The UFC on FOX 2 was expected to be an action packed card full of exciting fights. The preliminary bouts delivered with multiple knockouts and one very impressive submission.

 

The main card didn’t follow suit, delivering three decision victories that didn’t have the excitement fans expected to witness. There was a lot riding on all three fights, including title implications in the main and co main events.

 

Hurtsbad MMA is going to break down the action for those of you who happened to miss the nationally televised fights.

The main event featured former Light Heavyweight champion and TUF 2 winner Rashad Evans facing off against unbeaten prospect Phil Davis. Both guys come from wrestling backgrounds, Davis being a former 4 time all American wrestler at Penn State University, and Evans being an impressive collegiate wrestler at Michigan State University.

 

Phil Davis has shown amazing potential throughout his MMA career and some believe he will be the man to dethrone Jon Jones. With a big victory on Saturday night he could have possibly earned the chance to prove that.

 

Evans has had an ongoing feud with the champion, who happens to be a former training partner. If Evans got passed Davis on FOX, he has been guaranteed a fight with Jones, and a shot to get back the championship belt he took from Forrest Griffin in December of 2008.

 

The main event on FOX was greatly hyped and expected to show some world class wrestling and powerful striking, here’s how it went down.

 

Rashad Evans vs. Phil Davis

 

The fight began with both fighters circling each other cautiously. Davis was active with leg kicks early, but Rashad kept his patience, eventually catching a body kick and slamming Davis down.

 

Rashad made solid work of the takedown, perfectly transitioning to the mounted crucifix. Though he was unable to do a lot of damage once he got the crucifix, it showed his impressive grappling ability against a former all American wrestler.

The second round was very similar to the first. Both fighters traded shots and clinched against the cage. Rashad was finding a home for his right uppercut in the clinch. Davis threw another slow body kick which Rashad caught and used

to take Davis down again.

 

By the end of the 2^nd round it was easy to see that Rashad had a massive speed advantage that was beginning to cause problems for the undefeated prospect.

 

The third round was arguably the best round for Davis as he landed nice leg kicks and a double leg takedown. However Rashad was still impressive gaining the back mount briefly in the round, as well as landing nice counter strikes.

 

The last two rounds were very similar to the first two, with Rashad landing more strikes and takedowns, including a mounted crucifix for the second time in the fight.

 

The judges awarded Rashad Evans with a unanimous decision victory and a title shot against champion Jon Jones.  

It was clear that Evans was the better all-around fighter than Davis and that he held a significant speed advantage which he could make great use of when he takes on the champion.

 

Although Davis lost every round, he showed toughness and heart in an extremely one sided main event. It was a great learning experience for the young fighter; surely he will come back strong from the loss.

After the fight Evans had this to say about his performance, “I felt like I wanted to put him away, and I just didn’t get the chance to land those big punches. I’m kind of disappointed about it. When you’re fighting a guy as tough as Phil Davis, sometimes things like that happen.” Evans also said, “Now that I won, I get the opportunity to fight Jon and I’m very

excited about it.”

 

Chael Sonnen vs. Michael Bisping

 

The co main event was expected to be an all-out war between two popular middleweights. It was a competitive fight that showcased Sonnen’s world class wrestling and his ability to smother an opponent.

 

The former title challenger scored on multiple takedowns in every round. However, Bisping would get right back to his feet and respond with accurate punches. The Englishman often pushed Sonnen back against the cage, surprising everyone with strong clinchwork against a world class wrestler.

 

The third round sealed the deal for Sonnen though, as he scored a takedown which led to him gaining the back mount. Once on his opponents back, he looked to finish the fight with a rear-naked choke but was unable to sink it in so he transitioned to full mount.

 

At the very end of the fight Bisping got back to his feet and scored a nice takedown of his own, but it wasn’t enough to steal the victory in the judge’s eyes. They gave Sonnen the unanimous decision victory that gives him another shot against his rival and pound for pound king Anderson Silva.

 

The always charismatic Chael Sonnen had some interesting words to share with Joe Rogan after the fight, “Joe Rogan tonight is not for questions for me, this is your night brother. I want to know how you feel being inches away from greatness. I want you to tell everybody how it feels, are you not mesmerized?!”

 

The master linguist and fight promoter went on to say, “Do you not have chills going up your spine?! For the first time on FOX, for you to be here, in Chael’s octagon, on Chael’s channel, holding Chael’s microphone…interviewing Chael.

 

While you’re thinking about that, remember this, when you’re the greatest fighter in the world today, they got a name for you, they don’t call you a great fighter they call you Chael Sonnen, beat me if you can.”

 

Clearly enough said.

 

Chris Weidman vs. Demian Maia

 

The first fight of the nationally televised card was between former Middleweight title challenger and submission expert

Demian Maia taking on unbeaten prospect Chris Weidman.

 

The hype behind Weidman is incredible and the sky truly is the limit for the Serra-Longo fight team product. He took the fight on 11 days’ notice after Michael Bisping was moved to the co-main event to replace an injured Mark Munoz.

 

Weidman made the most of the huge opportunity, defeating the Brazilian Maia by split decision. It was a slow paced fight that showcased Weidman’s improved striking as he landed leg kicks and body shots throughout all three rounds.

 

He also scored takedowns in every round, which is especially impressive against a grappling expert like Maia. Midway through the fight Weidman was visibly exhausted due to the weight cut on short notice, but he pushed on to victory. Maia also looked exhausted which caused people to question his cardio training.

 

Expect a big step up in competition for Chris Weidman as he has now erased the prospect label he previously held.

The former all American wrestler has shown very few weaknesses inside the Octagon and has now won 8 straight fights, 4 of which were against UFC competition.

 

All in all, the second run on FOX for the UFC was not quite the spectacle many had expected yet it was a fine representation of what this game is all about. While many fans may be scratching their heads wondering what is next, the true fans of MMA understand it is only a matter of time before MMA slams its fist on the table and proves its worth.

 

Look no further than Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit for a glaring example of just exactly what Hurtsbad MMA knows to be the truth behind the best MMA has to offer.

 

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