UFC 119: Where do they go from here?

For those who are underwhelmed by UFC 119 to those who enjoyed it, let’s breakdown each fighters prospects after the event.

Frank Mir – “All talk, no action” Mir has turned into the resident basket case of the Heavyweight Division. At this point, can he even get out of his own way to resume his once promising career? Now with Dana White against him, being cut from the UFC looks more and more inevitable. Personally I think that if he keeps his mouth shut and doesn’t lash out at the criticism, he gets one more shot…but more than likely Hubris gets him cut - Strikefarce anyone? Potential fights would include Nogueira, Gonzaga or even Pat Barry.

Mirko “Cro Cop” Filipovic – Cro Cop looked good when he decided to let his hands go but that was few and far between in his match. With age and motivation a growing factor in his career and coming off a flash knockout it will be interesting to see how he mentally handles this latest loss. As long as he wants to fight I see another go around with a middle-tier Heavyweight like Gonzaga. On a personal note, after Mir spoke so highly of his own standup in comparison to Crop Cop’s, I thoroughly enjoyed watching Cro Cop slip and move making Mir look silly on some exchanges.

Ryan Bader – “Darth” Bader continued to impress with a quality (in my opinion) win over Nogueira. Right now most experts are talking a Bader vs. Jon “Bones” Jones matchup. I see that matchup as self-defeating with the loser taking an unnecessary hit to his career and I hope that is postponed for a few more fights. Bader’s standup is still limited to one punch and while his athleticism may match up better to Jones, his lack of an overall game would be a severe handicap.  The down side to this thought is that the LHW division is stacked with talent and anyone in the top ten is a tough out.

Antonio Rogerio Nogueira – Not a bad loss but that is two borderline fights in a row which have really put him nowhere in the division.  He displays good hands and good Jiu-jitsu but needs to start a streak of convincing wins to put his name into any discussion. Do you put him against a mid-level fighter or let a top 10 fighter show what he is made of? With this being a loss that doesn’t drop you too far I see a high level fighter in his future with my eyes on Rich Franklin being a real good matchup.

Chris Lytle and Matt Serra – As I stated in my preview, this was a “you’ll never be a contender again but people enjoy watching you fight”. Which means their real prospects at meaningful fights is Zero but at entertaining fights - high. I do see a Matt Hughes rematch for Serra in the future if Hughes isn’t given a meaningful final run at the title. On the bright side, they are both top of the list of people to invite if you are planning a kick-ass pillow fight!

Sean Sherk – Controversy aside, Sherk showed a lot of good things in his fight except for sticking his head into a guillotine attempt over and over again. If this fight is to be believed he is still a force in the lightweight division. However, the elemental force that is Dana White’s ego will probably not allow for Sherk to enter any title discussion due to his age, positive steroid test and White’s opinion that he lost the fight. Looks for another steady diet of re-runs unless the rest of the division fails to impress, then he will be put back in the mix.

Evan Dunham – Midget wresters strike again as Dunham was on the losing side of a split decision this time (see Tyson Griffin fight). In fairness the power of a compact high level wrestler is tough for anyone to handle and most thought that Dunham handled it well enough to win the fight 2 rounds to one.  Bright future for this fighter as even Sherk stated afterwards that he sees Dunham as a future champion. This loss won’t hurt him at all, especially in the eyes of Dana White, and he will continue to be given high level matches.  Kenny Florian?

Melvin Guillard and Jeremy Stephens – What an underwhelming fight that lived up to none of its hype. Let’s state the obvious and move on - Guillard needed the win to continue to reinvent himself while Stephens was out struck and had no clue what to do when he couldn’t hit him (Think Dan Hardy). One small move up the Totem Pole for Guillard and purgatory for Stephens.

Other Thoughts & Notes

- Dana White on Frank Mir – “"I have no clue about Frank. To talk the stuff he does and then fight like he fought, that's a little frustrating. Once "Cro Cop" stuffed his takedown attempt, his heart fell out on the floor. If Frank Mir can't bully you, his heart shrinks to the size of the Grinch's. If he can't take you down, his heart shrinks to the size of a pea."

          

- Cro Cop related this exchange with Mir to the media:

CroCop: Let me go, lets go to the centre and fight

Mir: Let's go to the mat

CroCop: OK - if I'm on top

Mir: We'll stay in the clinch

- Props to Sean McCorkle on his undercard victory. Sean seemed to make it his personal mission to shit talk on every MMA forum but went out and backed it up.

         

- Matt Mittrione – The self-proclaimed “meathead” from Ultimate Fight impressed me with good athleticism and a body that is filling out as he dedicates himself to MMA. Maybe this ex-football player has something. Now if he didn’t carry his hands like Joe Frazier he’d be set.

          

- Ryan Bader is listed at 6’2” with at least 5’8” dedicated to his abs. WTF!

          

- CB Dollaway won submission of the night with a very patient guillotine. Find the video if you can. Too many fighters would have gassed themselves out at the initial attempt instead of trying to improve their position.

Hope you enjoyed my future thoughts. Sound off below with your comments!

~ John