UFC 111 Recap – Overall a solid card 7.5 out of 10

GSP vs. Dan Hardy

What a disappointing performance turned in by GSP.  He looked like he was afraid to stand and trade with Hardy because he didn’t want to get Serra’d.  GSP’s game plan was to wait for Hardy to throw a few punches, then duck under them and take Hardy to the ground.  Rinse and Repeat.  GSP didn’t offer much on the ground.  He came close with a few sloppy submissions attempts which GSP himself were not technically applied correct.

When did GSP become Jon Fitch?  This is the fist time that I recall GSP fighting not to lose versus fighting to win.  People will say that was a smart game plan.  I am not one of them.  If you want to be called the P4P best fighter you should be able to beat someone at their strong point.

Hardy showed a ton of heart and didn’t tap when two submissions were applied.  Both looked pretty painful.  Hardy needs to learn some takedown defense stat.  You would think after 3 rounds of being taken down that he might try to sprawl at some time, but he didn’t.  He did come out of the fight unscathed, which is a lot more than Fitch or Alves can say after they fought GSP.  Hardy seems like he will have a bright future in the UFC.

Mir vs. Carwin

Wow.  Carwin has Dynamite in his hands.  Both of them engaged in some striking with Carwin being the aggressor.  Carwin had Mir pinned up again the cage in the clinch and was dirty boxing.  He was clipping Mir with some rights so Mir shifted his head over Carwin’s left shoulder and Carwin switched to left uppercuts and dropped Mir.  He followed Mir to the ground and followed up with around 8 unanswered shots where Miragliotta is just watching.  Miragliotta could have stopped this fight earlier but seemed content to watch Mir eat a few more shots than he should of.  Maybe a payback for the death threats Mir made about Lesnar.

Mir looked really weird in this fight.  Maybe he looked past Carwin.  He was too relaxed and didn’t look like he flipped the light switch “on” to realize that he was in a fight.  Also, there was no sense of urgency when he was in a bad position.  He should have learned that from his fight with Lesnar.

Carwin vs. Lesnar is next and that is beef on beef.  Something is going to break in that fight.  The cage, a hand or a face.  Not sure but that is going to be a spectacle.

Fitch vs. Saunders

I wish the UFC stuck with the Sunders vs. Ellenberger fight.  That fight would have been closer and more entertaining.  Fitch came out and took Saunders down at will and kept his “win by decision” motto in tact.  I will say that Jon Fitch is the most boring fighter in the UFC.

The post fight press conference was pretty interesting with the interaction between Dana White and Fitch.  Fitch was lobbying for a title shot.  Dana said Fitch would need to fight Koschek.  Fitch said they would do that fight behind closed doors.  Dana said that fight would make a lot of money.

Miller vs. Bocek

Very even fight.  I would not have been upset if the called Bocek’s name as the winner it was that close.  Bocek had a body triangle on Miller with his arm caught in there too with a few minutes left in the second round and Miller was able to fight off the rear naked choke with one hand.  Miller is tough.  Miller almost had Bocek finished with a Kimura.

Pellegrino vs. Camoes

Pelligrino looked good.  Cameos had Pellegrino in a standing rear-naked choke.  Pellgrino walked over to the cage and used the cage to support Cameos’ weight.  Then Pellegrino dove forward and spiked Cameos’ head into the mat.  I thought he killed him at that point.  The replay of this was brutal.  A lot of back and forth action in this fight.  Pellgrino was able to keep the pace up and finished Cameo with a rear-naked choke in the second round.

Palhares vs. Drwal

Drwal came out and slipped on the Bud light sign in the middle of the Octagon.  Palhares drops down for a leg lock and torques the hell out of it.  Drwal taps but Palhares keeps applying it.  It takes the ref a few seconds to peel Palhares off.  Drwal is definitely injures.  Palhares gets suspended for 90 days for his lack of professionalism.

Diaz vs. Markham

The Hardy curse stays intact.  If you lose to Dan Hardy, you lose in your next fight.  Markham, Swick, Davis and Gono all have followed suit.

Markham came into this fight at least 7 pounds over weight.  Very disrespectful.  Diaz worked him on the feet with punches in bunches.  Followed him to the ground and took back control.  Rained down blows until the ref stopped the fight.

-Matt Griffith