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LOOKING AT UFC 92

Back in December 2006, Forrest Griffin wasn’t looking much like a champion. The former winner of The Ultimate Fighter reality show was on his back at UFC 66, eating bombs from a Season 2 TUF veteran now training in Albuquerque, his head bouncing off the mat repeatedly before the referee stepped in to stop the fight.

Fast-forward almost exactly two years to the day, and it looks like the more things change, the more they stay the same.

The scrappy Griffin is today every bit the gritty warrior he was two years ago, when he was pounded out by Keith Jardine, but in the waning days of 2008, not looking much like a champion means so much more than it did 24 months earlier. In interviews leading up to his bout with Rashad Evans, Griffin said a fighter can’t be considered a champion until he has successfully defended his title. So, in the wake of UFC 92, it is safe to say not only that Forrest didn’t look like a champion on Saturday night; by his own definition, Griffin was and is not a champion at all.

Griffin has imposing size, a huge heart, and good hands. But he doesn’t have much to offer on the ground. When he coached Season 7 of TUF, Griffin admitted outright that he has no jiu-jitsu skill. And, his wrestling is nothing fantastic. So as much of a warrior as Griffin is, he’s simply not a well-rounded fighter. This – and not the idea that he failed to successfully defend his belt – is why Griffin is not a champion.

Evans appears equally inept in jiu-jitsu – in fact, pre-fight statistics showed that Evans has never even attempted a submission in a UFC bout – but at least he brings more to the table than his predecessor. In fact, while he is strong on his feet, Evans may be the first light-heavyweight titleholder since Randy Couture who is not predominantly a striker. He is also a better athlete than Griffin, which in an age of champions like Brock Lesnar, Anderson Silva and Georges St-Pierre carries a lot of weight. But, most importantly, his skills set has become increasingly diverse, which is more than can be said for Griffin.

It will be interesting to see who will get the next title shot at 205. Former champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson won decisively at UFC 92, but really needs one more big victory to secure another shot at the belt. Legends like Mauricio “Shogun” Rua, Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva are now coming off losses, and will not be considered for a run at the belt right now. A 205-pound Brandon Vera is also coming off a loss in June. The winner of next month’s Rich Franklin-Dan Henderson bout would have been an obvious pick, but with a slot coaching Season 9 of TUF on the line, it would appear the winner of that fight will take on Michael Bisping, possibly at 185 pounds, next summer.

Instead, expect to see the winner of the upcoming Lyoto Machida-Thiago Silva matchup named as Evans’ next opponent….

The heavyweight-title picture is much less foggy, as Frank Mir won the interim title from Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira in Saturday’s co-main event. Having apparently learned absolutely nothing from his fight with Tim Sylvia earlier this year, when he was battered on his feet before finally pulling guard, Nogueira insisted on standing with Mir, even when it became (literally) painfully obvious that he was being totally outclassed on his feet. UFC 92 saw more of the same for the former Pride champion, who made little effort to bring the fight into his comfort zone. Even after being saved by the bell at the end of round one, Nogueira still stood with Mir into the second round, rather than either going for a takedown or pulling guard. Now, Mir is wearing the interim title belt, and Nogueira should not be surprised if he never gets another championship fight.

Unlike Nogueira, Lesnar will be aggressive against Mir when they meet later this year. Lesnar appears to have become more respectful of Mir, having actually pronounced his last name correctly during an interview before the fight. Too bad the same can’t be said for Mir. After defeating Nogueira, Mir found Lesnar in the crowd, talked trash to him through the cage, then took a verbal shot afterward, saying something about wondering whether Lesnar will be able to make it out of the first round this time. Mir should know first-hand that he shouldn’t make Brock Lesnar angry. He wouldn’t like Brock when he’s angry….

In just the past six months, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has lost the UFC light-heavyweight title, his boxing coach, and (on a Southern California freeway) his mind. But on Saturday night, he gained back a huge amount of self-confidence with a huge win over Wanderlei Silva. Jackson needed just one punch to put Silva to sleep, redeeming himself from two previous losses to “The Axe Murderer.” Even more impressive is that, unlike former champions like Rich Franklin and Matt Hughes, Jackson’s road back to the title started with top-tier competition. Assuming he wins again in the spring, expect to see Jackson getting another title shot before the end of 2009….

