UFC 168 Post-show analysis: Weidman beats Silva via TKO in the main event

As the year 2013 draws to a close, for fight fans around the world, nothing else really signifies it more than the biggest event that happened in the world of MMA this year, UFC 168 going into the books. The card couldn’t have been stacked higher and the noise couldn’t have been louder from the legion of UFC fans. While both the main-events consisted of two of the most anticipated rematches of all-time, you had terrific matches lined up underneath it which made it the most exciting event the UFC put out this year, on credentials alone.

With an event of such magnitude happening in rapid fashion, a lot of the times it takes a while to gain perspective and through this post I intend to analyze how the fight night went and the implications of each fight going in to the future. While a lot of questions got answered tonight, many remain without a definitive answer….Is Weidman’s victory over Silva yet another fluke? Is Ronda really the best WMMA fighter on the planet?

Main Event : Chris Weidman defeats Anderson Silva via TKO – 2nd round (Middle Weight championship)

With no one being sure what to make of the first fight between these two contenders at UFC 162, this was the opportunity for the champ to put all his doubters to rest and even the build-up to the contest was along those lines. The excitement was palpable as hungry title-contender Vitor Belfort was in attendance too. During the walk-out, Silva certainly looked to be different and for most part even came across as troubled with barely a smile or any emotion showing through. It did seem like the time was right for the legend’s last hurrah should he lose again. The champ on the other hand looked confident and unruffled. But, after dominating the first round of the match when he almost finished Silva, it was time for the second round to set in when Silva usually cuts himself loose. But what bought him the only success in the last encounter proved to be his undoing this time around and Silva broke his leg after Weidman checked one of his low leg kicks. And just like that, the match was over and the crowd were disappointed with yet another half-baked result.

With the Spider being 38 and in the twilight of his career, a return to the sport after such a devastating injury seems very unlikely and the question on all the Weidman doubters’ minds mau just remain unanswered.

Co-main event : Ronda Rousey defeats Miesha Tate by submission in the 3^rd round(Womens’ Bantamweight championship)

Following the airing of the last season of The Ultimate Fighter, Rousey had lost a fair share of her fans who instead chose to side with the better behaved ‘Cupcake’ instead. While Rousey has been the poster-child of womens’ MMA over the past year or so, a lot of eyes were waiting to see the title switch waists last night and Miesha is as tough as they come, so she had everything to gain and very little to lose (considering she wasn’t even supposed to be in title contendership on the card).

In the rematch, Miesha became the first one to stretch the champ beyond round 1 and while it in itself is a victory of sorts, she couldn’t stop the juggernaut known as ‘Rowdy’ Ronda Rousey. The champ controlled most of the match with her superior technique, strength and dominance on the ground. While Tate showed a lot of heart, she couldn’t match up to Ronda on any other level and even her game plan seemed flawed, considering how she never tried to keep the fight standing after badgering the champ’s stand-up skills all over the media. In the end, the greatest rivalry in womens’ MMA was settled once and for all, albeit in the cage, as Ronda refused to shake her beaten opponent’s hand after the fight. While the crowd booed her actions, you have to marvel at the emotion and realness that Ronda brings to the table every time she fights.

Travis Browne defeats Josh Barnett via KO – 1^st round

Personally, this was the true shocker of the night for me as I gave nothing to ‘Hapa’ and bet on the ‘Warmaster’ to school the big guy in places he hadn’t seen. Boy oh boy, was I wrong!

If anything, Browne proved in his last fight he had the heart of a champion when he withered the onslaught from Overeem to come back and knock him out. But last night, he sure as hell proved that he has got the skills too as he viciously knocked out the notoriously tough Josh Barnett into unconsciousness. After stuffing a takedown attempt by Barnett with a knee, Browne unleashed elbows to the former champ’s head in such quick succession that even the referee couldn’t make the call in time and Barnett was left snoozing.

Jim Miller defeats Fabricio Camoes via submission – 1^st round

In a Miller fight, one thing you can be assured of is non-stop action. He has been the same ever since he came in to the company and last night was no different. While the announcers and commentators were trying to hype up the return of Fabricio Camoes after an extended break of a year and half, Miller was a clear favourite and he proved why with a submission victory in the second half of the first round.

Uriah Hall defeats Chris Leben via TKO – 1^st round

While the fight wasn’t anything great and both men didn’t really make a lot of contact before the last minute in the round, I was glad that the hugely talented Hall has a win under his belt and hopefully the pressure is off him and we can see better performances from him in the future. As for Leben, who would have thought he would be the guy throwing in the towel? Good on him to not take the scarred warrior reputation too seriously and putting his health as priority and refusing ego to better of his logic.