Maia wins again
(Vancouver, BC., August 29, 2016) – The UFC has announced their schedule until the end of the year, with cards every weekend but three. Common sense would say that with so many fight cards, the level of competition would decrease. This was not the case Saturday at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, Canada, where the main card featured top-of-the-line fights that will have the MMA enthusiast talking for a very long time.
UFC on FOX 21’s main card featured four fights, with fighters known for their UFC experience to fighters well-known because of the popular TV show, “Dancing With The Stars.”
Jim Miller and Joe Lauzon kicked off the card in a rematch that was one of the best fights of this decade. Back in December, 2012 at UFC 155, Miller and Lauzon put on an absolute thrilling fight which ultimately saw Miller winning the decision in a bloodbath that won both fighters FOTN (Fight of the Night) honors. Almost four years later, they did the same thing. In a back-and-forth fight, Miller and Lauzon were aggressive from the outset, trading punches. While Lauzon had the advantage on the ground, Miller looked to have landed more strikes and created more of the damage. In typical fashion, the fight went the distance and into the judge’s hands. Once again it was Miller who won, this time via split decision, and once again earning both fighters FOTN honors, in a fight that could have gone either way.
In the next fight, it was the popular Paige VanZant, who recently competed on the popular show, “Dancing With The Stars”, against her strawweight opponent Bec Rawlings. VanZant, who lost her last fight on UFC Fight Night 80 in December, 2015 to Rose Namajunas, was looking to reclaim her UFC success, while fighting in front of an extended audience of MMA fans and fans across the globe who tuned into the popular dancing show.
VanZant struggled early on, jumping and kicking in the first round without much success, while Rawlings connected more. The jumping and kicking worked when VanZant connected on an amazing highlight reel jump-kick early in the second round to send Rawlings crashing down, where VanZant finished her via punches to earn the victory. In all probability, her kick will be featured on every highlight reel to come, but her performance, especially in the first round was suspect at best. Regardless, she will stay in the top 10 in the strawweight division, and with being one of the most popular fighters in the sport; it shouldn’t be too much longer before she’s back in the Octagon.
In the co-main event, fans were in for a treat as Anthony “Showtime” Pettis, coming into the fight on a personal three-fight losing streak, moved down a weight class (featherweight division) to fight top 10 opponent, Charles Oliveira. Pettis looked terrific in round one, consistently hitting Oliveira with body shots. However, things changed quickly in round two, as Pettis looked to tire as Oliveira had the edge on the ground. It seemed to be anyone’s fight going into round three, with both fighters looking tired. It wasn’t until midway through the round, where Pettis got the neck of Oliveira and finished him with a guillotine to earn the victory. It turns out Pettis was up 20-17, 19-18, 19-18 on the scorecards and didn’t need the finish, but it sure cemented why he is known as “Showtime.”
The main event was one of the more interesting fights of the year, where former interim welterweight champion, Carlos Condit, was taking on submission specialist Demian Maia. Condit, coming off a loss to Robbie Lawler (UFC 195) badly needed this win to remain in title shot talk. Having gone 2-4 in his previous six fights, Condit would have to turn his misfortune around quickly against the streaking Brazilian, Maia.
The 38-year-old Maia has found unbelievable success in the older stage of his career, having won 5-straight bouts, looking sharper and sharper as each fight has gone on.
History seemed to repeat itself as Maia stayed red hot, doing what he does best, submitting Condit at the 1:52 mark via rear-naked-choke in the first round. It was complete dominance by Maia, who hardly had a scratch on him. What was even more impressive by Maia was that Condit, known for his durability and cardio, had no answer once he was taken to the ground. The way in which Maia won and has looked in his last six fights will leave a very tough decision for UFC President Dana White. While Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson has certainly earned himself a title shot against welterweight champion Tyrone Woodley, Maia has looked as good. It leaves a very difficult question to be answered. What is next? Does the UFC have “Wonderboy" fight Maia next, with the winner taking on Woodley, or does Maia have to wait?
Regardless, the main event showed how stacked the welterweight division is. With exciting fights, exciting finishes and highlight reel performances, fans can now see why there is a UFC card on virtually every weekend.
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Photo credit: mmafighting.com
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