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UFC 190

Thumbs Up! Went to the same bar where I always watch UFC events. The place was packed, more than in any other UFC fight. At first I thought that it was due to the Danny Garcia Boxing match but to my surprise most people there weren’t paying attention to it. After the boxing everyone look at the tv for the UFC event and started asking when the Ronda fight was coming. Most of them didn’t even know her name, they just new that “the women” was fighting. Some went desperate because of the so many matches on the card, most lost interest in the undercard macthes but once the main event came everyone was watching. The match was short but nobody complaint, they just praised Ronda. First time that that ever happened on the place for a UFC event. Not a GSP, Silva, or even the recent McGregor match was ever been able to “outdraw” boxing. Ronda did it. 

For what I saw, from the Big Foot fight going on…
Best Fight: First match of the TUF final
Worst Fight: The second TUF final

Leonardo II Mendez
San Sebastian, PR

UFC 190

Thumbs up. Another very consistent card. Better in reality than on paper.
Best fight: Vieira vs. Lopes, L Nog vs. Shogun
Worst fight: B Nog vs. Struve
Best performance: gonna say Maia considering degree of dominance and quality of opposition
Worst performance: Hester
KO: Ronda
Sub: Maia

Guido Canetti takes a very close 29-28 UD over Hugo Viana in what was essentially a guy fighting himself in the mirror. Credit to the judges for an anti-hometown decision. Could have gone either way. Surprisingly easy win for Vitor Miranda over Clint Hester, finishing with giftwrap G&P in the 2nd.

In an interesting fight, Iuri Alcantara’s excellent standup and decent grappling too much for Leandro Issa’s poor standup and excellent grappling. Issa takes the 1st but Alcantara takes the last two wide, one or both possible 10-8s. I would say 29-26. Judges go 29-28,28,27. Much better performance than last time from Warlley Alves, frustrating the more technical Nordine Taleb with his athletic advantages, then capitalizing on a slightly telegraphed shot with a Guillotine for the tap in the 2nd. Extremely talented, would like to see a rematch of the hometown decision over Jouban. Pat Cummings drubs and wears out Rafael Feijao, finishing early in the 3rd with his 9th TD and a series of elbows, but fight was made dramatic by Feijao doing visible damage with every one of the few shots he landed. I thought it was time for Neil Magny, but Demian Maia just takes him to school, controlling every second of the fight till Magny gives up his back and finishing with body tri/leg grapevine & RNC midway through the 2nd. Completely onesided. 

Claudia Gadelha just wrecks the much smaller Jessica Aguilar for two rounds, ragdolls her, breaks her nose and busts her up. Probably at least some 8agon jits as Aguilar comes back well in the 3rd but it’s still a hometown 30-27 X 3. No question Gadelha won but Aguilar certainly seemed to win the 3rd.  Gadelha cuts a good bilingual promo and earns a rematch of the disputed loss to JJ, this time for the title. 

Soa Palelei never lands the big one but Bigfoot Silva does early in the 2nd and doesn’t let Soa off the hook, finishing with a series of knees and uppercuts.

Basically Big Nog walks in for three rounds, Stefan Struve hits him about 10 times, Nog hits him back about 2 times, lather rinse.  Fight looks like it’s taking place underwater, it’s so slow. Struve wins the correct 30-27 UD and Nog fortunately retires.

In by far the most spirited fight of the night so far, Reginalso Vieira and Dileno Lopes go 3 at a ridiculous pace for the TUF BR BW title, just going for everything. Vieira takes the UD with two 30-27s. It was way closer than the score.

Gleiso Franca (btw Buffer, Rogan, Goldberg,the ‘c’ is soft, don’t you guys even listen to the Brazilians?), looking at least 3 divisions bigger, dominates Fernando Bruno and finishes just inside the distance with RNC for the TUF BR LW title. Apparently he’s the brother of former UFC fighter Hermes Franca (they couldn’t say it then either)—they look nothing alike.

Shogun Rua and Little Nog both look surprisingly good going the distance. Nobody gasses. The last half of the 1st round was a back and forth war like their first fight in PRIDE 10 years ago. Very close fight. I think Nog edged it. So does a lot of the audience (he’s the local). The judges all think otherwise, 29-28. Shogun repeats the previous decision win.

My sympathy to anyone who conned themself into thinking Bethe the Bithe had a chance. Ronda takes a whole 34 seconds to knock her cold standing.
Crimson Mask

Thumbs down
Best fight: Vieira vs. Lopes

Bad show and way too long. I understand they were kind of stuck with the two TUF Brazil fights and didn’t want to put them on FS1 but they really dragged down the show despite Vieira/Lopes being fight of the night.

Both Noguieras, Struve, and Shogun looked like they shouldn’t be fighting so it was just kind of a sad night.

Ronda continues to impress and is dominant beyond words. She’s the UFC’s only true crossover star and I don’t think she should ever be in the #2 fight on any card, no matter how big.

I loved how they referred to her as UFC Bantamweight Champion, not Women’s Bantamweight Champion. I hope Stephanie McMahon was truly paying attention to how Rousey is promoted.

Mike Hiscoe