Evan Dunham was robbed of a decision the same weekend yours truly was taking a judges course in T.O.
It was a memorable weekend for yours truly, as it was filled with exceptional MMA events, as well as an experience that I won't soon forget. As the sport of mixed martial arts continues to evolve on a global scale, I was lucky enough to see it happen in my own province, with the first wave of judges being certified in Ontario.
Legendary MMA Referee and Pioneer, Big John McCarthy brought his C.O.M.M.A.N.D. course to the city of Toronto, where a variety of participants got a taste of how difficult it truly is, to pass. Without proper preparation, no amount of MMA knowledge and experience can guarantee you certification.
Two long days of intensive education and discussion culminated with three tests on the final day to prove "would-be judges" could name over 100 different MMA techniques, positions, takedowns, reversals, sweeps and submissions, a written test on the Unified Rules of MMA, and how they pertain to judging, as well as a practical exam, whereby all of your newfound knowledge had you test an obscure MMA bout from an even more obscure promotion. The bout was as close as one could imagine, but there was only ONE result, one winner, and only one way the scorecards should have read.
In the coming days, I will post a video of my experience, as well as whether I joined the small percentage of those who actually became certified. I passed Big John's Refereeing course, so to be dually certified as a Judge as well would be a great personal accomplishment.
One bonus from this weekend's course was that it fell on the same weekend as UFC 119: Mir vs Cro Cop. Many of us were lucky enough to watch the show with John, his wife Elaine, Assistant Instructor Jerin Valel as well as River Cree Athletic Commissioner (and high standing member of the Association of Boxing Commissions) Dale Kliparchuk.
The event was labeled by a segment of the MMA fan base as "garbage" and not worthy of ordering. My experience has taught me that these types of descriptions usually mean I'm in for a great night of fights. These insulting remarks by the fan base usually rile up the fighters, who want to prove that offending them in this manner, just means their opponent will pay. With the exception of the main event that is.
What we saw from Frank Mir was an anomaly. He is generally a guy who works for the finish, and while he did land a knockout blow on Mirko (Cro Cop) Filipovic, it came after a rather lethargic performance by both guys for over two-and-a-half rounds. While it was the only knockout of the evening, the UFC sent a message to Mir by not giving him the "Knockout of the Night" bonus. Mir could have been $70K richer today, but instead, is going to be reviewing how and why he performed the way he did.
Many are calling for a rematch with Shane Carwin while I'd like to see him face his original opponent Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Problem is, Big Nog will be out until mid-2011, so Mir's options can also include Roy Nelson and Gabriel Gonzaga.
As for Cro Cop, he's now 4-4 in the UFC. He's defeated Pat Barry, Anthony Perosh, Mostapha Al-Turk and Eddie Sanchez, none of whom are in the Heavyweight Top 25. He's now lost to Mir, Junior dos Santos, Cheick Kongo and Gabriel Gonzaga, all guys who are in the Top 15. What's evident here is the MMA legend can no longer defeat the upper echelon of the division. Seems to me, the ship has sailed for the Croatian (although he recently stated he will continue to fight, at minimum, two more times).
The UFC 119 co-main event saw the evolution of Ryan (Darth) Bader, who defeated Antonio Rogerio Nogueira. Bader will likely face Jon (Bones) Jones next, a fight he can definitely win. Jones is, and will be the heavy favourite, but Bader can surprise the odds makers, if he can use his wrestling to take Jones down, keep him on his back, and work for a TKO stoppage or judges decision. Any other way favours "Bones."
As for Lil Nog, future options for his next opponent include Rich Franklin and Randy Couture. Personally, I'd like to see him face Tito Ortiz (should Tito defeat Matt Hamill at UFC 121 next month).
The most disappointing story from UFC 119 was the terrible judges' decision to award Sean Sherk the victory over Evan Dunahm. That was complete robbery. Dunham won that bout, no ifs, ands or buts, and in my own personal rankings, he moves up a spot. I believe he "defeated" a former UFC champ, and thus deserves to be rewarded.
While Sherk proved he can hang with the young lions of the division, I'd like to see a rematch. If not, Kenny Florian is a good test for Dunham, while Sherk vs. Gomi would make for a great lightweight showdown.
The welterweight battle between Matt Serra and Chris Lytle was frustrating to watch. Serra's chances of defeating Lytle on the ground are far higher than beating up Chris in the stand-up realm. Why he elected to go for the riskier win, in the name of an exciting bout, is unfortunate for his MMA record: which now shows the result of that strategy.
The opening bout of the broadcast between Melvin Guillard and Jeremy Stephens showed that Guillard, when he wants it, still has it. He's with Greg Jackson now, so we should continue to see him reach his potential, but as for Stephens, his game plan was suspect. As I said on last week's episode of MMA Connected, there is no point in standing with Guillard. His weakness is the ground game, so why play with fire, and stand and trade with him?
As seen on Rogers Sportsnet, C.B. Dollaway proved me wrong. I firmly believed he had no shot at submitting Joe Doerksen, and my goodness was I wrong. His modified guillotine had the Canadian trapped with next to no option for escape. Also on the network was the evolution of Matt Mitrione, who continues to improve his MMA game, by taking out the slugging "Mexicutioner" Joey Beltran.
Two other bouts were shown on free TV as well, as Sean McCorkle broke Mark Hunt's arm in 63 seconds, while Thiago Tavares defeated Pat Audinwood with a guillotine in the first. It remains to be seen how far the undefeated McCorkle can go in the UFC's heavyweight division, while Tavares' victory over Audinwood doesn't do much for the Florianópolis, Brazil, native. He has never reached his potential, especially after many of us were blown away in 2007, when he defeated the rough and rugged Jason Black in his UFC debut.
The rest of the card saw Cole Harbour, N.S.'s T.J. Grant return to the winning column with a decision victory over Julio Paulino, while Waylon Lowe defeated Steve Lopez via split decision.
Misc. MMA News and Notes
-- If you are in Montreal this weekend, be sure to check out the Paradise Warrior Retreat at Tristar Gym in Montreal. You'll get chance to learn from various MMA royalty like Jon Jones, Rashad Evans, Greg Jackson, Kenny Florian, John Danaher, Phil Nurse and Firas Zahabi.
-- One of Chael Sonnen's trainers, Xtreme Couture's Neil Melanson, sides with Sonnen regarding his positive test for a PED, while the rest of the fighters from the gym are on the opposite end of the spectrum -- some want a zero tolerance policy.
-- At the end of his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan, Matt Mitrione fired his agent Malki Kawa, who also represents the likes of Jon Jones and Thiago Alves. Seems there was a mixup in communication.
-- MMA Payout has published the final piece in a series of articles depicting who is the UFC's biggest draw.
