After a busy, action packed weekend of mixed martial arts, there is much to digest before moving forward to this weekend’s UFC on FOX 14 in Sweden.
With the three top promotions in the sport each putting on an event, messages were sent and lessons were learned.
Below are five of the lessons learned from the weekend in MMA.
Jake Shields is a bad man
Jake Shields proved Saturday night that he is still one of the best welterweights in the world, UFC or not, with his dismantling of Brian Foster. Shields is 2 for 2 in the World Series of Fighting with two submission wins that he has made look easy. Next up, a showdown with current champion Rousimar Palhares in what should make for an exciting matchup of BJJ against Shields’ proclaimed “American Jiu Jitsu”.
Georgi is back
Georgi Karakhanyan made his triumphant return to the Bellator cage with an emphatic, albeit somewhat disturbing, submission win over rising prospect Bubba Jenkins. Karakhanyan was able to make quick work of the wrestler by snatching a guillotine early in the first. In the process, he earned himself a title shot against champ Pitbull Freire, who was also victorious over the weekend. If he were able to claim the gold, he’d be the first man to hold world titles in both WSOF and Bellator.
Straus comes up short again
In what was an exciting fight right up until the finish, Daniel Straus ultimately came up short yet again, submitting to a rear naked choke in the waning seconds of a round. The first occurrence happened roughly a year ago when he lost his title to Pat Curran via rear naked choke with seconds to go in the 5th round. This time, he was submitted by Pitbull with seconds remaining in the 4th. Straus’ striking speed and accuracy looked to be winning him the fight, but a misstep in a scramble led to Pitbull taking his back. While Straus is clearly one of the top fighters in the featherweight division, having an 0-2 record against the current champ does not bode well for his title aspirations.
Cowboy’s gamble pays off
Although it was close, with many pundits believing he lost the fight, Donald Cerrone was able to come away with a decision win over Benson Henderson. Taking this fight two weeks after defeating Myles Jury was major risk, but Cerrone was able to hold serve and remain a top contender in the lightweight division. Up next for Cowboy is likely a number one contender’s bout with Khabib Nurmagomedov.
The star of Ireland continues to shine
After all of the hype, promotion, and trash-talk, Conor McGregor delivered yet again. In what amounted to be little more than a showcase fight, McGregor dominated and outclassed a game Dennis Siver. The ascension of the Irish star has been nothing short of astounding as he continues to bring eyeballs to the UFC. A featherweight title fight with Jose Aldo is next and it has the potential to be one of the biggest events the UFC has done in quite some time.