Whittaker and Brunson hit early and often
(Melbourne, Australia., November 28, 2016) – The last time the UFC was in Australia, Ronda Rousey lost her belt in a brutal knockout by Holly Holm. In just over 12 months, the organization traveled back to the “Land Down Under” for UFC Fight Night 101. While there were no title shots on the line, there were plenty of exciting fights and upsets.
On paper, the card wasn’t as juicy with household names and saturated with top fighters, but sometimes these cards are full of hungry fighters who are looking to put on a show and make a name for themselves.
Many of the bouts went to decisions, but that didn’t stop big underdogs upsetting high favorites and proving that once anyone steps into the Octagon, anything can happen.
On the main card, there were two upsets that rocked Rod Laver Arena. Tyson Pedro, making his UFC debut looked like he was all but finished in the first round against Khalil Rountree. After getting rocked by a huge left hand by Rountree, Pedro somehow survived and kept himself in the fight. After gathering himself, and then outworking Rountree, Pedro got the tap at the 4:07 mark of round one as he submitted Rountree via rear-naked-choke. A very impressive fight for Pedro who took home an extra $50,000 for POTN (Performance of the Night) honors.
In the co-main event, the biggest favorite on the main card, Jake Matthews, took on Andrew Holbrook and it was the relatively unknown Holbrook who scored the win. Matthews, at only 22-years-old, had a lot of momentum after being signed into the UFC, but Holbrook edged out the decision beating Matthews via split decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) to earn the upset and put his MMA record at 12-1 and 2-1 in the UFC.
In the main event, Robert Whittaker took on Derek Brunson in a middleweight clash that promised to bring fireworks. With both fighters looking to climb an already stacked middleweight division, and both fighters always looking for a finish, this wasn’t a fight that was going to go all five rounds.
From the outset, fireworks erupted as a wild four minutes of action began. Brunson looked like he wanted to wrestle early, and came out fast and furious, but Whittaker held him off. Brunson did land a few hard shots as they were both literally running all around the Octagon while Brunson chased him, looking for the finish, but leaning with his chin.
Things changed as Whittaker stopped, planted his feet and began to swing for the fences. Whittaker landed a big left hook and then hit him with a nasty head kick that resulted in a finish. While the round was sloppy, with a lot of running, Whittaker made up for it with a beautiful TKO at the 4:07 mark of round one. It was just the third finish of a card that saw 13 fights.
UFC in Melbourne was everything we expected, hungry fighters that led to upsets, and while the rankings in any division weren’t influenced in any big way, it sure was a fight card that delivered.
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Photo credit: Fox Sports
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