UFC Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale & Cotto vs. Margarito - Post-Hangover Thoughts

by Brent Brookhouse on Dec 4, 2011 10:46 AM EST in UFC Analysis

Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images

It's never an easy night when you have to cover one show that ends around 1 a.m. ET and then get through a Tivo'ed three hour show. As such, I'm in pretty rough shape this morning.

That being said, I'm also really happy with the action from both the Miguel Cotto vs. Antonio Margarito and Ultimate Fighter 14 Finale. Having had a night, or at least part of a night, to sleep on it, let's go through the events of last night for some thoughts.

Michael Bisping vs. Jason Miller went pretty much exactly as I expected. Bisping hasn't exactly beaten the best fighters in the world, but being active against at least good fighters is a lot better than the two years Miller has gone since fighting Jake Shields.
In the end Bisping is simply a better fighter. He takes a bit to get going sometimes, as was the case last night, but even when Miller was working toward the mount he wasn't ever in danger. Once Mayhem tried to secure it, that's when Bisping felt the trouble and stood up. And in terms of cardio, striking and just general all around fighting ability, Bisping is the better fighter.
Diego Brandao has huge flaws in his game, he wings his strikes so wide that he is easy to counter or take him down, but he is a blast to watch. Dennis Bermudez fought well and took advantage of the ease with which Brandao can be hit, but he left an arm in for just a second and that was all it took. Brandao has a killer instinct that some fighters just never pick up, and that will serve him well in his career.

More thoughts after the jump:

While I believe that size absolutely matters in the fight game, speed can make up for it when the skill levels are close. That's what allows John Dodson to look so good and hurt so many bigger men as he did against T.J. Dillashaw. He's able to get in, hit hard and quickly and then get out of danger if needed. While it'll be interesting to see if Dodson can continue to be as effective against the UFC's 135 pounders. The speed will serve him well, but as the skill level of his competition increases the size may come into play.

Tony Ferguson and Yves Edwards put on a fun fight that saw both men have their moments. I wasn't really scoring the fight as I watched but it seemed clear to me that Edwards had won at least one round. I'm not sure where 30-27 Ferguson comes from, but that's just me. I still have my doubts about Tony's future as he seems like a talented guy who might not always fight up to how talented he truly is.

Like I said in the predictions, the UFC seemed to want Johnny Bedford to stick around and matched him to get that done.

On the HBO pay-per-view boxing card, the fights were interesting but the crowd and announcers actually took away from a fun undercard. During really good fights between Brandon Rios and John Murray as well as Pawel Wolak vs. Delvin Rodriguez, the commentary and production crew spent most of their time talking about the main event and desperately trying to fit in as many shots of Cotto and Margarito backstage as possible. And the crowd was just dead as they were mostly Cotto supporters waiting for the main event.

Mike Jones looked way better than I thought he would against Sebastian Lujan. Lujan is a pressure fighter that breaks guys down over the fight and Jones has had cardio issues in the past. Rather than getting pulled into an ugly fight, he used his size and technique to just outclass Lujan.

Pawel Wolak vs. Delvin Rodriguez 2 was not as good as the first fight but was still very good. Wolak simply can't be in a bad fight and Rodriguez has a good style compliment. Delvin did a really good job of using the keys he figured out in the first fight in the rematch. Understanding when to catch him on the way in, to use uppercuts and hooks and just wear out Wolak.

Brandon Rios looked awful for much of the fight against John Murray. He was sluggish and by the third or fourth round was taking deep sighing breaths. But, despite all his character flaws, he has tremendous heart and guts. Despite clearly being affected by the bad weight situation he just kept punching and punching and took advantage of Murray's tremendously bad defense. It was a decent showing for both men but may have been the best kind of thing Rios could do. Proving the level to which he is willing to go to win. Now, let's just hope that his camp tells him that he is not a lightweight anymore.

Miguel Cotto got his revenge and it's hard to say a lot about. The feeling was always that Margarito was a pretty shot fighter. He has looked tremendously slow since the Mosley situation and for some reason he hasn't been able to hurt anyone with a punch since he was caught with his corner loading his handwraps. Cotto was too good, too fast and too strong for Margarito and blasted away at his bad eye until the doctors were forced to stop it.

One got the feeling when Cotto said that Margarito is now nothing to him, he truly meant it. He's now poised for another huge payday with potential fights against Floyd Mayweather, Manny Pacquiao and Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, while Margarito is reduced to likely being an opponent for someone like Julio Cesar Chavez, Jr. who just need a name opponent they can beat.

