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The heavyweight division got a new top contender on Saturday when Stefan Struve went from an outsider looking in to a contender. Several fighters from the United Kingdom like Dan Hardy, Brad Pickett and Jimi Manuwa made an impact. Also, a submission specialist saw his undefeated streak come to an end, ironically by way of submission.
Round One: The Skyscraper Stands Tall
Stefan Struve is one of those fighters who has always been on the verge of a breakthrough in the UFC and that breakthrough finally happened this past Saturday. In the second round of the main event, Stefan Struve clobbered Stipe Miocic with a lot of uppercuts on route to a TKO victory. This is probably the biggest victory in Stefan Struve’s career, as Stipe Miocic entered the fight undefeated. Stefan Struve will now be a few victories away from a title fight, while Stipe Miocic is going back to the building blocks.
Next Round For Stefan Struve: Fabricio Werdum, Ben Rothwell or Cheick Kongo
Next Round For Stipe Miocic: Mark Hunt, Shawn Jordan or Mike Russow
Round Two: The Outlaw Is Back
In the last few years, Dan Hardy has gone from a title challenger to a fighter who was nearly cut from the UFC after losing two straight. Dan Hardy first got back on track when he defeated Duane Ludwig at UFC 146, he now remains on track after defeating Amir Sadollah at UFC On Fuel TV V. Dan Hardy, in a post-fight interview, said he was looking to bring the UFC Welterweight Title back to the UK. On the other hand, it seems that all Amir Sadollah will ever be in the UFC is just a past UFC Ultimate Fighter champion.
Next Round For Dan Hardy: Thiago Alves, Jake Ellenberger or Dan Miller
Next Round For Amir Sadollah: John Maguire, Che Mills or Sean Pierson
Round Three: One Punch
Brad Pickett has always fought with the nickname “One Punch†attached to him and he definitely lived up to that nickname against Yves Jabouin. Midway through the opening round of their fight, Brad Pickett knockout out Yves Jabouin with a lone uppercut. Brad Pickett has now won two of three in the UFC and could be nearing a shot at the UFC Bantamweight Title. The issue for Brad Pickett is that he must wait until Dominick Cruz and Renan Barao battle in a title unification fight.
Next Round For Brad Pickett: Mike Easton, Urijah Faber or Michael MacDonald
Next Round For Yves Jabouin: Ivan Menjivar, Bryan Caraway or Francisco Rivera
Round Four: The Streak Ends
Paul Sass was widely considered to be one of the best lightweight submission specialist in the division and was supposed to roll past Matt Wiman at UFC On Fuel TV V. Unfortunately, somebody forgot to tell Matt Wiman, because he pulled the shocker by tapping out Paul Sass with an arm bar. Matt Wiman has won nine of thirteen in the UFC and may have just moved himself into title contention. Paul Sass still has a bright future ahead of him and if he adds a striking game to an excellent ground game, will be a top contender one day.
Next Round For Matt Wiman: Edson Barboza, Jamie Varner or TJ Grant
Next Round For Paul Sass: Evan Dunham, Paul Taylor or Francisco Trinaldo
Round Five: Kingsbu Gets Fractured
There was a lot of hype surrounding Jimi Manuwa’s UFC debut and the slugger definitely lived up to the hype…and more. In just two rounds of fighting, Jimi Manuwa managed to completely close one of Kyle Kingsbury’s eyes and it was swollen shut. Jimi Manuwa easily has one of the best striking attacks in the division, but his ground game is going to need improvement. It is just sad to think that the fight doctor stopped the fight at the end of the second round because it would have been interesting to see what a third round would have brought.
Next Round For Jimi Manuwa: Matt Hamill, Ryan Jimmo or Vladimir Matyushenko
Next Round For Kyle Kingsbury: A UFC release
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