Here at Bloody Elbow, we like to cover every aspect of MMA events. If it happened in the cage, at the press conference, or anywhere in between, you’re probably going to read about it here. Did Jose Aldo beat Frankie Edgar in the main event of UFC 156? He sure did! Could Aldo’s next challenger end up being lightweight star Anthony Pettis? It sure seems that way. Did Dana White talk some smack after the card ended? Of course he did.
But sometimes the most entertaining stuff that happens during an MMA event isn’t worthy of a post of its own. It’s a fighter doing something goofy after they get punched in the face, or a faux pas during a post-fight interview. That sort of thing. We all notice it, and mention it to our friends that are watching with us. Or turn to twitter to comment on it. But it generally goes unnoticed when people look back on the card. Well, this is my attempt to capture those moments for eternity.
So without further ado, I’d like to roll out the premiere edition Tim Burke’s 10 Best Moments of UFC 156. Yes, the title sucks. It’s a work in progress, okay? I encourage you to share you own favorite moments in the comments if they differ from mine.
- Joe Rogan’s analysis of the Dustin Kimura vs. Chico Camus fight was great. A whole bunch of people that can barely spell ‘submission’ will be at work Monday morning talking about Camus’s BJJ deficiencies like they placed at the Mundials last year, and that’s all because of what Joe had to say.. Fans and media alike are quick to diss Rogan and Goldberg (just wait for it, because I’m going to do it below), but Rogan did a great job of explaining that fight to people that only use colored belts to hold up their pants. I liked that.
- “I can’t believe you’re talking to me now!” Dustin Kimura to Joe Rogan.
- Former BE writer Leland Roling tweeted about how Bobby Green described his fighting style going into his Affliction fight with Dan Lauzon in 2009. It was short and sweet – “Hood”. That made me laugh because I had forgotten about it, and Green’s clowning to the camera while Jacob Volkmann was stuck to his back made it even funnier. Bobby’s comeback from a bad Kim Winslow call and subsequent submission was a highlight of the card, and I enjoyed the hell out of it.
- When Tyron Woodley was introduced as a “freestyle fighter” by Bruce Buffer, I tweeted that freestyle fighter apparently meant “blanket”, because Woodley has been known as a grinding wrestler who engages in less-than-exciting fights. 36 crazy seconds later, everyone and their dog was calling me out and I totally deserved it. Sorry T-Wood. Or The Chosen One. Or whatever you’re called now. You proved me wrong in humiliating fashion.
- I’m a big Ian McCall fan. I’m not sure why, but I am. And watching him smile every time Joseph Benavidez tagged him amused me. I’d also love to know what they said to each other when they were clinched up against the cage, because I can’t remember the last time I saw a fighter actually laugh in the cage like that. That kind of stuff is endearing to me. Charisma goes a long way in combat sports, and McCall has it. He tweeted after the fight about being overrated, but I don’t think there’s any shame in losing to the two top flyweights in the world. I’d pay to watch Uncle Creepy fight, and that’s the highest compliment I can pay any fighter.
- When was the last time you saw an MMA fighter close the distance and go for a takedown literally one second after the referee instructs them to fight? I’m an unabashed fan of both Demian Maia and Jon Fitch, and didn’t care who won as long as it was awesome. And it was. It was truly fascinating to me, and something I’ll remember for a long time.
- Fitch’s corner was awesome going into the third – “F*ck the technique, throw the kitchen sink at him!” Fitch’s brief glimmer of hope when he locked up a D’Arce after that was awesome too. For a few brief seconds, I considered the idea of Fitch submitting a world champion. It obviously didn’t happen, but that made the fight even better in my eyes.
- In what was apparently a pre-taped segment, Mike Goldberg said that Overeem and Silva were both Brazilian, and that Overeem was a former Pride champion. What? I really hope I misheard him while I was fawning over Maia’s win, because that was K-1 level terrible if it really happened.
- Alistair Overeem could be the bad guy in any action movie. The techno dancing entrance, the total dismissal of his opponent, the smugness – it was all so over the top. But his lack of respect for Bigfoot cost him dearly, as we all saw. It’s rare that you see someone so arrogant in combat sports, and the knockout was just the final sequence in the movie where everyone leaves the theater happy. Except for the fact that it was real.
- Dana White had the line of the night at the post-fight press conference, talking about Tyron Woodley not getting the knockout of the night bonus. “Yeah – Antonio Silva f*cked him.”
About the author