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Some were saying on Twitter that Brandao's win may have been a work.

That he tapped the arm he was going to submit, indicating he wanted that arm for the finish.

http://twitter.com/#!/mmaencyclopedia/status/143163611278352384

@scb0212
The Machiavellian.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett

by Scott C. Broussard on Dec 4, 2011 10:39 AM EST reply actions

that's a very serious accusation

perhaps he was trying to get ahold of the arm?

I am willing to test myself against the toughest fighters in the world, in front of hundreds of thousands or even millions of fans, over and over again. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose, but I always come to fight. I've been doing this for the past fourteen years, and I have at least a few more strong years left in me. What have you done in the past fourteen years other than act like a moron on this forum and hang on Anderson's nuts? - Dan Henderson.

by elmojo on Dec 4, 2011 10:51 AM EST up reply actions

Eye roll

Mike Massenzio's left MCL, ACL and PCL
11/01/1982-01/14/2012

by Charles Awad on Dec 4, 2011 11:05 AM EST up reply actions

There is always somebody somewhere crying about a fight being a work. Conspiracy theorists abound, the problem is when people listen to them…

by Empty Thoughts on Dec 4, 2011 11:14 AM EST up reply actions

I’m fairly confident the entire conversation was in jest.

Staff Writer - BloodyElbow.com
Follow me on Twitter: @FCoffeen

by Fraser Coffeen on Dec 4, 2011 1:10 PM EST up reply actions

I was hoping for that, but then he followed up with this:

http://twitter.com/#!/mmaencyclopedia/status/143167162088038400

So I don’t know what to make of it.

@scb0212
The Machiavellian.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett

by Scott C. Broussard on Dec 4, 2011 1:35 PM EST up reply actions

I never understand people who seriously would think this...

This means Dana White and everyone in Zuffa would risk their entire future on promoting MMA events to push Brandao or anyone? It doesn’t make sense.

by ChicagoMMAFan on Dec 4, 2011 2:40 PM EST up reply actions

No way in hell

It’s wrong on so many levels, I don’t even know where to begin.

Who profits? Not the promotion obviously. Is Brandao a little hotter prospect than Bermudez? Arguably. But the risk-reward is not even close to favorable. Scandal that could bring down the whole promotion vs. getting the TUF winner that they supposedly prefer….hmmm

Not Bermudez, who not only loses the tournament he worked so hard to win, but has to put his arm into the clutches of that nutcase Brandao for him to break it.

Brando profits, obviously, but by all accounts he’s poor. No way he can pay Bermudez enough to let him shatter his dreams and his arm in one fell swoop.

Shady characters have a hold on Bermudez? Maybe, but making the underdog take a dive isn’t really a big money winner. And in that case, Brandao wouldn’t have been in on it.

I consider myself a softcore fan.

by Thor77 on Dec 5, 2011 9:58 AM EST up reply actions

For some reason

Seems that when things are even Margarito sucks

TV Journalist Chris Hanson is a cockblocker

by rocket8188 on Dec 4, 2011 10:51 AM EST via mobile reply actions

I just can’t figure out why he’s gone four fights since being caught without seeming like he has nearly as much power!

Managing Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.

by Brent Brookhouse on Dec 4, 2011 11:07 AM EST up reply actions

i love that he keeps losing

he can’t discredit the wraps thing. one of my buddies who is mexican always tell me it’s all lies. i said well how come he can’t win even since they fount out about his gloves. it’s just a fact he was trying to get his edge now that he got fount out. he is older slower and can’t hit as hard. he is a tough guy but he relied on that power it’s gone he is done

by BIGNAT on Dec 4, 2011 11:08 AM EST up reply actions

Hahaha. Cotto looked sick.

by theworldismine on Dec 4, 2011 12:50 PM EST up reply actions

that armbar was so slick

Always Remember, Don't Be A Sucker

by Our Bovine Public on Dec 4, 2011 11:09 AM EST reply actions

I’m not saying the Brandao fight was worked, but I’m glad somebody else brought it up. I thought it looked very fishy when it happened. It was the first UFC fight I’ve ever rewatched because I thought the finish looked fake.

by Droppedatbirth on Dec 4, 2011 11:10 AM EST reply actions

Repost:

@scb0212
The Machiavellian.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett

by Scott C. Broussard on Dec 4, 2011 11:19 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs

that looks pretty normal

Brandao was ready to break off that arm, i think some people are looking into this too much.

by elmojo on Dec 4, 2011 11:22 AM EST up reply actions

i think some people are looking into this too much

I think some people are just idiots.

by Steve4192 on Dec 4, 2011 11:28 AM EST up reply actions 5 recs

rec'd

by ruckus on Dec 4, 2011 11:34 AM EST up reply actions

No kidding

He was clearly badly hurt, getting blasted full bore in the face.. Let’s really sell this!

