Josh "The Warmaster" Barnett was in excellent shape, and he needed the additional stamina. He outworked Roy Nelson en route to a unanimous-decision victory (48-47, 48-47, 50-45) at UFC Fight Night Japan in Saitama. Barnett showed off a diverse striking game and relentless pursuit that Nelson couldn't consistently answer.
In the first round, Nelson secured two takedowns—which were slightly surprising, considering Barnett's grappling prowess—but the Warmaster would rise and regain control with uppercuts, elbows and a steady diet of knees and kicks to Nelson's gut.
Per UFC.com, Nelson landed 212 strikes, while Nelson landed just 101.
Throughout the fight, Barnett eluded Nelson's big right hand and closed the distance to wear down his less conditioned opponent. When the fight was over, Barnett called Nelson over during his post-fight interview.
He gave his opponent credit for his toughness, resolve and willingness to mix it up. With Nelson having lost his fourth fight in his last five outings, Barnett's graciousness came off as a plea to the UFC to not cut the 39-year-old veteran. Jay Anderson of the MMA Corner loved the gesture:
It's hard to find a spot for Nelson among the elite heavyweights—which is especially bad because the division isn't the strongest in the promotion. The best thing for him might be to explore his options elsewhere or to retire.
Barnett could be a serious player in the division if he can maintain his current conditioning. He looked much faster than normal in his stand-up game, and he had enough left in the tank to get the job done over five rounds.
Dating back to his days in Pride, Barnett has built a huge following in Japan. It was evident as he was the clear fan favorite throughout. Barnett is so acclimated to the country's culture that he spoke in Japanese during most of his post-fight interview.
Uriah Hall Shocked the World
Almost no one gave Uriah Hall a chance to beat Gegard Mousasi—except for me—but the ultra-talented middleweight reminded us how dynamic he can be in the Octagon. After a rough first round that saw Mousasi take him down and the latter escape a few rear-naked choke attempts, Hall turned on the highlight reel to begin the second round.
Seconds into the frame, he landed a spinning kick to Mousasi's face that dazed him. Hall followed that up with a leaping knee that rolled Mousasi over. Without hesitation, he pounced and pounded his wounded opponent to earn the technical-knockout win. Shaheen Al-Shatti of MMA Fighting shared the maneuver that started it all:
For a guy whose desire and finishing instincts had been questioned by everyone from fans to UFC President Dana White, Hall proved to have what it took to finish an elite veteran who had never been stopped in his career.
Without question, Hall should vault into the top 10 at 185 pounds with this win. Here's a look at every result from the night in Japan:
Horiguchi and Mizugaki Delight Japanese Crowd
In a dominating performance, Kyoji Horiguchi looked like the second-best flyweight in the UFC on Saturday. He made a tough Chico Camus look out of his league en route to an easy unanimous-decision win.
Horiguchi's movement and striking picked Camus apart all night. The 24-year-old Japanese star snapped Camus' head back with regularity and sliced up the Milwaukee native's face. While Horiguchi didn't get the finish, he did rebound nicely from his defeat to flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson in his last outing. UFC fighter Eddie "Truck" Gordon thought Horiguchi looked great in his return to the Octagon:
Horiguchi's countryman Takeya Mizugaki used fast hands and sharp counters to beat up veteran George Roop. Mizugaki landed 97 total strikes to Roop's 88 in the fight, and his shots did more damage. That explains why Mizugaki earned the unanimous-decision victory.
Despite Mizugaki's winning performance, Jordan Breen of Sherdog doesn't see the veteran as more than a gatekeeper:
Mizugaki was emotional in the cage after his win. He seemed moved to have performed well in front of his home crowd.
Explosive Brandao
It took about 30 seconds for Diego Brandao to take care of Katsunori Kikuno. Brandao landed a big right hand in the opening seconds and overwhelmed the dazed Kikuno until the referee called a halt to the bout.
After back-to-back knockout losses to Dustin Poirier and Conor McGregor, Brandao has now secured consecutive knockout finishes to get back on track. He has a while to go before he can be considered a contender, but he's off the skids.
What's Next?
On Saturday, October 3, UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier will defend his title against Alexander Gustafsson in Houston in the main event of UFC 192. That spectacular bout will be supported by a stellar welterweight clash between Johny Hendricks and Tyron Woodley and a light heavyweight scrap between veterans Ryan Bader and Rashad Evans.
It could be a great card. Check back to Bleacher Report for coverage leading up to the event as well as an analysis after the fights.
Follow Brian Mazique on Twitter.
Read more MMA news on BleacherReport.com
No comments:
Post a Comment