ironworks
07-06-2014, 09:00 AM
Feed Source: Bleacher Report MMA
There were going to be a lot of questions answered at UFC 175 as the reigning middleweight champion Chris Weidman put his strap on the line against No. 1 contender Lyoto Machida in what was figured to be one of the most revealing fights of the year on Saturday night.
Weidman—who was coming off back-to-back victories over Anderson Silva—was still somewhat of a question mark in the eyes of the MMA community. The caliber of respect that should have come with defeating the fighter widely recognized as the "greatest of all time," had eluded him for the most part, and his bout with Machida was his opportunity to put a definitive stamp on his dominance.
While the circumstances were a bit different for Machida coming into Saturday night, the former light heavyweight champion came into UFC 175 looking to complete his climb up the 185-pound ladder. The Dragon had been on a tear since dropping down into middleweight waters, and two dominant performances in his new weight class earned him the right to challenge for the divisional strap.
The All-American was on a mission to prove his two victories over Silva were no fluke, and the Brazilian karate machine looked to pick up a title in another division. The bout figured to be a stylistic chess match, and that's precisely how it played out.
Weidman took the early rounds with his pressure and wrestling, while Machida's counter-striking and offensive rushes tagged up the champion in the two final frames.
The end result was Weidman making his second successful title defense, as he took the unanimous-decision victory in one of the best fights of 2014.
Where there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the top fight on the billing, the co-main event was figured to be a lopsided affair.
Anytime women's bantamweight champion and mega-watt superstar Ronda Rousey steps into the Octagon, there is heavy expectation, and few seemed to be giving No. 1 contender Alexis Davis much of a chance in the tilt. It wasn't so much that anyone was taking the Port Colborne native lightly, but it was more so that the "Rowdy" one had been absolutely dominant coming into UFC 175.
Many figured that the women's 135-pound title bout would be another installment of the "Ronda Rousey Show" and boy (girl) was it ever. The former Olympic judoka cut like a buzzsaw through Davis en route to a 16-second victory.
It was nasty.
It was brutal.
It was lightning-quick violence.
It was the perfect Ronda Rousey fight.
Outside of the two showcase bouts on the card, there was plenty of action that went down at the Mandalay Bay on Saturday night.
Let's take a look at the good, bad and strange from UFC 175.
The Good
There may have been doubt hovering over Weidman coming into his bout with Machida at UFC 175, but there won't be any in the aftermath.
The New York native absolutely proved he's the real deal, as he battled toe-to-toe with the former light heavyweight champion every step of the five-round affair.
While Weidman's wrestling scored him crucial points at critical times in the fight, it was his stand-up game that served to keep Machida at bay. The champion landed some big shots that kept The Dragon on the run and allowed him to take a big lead in the early rounds of the fight.
His performance on Saturday night was a gritty showing that proved he's every bit as legitimate as a man who defeated Anderson Silva on back-to-back occasions should be regarded as. Weidman is the undisputed champion of the 185-pound division, and the respect that was held out from him should certainly be coming his way after defeating Machida.
As for the 36-year-old Brazilian, he has nothing to hang his head about. While Weidman got the nod from the judges' table, it was Machida who received the love from the crowd in attendance at the Mandalay Bay events center.
Although the former 205-pound strap holder started out in his conservative counter-striking mode, he shifted into a more aggressive version of himself once the urgency began to ratchet up.
Nevertheless, it was too little too late for the title challenger. That said, Machida's stock definitely went up with his showing at UFC 175.
OK...here is where it gets crazy. Ronda Rousey is a fighting goddess among mortal women.
It took the women’s bantamweight champion 16 seconds to smash Alexis Davis into oblivion. Rousey put on such a violent display of technical brilliance that any type of lengthy description would be a disservice. Rowdy is simply in a class of her own, and she used Davis to prove that fact once again on Saturday night.
The term steamrolling doesn’t do justice to what happened in that fight. That was a flat-out trucking from the get go. Moving on…
Urijah Faber has never lost a fight where there wasn’t a title on the line, and that trend continued at UFC 175. While the brand of steamrolling The California Kid has been known to dole out to the opposition wasn’t on display on Saturday night; that had more to do with a game Alex Caceres than it did with anything else.
