With UFC 101 now in the books but still fresh in our minds, it's time to look back on the event and see what we learned.
1. Anderson Silva is one of the top two mixed martial artists of all time. The man is simply not human. He bobbed, weaved, and poked to a dominating first round knockout over one of the most celebrated fighters to ever step in the octagon. When legends of the sport make talented fighters look silly (like GSP did with Thiago Alves), you know they're something special. I could probably write for hours on just how good Silva is and how far evolved his game has become, but it's time to move on to #2. Look for my Silva specific article later this week.
2. Philadelphia was ready for a UFC. I was there live and the place was absolutely electric. The majority of the card was a snoozer but the crowd still erupted for just about every solid shot that was landed. In their quintessential moment of the night, Philly fans soundly booed Anderson Silva...that is, until he nearly killed Forrest Griffin. Then, it was a standing ovation from the appreciative fight town.
3. BJ Penn still has it. I was skeptical of the Hawaiian because with BJ, you never really know. Sometimes he over trains, under trains, is distracted, or any number of ailments that ultimately take him off his game. He looked great in there against Kenny Florian, even better than he did with Sean Sherk. This should be a wake up call to The Prodigy that lightweight is the place for him.
4. Good research always pays off. Last week, I recommended that everyone take the bet on Ricardo Almeida. I then got a report saying that Grove's ribs were injured, prompting me to suggest that everyone up their bets. Almeida followed suit, winning handily. Take advantage of such insider information in our new betting section.
5. Something is wrong with the state of the way the athletic commission judges the UFC. There were two split decisions, and one featured a 30-27 for the loser of the bout. I'm not sure what the problem is, other than the fact I know there is one.
6. Dana's conception of Fight Of The Night is off. He gave it to Forrest Griffin and Anderson Silva, who hosted not a fight, but a back alley mugging. I could see maybe giving both bonuses to Silva, but rewarding Forrest for his shameful performance is a mistake.
7. Forrest Griffin is not a bitch. Even I thought that he was being a poor sport when he sprinted from the octagon following his loss, but new reports suggest that he broke his jaw and needed immediate medical attention.
8. Forrest Griffin needs to work on some things. And by some things, I mean all of the things. In this era of the UFC, you can't win with slugfests and being tough. Technically sound fighters rule the day and we saw that with Anderson Silva. It will be interesting to see how Forrest returns from this one.
9. Anderson Silva can fight at any weight class he wants. And that's just what he may do. In the post conference, Dana White toyed with the idea...







Quarterly Rankings


Click here to Register!