There was a time when Mauricio Rua owned the light heavyweight division like Hank Paulson owns the American taxpayer, and it didn’t look like the good times would ever end for the young Brazilian ingénue. Those days are way off in the rearview mirror now that Rua is coming off a fight in which he struggled to put away a 44-year-old who hasn’t been relevant in years.
No one knows if Rua is still walking around on defective knees or if he’s just another Japanese import destined to fail, but this much is certain: It won’t be long before everyone stops caring.
Denis The Inconsistent Menace
At this point, it’s not even frustrating to watch Denis Kang dominate a fight only to throw it all away in the span of 15 seconds like he did against Alan Belcher. Really, it’s to be expected -- Kang made a habit of it toward the end of his stint in Japan. His long-awaited UFC debut did nothing to dispel the notion that he will be our very own version of the early 90’s Buffalo Bills.
He’s a talented fighter and rooting for him will be a fun ride, but don’t expect luck to ever be your friend. With that in mind, maybe we can start calling him Denis “WIDE RIGHT!” Kang. To all you Bills fans out there, sorry to twist the knife.
Aces Down
It’s a tough road to tow for Rich Franklin from here on out thanks to a razor-thin decision loss to Dan Henderson. Making a return trip to the middleweight division is pointless as long as Anderson Silva is still alive and kicking heads off. The flip side of the coin is sticking it out as a light heavyweight. While Franklin is certainly dangerous at that weight, it’s hard to envision him being anything more than a serviceable contender.
Hardly an ignominious fate, but no one grows up wanting to be second best. Having already gotten a taste of greatness, the transition could be especially painful for Franklin.
Gumby Looks All Stretched Out
To his credit, Jeremy Horn lasted to the final bell against Rousimar Palhares and even managed to give the young Brazilian a scare or two. But that just highlights why Horn’s best days are behind him. A gifted cage tactician with more experience than the Highlander, Horn’s body can’t keep up anymore and it shows as youngsters like Palhares prey on his fading physical abilities.
It may not be Old Yeller time yet, but it’s starting to look like the UFC has outgrown another old-school hero.
Tom Gets Tanked and Ivan Es Terrible
One thing that needs to stop every time the UFC jumps the pond is lining the card with the first available batch of Europeans. It’s no secret that Europe is a haven for undiscovered talent, which makes the decision to bring in journeymen like Ivan Serati and unknown rookies like Tom Egan all the more curious. Appealing to the fans is one thing, but bringing in substandard fighters isn’t doing anyone any favors.
Except of course the one and done crowd like Egan and Serati, who likely won’t be getting any calls from Joe Silva anytime soon.