There were going to be a lot of questions answered at UFC 175 as the reigning middleweight champion Chris Weidman put his strap on the line against No. 1 contender Lyoto Machida in what was figured to be one of the most revealing fights of the year on Saturday night.
Weidman—who was coming off back-to-back victories over Anderson Silva—was still somewhat of a question mark in the eyes of the MMA community. The caliber of respect that should have come with defeating the fighter widely recognized as the "greatest of all time," had eluded him for the most part, and his bout with Machida was his opportunity to put a definitive stamp on his dominance.
While the circumstances were a bit different for Machida coming into Saturday night, the former light heavyweight champion came into UFC 175 looking to complete his climb up the 185-pound ladder. The Dragon had been on a tear since dropping down into middleweight waters, and two dominant performances in his new weight class earned him the right to challenge for the divisional strap.
The All-American was on a mission to prove his two victories over Silva were no fluke, and the Brazilian karate machine looked to pick up a title in another division. The bout figured to be a stylistic chess match, and that's precisely how it played out.
Weidman took the early rounds with his pressure and wrestling, while Machida's counter-striking and offensive rushes tagged up the champion in the two final frames.
The end result was Weidman making his second successful title defense, as he took the unanimous-decision victory in one of the best fights of 2014.
Where there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the top fight on the billing, the co-main event was figured to be a lopsided affair.
Anytime women's bantamweight champion and mega-watt superstar Ronda Rousey steps into the Octagon, there is heavy expectation, and few seemed to be giving No. 1 contender Alexis Davis much of a chance in the tilt. It wasn't so much that anyone was taking the Port Colborne native lightly, but it was more so that the "Rowdy" one had been absolutely dominant coming into UFC 175.
Many figured that the women's 135-pound title bout would be another installment of the "Ronda Rousey Show" and boy (girl) was it ever. The former Olympic judoka cut like a buzzsaw through Davis en route to a 16-second victory.
It was nasty.
It was brutal.
It was lightning-quick violence.
It was the perfect Ronda Rousey fight.
Outside of the two showcase bouts on the card, there was plenty of action that went down at the Mandalay Bay on Saturday night.
Let's take a look at the good, bad and strange from UFC 175.
The Good
There may have been doubt hovering over Weidman coming into his bout with Machida at UFC 175, but there won't be any in the aftermath.
The New York native absolutely proved he's the real deal, as he battled toe-to-toe with the former light heavyweight champion every step of the five-round affair.
While Weidman's wrestling scored him crucial points at critical times in the fight, it was his stand-up game that served to keep Machida at bay. The champion landed some big shots that kept The Dragon on the run and allowed him to take a big lead in the early rounds of the fight.
His performance on Saturday night was a gritty showing that proved he's every bit as legitimate as a man who defeated Anderson Silva on back-to-back occasions should be regarded as. Weidman is the undisputed champion of the 185-pound division, and the respect that was held out from him should certainly be coming his way after defeating Machida.
As for the 36-year-old Brazilian, he has nothing to hang his head about. While Weidman got the nod from the judges' table, it was Machida who received the love from the crowd in attendance at the Mandalay Bay events center.
Although the former 205-pound strap holder started out in his conservative counter-striking mode, he shifted into a more aggressive version of himself once the urgency began to ratchet up.
Nevertheless, it was too little too late for the title challenger. That said, Machida's stock definitely went up with his showing at UFC 175.
OK...here is where it gets crazy. Ronda Rousey is a fighting goddess among mortal women.
It took the women’s bantamweight champion 16 seconds to smash Alexis Davis into oblivion. Rousey put on such a violent display of technical brilliance that any type of lengthy description would be a disservice. Rowdy is simply in a class of her own, and she used Davis to prove that fact once again on Saturday night.
The term steamrolling doesn’t do justice to what happened in that fight. That was a flat-out trucking from the get go. Moving on…
Urijah Faber has never lost a fight where there wasn’t a title on the line, and that trend continued at UFC 175. While the brand of steamrolling The California Kid has been known to dole out to the opposition wasn’t on display on Saturday night; that had more to do with a game Alex Caceres than it did with anything else.