UFC 168 Event Review and Results

UFC 168 Event Review and Results
by Sam Heard - @samheard_

The greatest year in MMA history was capped off last week with a flagship event crammed with some of the UFC’s brightest stars. Though the event ended on a very sad note which will doubtless be the main thing UFC 168 is remembered for, the overall card was very entertaining with none of the main card’s bouts hitting the judge’s scorecards. Here’s Kingdom MMA’s take on how it went down last Saturday:

Chris Weidman (11-0 MMA, 7-0 UFC) VS. Anderson Silva (33-6 MMA, 16-2 UFC)
The most anticipated MMA fight of all time ended in tragedy when Chris Weidman checked one of Anderson Silva’s patented leg kicks causing the former champs leg to collide directly with the All-American’s knee, breaking it horrifically. Everyone was a loser; Weidman, though he claimed that he’d deliberately trained on this technique in preparation for Anderson, still won’t be credited with a definitive victory over the greatest of all time while Anderson will have to suffer for months rehabbing his injury.  Some credit has to be given to Weidman however. In the first round he once again dominated the Brazilian, rocking him on the feet before beating him up with heavy ground-and-pound. I remember being so happy that Anderson survived this onslaught so the fight continued a bit more – in retrospect it would’ve been better if the fight had stopped at this point. Thankfully the reports which have immerged since the fight indicate that the surgery on Anderson’s leg was highly successful and that he should only be out for an astoundingly brief 6 months (if he doesn’t decide to throw in the towel on his fight career). Either way, no one who watched the event will ever be able to unremember that horrible moment when the greatest fighter to have ever fought in the cage went down screaming in pain and those images of the lower part of the Spider’s leg hanging by skin alone, no matter how hard we try.
Vitor Belfort, who was present at the fight, also attended the post-fight press conference where it was confirmed that he would be Weidman’s next opponent. The opening odds indicate Weidman is a two-to-one favourite over Belfort.
Result: Chris Weidman def. Anderson Silva via TKO (leg injury) – Round 2, 1:16

Ronda Rousey (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) VS. Miesha Tate (13-5 MMA, 0-2 UFC)
Miesha Tate managed to take Ronda Rousey into the uncharted territories of the second and third rounds before finally getting caught by the champion’s renowned Armbar. You have to question Miesha’s game plan implemented in the fight. On multiple occasions after managing to create some space between herself and Ronda she shot for takedowns or tied up the champion in the clinch rather than pressing her advantage on the feet. Miesha would try and score the takedown only to be reversed and caught by Ronda’s awesome judo throws. This exposed her to several dangerous submissions attempts. Seeing Rousey in the longest fight of her career certainly revealed some chinks in her armour. Despite the champion’s documented stand-up training with the Diaz brothers, Miesha definitely looked better on the feet even managing to stagger the champion with up-kicks at one stage in the fight. I feel like if someone with better striking skills than Miesha like Cat Zingano were to fight Ronda and implement a focused game plan they would be able to put the champion in much tougher situations.
After the fight it was revealed that Rousey would next face Sara McMann at UFC 170. The Olympian vs Olympian dynamic of this fight adds an extra layer of intrigue; especially as McMann’s silver medal trumps Ronda’s bronze…
Result: Ronda Rousey def. Miesha Tate via submission (armbar) – Round 3, 0:58

Josh Barnett (33-7 MMA, 5-2 UFC) VS. Travis Browne (16-1-1 MMA, 7-1-1 UFC)
Another heavyweight bout, another 1st round KO. Even though the fight would last just one minute, Browne was able to look very impressive. He was visibly much quicker than Barnett despite his significant size advantage. Barnett clearly wasn’t interested in exchanging with the Hawaiian and tried to bully Browne against the fence – the exact same strategy he employed to great effect against Frank Mir.  Barnett tried to move inside on a takedown only to be met with a massive knee (which in my opinion had Barnett knocked out immediately). Barnett slumped, supported by Browne’s knee, leaving him open to those vicious downward elbows he used to demolish Gabriel Gonzaga. Fortunately, Yves Lavigne was savvy enough to know that Barnett was done and after Browne was pulled away he slumped down to the floor.
With Cain out injured it seems that Browne may be given a shot at #1 contender Werdum. The Brazilian arguably presents a very similar challenge to Barnett in that he will have a considerable advantage over Browne on the ground but could be vulnerable standing.
Result: Travis Browne def. Josh Barnett via knockout (knee and elbows) – Round 1, 1:00

Fabrício Camoes (14-8-1 MMA, 1-3-1 UFC) VS. Jim Miller (23-4 MMA, 12-3 UFC)
Long-time Lightweight contender Jim Miller proved why Camoes didn’t belong in the Octagon with him after he pulled off a super-slick 1st round victory by Armbar. Camoes looked fairly sharp on the feet before being taken down by Miller. He looked like he had got the drop on Miller as he reversed the position before posturing and falling prey to Miller’s devious ground game. Many expected this to be a showcase fight for Miller to re-establish himself in the division after his loss to Pat Healy – all in all it lived up to this billing as Miller was untroubled by Camoes.
Result: Jim Miller def. Fabricio Camoes via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 3:42

Diego Brandao (18-9 MMA, 4-2 UFC) VS. Dustin Poirier (15-3 MMA, 7-2 UFC)
Dustin Poirier looked highly impressive in this tough test against super-aggressive Diego Brandao, making lighter work of the overweight TUF Winner than everyone expected. Poirier put on an expert display of footwork and combination punches mixing it up between body shots and punches to the face to rock the Brazilian before showing brilliant killer instinct to swarm on him for the stoppage.
In the post-fight interview he called out Cub Swanson for a rematch as he picked up a decision loss to the Jackson MMA fighter back at UFC on Fuel TV 7. With the form Poirier has been in of late he is arguably deserving of this juicy rematch.
Result: Dustin Poirier def. Diego Brandao via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:54

Highlights from the Undercard
Uriah Hall (8-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) VS. Chris Leben (22-11 MMA, 12-10 UFC)
This is the first sad event on what would become one of the saddest UFC events I’ve ever seen. Seeing a tough guy like Leben saying he’s ‘done’ and knowing the repercussions this loss has on his UFC career was extremely depressing.
Michael Johnson (14-8 MMA, 6-4 UFC) VS. Gleison Tibau (28-10 MMA, 13-8 UFC)
As with his last fight against Joe Lauzon, Johnson showed superb striking skills to overcome the UFC veteran with a perfectly timed overhand left to get the TKO win in the second round.