The GOOD Demetrious Johnson vs Miguel Torres: Regardless of what you thought of the result of the fight, which was awarded to Johnson via unanimous decision, it’s hard to deny it was one of, if not in my humble opinion the best fight from UFC 130. It is rare in todays mixed martial arts landscape that you get a fight in which the majority of it takes place on the mat yet features so much sustained action but that was the case here. This match up figured to be one of wrestler versus grappler and that’s exactly how it played out as Johnson effectively used his wrestling and speed advantages to repeatedly take Torres down. Likely expecting such the former WEC bantamweight champion flexed his ground game with numerous submission attempts, sweeps, and transitions. Unfortunately as has become habit the judges favored the fighter who spent more time in top position rather than the active guard of Torres. I can’t say I was shocked by the decison but was surprised it was unanimous in Johnsons favor. There’s an old adage in fight sports that says, “There were no losers in that fight.”, and while unless a draw or no contest that’s usually not the case, this was the kind of loss that shouldn’t hurt Torres too much in the standings and definitely not in the eyes of fans. And of course congratulations to ‘Mighty Mouse’ who took another big step in the 135 pound division with the win.   Rick Story: Riding a 5 fight win streak wasn’t enough for Rick Story so he requested the UFC brass give him top tier welterweight Thiago Alves to which Alves was more than happy to oblige. Story said that he had seen Alves quit in fights when faced with adversity and planned on doing the [...]

The Good – Bernard Hopkins: As if there could be any doubt as to who would be atop the list this week. By winning his rematch against Jean Pascal not only did Benrnard Hopkins make history by becoming the oldest boxer to win a world championship at age 46, he did so in more impressive fashion than his first fight against Pascal, a heavily disputed draw. Hopkins put on a masterful performance using every trick in a bag full of them. The Executioner personified his moniker but not in a literal sense as he executed an almost perfect strategy in outworking, outthinking, and essentially outfighting his much younger foe. Now don’t get me wrong, this was not a completely one sided fight as the defending champion had his moments, particularly in rounds 4 and 12 when he hurt Hopkins with big right hands.   The afore mentioned 12th round was a dramatic one as it appeared clear to any rational observer that Hopkins was on the verge of making history and Pascal would likely need a stoppage to retain his title which he almost did upon landing one last booming overhand right that visibly buckled Hopkins. Unfortunately the moment was a fleeting one for Pascal as he was unable to sustain his offense and capitalize which was a trend for him throughout the bout. Hopkins did what so many fighters fail to do and seized the opportunity in front of him. Bernard fought both an aggressive yet tactical fight nullifying Pascals physical advantages in the process. Boxing has often been compared to the game of chess and on Saturday night Bernard Hopkins secured checkmate and once again was earned the status of King.   Ronny Rios vs Georgi Kevlishvili: I was interested in watching Solo Boxeo on Friday night as [...]

  I am pretty sure that when listening to the whole interview and realizing the context in which this word is said, you will hear that Phil Davis is actually saying “Nogueira is a legend in the sport”. However, skip the above video to the :55 second mark and just listen to how Phil pronounces the name of Nogueira. Let just say it sounds very street, I mean like really street to a point where Al Sharpton will be picketing outside Phil’s house asking for a public apology street. Yikes.