Nikki Thrills roundtable.
6:16 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: It's back down to 145 pounds, where “The Little Axe” that could (sort of), Andy Ogle, tries to avoid getting cut from the UFC against Turku, Finland's Makwan Amirkhani. Ogle is 1-4 in his UFC run, but is much more well-rounded than the Finn. However, Amirkhani has a very stealthy, sneaky submission game, as evidenced by this February 2013 tapout of France's Tom Duquesnoy, one of the best prospects in all of MMA.
6:10 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: Well, that was brief but wonderous. Krylov rocked Nedkov coming in, transitioned to an anaconda choke, got the actual choke sunk but went the wrong way to finish it. He blows the anaconda, so Nedkov naturally scrambles head first into a standing guillotine choke for the tap. Never change, Al Capone.
6:10 p.m. ET Jesse Denis: Yes, @cjtuttle , much to my chagrin, it has.
6:07 p.m. ET C.J. Tuttle: To those looking for Nikita Krylov's infamous Fight Finder photo, it has since been updated.
5:59 p.m. ET Jesse Denis: Oh dip, the main event is on?
5:56 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: Alright, sick puppies, the time is upon us. It's time for the mega-awkward eastern European showdown between Ukraine's “Fighting Al Capone” Nikita Krylov and muscular Bulgarian bear cub Stanislav Nedkov. So many awesome dynamics in play here: tall, gangly guy against squatty, ripped guy; Krylov's zero takedown defense against Nedkov's power slams; Nedkov's awful gas tank against Krylov constant winging and flailing. I can hear the gong ringing already.
5:52 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: MMAFighting.com's Chuck Mindenhall said it better than I ever could:
Let's face it...Christodoulou is a fatherweight.
— Chuck Mindenhall (@ChuckMindenhall) January
24, 2015
5:49 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: Absolute thrashing by Mairbek Taisumov. Christodoulou just wasn't ready for this level of opposition; most guys get the courtesy callback from the UFC for stepping in on late notice, but Christodoulou actually just got merced so badly that he might become a touchstone for laughable tune-up opponents.
The first round was a 10-8 beatdown full of spinning back kicks to Christodoulou's doughy midriff, and the second round, he got his takedown shucked, landed on his back, and Taisumov dove on him with an insane Robbie Lawler-style, super-accurate, six-punch pounce. Overwhelming violence against a fighter who didn't deserve it, in more ways than one.
5:43 p.m. ET TJ De Santis: At the half way point of this first round. If there isn't a KO we're all going to be dissapointed. Taisumov has wet all of our appetites.
5:42 p.m. ET C.J. Tuttle: Anthony Christodoulou is already losing in the physique department.
5:36 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: Russian striker Mairbek Taisumov returns to the Octagon, where he welcomes debuting Greek lightweight Anthony Christodoulou. Taisumov-Yan Cabral was a well-made fight, but Christodoulou is nowhere near the level of grappler Cabral is, plus, has non-existent standup. Could be a good look for Taisumov.
5:34 p.m. ET Jesse Denis: Late to the party with this reply, Breen, but now your hypothetical has got me thinking about Gustafsson vs. Travis Browne and I'm with it.
5:36 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: More on Mirsad Bektic's statistical domination, from FightMetric senior boffin Michael Carroll: Bektic outlanded Redmond 99-2 in significant strikes, 135-7 in total strikes and had 13:32 of top position. Woof.
5:31 p.m. ET Jesse Denis: who scored that manly 30-25? Any word on who was judging this one?
5:28 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: Complete and utter blowout by Mirsad Bektic. Redmond, normally an aggressive grappler, didn't go for a leglock, didn't attempt submissions, didn't do anything. While he did come in on two weeks' notice, the Irishman had absolutely nothing for Bektic, who got his rounds in, took his time, and kept his relentless top position grappling up for the full 15 minutes. He's not as good of a guard passer (yet, anyway), but Bektic's game reminds me of a young Tatsuya Kawajiri with his physical skills, constant threats to pass while pounding, the way he uses his submissions. Bektic's standup is already ahead of where Kawajiri's was at earlier in his career, too.
5:28 p.m. ET TJ De Santis: Bektic runs game. Not all that thrilling, but dominant nonetheless. He will be satisfied with this win until he watches the tape where Rogan says essentially, "He's good, but this is boring."
5:19 p.m. ET Jesse Denis: One way traffic for Mirsad Bektic in the first and midway through the second, not much to look at. Three fights in, this card has taken a sharp turn South after a marvelous opener.
5:06 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: It's featherweight time. Ireland's Paul Redmond is stepping in on short notice for Alan Omer. Unfortunately for him, his valor could be misplaced, as he'll be trying to play spoiler against one of the very best young prospects in the UFC, regardless of weight, Mirsad Bektic. The American Top Team product is only 23 years old, is a top-notch athlete and has all the raw tools and technical skills you want to see out of a prospect. Redmond better bring his fanciest leglocks.
5:01 p.m. ET Jesse Denis: I want to say Rumble could make it all the way up to Arlovski, if past is prologue. I could see Gus outpointing a few of the mid-tier guys like Roy Nelson.
4:59 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: Watching Erokhin-Pesta then flipping to a Gustafsson-Johnson promo makes me wonder how many UFC heavyweights Big Gus and Tony Rumble could run through in one night. Obviously, elite opposition is one thing, but watching a top-notch light heavyweight crush C-level heavyweights in gauntlet fashion is my ultimate MMA fantasy.
4:55 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: Pesta overcomes getting his head boxed in for most of the first five minutes, then exploits Erokhin's complete ignorance of how underhooks work, getting takedowns throughout the last 10 minutes and easily winning on top. Pesta takes 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 scorecards for the unanimous nod.
