UFC Review: Fight Night 82
By Kaiana Miller
2/9/2016, 11:00 a.m.
Tweet to: @Slickster_Mag
What was initially going to be UFC 196, featuring a Heavyweight Championship Title fight, turned into UFC Fight Night 82, which was supposed to show the new dedication and resurgence of former UFC Welterweight Champion Johny Hendricks. Unfortunately for Hendricks, Stephen Thompson had other plans. Here’s some thoughts about the main card including fights that would make sense for each of its participants.
Johny Hendricks vs Stephen Thompson:
This fight, on paper, was a classic wrestler vs striker scenario. The majority of experts thought this would be a fairly easy fight for Hendricks. Stephen Thompson came into this fight with an 11-1 professional record, but his one loss was to the same Matt Brown that Hendricks had grinded out a decision win against in his last fight. The problems with weight cutting that forced “Bigg Rigg” to pull out of his scheduled fight with Tyron Woodley seemed to be fixed. Hendricks woke up three days before this bout under the maximum weight limit of 171 lbs. He visibly looked fitter than we had ever seen him. This appeared to be the chance Hendricks was looking for to earn himself a shot at the title he had lost to Robbie Lawler 14 months ago.
For all the highlight reel knockouts that Thompson had on his record, the one thing being questioned was his grappling ability. Would he be able to stay on his feet long enough to wear down Hendricks and potentially knock him out? The answer turned out to be a resounding yes. Hendricks was able to get deep on a shot against the cage early in the fight, but ‘Wonderboy’ was able to keep the fight standing. Hendricks was a standing target for the remainder of the three and half minutes that this fight lasted. Thompson cracked the usually reliable chin of Hendricks with multiple kicks and straight punches against the cage forcing the referee to step in and call the fight.
What’s Next:
Hendricks has now alternated wins and losses in his last five fights. This was the first time that he has been finished in his career. To say he is finished would be ridiculous since he still possesses incredible knockout power and elite level wrestling. A fight against the winner of the Hector Lombard vs Neil Magny fight scheduled for next month would be intriguing and would also offer Hendricks a chance to prove he still belongs among the top fighters in the Welterweight division.
Stephen Thompson asked for a title shot after his win and a fight against current champion Robbie Lawler would be exciting to say the least. It appears that Thompson has improved enough in his grappling to be competitive in any fight in the division. However, if the UFC decides to give a rematch with the champion to Carlos Condit or to the rumored-to-be-returning Georges St-Pierre, a fight against Tyron Woodley could serve as a number one contender fight and would make the most sense.
Roy Nelson vs Jared Rosholt:
In what was disappointingly the most boring fight on the card, Roy Nelson was able to stay on his feet the entire fight and best Jared Rosholt via decision. Rosholt offered virtually no offense across the 15 minutes he stood in the octagon. Nelson is known for his knockout power, but that is no excuse for Rosholt to literally turn and run the way that he did. The win snapped a three fight losing streak for Nelson, who will turn 40 in June.
What’s Next:
Nelson has now won only two of his last seven fights. That sounds terrible, but he has fought the who’s who of the Heavyweight division. Still, it is concerning how much punishment Nelson is willing (and able) to take while trying to land his vicious right hand. The three kicks he threw against Rosholt as well as his performance in his last fight, a grueling five-round war against Josh Barnett in which Nelson scored multiple take downs and looked relatively fresh in the final round, offer some hope that Nelson is making an effort to improve his game. With the top of the division in flux, a fight against Travis Browne would be fun to see and would show if Nelson is still capable of beating above average talent. Browne is coming off a controversial win against Matt Mitrione last month.
The loss ended a three fight winning streak for Rosholt. Potentially the most boring fighter in the UFC, Rosholt has finished only one of his six UFC victories. He is too content to wrestle his opponent to the ground and hold him there for extended periods of time. It would be nice to see Rosholt fight his polar opposite in Derrick Lewis, who fought on this card and boasts a 100 percent finish rate in his professional career.
Ovince Saint Preux vs Rafael Cavalcante:
OSP was able to shake off an apparent ankle injury early in the first round and win a noncompetitive decision. Much like Rosholt, Cavalcante provided no real offense aside from some early leg kicks. Saint Preux showed an often unseen side of his game by taking Cavalcante down multiple times. He nearly finished him late in the third round with hard ground strikes from top position.
What’s Next:
Saint Preux has now won three of his last four fights and could be primed for a jump into the upper ranks of the shallow light-heavyweight division. A bout against Jimi Manuwa, who is coming off a loss to Anthony Johnson, would be the most logical fight for him to take.
Cavalcante has now lost three straight and four of his last five. The former Strikeforce champion looked awful in this fight, failing to capitalize on the aforementioned injury suffered early by OSP. If the UFC doesn’t give him his walking papers, a fight against Sean O’Connell would suffice. O’Connell lost via 30 second TKO at the hands of Ilir Latifi in January.
Joseph Benavidez vs Zach Makovsky:
Speed was the most apparent advantage in this one. Benavidez extended his current winning streak to five with the decision victory. Makovsky had little success against Benavidez throughout the bout. He was outclassed on the feet and the few takedowns he was able to land resulted in nothing as Benavidez was able to immediately scramble and get back to his feet.
What’s Next:
Benavidez has his mind on one thing, a title shot against pound-for-pound king and reigning flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson. However, the previous two times that they fought Johnson came away the victor, including a first round knockout just over a year ago. Johnson is also currently slated to fight former Olympian Henry Cejudo later this year. Barring any injuries to Johnson or Cejudo, the only fight that would make sense would be a bout against Kyoji Horiguchi. The Japanese fighter followed up his failed bid at the title against Johnson with win in September against Chico Camus.
Its back to the drawing board for Makovsky who has now lost two in a row after winning three of his first four fights in the UFC. A potential bout against ‘Uncle Creepy’ Ian McCall would be interesting and would get the winner back on the short list of fighters in the division. McCall hasn’t fought since dropping a decision to John Lineker in January of 2015.
Mike Pyle vs Sean Spencer:
Pyle silenced the doubters once again and proved that he isn’t slowing down even after his fortieth birthday. The ageless Pyle was able to pull off the upset with a third round stoppage of Sean Spencer. The veteran’s experience showed as he was able to overcome a slow start and end up finishing the fight with elbows and knees with only 35 seconds left in the fight.
What’s Next:
Pyle ended a two fight skid with the win and is a good litmus test for any up and coming fighter in the welterweight division. That is exactly what he should be for a once promising prospect in Court McGee. The Ultimate Fighter Season 11 winner returned after a two year layoff in December in a decision win against Marcio Alexandre Jr.
Sean Spencer failed once again. It seems that for all of his athleticism, Spencer may never develop into anything more than an average mixed martial artist. After winning two of his first three fights in the promotion, Spencer has now lost three of his last four. A prospect vs prospect fight would help determine if Spencer is capable of eventually beating more competitive talent. Randy Brown could provide just that. The undefeated Brown is coming off a decision win in his promotional debut against Matt Dwyer in late January.
Upcoming:
UFC Fight Night 83 Cerrone vs Oliveira — February 21
UFC Fight Night 84 Silva vs Bisping — February 27