UFC 110 showed that those Aussies are huge MMA fans. The event broke overseas attendance records, and UFC is planning another show there next year. It just goes to show how popular MMA is wordwide. As good as the event was there were interesting fights that showed which fighters have improved and which ones need to go back to the drawing board.
Mirko Cro Cop vs Anthony Perosh
Cro Cop hasn’t been looking good as of late. His loss to Dos Santos made me think he’s at the end of his career. Last night Cro Cop was able to beat an ill-prepared Perosh, a last minute replacement for Ben Rothwell. This win showed small glimpse of his former self, but the win wasn’t as impressive as his fans would like. The Croatian seemed to have loss his speed and reflexes over time, and he has said it himself that he has loss the motivation to fight. That lack of motivation could stem from his ability to dominate his division like he did in Pride.
Cro Cop’s problem is that he needs to drastically change fight camps. He’s become too predictable and his game has remained stagnant. He should follow in the footsteps of his former Pride colleague, Wanderlei Silva, and drop down a weight class. It can put him in a position to physically dominate his opponents. He still has the tools to easily become a champion, but the only question is he willing to do what it takes to make it happen?
Wanderlei Silva vs Michael Bisping
Wanderlei looks to be getting back into the swing of things and the 185 lbs division is his calling. He physically looks great and beating Bisping was a great statement to the division that he’s a huge threat. Maybe a fight with Marquardt or a rematch with Vitor Belfort will show where he truly stand in the rankings. Unfortunately for Bisping he’ll have to go back to the drawing board. Bisping loss because he wasn’t able to overwhelm Silva like he did with his previous opponents and reverted to a hit and run tactic that didn’t do much for him. Even with a loss to Wanderlei, Bisping still remains one of the top prospects in the division. One of few areas he needs to work on is his takedowns and clinch work. Spending some time with Greg Jackson or Extreme Couture’s camp would take his game to the next level.
Joe Stevenson vs George Sotiropoulos
I was surprised to see Sotiropoulos handle Stevenson’s ground game. He was able to utilize the rubber guard to minimize Stevenson’s ground and pound and work for sweeps. And when he had the top position he was able to pass to half guard or full mount. Having a solid stand up didn’t hurt either. Stevenson was never able to get a solid position to utilize his elbows or sink in his notorious guillotine. Sotiropoulos had an answer for everything Stevenson threw at him. Along with Keith Jardine and Nate Marquardt, Joe Stevenson is another one of Greg Jackson’s pupils to have loss recently. I’m sure GSP will be bucking the trend next month when he takes on Dan Hardy.