Also on the judging tip: Howard Hughes is judging this fight. Hughes, you might recall, was ripped from his seat in Macau a few months ago by UFC boss Dana White after being involved in two iffy decisions (Milana Dudieva-Elizabeth Phillips and Royston Wee-Zhikui Yao). It's his first fight back judging for the UFC since that personal and professional nightmare. Also, reports from Tele2 Arena are saying that Neil Seery had two 29-28 scores, as opposed to two 30-27 scores in his unanimous verdict over Chris Beal, if you're keeping score in your notebook.
4:54 p.m. ET Jesse Denis: …And there go the wheels.
4:37 p.m. ET TJ De Santis: Everytime the MMA world wants me to get hyped about a new heavyweight I can only think about Cole Konrad and how good he could have been.
4:37 p.m. ET Jesse Denis: As previously mentioned, I expect Viktor Pesta to be offered as a sacrifice to the gods of Violencia in this one. His striking defense is too porous and his offense is nonexistent; not a hot look when you're fighting a guy like Konstantin Erokhin, who has legitimate hand speed and scary power.
4:36 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: It's a heavyweight tussle time. Normally, I'd tell you to grab your gong mallets, but this one ain't too shabby. Brilliant Russian puncher Konstantin Erokhin makes his UFC debut taking on the Czech Republic's Viktor Pesta, who makes his second UFC appearance. Pesta, despite losing soundly to Ruslan Magomedov in his first Octagon sighting, is a quality fighter. Erokhin, however, is an elite puncher. Very fast hands for a heavyweight and beaucoup power. He'll struggle in fights that go past the five-to-seven-minute mark, but Pesta is very much a potential victim this evening.
4:32 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: See a lot of folks questioning whether Beal gaffed by moving to 125. Even though Beal got tired, he was never a cardio machine at 135. I still think his biggest problem is that he's always clawing his way to winning rounds. He never takes over a round and dominates for a stanza. It's always a back-and-forth, give-and-take battle with Beal. Considering how powerful his takedowns can be, how he can land in combination when he opens up, how good his kicking game can be, it's a shame. Hopefully it'll all click for him eventually.
4:30 p.m. ET Jesse Denis: I had 29-28 Seery on my card; the right guy won, to be sure, but I'm a little surprised the judges actually awarded submission attempts and striking from the bottom. Which is actually a little sad, the fact that I'm shocked when something is done right.
4:30 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: Hot damn. Not only does the right guy win, but two judges gave Seery all three rounds. Looks like the word is out: don't try to get takedowns, lay on your opponent and expect to win tonight. Especially not if your opponent is a crafty, middle-aged Irish gatekeeper. All hail the coolest dad on the block, Neil Seery.
4:27 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: Very fun fight between Beal and Seery. The second round was a back-and-forth, scrambling joy, but the whole 15 minutes was tit-for-tat fun. However, who knows what we'll see on the scorecards? I gave Seery the second frame for his non-stop quality submission attempts and striking from guard, and the Irishman clearly won the third. However, the first two rounds could've been scored any which way. Beal remains a bit of an enigma, as he's athletically giftedand can do lots of individually impressive things, but somehow can't string it all together to dominate in the cage, despite his obvious upside. Also, Seery is such an underrated technician and tough guy.
4:27 p.m. ET TJ De Santis: What a bar setter for the evening. More of that please! 29-28 Seery.
4:21 p.m. ET Jesse Denis: I expected Seery to have a marked grappling advantage; while Chris Beal spent most of the round on top, it seemed like much of that time was spent fighting off submissions.
4:15 p.m. ET TJ De Santis: Competitive first round. I went Beal 10-9 however Seery can easily still take this. If you look at his striking game though he is only throwing one or two punches at a time. He needs to add more punches to his combos if he wants to catch Beal.
4:10 p.m. ET TJ De Santis: It looks like referee Kevin Sataki has joined the Kim Winslow pick your nose club.
4:02 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: Our action in Sweden gets started at 125 pounds, as Chris Beal drops down to flyweight to take on tough Irishman Neil Seery. Beal's the favorite and is the more naturally aggressive fighter, but Seery is sharp boxer and great on the counter. If Beal can't steadily land combinations or impose with his wrestling, he could get wind up getting countered for 15 minutes.
3:59 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: I can't even explain it. There's still a lot of things that Davis does well that will help him: he's risk-averse, he kicks well from distance and Bader likely isn't going to outwrestle. But, if Bader is charging at him, throwing heavy punches and stuffing his takedown, Davis could be in trouble. He looked more comfortable sittting down on his punches against Teixeira, but he'll just never be a natural striker. He will always look to circle out and reset when he gets hit. I thought it was just about a pick 'em fight, to see Davis out there at -240 and above was wild to me. Glad to see Bader's got some play in the last day or so.
3:58 p.m. ET TJ De Santis: Is anyone else surprised on the Bader-Davis line? It has shifted heavily since yesterday's Roundtable. I thought Breen and Denis were smart with their Bader picks. Apparently the people listened.
3:57 p.m. ET Jordan Breen: It's another night (or afternoon) in paradise, fight freaks, as the UFC makes its fourth appearance in Sweden and its first at the Tele2 Arena in Stockholm. The UFC are anticipating over 25,000 fans tonight from an estimated 44 countries. Not sure the UFC's international expansion has ever gone the way they intended, but a few yers ago, if you'd have told me 25K would show up anywhere to see Alexander Gustafsson fight, surprised doesn't begin to explain my reaction.
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