THE DUST HAS just about settled on the UFC’s whirlwind April programme and now seems to be the perfect time to take stock on all that has happened.
Four events in four weeks meant April resembled the pace of a typical Urijah Faber fight and it left us with many talking points, both positive and negative.
From broken toes to battered egos, “Awesome April” was certainly one to remember for many reasons but the explosion of Conor McGregor onto the biggest stage certainly justified the marathon of early Sunday mornings for many Irish MMA fans.
The Irish make their mark
It took all of 67 seconds for McGregor to show he is the real deal when it comes to MMA but what followed after elevated him to a different level to most. His boyishly confident shout of “Dana! 60 Gs baby!” in his post-fight interview and his appearance on The Late Late Show meant that he is more than capable of dealing with the celebrity side of the fight business.
His affable charm cranked his likeability factor higher with each public appearance meaning he is now undoubtedly the face of Irish MMA and will hopefully lead to a new raft of Irish fighters making similar strides inside the UFC.
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His appearance was the shining light of April’s first event which stumbled to a respectable conclusion after Alexander Gustafsson pulled out late on through injury. He may be next in line to face Jon Jones now while Gegard Mousasi proved he is a genuine threat in the light heavyweight division as he trounced Ilir Latifi despite carrying injuries himself.
Cat Zigano disrupted the Tate/Rousey script as she surprisingly beat Meisha Tate to become the coach on the next series of “The Ultimate Fighter”. Urijah Faber wore down Scott Jorgensen on his way to a fourth round victory leaving the Sacramento man in with yet another shout of a UFC title shot.
It was Kevin Gastelum who produced the biggest shock of the finale however as he got the better of the much-fancied Uriah Hall to win the UFC contract. Gastelum impressively out-pointed the tentative Hall throughout and at just 21 years of age he could have a long career in front of him if he keeps focused.
Chael Sonnen was reportedly attacked by an irate Brazilian fan in the crowd at the event and some controversy surrounded Travis Browne’s victory over Gabriel Gonzaga due to elbows to the back of the head but his appeal was thrown out by the Nevada Attorney General’s office this week.
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A night of knockouts at UFC on Fox
The third event of April will be remembered as being a night of knockouts with eight in total on the card. TJ Dillashaw and Joseph Benavidez were the notable winners on the undercard while it was a mixed night for the Strikeforce crossovers on the main card as two won and two lost.
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Josh Thomson produced the standout performance of the night as he became the first man to KO Nate Diaz in a performance he described as “perfect.” Daniel Cormier battled his way to a decision victory over Frank Mir and has opened doors in both the heavyweight and light heavyweight division. Despite nearly dying while cutting weight for the 2008 Olympics, Cormier said fighting at 205 lbs maybe an option for him due to advancements in techniques for cutting weight.
Benson Henderson walked away with his UFC belt and a fiancée after proposing to his girlfriend in the Octagon following a very close fight against Gilbert Melendez that topped off a record-equalling night for the UFC.
The final instalment of fights saw an unusual number of freakish stoppages and gruesome injuries. Gian Villante was on the wrong end of a strange referee decision which cost him his chance to fight and seemed to kick-start an unusual sequence of events.
After Roy Nelson emphatically KOd Cheick Kongo the much anticipated Bisping/Belcher fight was stopped due to an unfortunate eye poke on Belcher by Bisping but the Englishman was well on his way to a comfortable victory anyway.
Jon Jones dispatched the mouthy Chael Sonnen by beating him at his own game. He took Sonnen down three times before finally forcing the referee to step in and stop it. His victory was all the more impressive as he won despite breaking his toe mid-fight and failing to realise until it was pointed out to him in the interview after. Yes, that is how hard Jon Jones actually is.
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