How good was John Lineker vs. John Dodson? The first two rounds saw both guys really look to find their mark, but the third round came about and they really opened up. It was hot fire from them on. The main event of UFC Fight Night 96 delivered on every level possible, even if Portland fans weren't amused by Dodson's circling. How many times do you see fights like that?
In the end, Lineker won a split decision and called out Dominick Cruz. I personally had Dodson winning, because he landed a bunch more strikes on the inside. Lineker's wild style is judge-friendly though, and Dodson's circling may have hurt him a bit. Still, I'd watch these guys fight all day. The huge shots, the trading in the pocket, Lineker's dance, Dodson's monster head kicks - I loved it. Fights like that are why I love this sport so much.
- Will Brooks apparently popped a rib early in his bout with Alex Oliveira, and it compromised him. While he was very competitive for two rounds, Oliveira took over in the third and stopped him with strikes. What happened after the fight was more noteworthy than the fight itself - when Oliveira got up after the ref stopped in, he crotch-chopped Brooks and had something to say. Brooks was very unhappy, chucking his mouthpiece at him.
- Now, there's two ways to look at it - one is that Oliveira missed weight, was unprofessional, and Brooks had every right to be mad. The other is more of a bigger picture thing - Will Brooks talks a lot of smack. He did it yesterday again at the weigh-in. Oliveira felt disrespected, and he finished a man that had said some nasty stuff to him. So he reacted. Oliveira apologized in his post-fight speech, and he has never been a guy to run his mouth. Basically, I see it like this - maybe Brooks shouldn't talk so much. Then things like that won't happen to him. I realize everyone might not agree with that, but I believe it to be true. Brooks is not the innocent party he's being made out to be by some.
- Also, Daniel Cormier - DC, I like the job you're doing as an announcer so far. I really do. But you're doing yourself a disservice by saying you'd do the same thing as Brooks did there.
- Zak Ottow picked up a win over a name in his UFC debut, but the fight was hardly captivating. Josh Burkman seems to have regressed since his return to the UFC, and I'm not sure why he keeps getting main card spots.
- Brandon Moreno gave fans their feelgood moment of the night in the main card opener. The 22-year-old choked ranked fighter Louis Smolka out in two minutes, then seemed surprised he did it. His post-fight interview was great - "What can I say, I'm Mexican!" He's going to be a very popular fighter if he keeps up the big wins.
- Luis Henrique certainly fits his nickname (Frankenstein). He just plods forward with power strikes and doesn't care if he gets hit. With that being said, the armbar finish was a thing of beauty, and he's clearly got some grappling chops too.
- Andre Fili looked amazing tonight. Hacran Dias is no joke, and he was all over him from the start. The counter shot he dropped him with was a thing of beauty, as was the lateral drop at the end of the second round. I actually thought Dias had a very good second despite some hiccups - it was pretty dead even in my eyes, and I leaned Dias. Hacran clearly won the third, and I thought there was a case for giving him the fight. I'm not exactly going to defend it to any extent though. Nonetheless, Fili picked up the biggest win of his career and looked great doing it.
- Shamil Abdurakhimov and Walt Harris did not put on a good fight. Harris was overly timid, and Abdurakhimov just went with his usual half-strength attack. He won with volume, but it wasn't pretty.
- Elizeu Zaleski sure hits hard. A few of the shots he clubbed Keita Nakamura with would have knocked out 95% of the people in his division. But Nakamura took it, and controlled large portions of the fight with his formidable grappling. Zaleski got taken down again in the third, but popped up with a huge belly-to-back suplex and nearly finished the fight with an arm triangle choke. Then Nakamura took over. Then Zaleski started clubbing him again. It was a great back-and-forth fight that deserves a bonus, with Zaleski managing to come out on top.
- The Fight Pass fights weren't too bad after the opener. Nate Marquardt really wasn't doing a lot in his fight with Tamdan McCrory, but he gave us one of the best chicken legs moments of the year when he hit McCrory with a right hook. The Barn Cat stayed on his feet - until he got clubbed by a left high kick that knocked him out. Pretty memorable moment. Ion Cutelaba and Jonathan Wilson was a pretty exciting fight, with a ton of action from both sides and one of the worst cup checks you'll see this year. At least there was no dry heaving like the last time the UFC came to Portland. Curtis Blaydes is a raw talent, but he hits hard and has pretty good wrestling. That was enough to stop Cody East in the second round. The opening bout between Ketlen Vieira and Kelly Faszholz..well, it happened. I'll leave it at that.