Next Monday we’ll turn another page on the calendar and be into the second half of 2013. Crazy, right?
The previous three months have sailed by just as quickly as the initial three months did, with another eight events coming and going, bringing our annual total to 15 through the first six months of the year.
Just as we did with the first quarter of the UFC fight calendar, it’s time to run back the best of the best from April, May, and June by handing out some hardware for Fight, Submission, and Knockout of the Month.
Here’s a look back at the second quarter of the UFC year.
April
Fight of the Month: Cat Zingano d. Miesha Tate, TUF 17 Finale
There was a lot at stake in this one and both ladies brought it when they stepped into the cage in Las Vegas, stealing the show and pairing off to put forth the best fight of the month.
Tate earned the nod in each of the first two rounds, but they were both close, with Zingano showing she belonged on the biggest stage in the sport and inside the cage with the former Strikeforce champion. In the third the unbeaten Zingano poured on the offence, opening up with knees and elbows that put Tate on the canvas, prompting the referee to step in and wave things off.
The victory was scheduled to come with a coaching position on TUF 18 opposite Ronda Rousey and an eventual shot at the UFC women’s bantamweight champion, but unfortunately, Zingano blew out her knee. Tate was tabbed to replace her, and reports are that things between the coaches are pretty dramatic.
Knockout of the Month: Yoel Romero KO’s Clifford Starks, UFC on FOX 7
A former Olympic wrestler, Romero entered his UFC debut with little fanfare and a pairing with Starks as the opening bout of the UFC on FOX 7 fight card wasn’t expected to garner much recognition.
The Cuban middleweight made sure people talked about his inaugural Octagon appearance though, blasting Starks with a perfectly timed jumping knee right as he dipped to look for a takedown.
Though too old to be considered a true prospect (he’s 36), Romero is a world-class athlete who is still just learning how to put things together in the cage. Working with Ricardo Liborio and the crew at American Top Team, the 2000 Sydney Games silver medalist is a late bloomer worth keeping tabs on.
Submission of the Month: Diego Brandao’s arm triangle choke, UFC on Fuel TV 9
I know what you’re thinking: Brandao didn’t even win Submission of the Night honours on April’s fight card at the Ericsson Globe Arena in Stockholm, Sweden. Reza Madadi took home the bonus cheque, but I still favour the former Ultimate Fighter winner’s impressive finish of Pablo Garza.
Brandao always showed flashes of potential, but he also had moments where he looked like he could be a highly talented flame out too. This outing, his third since beating Dennis Bermudez in Season 14’s featherweight finale, was by far his best to date.
The Team Jackson-Winkeljohn product took Garza down with force, softened him up with strikes, found the hold and quickly transitioned to the finish. It was a swift, technical, tactical finish that showed his vast upside, and the kind of performance you might look back on in a year as the moment the prospect started to blossom into a contender.
Additional thoughts: Conor McGregor showed the hype is real … Gegard Mousasi is a talented enigma … Team Alpha Male had a great month … Myles Jury looks like a potential contender … Benson Henderson keeps winning close fights … We see you Sara McMann … Rustam Khabilov, again … Bones keeps rolling, mangled toe and all…
May
Fight of the Month: Junior dos Santos d. Mark Hunt, UFC 160
Typically speaking, when heavyweight fights go beyond the second round, they tend to turn into ugly affairs — two exhausted behemoths battling the lactic acid build-up in their limbs.
While this wasn’t a spirited back-and-forth fight for the full 15 minutes like the lighter weight classes team up to deliver, dos Santos and Hunt were still slinging leather in the third, and then “Cigano” connected with a spinning heel kick that spelled the end for the cult hero Hunt.
A week after Vitor Belfort landed a similar kick on Luke Rockhold, the Brazilian heavyweight broke it out as the exclamation point on an entertaining tilt with The Super Samoan.
Knockout of the Month: Vitor Belfort’s KO’s Luke Rockhold, UFC on FX 8
Belfort becomes our first double-award winner, following up his first quarter knockout win over Michael Bisping with an even more impressive finish of former Strikeforce middleweight champ Rockhold.
Set aside your TRT objections for a moment and just enjoy the speed, power and technique of this kick. For the second time this year, Belfort iced a legitimate contender, putting himself back in the title conversation in the process.
Now we just have to wait and see if Belfort can collect a third victory — and third quarterly award — before the year is up.
Submission of the Month: “Jacare” taps Chris Camozzi, UFC on FX 8
Ronaldo Souza showed the UFC audience getting their first exposure to him why he’s considered an immediate contender in the middleweight division in his Octagon debut.
“Jacare” brought Chris Camozzi’s four-fight winning streak to a screeching halt one fight before Belfort finished Rockhold, putting the one-time Ultimate Fighter hopeful to sleep with a textbook arm-triangle choke. The victory was Souza’s third consecutive first-round finish and his fourth straight win overall. Though his name isn’t immediately brought up in title discussions, Souza is very much in the mix in the 185-pound ranks.
Additional thoughts: More people need to be talking about Yuri Alcantara … Francisco Trinaldo needs to be facing better competition … Free Nik Lentz … What the hell happened to Brian Bowles … Khabib Nurmagomedov is the Mayor of Takedown City … TJ Grant is a beast at ’55 … 19 and counting…
June
Fight of the Month: James Krause d. Sam Stout, UFC 161
“The James Krause” made the most of his UFC debut, earning a third-round finish over the notoriously tough to put away Canadian, netting $100,000 in bons money for his time. Not bad for a night’s work.
Krause and Stout teamed for easily the most entertaining fight of the month and a fight that should find its way to year-end lists as well. The lightweights traded clean, technical strikes throughout the nearly 15-minute affair, with the newcomer getting the better of things more often than naught.
Some UFC neophytes would fade in the final round of a close bout with an experienced competitor like Stout, but not only did Kruase stand his ground, he kept looking for the finish and got it when he forced Hands of Stone to tap with just 13 seconds left in the contest.
Knockout of the Month: Shawn Jordan KO’s Pat Barry, UFC 161
Of the 23 fights that took place in June, only three were ended by knockout, making the choice for this honour fairly easy.
Jordan needed just under one minute to finish off his fellow Louisiana native, rocking Barry with a big uppercut out of the gate and putting him away with piston-like left hands along the cage. After a primal scream in celebration, The Savage once again stuck a standing backflip.
It was another strong showing for the former LSU fullback, who has now won three of four inside the Octagon and officially washed off the last of the stink from his UFC 149 loss to Cheick Kongo.
Submission of the Month: Antonio Braga Neto catches Anthony Smith, UFC on Fuel TV 10
Neto showed how beautiful and painful high level jiu-jitsu can be in his UFC debut, dragging Smith to the canvas early before quickly taking his back and giving up a heel hook in order to finish with a nasty kneebar.
This was one of those “it all happened so quickly” exchanges that you had to watch again to truly appreciate the expertise Neto showed in flowing with Smith to catch the finishing hold; it was beautiful, and reminiscent of how dominant Demian Maia was on the ground when he first arrived in the UFC.
Additional Thoughts: Raphael Assuncao is a contender at bantamweight … Rony Jason is getting more impressive every time out … Erick Silva is still a legit prospect … Welcome back, Thiago Silva … Fabricio Werdum deserves a shot … Dustin Pague got hosed … MFC Ryan Jimmo showed up in Winnipeg … Stipe Miocic looked real good … Don’t think there is much left in the tank for Rashad Evans or Dan Henderson…