UFC 140

 

Frank Mir giveth and Frank Mir taketh away.

Mir almost handed the victory to Big Nog in their fight last night by putting his big head right in front of Nog's fists, almost getting knocked out.  He recovered though, and not only became the first man to submit Nog, but he broke his fucking arm. 

Spaghetti?

Look, I'm no scientist, but even I know bones are really hard and it takes quite a bit of force to break one.  I've broken my elbow and dislocated the same one and both times it took the force of my entire body falling hard onto concrete from a height higher than I am tall.  At weigh-ins on Friday Frank Mir looked like a taller Lou Ferrigno.  In other words, he was jacked.

I wouldn't be surprised if he were around the 280 or 285 mark come fight night on Saturday.  He definitely didn't look as cut.  Imagine a 280 pound jiu jitsu master cranking on your arm?  The bone break isn't so surprising when you think of it that way, but what did surprise me was how Nog didn't lose his mind screaming in pain.  That's some zen shit right there.  It's easily the submission of the year and given it's the second time Mir has broken someone's arm (Tim Sylvia, that loveable lugnut) I've half a mind to start calling him "The Arm Collector."

And now, The Main Event!

Machida came in looking bigger than he's ever been, having definitely added muscle to his frame.  Could be he's been on the Frank Mir Workout Program but I'm guessing it was meant as somewhat of a counter measure for the strength and size of Jon Jones.

In round one Machida was at his counter-striking and elusive best.  Jones attempted three spinning back kicks in the round and missed all of them, in fact he didn't land any significant shots at all.  Lyoto, on the other hand, got into a groove in the second half of the round and landed a few decent strikes.  He was getting off first and connected with a couple of solid body kicks and countered Jones with a straight left to the head that staggered the champion. 
 
Jones wasn't necessarily in any big danger in the round but Machida looked good.  It seemed as if The Dragon might be onto something in this fight, using his speed and slipperiness to avoid any danger himself and score points on the champ.  Machida took this round 10-9 on my scorecard.


This was really the first time Jon Jones had ever faced any adversity in a fight.  He didn't hit Machida at all, got hit a few times himself, and overall played right into his opponent's game plan.  How would the 24-year old, with only 4 years of MMA experience, respond?

Well, he would respond like a superstar.  A tentative first half of the second round made it seem like Machida was going to keep up his momentum from the first.  That is until around the half way point when the two fighters came together and Jones secured a takedown.  Jones almost immediately landed a vicious elbow that sliced a bright red gash across Machida's forehead.  In an interview post event Machida said that after the elbow he was dizzy and couldn't see clearly.  I get dizzy and can't see clearly after drinking beers at the bar watching the UFC and I can't imagine having to fight a world class warrior with a buzz.

The fight didn't last much longer as Jones sunk in what would have been the submission of the night had Frank Mir not ripped Big Nog's arm off.

Heads shouldn't twist that way.  Except in The Exorcist.

That is one twisted standing guillotine.  No air and no blood to the brain means nighty night, have fun in sleep land. 

Zzzzzzzzz.

Some people like to give credit to fighters for not "giving up" or not tapping out when stuck in a submission but I think it's stupid.  If you are stuck in something that could seriously shorten your career, or even worse end it, just give up.  There is no shame in submitting, it's just part of the game.

So far in his career Jon Jones has defeated a living legend in Shogun Rua for the Light Heavyweight Title, defended it against a former champion in Rampage Jackson, and defended it again against another former champion in Lyoto Machida.  In every single one of his fights he has dominated and has scarcely been in any trouble, and now sits as a 2-time defending champion with a 15-1 record.  Not bad for someone only born in 1987.  His next fight will likely be the winner of Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis, though with the way his luck goes if Rashad wins he'll end up getting injured and that fight will never happen. 

Davis won't stand a chance; his stand up is not close to being good enough to handle the size and dynamic striking of Jones.  Rashad, with his wrestling background, slick striking and overall quickness looks to have the best chance in the division of unseating the champ, but I don't think even he can defeat Jon Jones right now.  Who can?  A heavyweight maybe?  A tank?