UFC 122 Recap
In the world of MMA, the events that look the weakest on paper turn out to have the biggest surprises on fight night. UFC 122 was not one of those events.
UFC 122 Trailer
With most of the main card bouts ending in decisions, I’d be amazed if anyone will be telling their grand kids where they were the night the UFC paid a visit to Oberhausen.
This is how the cookie crumbles sometimes. Some events are chock full of breathtaking gems, while others leave you looking for the proverbial diamond in the rough. All you can do is move on to the next one and hope for fireworks on some other night. For now, let’s do some dissecting to find out who are the biggest heroes, zeros, and everything in between after UFC 122.
Hero of the Night: Dennis Siver
His first-round submission victory (via rear naked choke) of Andre Winner was by far the most impressive win and the most tantalizing 3 ½ minutes of the entire Spike broadcast. Getting his hand raised in front of the home crowd was probably the icing on the cake for Siver. Had this been a night chock full of good fights, then it’s possible Siver’s win would’ve been out shined by other matches. Now that’s he gained some notoriety with this outing, I’m curious to see where he goes from here.
Zero of the Night: Nate Marquardt
This sport has a short memory, and Marquardt hasn’t done much to stay firmly rooted in the minds of fight fans at all. He’s 1-2 this year, with the lone victory earned from an unfocused Rousimar Palhares. While watching his fight with Yushin Okami, I was flabbergasted by what I saw. From the first minute to the last, he performed like a man who thought that simply coasting through the fight would be enough to get a title shot. I hated seeing Okami pick up the unanimous decision, but he at least came to fight. The same can’t be said for Marquardt.
Deebo Award: Karlos Vemola
In the movie Friday, Deebo is the neighborhood bully who terrorizes everyone. I bestow this honor onto Vemola because this is what he did to Seth Petruzelli. Vemola relentlessly stalked “The Silverback” like a lion after a gazelle in the Serengeti. 03:46 into round one, Vemola’s efforts earned him the “Knockout of the Night” honors in addition to the TKO victory over Petruzelli. The UFC’s newest light heavyweight brings intensity and more to a stacked division.
Lame Duck Award: Nick Osipczac
This one speaks for itself. After losing 2 consecutive bouts in the UFC, you’re not making a case for yourself to remain in the organization by turning in a lackluster performance en route to another loss. Sadly, that is exactly what Osipczac did in his fight with Duane Ludwig. Who runs away from striking exchanges and barely makes it to the end of the fight? That would be Osipczac. I want those 15 minutes of my life back, and I doubt I’m the only one.
Other Notable Fights from UFC 122:
Amir Sadollah def. Peter Sobotta via unanimous decision.
Krzysztof Soszynski def. Goran Reljic via unanimous decision.
Vladimir Matyushenko def. Alexandre Ferreira via TKO at 02:20 in Rd 1.
Carlos Eduardo Rocha def. Kris McCray via submission at 02:21 in Rd 1.