Give me a break.

Mike Massenzio's left MCL, ACL and PCL
11/01/1982-01/14/2012

by Charles Awad on Dec 4, 2011 11:47 AM EST up reply actions

I don't get it. What's suspicious about this?

Check out the C&D Channel on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/user/Gobusiness123 for MMA reviews, predictions, analysis, and other MMA related content.

by chrisbboy82 on Dec 4, 2011 12:00 PM EST up reply actions

Brandao taps the shoulder of the arm he submits.

Some say it’s evidence of a work – a signal for “Give me this arm!”

@scb0212
The Machiavellian.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett

by Scott C. Broussard on Dec 4, 2011 12:05 PM EST up reply actions

you mean when the guy was flailing his arms around like a maniac after getting dropped by a jab (the staple of professional wrestling)?

by Phildo on Dec 4, 2011 12:14 PM EST up reply actions

Right before Brandao throws his legs around the arms & rolls.

@scb0212
The Machiavellian.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett

by Scott C. Broussard on Dec 4, 2011 12:16 PM EST up reply actions

And brutally hyperextends the arm.

Also a staple of the work. Scott, I don’t know you, but I advise you to quit drinking Snowden juice. It’s unhealthy for the mind.

by Sabate on Dec 4, 2011 12:24 PM EST up reply actions

I don't agree with them, mind you. I'm just recounting the evidence used by him. I think:

1) The punch that flattened Brandao didn’t look fake to me, nor the armbar itself.
2) The UFC would lose far more than it would gain by fixing fights.

@scb0212
The Machiavellian.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett

by Scott C. Broussard on Dec 4, 2011 12:38 PM EST up reply actions

Ah, good to hear.

Fair presentation of an opponents evidence is top form. My sincere apologies for using the S-word with you. It was uncalled for.

by Sabate on Dec 4, 2011 1:37 PM EST up reply actions

Apology accepted.

[sheaths banhammer]

@scb0212
The Machiavellian.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett

by Scott C. Broussard on Dec 4, 2011 1:39 PM EST up reply actions

yes, while he was flailing around rocked.

by Phildo on Dec 4, 2011 12:30 PM EST up reply actions

That seems a bit far-fetched to me.

Check out the C&D Channel on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/user/Gobusiness123 for MMA reviews, predictions, analysis, and other MMA related content.

by chrisbboy82 on Dec 4, 2011 10:14 PM EST up reply actions

That is such a bizarro theory

Why would they work a TUF finale fight? Why would they fix it in favor of the favorite? Why would the guy who’s trying to lose try (almost successfully) to knock out the guy who was supposed to win? Anything can look nefarious in slow motion.

Tatum: I think he's a good man. I like him. I got nothing against him, but I'm definitely gonna make orphans of his children.

by Dave Strummer on Dec 4, 2011 11:40 AM EST up reply actions

Honest question here...

have you ever been trapped in a deep armbar, with no base under you? Happened to me in my first ever BJJ match, and I also tapped before we finished rolling over. Sometimes you just know that your elbow is about to pop.

"If you think, you're late. If you're late, you muscle. If you muscle, you get tired. If you tired, you die. When you die is when you tap..."
-Saulo Ribeiro

by sklart on Dec 4, 2011 12:05 PM EST up reply actions

That gif doesn’t show the suspicious part.

by Droppedatbirth on Dec 4, 2011 11:45 AM EST reply actions

NO KIDDING

It shows a guy almost get his arm ripped off.

Mike Massenzio's left MCL, ACL and PCL
11/01/1982-01/14/2012

by Charles Awad on Dec 4, 2011 11:48 AM EST up reply actions 1 recs

so what is the suspicious part, where the guy who wins is beating up the guy who loses? Very suspicious, I’ve never seen that before in mma.

by Phildo on Dec 4, 2011 11:56 AM EST up reply actions

You pretty much exactly expected Miller to gas in the first? Because you’d be the only one.

by mcgriff on Dec 4, 2011 12:07 PM EST reply actions

This.

