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Round One: It All Ended On The Ground
Melvin Guillard was looking really impressive for the first ninety seconds of his fight with Jim Miller, but it all went downhill when the fight went to the ground. Once the battle was off the feet, Jim Miller used a rear naked choke to tap out Melvin Guillard in short time. This victory now propels Jim Miller back into the crowded list of top contenders for the UFC Lightweight Title. Melvin Guillard, always an excellent striker with tons of power, urgently needs to work on his awful ground game.
Next Round For Jim Miller: Clay Guida or the Anthony Pettis/Joe Lauzon winner
Next Round For Melvin Guillard: Donald Cerrone, Sam Stout or Jeremy Stephens
Round Two: It All Ended On The Ground…The Sequel
If there was one fight that would later be mirrored by the main event, it was the semi-main event between Josh Neer and Duane Ludwig. Much like the main event, Duane Ludwig was clobbering Josh Neer with his striking and then the fight went to the ground. Once on the ground, Duane Ludwig went to sleep in short order after Josh Neer locked him a guillotine choke. This fight now propels Josh Neer to the top tier of the welterweight division, which is lacking in contenders at the moment.
Next round For Josh Neer: Mike Pyle, Dong Hyun Kim or the Jake Shields/Yoshihiro Akiyama winner
Next Round For Duane Ludwig: Martin Kampmann, Rory MacDonald or Dan Hardy
Round Three: “HD†Gets Back In The Win Column
There is no doubt that Pat Barry is one of the most powerful strikers in the heavyweight division, but his ground game has always been elementary. Against Christian Morecraft, Pat Barry showed an improved ground game before knocking out his opponent. Pat Barry now moves up in the heavyweight division, a division that is currently running very low on credible contenders. Christian Morecraft, who has lost three of four fights in the UFC, may very well be booted out of the UFC.
Next Round For Pat Barry: Travis Browne, Brendan Schaub or Matt Mitrione
Next Round For Christian Morecraft: A UFC release
Round Four: “El Conquistador†Retires
Although I covered this in a column I wrote yesterday, I felt that it was worth covering once more in this edition of “Five Rounds.†Following his comeback victory over Eric Schafer, Jorge Rivera talked with John Anik and announced his retirement to the live crowd. While Jorge Rivera may not have been a top contender in the middleweight division, he has been a steady gatekeeper for nearly a decade. Whether or not this retirement stays that way, there is no doubt that Jorge Rivera went out in the best way possible.
Next Round For Jorge Rivera: A well-deserved retirement
Next Round For Eric Schafer: A UFC release
Round Five: The Fuel Is On Fire
One thing is for certain now that the effects of UFC signing with Fox are more apparent, it is that airing preliminary fights on Fuel TV is an excellent idea. The first time the UFC aired preliminary fights on the network was this past Friday Night and six total fights aired. In those six fights, five of them ended by either knockout or submission and only one of them went to a decision. Also, the retirement of middleweight competitor Jorge Rivera capped off an excellent debut on Fuel TV.
Next Round For Fuel TV: UFC On Fox 2 Preliminary Fights on 1/28/2012
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