Leading up to Saturday’s UFC 138 card in Birmingham, England, much of the talk surrounding the card was quite critical. Fans and pundits said there were no big names on the program, and that the card would be boring as a result. Well, they were half right.
[caption id="attachment_79" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Photo credit: Sherdog.com"]
[/caption]
UFC 138’s five-fight main card was explosive, with five finishes, three in the first round.
Oh, and it was free.
Terry Etim was the hometown favorite against the over-matched Eddie Faaloloto to kick off the main card. Etim snapped off a few crisp kicks, and when his opponent dove for a takedown, Etim jumped guard with a tight guillotine for the finish. The end came in just seventeen seconds.
Cyrille Diabete and Anthony Perosh took a bit longer in the cage, but after getting outstruck for the first frame, the Aussie Perosh dragged his man to the mat in round two and finished him with a rear naked choke.
Former title contender Thiago Alves made quick and clinical work of the previously undefeated Swede Papy Abedi. Alves took a few punches in the opening moments, but established his dominance where he is most comfortable: striking at range. Alves landed a right cross and a left hook to the jaw of Abedi, which left him on rubbery legs. He keeled over, and afterwards Alves quickly took the back and finished with a rear naked choke. It was Alves’ first submission victory in the UFC.
Renan Barão added to his highlight reel with a dominant win over Brad Pickett. Pickett, who said he wasn’t worried about Barão’s standup, went headhunting early and paid the price. Barão landed jabs and left hands early, before stepping in with a beautiful high knee that landed flush on Pickett’s skull. Brutal hooks from both hands sent Pickett to the mat. Picket turned over and was tapping to a rear naked choke shortly thereafter. That’s three wins by rear naked choke in a row, for those of you who are counting.
Mark Muñoz and Chris Leben were scheduled for five rounds in the main event – the first five-round non-title bout in UFC history, but they didn’t need it. After a fairly competitive and wild opening round that saw big takedowns and strikes by both men, the fight began to swing in Muñoz's favor. He ended up in top position three times in round two, battering Leben with heavy strikes and opening up a nasty gash over his left eye. In between rounds two and three, Leben informed the cageside doctor he couldn't see, and the fight was called off.
The combatants of UFC 138 went to war on Saturday, and put one of the more action-packed events in recent memory. It was almost as if they had something to prove.
“Great night so far!!!!,” tweeted UFC President Dana White. “Love when idiots [expletive] on a card before it happens. It makes for great events.”
And great it was. UFC 138 featured more finishes than UFC 137, which, outside of the main event between BJ Penn and Nick Diaz, was fairly lackluster. Big names don’t always equal big excitement. UFC Welterweight King George St-Pierre’s last three contests haven’t been particularly thrilling, for instance. And fans had to pay for all of those.
UFC 138, for all of its faults on paper, turned out to be stellar card. Let’s remember that the next time a fight comes around with no big names on it.
Back to the MMA Newsfeed