UFC Live 5 Recap
Chris Lytle Retires from Active Fighting After Win Over Dan Hardy.
The Fight…
Chris Lytle announced at the weigh-ins on Saturday that this would be his last fight. His decision to retire came from his desire to spend more time with his family and he went out in the best way possible. Lytle left everything in the cage on Sunday in his slugfest with British striker Dan Hardy. Lytle came out swinging in the opening round connecting on several big shots that kept Hardy confused and without an answer. Hardy answered back in the 2nd, landing 3 very hard right hands that almost ended Lytle’s night early. Lytle was able to hang on and land many shots of his own to keep the round close. In the 3rd Hardy came out knowing he needed to finish but after shooting in for a takedown he was caught in a very tight guillotine that gave Lytle a victory for the very last time.
Dan Hardy: Where To Go From Here?
Going Forward…
Chris Lytle – Lytle is officially retired following this fight. On a personal level, I hope he gets the fight bug back in him soon and decides to take maybe one or two showcase fights a year for either the UFC or Strikeforce. If he does stay retired we wish him the best of luck and thank him for a very exciting career.
Dan Hardy – Hardy should be released from the UFC following this fight. It is his 4th loss in a row and too be honest he was never the fighter the UFC hyped him up to be. His grappling is weak and his striking defense needs to be improved as well. Hardy has options though. He could stay stateside and join either a wide open Strikeforce welterweight division or the 170 lbs. class of Bellator. If he returns home he could get some decent fights in BAMMA.
Ben Henderson Shows the World That He is a Legit Contender.
The Fight…
Ben “Smooth” Henderson surprised a lot of people on Sunday night with his decision victory over Jim Miller. Ben controlled most of the fight while fighting off non-stop submission attempts from the very dangerous Miller. His wrestling was a lot stronger than Miller’s and he took him down at will. Miller did show how tough he is by staying in the fight despite the obvious pain towards the end of it but is was Ben’s night and this really gives him a boost back up the rankings.
Going Forward…
Ben Henderson – This fight showed how much Ben Henderson is improving and that he is a top 10 fighter in a very thick lightweight division. Miller was a very tough fight for him and it should toss his name in to the hat that is currently filled with title challengers in the UFC. I would like to see Ben get a fight with Clay Guida to determine an official contender for the winner of Edgar/Maynard III.
Jim Miller – With a win over Henderson, Miller might have all but set up to challenge for the 155 lbs. title in the near future. Unfortunately for Jim, things did not go as planned. Luckily though, he lost to a good fighter in Ben Henderson and it should not hurt his climb back up the ladder. Miller could throw himself back in there with the wolves and face another up and coming contender in Donald Cerrone or take an easier fight with a well rounded Cole Miller.
“Cowboy” Cerrone crushes Charles Oliviera
The Fight…
“Cowboy” Cerrone came out fast for his fight with Charles Oliviera. The fight started with both fighters trading until Cerrone landed a vicious strike to the body that hurt Oliviera. Oliviera went to the ground obviously hurt and Cerrone pounced on him with a barrage of punches before the ref stepped in and stopped it.
Going Forward…
Donald Cerrone – “Cowboy” can only go up from here. He has won his last 5 fights and we should see him take a serious step up in competition. I would love to see him face someone like Melvin Guillard but if he really wants to be considered a contender in the UFC LW division he will need to challenge someone with a strong wrestling degree. Sean Sherk or even Jim Miller would be a good matchups to see if he has improved that area of his game.
Charles Oliviera – Oliviera’s hype was not enough against a very game Cerrone. The lanky fighter looked smaller in size to his most recent opponent and a move to featherweight may be pushed by the UFC for his next fight. It would be a wise decision for him to move down as he would be one of the largest fighters at 145 lbs. A fight with Ricardo Lamas could be a good fight.
Bang Ludwig Stands and Bangs with Amir, Wins.
The Fight…
Duane “Bang” Ludwig’s quick counter strikes and solid kicks were on point early in this fight with Amir Sadollah and that was all he needed to take him out of his game. Bang was a step faster than Amir on the night but Sadollah did not look too bad. His striking became better as the fight progressed and he stole the third round by looking for the finish. Bang and Amir are very similar fighters and Duane took this because of experience.
Going Forward…
Duane Ludwig – Bang can still put on a good show every now and again but it depends on the match up he gets. At this point in his career he is a gatekeeper for the UFC’s prospects at 170 lbs., and he should get comfortable in that role until he puts together a long string of wins. If Dong Hyun Kim ever wakes up from his last fight it could be a good fight. If not, Attonito or Johnny Hendricks could step up in competition.
Amir Sadollah – Amir is in a tough spot with the UFC. He should not be on the chopping block just yet but he is going to need to win his next fight to stay relevant in the UFC. I hope they see that he is still a prospect but he is one that needs time to develop. We should know a lot more about Amir by the time he completes his 10th or so fight. With that said I think he should get a fight with another up and coming prospect. Like the winner of the upcoming Matt Riddle/Lace Benoist fight.
Prelim Fights
-Jared Hamman beat up CB Dollaway in his middleweight debut. The fight was stopped by the ref in the 2nd round (TKO). This was Dollaway’s 2nd loss in a row by (T)KO and could put him in line for the next round of cuts.
-Joseph Benavidez stood up with Eddie Wineland and continued to show us why he is a tough fight for anyone. His chances of getting a title shot at 135 are hurt the longer Dominic Cruz holds on to the title but with the 125 lbs. division coming to the UFC in 2012 he could find a new weight class to annoy.
-Ed Herman gave Kyle Noke a lesson in jiu jitsu tonight with a dominating display from his back. Noke took the fight down early but had nothing to show for it because Herman was constantly attacking with submissions. Eventually a inverted heel hook was what he used to end the fight and possibly put Noke’s career on delay for a few months.
-Ronny Markes won in his UFC debut with dominant win over Karlos Vermola. The Czech National wrestling champion had no answers for the Brazilians takedowns and was outworked over 3 rounds. Markes did not really look to finish the fight but with the first time UFC jitters now out of his system he should get back to finishing his opponents like he has in the past.
-Jimy Hettes showed us an amazing display of jiu jitsu in his UFC debut against Alex Caceres. This fight was very similar to the Herman/Noke fight but Hettes took a lot more punishment than “Short Fuse”. Caceres looked slick early on, defending everything that was thrown his way but eventually he was caught in a RNC. Caceres should be cut following this loss.
-Cole Miller beats TJ O’Brien with guillotine in the 2nd round. Miller has the upper hand with the striking and it led to O’Brien diving in for a takedown and getting caught. TJ O’Brien will also be cut following this loss.
-Jacob Volkmann used his wrestling to beat Danny Castillo. Volkmann controlled most of the fight and constantly looked for a D’Arce choke in route to winning a unanimous decision.
-Figueroa stopped Jason Reinhardt in a sloppy fight by both fighters. Figueroa mounted Jason after a scramble and he pounded on him until the ref stopped the fight. Reinhardt will most likely be cut as his UFC record drops to 0-3.
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