UFC 128: The Good, Bad, and Ugly
The Sports Courier was in attendance Saturday night for UFC 128: SHOGUN VS JONES. Here is what we feel are the good, bad, and ugly of the stacked fight card.
The Good
Featherweight newcomer Eric Koch knocks out out Raphael Assuncao: Four words--Knockout of The Night.
Nick Catone: Not the prettiest unanimous decision victory in the world, but after a year-plus layoff, the "Jersey Devil" will take the deserving W.
Luiz Cane TKOs Eliot Marshall in the first round: All the focus seemed to be on "The Fire" Marshall's UFC comeback and fighting Cane on short notice. Cane made sure people talked about Marshall for the wrong reasons after UFC 128.
Jim Miller TKOs Kamal Shalorus in third round: The New Jersey native had to be motivated after seeing his brother Dan lose by unanimous decision to Nate Marquardt minutes before his fight. Seven straight Octagon wins should equal a title shot for Miller--but that all depends if Clay Guida defeats Anthony Pettis in June.
Gleison Tibau gets split decision over Kurt Pellegrino: While not aesthetically pleasing, Tibau gets the rightful split decision win over "Batman." While Pellegrino's performance was solid, albeit unspectacular, remember he came back from a one year layoff. At least he put up a good fight--unlike another guy with a long layoff. Here's a hint: It's not Nick Catone.
Joseph Benavidez: A hard-fought win over Ian Loveland. "The Barn Owl" almost took Urijah Faber's best friend to the woodshed, but Benavidez rebounded en route to a unanimous decision victory.
Edson Barboza vs. Anthony Njokuani: No matter who you had winning the fight, we're all winners for watching two lightweights with very bright futures--especially the undefeated Barboza. This rightfully earned "Fight of The Night." Lesson learned from this fight: Don't try to outstrike these dudes. Period.
Kamal Shalorus' toughness: The WEC veteran had a solid showing in the first round against UFC mainstay Jim Miller, but fell apart in the second and third rounds, before succumbing by TKO. Before that TKO, Shalorus showed undeniable toughness--most notably after eating a head kick like it was nothing. It's only his first loss, so he can either lose confidence or come back stronger from here.
Urijah Faber: The WEC legend was ready for Eddie Wineland and while he looked crisp in all aspects of MMA, it's "The California Kid's" standout wrestling ability that helped him earn the unanimous decision victory in the co-main event.
