Gateway to the future

Omaha, Nebraska may be referred to as "The Gateway to the West," but post UFC Live: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger, we will all look back and see the event held in that city Wednesday as a pivotal event that showcased "The UFC's Gateway to the Future," both inside and outside of the Octagon.

Heading into the main event between welterweight contenders Diego Sanchez and Jake Ellenberger, anyone who didn't predict their fight was going to be a great one is likely reassessing their analytics (internally and externally). Not only did the fight live up to its billing, it exceeded it, becoming an early candidate for "Fight of the Year."

"The Juggernaut" showcased an improved, cerebral skillset, akin to what Georges St-Pierre has been displaying for years. Jake's marked improvements in his footwork, striking, counter-attacks, and offensive selection was a sight to behold. He consistently beat Sanchez to the punch, and scored takedowns after convincing Diego they were in a stand-up battle.

For his part, Sanchez appeared somewhat possessed and on a mission as he made his way to the Octagon, and it showed.

His warrior spirit has once again placed himself in a class where not many preside. There are only but a handful of fighters that can take a physical beating (often worse mentally) than he can, yet still have the fortitude to keep pressing forward until the final bell. Like Randy Couture, Mauricio Rua and Frankie Edgar, as long as Sanchez is awake, he is still in the fight.

His comeback in the third round was a mixture of heart, and the obvious fact that Ellenberger's wheels fell off the tracks. It also showcased the one weakness in Jake's arsenal.

Ellenberger's cardio appeared fine; that is, until he was forced to deal with Sanchez' rhythm. That took away his stamina, and it nearly cost him the fight, but it should be noted that Jake showed his own form of warrior sprit, surviving the resurging Sanchez en route to earning the three-round unanimous judges' decision.

Enter social media

Shortly thereafter, cries of "five rounds" began emanating from the social media world, with many vehemently espousing the belief that "IF" it was in fact a five-rounder, Sanchez would have won. They are wrong, at least partially.

Ellenberger and Sanchez both trained for three rounds, not five rounds. If it was scheduled as a five-rounder, then Ellenberger's cardio would have likely been much better than what we saw last night. Perhaps he would have fatigued in the fifth round, as opposed to the third, but either way, without allowing either of them the right to train for a five-round fight, we cannot prejudge an outcome based on fiction.

Perhaps the Green Bay Packers would have defeated the New York Giants if their game was scheduled for five quarters. Or maybe the Edmonton Oilers would have defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs if there were five periods in their game. Or Benfica would have defeated Zenit in Champions League play if the game was scheduled for 120 minutes and not 90 minutes.

Bottom line: the main event was a three-rounder, and both guys trained for three rounds, not five rounds.

On a side note, a frustrated UFC president Dana White made it official after the show: Moving forward, all main events are going to be scheduled for five rounds.

Look in the mirror

There was also another portion of the online crowd ripping into Sanchez's post-fight interview, where he shared the news of his ankle injury leading up to the fight.

"Excuses" and "sore loser" were some of the comments I read. Truth be told, I shook my head and laughed internally, disappointed at the mindset people have that mixed martial artists are robots, and should be fine tuned to be at 100 per cent when they step into the cage. He gave it is all, and his emotional mindset afterwards paved the way for his sincere diatribe.

Having been privy to being inside many gyms over my career, I've witnessed first-hand many elite fighters getting injured during training. I would then often wonder what they will go through, now knowing that a fight is weeks away, and the rest of the training camp will be conducted at far less than 100 per cent efficiency.

In a somewhat laymen’s terms, if you've ever called in sick to work, or not showed up to class because you were not feeling 100 per cent, then criticizing Sanchez is somewhat laughable. Diego showed up, injured, and was somewhat apologizing for his performance. Yet many people act as if they cannot sympathize with his plight. As opposed to realizing they have actually walked in similar shoes, they chose to balk at his words, while forgetting they have been there many times in their own past.

The future of UFC broadcasts

As you heard during last week's broadcast of "The Showdown," I broke down some judging criteria that many simply were not aware of. Along with stats like "Strikes Thrown" and "Strikes Landed", there was a basic explanation of "Clock Management" and "Time of Dominance." This refers to a moving scale, whereby scoring of a round contains a percentage of who dominated the round and which fighter had the scale tipped in their favour when the five minutes were up.

Last night during the broadcast, the UFC began showcasing some of these stats, and hopefully, moving forward, they can perfect this, so fans can get a better glimpse (numerically) as to who won the previous round. It's long overdue and paints an exceptional picture for what truly happened in a round.

Another item I liked was the change in the standard pre-fight interview. Specifically, the Sanchez explanation of what went wrong with his career was the exact, inside look the UFC should be showcasing when promoting their athletes.

It takes me back to when I first pitched "UFC Central" (then "MMA Connected") to Sportsnet. Part of my theory was simple: we already know they are fighters, but who are they as people. How can fans and viewers relate to them? What is their story? That glimpse into Diego describing his demons from the past was television gold.

Highlights from the rest of the card

-- Not sure I understand why Dave Herman went polar opposite from his clean-cut look, but that means nothing, considering Stefan Struve pulled off a great comeback, after starting slow and losing the first round to the man formerly known as "Pee Wee."

-- I've said it before and I'll say it again. I stopped trying to figure out Aaron Simpson a few fights ago. I never know what to expect from him. He is so talented that when he loses, I'm seriously baffled. And this should take nothing away from Ronny Markes' comeback. He was in serious trouble, and rebounded to win. His heart and will to win is seriously impressive for a 23-year-old. Keep an eye on this kid.

-- Heavyweight MMA often brings out the best and worst of mixed martial arts. The 43-second victory by Stipe Miocic over Phil De Fries quite frankly put a smile on my face, from ear to ear. It was simply a good old-fashioned donnybrook.

-- On paper, and based on what I've seen from both guys on tape, I figured Walel Watson would squeak out a decision victory over T.J. Dillashaw. I'm actually glad I was wrong, as T.J.'s performance was outstanding. He beat a tough guy, and did so convincingly. (Yet the online critics bashed him for not finishing Walel -- serious comedy right there.)

-- Canada's top bantamweight Ivan Menjivar was all but done in his fight vs. John Albert, yet he rebounded and pulled off the rear naked choke comeback victory. The cherry on the cake for the old-school fan base was when Ivan stated post-fight that while he was in trouble, he drew inspiration from former Pride veteran Kazushi Sakuraba and thought, "What would Sakuraba do here?" Classic stuff from "The Pride of El Salvador," who after being wrongfully terminated from his full-time job, earned an extra $50,000 with a submission of the night bonus.

-- I did not think Jonathan Brookins had that type of power in his fists. I figured he and Vagner Rocha would go the distance, with neither guy having the skillset to pull off the victory. Ninety-two seconds into the fight, Brookins' fists proved otherwise.

Don't forget, if you want to talk UFC: Sanchez vs. Ellenberger and more from the world of mixed martial arts, you can do so every Thursday night, at 9 p.m. ET on "The Showdown" on Sportsnet 590 The Fan.