Random thoughts:

How relaxed and confident did Rashad Evans look coming into the octagon on Saturday night? From dancing to his entrance music, to taking the center of the cage to bow to the crowd, Evans did not look at all overwhelmed by the moment.

It was nice to see Evans arrive at the arena in a suit and tie. Still, let’s hope Evans becomes a better sportsman in the coming year. Dropping his hands, kissing his fingers and touching his crotch – all while Griffin stood right in front of him – was not becoming of an athlete competing for a major sports championship. Players in the NFL have been fined for less.

I know he has to plug his sponsors, but why would Evans pop a five-hour energy drink into a bottle of water (and never take a sip, by the way) after the fight was over?

Did you notice that commentators Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan barely even mentioned the text poll for Griffin-Evans all night?

Is anyone else tired of Bruce Buffer’s ridiculously overdramatic fighter introductions?

Did Goldberg really say that middleweight fighter Phil Baroni had given “UFC insiders” a scoop on Mir’s conditioning?

If Evans displayed questionable sportsmanship in his title win, what would you call Mir’s display? Smiling and making faces at Nogueira toward the end of the first round was more of the brash, frat-boy-like attitude Mir showed on TUF this past season.

Can you believe they didn’t bring Lesnar into the cage afterward, to face off with Mir?

What was the deal with Mir’s pseudo-inspirational speech after the fight? I felt like I was watching Rocky Balboa address the Soviet fans at the end of “Rocky IV.”

How weird was it to see Silva-Jackson so early on the card?

When the referee gave them the choice to touch gloves during the faceoff, did anyone actually think that they would?

Did you hear Goldberg compliment Jackson’s “great show of class” after the fight, mere moments after Jackson had continued to unload on an unconscious Silva as the referee struggled to pull him off?

After what Griffin did to his legs in July, did anyone else wonder why Jackson didn’t seem to have made any improvements in checking leg kicks?

Speaking of leg kicks, how hard was it to watch Dan Evensen absorb a seemingly unlimited amount of them, unchecked, in the very next fight?

How did CB Dollaway-Mike Massenzio end up on the main card?

And with guys like Dollaway and Ryan Bader being highlighted on UFC cards, is anyone else wondering whether they’re being built as part of a plan to bring the UFC to Arizona in 2009?

A little over a minute into the fight, as Massenzio had a guillotine sunk in, Dollaway appeared to tap. Maybe he didn’t mean to, but after losing to Amir Sadollah at the TUF 7 finale on an alleged phantom tap, Dollaway should work on not making a tapping motion while his opponent is working a submission.

Wasn’t it kind of scary to hear Dollaway tell Rogan that he didn’t really remember anything about his fight, even though it had just happened?

Is it just me, or does the new ring girl look pretty much exactly like Arianny?

During the Matt Hamill-Reese Andy fight, did you hear Goldberg brilliantly figure out that Andy’s swollen left eye may have come from a Hamill right hand?

(Yes, folks, that’s sarcasm….)

How funny was Rogan, saying that Hamill’s foul-mouthed cornerman “has been taking lessons from Dana White”?

Even though Hamill overwhelmed Andy, wasn’t the fight still sloppy? At the end, Andy had basically taken a knee and given up, as Hamill stood over him, looking unsure what to do.

I have a ton of respect for the obstacles in life that Hamill has overcome, but for the sake of understanding what he has to say while he’s still excited and breathless after his fights, should the UFC consider getting a translator for Hamill’s post-fight interviews?

Did you see how much less back hair Mostapha Al Turk had at the fight than he did in his pre-fight package?

Why do UFC heavyweights pretty much never touch gloves at the start of a fight, but guys in other weight classes do?

Did anyone else think Steve Mazzagatti stopped both this fight and the Hamill-Andy bout way too late?

Why did UFC 92 go off the air 25 minutes early, when two preliminary fights remained unaired?

Is it because the UFC wants people to pay to watch them on ufc.com?

What, charging fans $44.95 (or $54.95, for HD) for the PPV isn’t enough?

Mark Carpowich can be contacted at markcarpowich@hotmail.com.