Not a very impressive performance for Werdum or Overeem. The winner of this fight was Cain Velasquez and Junior Dos Santos

 

Here's one thing that I always find funny about Joe Rogan. More often than not, he has a tendency to be dead on when it comes to this sport. Well, maybe that's not true, but I often times prefer hearing what he has to say about the sport as opposed to some of the bloggers out there. I found this quote to be particularly accurate (in my opinion, anyway), so I figured I'd discuss it a bit while I've got some downtime here at work.

(Note: This post has a 25% chance to piss off Memitim and anyone who dislikes me in general)

More often than not, I don't really understand rankings, especially when it comes down to the Heavyweight rankings. My theory for why they can be devoid of common sense is because Fedor Emelianenko is a Heavyweight, and many MMA bloggers and fanboys go fucking bonkers whenever they see his name. You'd think he's the Justin Bieber of MMA or something. Anyway, the most comical ranking I've seen as of late had to have been Fabricio Werdum being ranked number two on several MMA sites, and I believe he held that spot on the USA Today/SB Nation rankings as well. You know, the same Fabricio Werdum who had this happen to him:

via i160.photobucket.com

Also, before you go "If Werdum would have connected, he would have hurt JDS!" No, he wouldn't. Anyone who knows anything about striking can tell you that Werdum is throwing a lazy overhand with no power behind it, and his form is off. In fact, he made three mistakes here, all of which I think show that he's not that deserving of a high ranking in any worthwhile ranking system.

1. Came in fat.

2. Had awful striking technique while striking with a striker

3. Took his opponent lightly, making him a bit of a doofus in hindsight.

But, for a moment, I'll give the Brazilian the benefit of the doubt. Tonight, did he perform like the second best heavyweight in the world? No. He was dropped, would flop to his butt every time a small breeze came past him, and generally turned in a terrible effort. His strikes? Pathetic and without power. His attempts at takedowns? Not very good. Werdum simply didn't show up for this fight, and lost a decision. In fact, I think the person who scored it 29-28 is off. At the beginning of round 3, Werdum looked tired, and he looked a little out of it, like he had taken quite a few too many blows.

Of course, Overeem didn't look that great either, but he's also someone who has set some lofty expectations for himself. Since bulking up, he's rarely had a fight that goes to decision in either K-1 or MMA. In fact, all of his MMA fights may have been finishes since his permanent move to heavyweight. As fans, we expect his Herculean monster to come out and destroy everyone until he faces down Cain Velasquez and we get a massive battle. Instead, we get a bad night from Alistair as well. He clearly won, but he can do better.

Any way you slice it, this was by no means a fight that would determine the number one heavyweight in the world.

That is where Rogan understands how things should honestly work. If you're a top name prospect and you lose to someone that's supposed to be beneath your level, you should drop quite a bit in the rankings. Also, those who make rankings may want to keep past bouts in consideration when making those rankings. If people had remembered Werdum had dropped fights to Big Nog and JDS, maybe things would be a bit more sensible. Or maybe not. Either way, there is one thing for certain:

The reason Rogan is dead on is because there will be no debate after the proverbial dust settles when JDS and Cain fight. After that bout, either Cain Velasquez or Junior Dos Santos will be the best heavyweight in the world, bar none.

On the other hand, the winner may be destined to face down whoever wins this tournament.

Fuck M-1 Global, btw

-Micah C