UGer wraps up UFC 192

UGer Powerful DJH, known in some circles as Dan Hughes, has a confession to make. Before UFC 192 even started, he had the opening of the recap story written.

He was going to write something along the lines of “There is a guy in New Mexico with a ankle bracelet that has proven he can beat every contender or champion at light heavyweight, so this belt means less.”

However, during the back and forth action that took place in the main event, Jon Jones never crossed his mind. Instead he sat on the edge of his seat as the two traded big takedowns and brutal clinch strikes at a tireless pace, in a fight that became an instant classic

Jon Jones had loomed over the division, but after Saturday’s main event, however much he looms, it’s less. So here is Powerful DJH‘s recap.

In the end Cormier got the nod by split decision and retained the light heavyweight championship. DC showed resolve and grit, surviving being dropped mid fight and a near finish with a knee, only to continue to press forward and punish until the final bell. My heart can’t help but go out for Gustafsson, who has lost two razor-thin decisions in each of his two attempts fighting for the title. Hopefully his head is held high, as both fights will go down in MMA history.

The rest of the main card did not leave too much to write about.

Ryan Bader continues to improve, winning a unanimous decision over Rashad Evans. After not fighting for almost two years Evans looked like, well, like he hadn’t fought in almost two years. Is a title shot next for Bader?

Ruslan Magomedov and Joe Benavidez both won by decision, and both were greeted with boos from the Houston crowd.

Juliana Pena looks to be next in line for Ronda after a dominant win over Eye. She helped her cause saying post fight “Dana calls Ronda Mike Tyson, well I’m her Holyfield.” With that kind of performance and mic skills there could be a title shot sooner than later.

The preliminary fights were pure electricity and we got a glimpse into the future of the UFC.

Sergio Pettis had his best performance in his short career in the Octagon, beating the former title challenger Chris Cariaso. Adriano Martins scored a beautiful first round KO, handing the previous undefeated Islam Makhachev his first loss. Martins has won nine of his last ten, with his only loss coming to Cerrone. Expect a step up in competition. T

he UG’s own Rose Namajunas rebounded from back to back losses with a beautiful submission win over the dangerous Angela Hill in an exciting scrap. Top to bottom the prelims delivered but there were a few fighters in particular that really stood out.

Yair Rodriguez fought and won a highly entertaining bout against another top prospect in Hooker. Yair showed cartwheel kicks, 360 round houses and some tricky Guard play. I think Yair is officially a star.

At 23 years old, Albert Tumenov showed smooth boxing and killer instinct finishing the highly touted Alan Jouban in the first round with a violent barrage. He is a dangerous prospect who should make waves at welterweight,even in the ranks.

And Last but not least is the real life Ken Doll, the badass Zach Morris, Sage Northcutt. He took advantage of a early slip and showed killer instinct and a diverse attack, switching from punches to the takedown to the finishing ground and pound. He also showed off some remarkable athleticism with his post-fight acrobatics. There is a ton of hype behind the 19 year old, but so far it looks warranted.

Overall UFC 192 was an entertaining card. We got to see a selection of the UFC’s hottest prospects shine, and a main event that was a classic. One day Jon Jones will be back and all will be square in the light heavyweight division, but tonight let’s give the reigning, defending champion Daniel Cormier his due praise.

He fought his ass off for it.

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