The UFC hit San Jose’s HP Pavillion last night for UFC on Fuel TV 4, which featured a fight between Mark Munoz and Chris Weidman in what could turn out to be a potential number one contendership fight. Here are the highs and lows of last night’s fights:
The Highs
Undefeated Andrew Craig took on the Renzo Gracie Academy’s Rafael Natal in a middleweight bout on last nights undercard, and we were truly treated to a back and forth brawl. In Round 1, Natal landed a number of hard shots which left Craig close to unconsciousness, but somehow Craig survived and recovered. In the second round, Andrew Craig landed an precision head kick to render “Sapo” Natal unconscious. This fight was easily the fight of the night in my opinion. Andrew Craig showed his durability, and is definitely a prospect at 185 pounds.
After some lackluster performances, Alex “Bruce Leroy” Caceres looked to continue his latest renaissance when he faced the always-exciting Damacio Page. Like all of Damacio Page’s fights, this one started out fast, with Page taking the fight to the canvas, but from the second it hit the ground, Caceres was looking to find the submission. He transitioned seamlessly from triangle choke attempts to armbar attempts, and after a few close calls, Page was saved by the bell in the first round, which ended with him fully locked in a triangle choke.
Damacio Page’s reprieve didn’t last too long though, as in the second round, “Bruce Leroy “ locked in a picture perfect triangle choke, which left Page with no choice but to tap or nap. Alex Caceres has been improving rapidly as of late. He looked great against Cole Escovedo, and would have easily beaten Edwin Figueroa if not for some awful calls from the referee. However, I think that ultimately Caceres will need to join an elite camp to bring his skills to the next level.
In a main card bout, Karlos Vemola faced Francis Carmont, and the Tri-Star product Carmont proved that the hype is real. Carmont controlled the fight wherever it took place, and despite a few wayward guillotine attempts from Vemola, Francis Carmont persevered and secured a tight rear naked choke in the second stanza.
Welterweight kingpin Georges St. Pierre has really taken Carmont under his wing, and when I met the pair in April, GSP had nothing but good things to say about him. The way Francis Carmont has improved from fight to fight is really staggering. Look for him to break into the top ten by years end.
In the night’s main event, Reign Training Center’s Mark Munoz met Team Serra-Longo’s Chris Weidman in a clash to potentially determine the next challenger to Anderson Silva’s middleweight crown, and the outcome couldn’t have been more impressive.
Chris Weidman imposed his will on Munoz from the opening bell, and easily took down fellow 2-time NCAA All-American Mark Munoz. Once the fight hit the canvas, Weidman didn’t give his opponent an inch to move. He passed his guard with ease, and looked effortless in both his transitions to mount and submission attempts.
In the second, Weidman again took his foe down easily, although they would eventually return to their feet. However, for Munoz, that would turn out to be to his detriment, as Chris Weidman slipped a right hook and landed an absolutely perfect counter elbow which left Mark Munoz face first on the canvas, looking like something reminiscent of the way Joe Stevenson looked after his fight with B.J Penn.
After seeing a performance like that one, I can’t help but think that Weidman will be the man to dethrone Silva, but it’s my sincere hope that the UFC first match him up with Vitor Belfort at UFC 153 in Brazil. This will give him a win over another contender, and some much-needed Octagon experience, which will only benefit the hugely-talented rookie.
The Lows
Referee Josh Rosenthal made a big blunder in the main event, as he hesitated to stop the fight , and let Munoz receive numerous unnecessary follow up strikes when he was clearly finished, but to Rosenthal’s credit, it’s the first time in a long time he’s made a bad judgement call.
Debutant Marcelo Guimaraes’s war screams throughout his fight with Dan Stittgen were utterly confusing; for the last 30 seconds of the bout he literally punched and screamed.
All in all, this card was really impressive, and in my opinion it delivered a lot more than the much-hyped UFC 148.