Mayhem has shown plenty of flaws in previous fights, but gassing isn’t one of them.

by Sabate on Dec 4, 2011 12:25 PM EST up reply actions

i wouldnt say i predicted Miller would gas in the 1st

but i did think he blew his load in the first, i was surprised that Bsping didnt counter his wild haymakers, or whatever he would call those.. mayhem seriously needs to focus next time on his incage work and not his entrance and other distractions.

Watching his fight journal there were times were it looked like he was facing the executioner squad.

by elmojo on Dec 4, 2011 12:43 PM EST up reply actions

Bisping is a great striker when pressing the action, but has trouble going backwards and counterstriking. That’s why Wandy was able to beat him, despite being much more of a brawler.

by discoandherpes on Dec 4, 2011 12:52 PM EST up reply actions

Sabate, I respectfully disagree

And I use the Shields vs MIller fight as my point of reference.

by JAYGK95 on Dec 4, 2011 12:58 PM EST via mobile up reply actions

I'll have to go back and watch it.

But I don’t recall Miller’s fatigue there being anywhere close to his gas attack with the Bisping fight.

I want to be clear, contra Brookhouse’s increasingly perturbed assertions, that I am not asserting that Bisping would have lost the fight. Minus the ground components in the first round, Bisping outclassed Mayhem on the feet. I would say that Bisping would win a rematch against a Mayhem with sturdy cardio.

But to say that unusually poor cardio didn’t contribute to Mayhem’s extraordinarily poor performance is silly.

by Sabate on Dec 4, 2011 1:36 PM EST up reply actions

Yeah who was seriously predicting he would look THAT bad?

Give me a break, this is some revisionist history BS.

by Democritus on Dec 4, 2011 1:03 PM EST up reply actions

I thought the ring rust would cause Miller to gas and then Bisping would finish him in the 3rd. :)

Staff Writer - BloodyElbow.com
Follow me on Twitter: @FCoffeen

by Fraser Coffeen on Dec 4, 2011 1:12 PM EST up reply actions

I name you chopadamus.

by Sabate on Dec 4, 2011 1:39 PM EST up reply actions

Those 30-27 scores for Ferguson were pretty appalling

I thought Yves took the last two rounds, he at least got one of them.

by lolumad on Dec 4, 2011 12:13 PM EST reply actions

lolumad?

If your wife owes money to Jackie Treehorn... that means you owe money to Jackie Treehorn.

by John Danaher's Hair on Dec 4, 2011 12:25 PM EST up reply actions 2 recs

I ain't even mad.

Or I wasn’t, rather. Too drunk.

by lolumad on Dec 4, 2011 5:30 PM EST up reply actions

Tony Ferguson

I wouldn’t get down on Tony’s future yet. He is still a prospect and had a nice showing against a grizzled vet. It’s obvious that the ability is there, IMO the biggest thing he needs to do is learn how to better mix in his wrestling with his striking. Yves did a good job of keeping distance and staying away from that nasty uppercut Tony throws. If Tony went for more takedowns it would probably benefit his stand up as well by keeping opponents off balance. I think this fight will end up being a good learning experience for Tony.

by Pillowhands on Dec 4, 2011 12:34 PM EST reply actions

If there's any fight that might be worked

It’s a TUF Finale between two guys they’d have kept anyway.

I respect your opinion even though it's wrong.

by SSreporters on Dec 4, 2011 1:23 PM EST reply actions 1 recs

I love how you don’t even have the slightest clue why two fighters would fix a fight. Some of you are consistently hilarious.

The MMA Encyclopedia. Shooters: Pro Wrestling's Real Life Tough Guys Coming Soon!

by Jonathan Snowden on Dec 4, 2011 1:48 PM EST up reply actions

Fill us in, then?

Do you think it was fixed? If so, why? What was to be gained?

@scb0212
The Machiavellian.
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett

by Scott C. Broussard on Dec 4, 2011 1:53 PM EST up reply actions

Snowden is suggesting

That they fixed the fighters may have fixed the fight without letting the UFC know. Probably so they could get paid, which is why everybody fixes a fight.

Read: Toblerone Jones

by Neil Manich on Dec 4, 2011 3:37 PM EST up reply actions