Every once in a while we all have things we need to get off our chests. It’s good for the soul. Every Monday morning our MMA World Senior Editor Stephen Rivers takes the opportunity to cleanse his with a takeaway from the weekend’s MMA news and events.
THE NOT SO SUPER NON-SUPERFIGHT
It had been billed as the superfight of the lower weight classes. A dream match between two standout performers whose legacies are already relevant within the history of the sport. That hype was always going to be tough to live up to when Frankie Edgar and Urijah Faber met in Manila on Saturday.
For five rounds Edgar outworked, outboxed and outwrestled Faber to claim a lopsided unanimous decision win. All three judges scored the fight 50-45, which was a relief given some of the scoring we had seen earlier that night. The rounds were largely competitive, but Faber never really looked like he was capable of winning. Edgar’s performance was excellent, he was always a level above.
Anyone who broke the fight down with their head rather than their heart could have predicted the way it would play out. This wasn’t a super fight, neither in pre-event stature, nor in excitement on the night. Superfights aren’t shoved onto daytime cards on free TV in the Philippines.
FILIPPINO WRECKING MACHINE GOES OUT THE RIGHT WAY
There were big performances on Saturday in Manila. Jon Delos Reyes and Roldan Sangcha-An produced an exciting Fight Pass prelim, Neil Magny extended his win streak to seven, and Gegard Mousasi dominated Costas Philippou for three long rounds. Still it was the last professional fight of Mark Munoz’ career that stole the show.
Munoz’ decision victory over Luke Barnatt was not the greatest performance of his career, nor was it his toughest test in the cage, but none of that mattered. At times Munoz looked every bit the Fiippino Wrecking Machine of old and that was enough for the fans who got the chance to say goodbye to one of their heroes.
There was no more fitting way for it to end, and it was great to see that his career was played up before the fight, and that he was afforded sufficient time on the microphone after it to reflect on what he had been able to achieve. Munoz came close, perhaps just one fight away from a title shot on more than one occasion during his career. On Saturday the sport said goodbye to one of the good guys.
BRANDON HALSEY MAKES A FOURTH ROUND IMPRESSION
On Friday night former Bellator Middleweight Champion Brandon Halsey dispatched Kendall Grove in dominant fashion. From the opening bell, to the stoppage half way through the fourth round, it was almost all Halsey as he used his wrestling and physical strength to control his opponent.
Despite appearing to be over-matched, there was a belief held by some that should Kendall Grove make it past the third round he had a chance. Halsey failing to make weight for the contest, which saw him stripped of his middleweight title, only fueled that fire. That is what made Halsey’s fourth round finish so impressive.
After an exceptional first five minutes, Halsey’s output slowed through the second and third rounds. As the fighters waited for the fourth to start there was an uneasy feeling attached to the fight. Halsey shut that down almost instantly, finding another gear when it looked like he might fade. Now we can only hope that he makes the move to light-heavyweight where much bigger fights await.
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