Showdown on UFC: You can’t please everyone

On the eighteenth anniversary of its existence, the Ultimate Fighting Championship entered a brand new era: adulthood. And they celebrated by going mainstream. To some, they sold out. To others, including yours truly, it is a dream come true.

It has been a goal for the organization since day one, be it under the Semaphore Entertainment Group, or the current owners from Zuffa. While there were differing opinions behind closed doors, they eventually assembled into a solitary vision. The end result satisfied the majority. To satisfy the minority would be an impossible task, and quite frankly, a waste of valuable energy that can instead be directed to other avenues to improve the business.

For its network television debut, the organization offered up the prized jewel of combat sports – the heavyweight championship of the world. Anyone who knows fighting does not need UFC president Dana White to convince them that when the big boys, who wear four (and a half) ounce gloves, tangle inside the Octagon, it can be over in the blink of an eye, or it can go the distance. Saturday night’s tilt was far from surprising. Junior dos Santos defeating Cain Velasquez in sixty-four seconds solidified many facts. One of which is that no matter what happens, there will always be a vocal minority who will complain. Behind closed doors, we call them “the doom and gloom club,” and many of them were out in full force on Saturday night.

It does not matter what the topic is. Someway, somehow, they will find something negative to focus on and expect you to agree. While the majority balk at their insistent claims, others secretly laugh at them. To be honest, many of us see it as fodder for great water cooler talk via email, text and social media. It’s a diversion from realizing that the sport of MMA has come a long way in its near two decade existence. In fact, a recent conversation I had with one of my peers on Friday of “Fight Week,” confirmed our secret club. I debated the merits of Marco Ruas’ well rounded style in 1994, and how he would do in today’s world of MMA, while he counter struck with the importance of a fighter promoting his own fights. Two old-school guys talking about where the sport came from and where it is headed.

All week long, many of us discussed the main event; who would win and why. I maintained Velasquez’s wrestling will dictate where the action would take place, as I did not believe he would choose to play with fire. Standing and trading with dos Santos is a recipe for disaster, and while on the surface it would appear I was stating the obvious, reading between the lines is what many fail to do. Junior is no joke and must be put on his back. Unless your name is Alistair Overeem, you should not stand and bang with dos Santos.

To Cain’s credit, he did try for a takedown, but even after his first unsuccessful attempt, his distance was slightly off. He paid the heavy price of losing the bout, the title, the fan admiration, and millions of dollars. But he gained valuable experience in losing for the first time in his career. Believe it or not, it’s mandatory for a fighter to experience this ultimate low to become better. Ask Georges St-Pierre post UFC 69. Ask Rashad Evans post UFC 98. Ask Anderson Silva, Frankie Edgar, Lyoto Machida, Shogun Rua and all the others who are at the top of the game today. If Velasquez can deal with this hardship, rebound like he is fully capable of doing, look out folks. And the same can be said about Gray Maynard, but I digress.

It’s easy to criticize him from your couch, seat or through your finger tips. Did he make a mistake? I guess so. He lost the fight, but he’s 29 years old and trains with some of the best coaches in the game. It’s not the end of the world and all the slander is borderline comical. Fickle fans will soon be calling him the favourite once he returns to the winner’s circle. But first, he will likely rematch Cheick Kongo, or perhaps face the man who loses between Brock Lesnar and the aforementioned Overeem.

The winner of this bout will be dos Santos’ first title defence, and whoever wins, I like the variety that each matchup brings to the table.

For starters, will dos Santos stand and trade with Alistair? It’s very easy to say “yes”, but that’s ego talk. Junior’s ground game is his secret weapon, and according to my conversation with Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (which you can see in Sportsnet’s video section), his student is all but ready for a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. His top game is apparently very good. His guard passing is slick. We have yet to see it inside the octagon, and should he face “The Demolition Man,” let’s hope we do.

But what if Lesnar beats Overeem and gets the first shot at the new champ? Rest assured Brock will only have one mission: take Junior down to the ground. He will want no piece of the standup game. So perhaps then, we will finally see what Junior dos Santos is made of on the ground.

And what to make of the co-main event between lightweights Ben Henderson and Clay Guida. Or wait, did you see the fight? If not, thousands of folks may not have sympathy for you. File this under being facetious, but I told you so.

Leading up to the broadcast, I hinted on my radio show, various radio interviews, via Twitter and Facebook, that if you tuned into Sportsnet, you would likely be surprised. Those who heeded my words got to see the bout. Those who did not, are likely still complaining today. In all seriousness, I sincerely hope you got to see that incredible fight.

Henderson earned the right to fight lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, and competing against Guida for 15 minutes is a great primer for what’s in store for him when squares off against the champ at UFC 144 in February. The high paced action was what he needed, but against “The Answer” he will be faced with a different problem. Edgar is quick on his feet, has stellar wrestling and can punish him in the stand up realm. Bendo will have to be on point, and in my opinion must contain Frankie. He cannot allow him room to move and maneuver. If he does, we will likely see a similar result to what we saw in Edgar’s trilogy bout against Maynard.

The rest of Saturday night’s card showcased some stellar performances, most notably by Dustin Poirier and Darren Uyenoyama.

Dustin’s d’arce choke submission over Pablo Garza was what MMA is all about. Patience and game plan execution. He secured the first round and was on pace to win the fight, but he saw an opening that most featherweights would not have dared taken against Garza. Attacking Pablo on the ground can be a disaster waiting to happen, but with speed and precision, he locked in the choke and proved why he is a serious threat at featherweight. After losing his Zuffa debut to Danny Castillo at WEC 50, he has gone undefeated in four straight bouts, by taking out Zack Micklewright, the heavily favoured Josh Grispi, Jason Young and now Garza. I believe he’s now ready for some top-ten competition.

As for Uyenoyama, his dominance over Kid Yamamoto was a sight to behold. Kid was once the kingpin of the division, and while his career has fallen on hard times, Darren proved he can mix and match with the best. He still has a mountain to climb before he can tangle and defeat with some of the sport’s current top ten, but I can’t wait to see him compete again. It’s just a matter of time before he gets his chance, and don’t be surprised if he is added to the UFC’s card set of Japan in February.

The organization’s FOX debut was a successful one and along with the fighters who emerged victorious, they should be congratulated on a job well done. In the end, they won the long standing battle versus the establishment that said this sport would never make it and was just a fad. Now, the time has finally come for the Ultimate Fighting Championship to celebrate. Its brand, its fighters and the sport will finally get what it has long deserved. Acceptance, even if it’s not by all…yet.

The real winners are the fans, both pre-Ultimate Fighter
, post Ultimate Fighter and the new ones who have just recently joined the union. It’s been a long ride, but this vehicle is simply refueling for the long journey ahead. I hope you’re ready because I am. Fasten your seat belts, cause this ride is about to get a whole lot better. And for those that know me on a personal level, the time has finally come when I use one of my old adages for a column. I have used it since I first pitched the idea of MMA to the Canadian mainstream media masses in 2003. When it comes to this sport, you are either in, or are in the way.

The choice is yours.