It’s now been a few days since a highly entertaining UFC 173 and that’s plenty of time to sort out what we know after a slate of fights that turned out to be very revealing. Here’s what we learned from the fifth Pay-Per-View UFC event of 2014.
A new UFC star was born (maybe)
I’m here to issue a public apology — in my discussion of the bantamweight title bout between champion Renan Barão and challenger TJ Dillashaw, I was about as far off from right as it’s possible to be in terms of predicting the outcome. I went out of my way to praise the “underrated” Barão when really it was Dillashaw that should have been getting recognition all along.
I was not the only one to overlook the California native; Vegas had the challenger as a 6-1 underdog in its prefight betting. Seemingly the only person who believed in the Viper was his Team Alpha Male teammate Urijah Faber, who predicted that Dillashaw would win thanks to his speed and quickness. Well, the Fight of the Night recipient went out and did just that, hurting the champion early and then finishing him in the final round with a flurry of punches that made the fighter many considered to be among the best pound-for-pound in the organization look like an overmatched sparring partner.
It was a sublime performance from Dillashaw, who left no doubt about whom the better fighter is right now. It will be interesting to see how Dillashaw reacts to reaching the top of the mountain so soon in his career. Will he be able to defend his newly minted belt? If he fights like he did against Barão, the leather should be around his waist for years to come.
Daniel Cormier deserves a title shot
This isn’t really a surprise to most people. The undefeated Cormier has compiled a championship résumé over the last several years and if there’s any justice in the MMA world, he’ll fight the winner of the Jon Jones-Alexander Gustafsson bout that will likely take place in August at UFC 177. All Cormier did on Saturday night was prove once again that he has few peers as a wrestler and that he is a force to be reckoned with in the light heavyweight division.
DC made quick work of aging legend Dan Henderson, finishing the former Strikeforce champion at 3:53 of the third round with a rear-naked choke. Henderson refused to submit and was out cold before the referee stepped in to end Cormier’s 15th consecutive win. After the fight, Cormier made no secret of his desire to fight Jones, calling out the champion directly.
“Jon Jones…you can’t run away from me forever. I’m the kid in the wrestling tournament that is in your bracket…you’d better hurry because I’m getting better,” Cormier yelled in his post-fight interview.
Barring a Gustafsson upset of Jonny Bones, the 35-year old Cormier will get the matchup he wants sooner rather than later.
Jake Ellenberger is no longer a title contender
‘Ruthless’ Robbie Lawler’s evisceration of Ellenberger showed that Lawler is indeed the top contender in the welterweight division and the greatest threat to Johny Hendricks’ budding title reign. Pending a win in a possible title elimination bout between the winner of the Rory MacDonald-Tyron Woodley fight at UFC 174, Lawler will get a rematch with Bigg Rigg for the belt later this year.
More than that, however, we learned that Ellenberger has a very long road back to title contention. Coupled with his lethargic loss to MacDonald last July, the Juggernaut has now looked overmatched in two fights in a row against top-five contenders.
He called the fight against Lawler the biggest of his career, but he certainly didn’t fight like it. Ellenberger is known as one of the finest wrestlers in the organization, but he wasn’t able to create even a single takedown in three rounds against Lawler and was on the defensive the entire fight until the older fighter knocked him out with a devastating driving knee-jabbing flurry combo. Ellenberger still has all the talent in the world but he’ll take a step down in competition for the time being and it’s unclear when he’ll be elite again, if ever.
Dylan Sinn is a freelance contributor for CraveOnline Sports. You can follow him on Twitter @DylanSinn or “like” CraveOnline Sports on Facebook.
Photo Credit: Getty
