Ultimate Fight Night 42 Bendo vs Khabilov 6/7

[h]

Benson Henderson vs Rustam Khabilov

Dirty Sanchez vs Ross Pearson

John Dodson vs John Moraga

Sergio Pettis vs Yaotzin Meza

Rafael dos Anjos vs Jason High

Erik Perez vs Bryan Caraway

Yves Edwards vs Piotr Hallmann

Bobby Voelker vs Lance Benoist

Scott Jorgensen vs Danny Martinez

Patrick Cummins vs Roger Narvaez

Jon Tuck vs Jake Lindsey



alright this MMA forum needs some love. this is the next UFC card. this is actually a pretty decent looking card. i love bendo. hes a local guy n i love him to death but im really curious how Khabilov does here. he could knock off Bendo and get the biggest win of his career.

[newman]

I'm really pulling for Khabilov in the main event although I fully expect Bendo to win. It's a massive leap in competition for Khabilov to go from Jorge Masvidal to Bendo but I mean he must feel he can do it otherwise he wouldn't have accepted the fight. I don't dislike Bendo but I'm really tired of him in main events at this point while Khabilov feels like a fresh contender and to have him in the title picture would be pretty awesome. I just don't see how he beats Bendo but stranger things have happened and he's certainly a well-rounded, explosive dude. The other thing is that Khabilov's not been tested at this level so if it turns out he's nowhere near as good as Bendo, maybe Bendo could get his first UFC finish. I heard an interview the other day where he outright said he doesn't even look for finishes though, just wins, so there you go. Fully behind the Dagestani here.

Obviously even though Pearson is a Brit and couldn't have been a nicer dude when I met him, I'm pulling for Diego too. It's not an easy fight for Diego because Pearson's got very good cardio, solid takedown defense and better striking, but if he can draw Ross into a brawl then he'll have a shot because he's better on the ground and I think his chin is far better. Diego to me looked like a shot fighter though against Myles Jury and I mean, it depends how much you buy into him having food poisoning for that fight. If Ross - who is top twenty but I don't think anywhere near top ten - shellacks Diego like Myles did then I'd rather see him retire than become a low-end gatekeeper. He's too good for that role and it'd be so tempting for the UFC to put him in with top guys because of his heart, and he'd end up getting hurt. I think Diego wins a wild decision but that's my heart talking.

This is the second fight between Dodson and Moraga and the first was apparently very close; a decision that went Dodson's way. That was pre-UFC though and he's improved wildly I think even since his TUF days. Moraga to me looked sluggish in his fight with Dustin Ortiz in January - a decision I thought he should've lost - and in Dodson's hometown I can't see the upset happening. I think Dodson turns his lights out nastily.

Rest of the card I think High is outmatches wildly by RDA and Rafa will probably pick up a sub. Most likely a triangle or something from the bottom after he rocks High standing. Hallmann/Edwards is quite tough to call but gut feeling tells me Yves is really shot and so I'll take Piotr who seems like a tough dude. Caraway is a tricky one for Perez but he's exactly the type of opponent Perez should be fighting at this point. Judging on his last fight where he improved hugely between the Mizugaki loss and then the Figueroa win I like Perez to pull out a tough decision.

On the prelims, Pettis should beat Meza who probably isn't UFC-calibre, but is a decent opponent for a very young prospect like Sergio. Voelker/Benoist probably ought to be Loser Leaves Town. I'll take Voelker. Jorgensen should beat Martinez who is tiny even at 125lbs, but how much Jorgensen has left is a major question mark and an upset here wouldn't outright surprise me. Never heard of Jake Lindsey but he has an impressive record (13-0) although the opposition is questionable. If he's decent enough though he could beat Tuck who hasn't really impressed me. I think Cummins is going to smash Narvaez as he's going to be a horrible match for most 205lbers despite how easily Cormier handled him. It's a pity that's an unaired fight actually as I'm interested to see what Cummins can do against easier opposition.

I expect the show to be good quality-wise; Bendo against lesser opposition might mean more excitement, and Sanchez, Dodson and Dos Anjos almost always deliver.

[h]

this is tonight. rooting for my local boys Bendo and Moraga. i think Moraga is going to have more for Dodson than you think. he really wants that fight back. he feels like he won the first one. and hes been training pretty hard for this. hes taking it very seriously. we've got a local MMA show on FM radio here and hes done a few lead up interviews. he sounds ready for Dodson. i expect an awesome fight.

[h]

decent event. bendo got a finish over a game khabilov who i had winning the fight before that happened. moraga didnt deliver. he did ok but he couldnt keep up with dodsons speed and ended up catching that knee to the nose. i dont think the dr should have stopped it. but it is what it is.

[K1power]

I felt like Khabilov was probably ahead on the cards because of the takedowns and constant pressure that had Benson on the backpedal and stuffing mode a lot. At the same time it felt like Benson was waiting for a chance to finish Khabilov, which he did. That was a really nice finish.

I think Dodson vs Moraga was stopped, because Moraga's nose was broken. His corner claimed it wasn't, but the way the blood flowed from his nose and the way he took that knee I can't see how it could have been anything but broken, really.

Sanchez getting the nod over Pearson was weird.

[newman]

I'm a massive Diego fan and even I can see that that was a totally bogus decision. Just don't see how he could even have been given a round to be honest.

[h]

oh that nose was broken. but come on... it was his fucking nose. who cares. guess i dont see it as anything "that bad" its pain yeah. but it wasnt going to blind him or impair his ability to fight.

[h]

Jun 8, 2014 15:25:38 GMT 1 newman said:

I'm a massive Diego fan and even I can see that that was a totally bogus decision. Just don't see how he could even have been given a round to be honest.

i called it too. when the bell rang i said

"ross is going to lose this decision"
everybody in the house "you're crazy he easily won" 
me "yeah but theyre in albuquerque and diego just kinda fought a leonard garcia type fight...." ie walk fwd and wiff.

YOUR WINNER BY SPLIT DECISION.......

house "WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED"

me "^_^"

[K1power]

Haha, being able to predict that kind of stuff is a tell that someone's a hardcore fightfan who's seen shit like that happen before.

On the Dodson-Moraga stoppage. I think if a ref or ring doc in pretty much any kind of fighting confirms any kind of bone fracture that's pretty much an instant TKO stoppage.

[h]

when lebanners nose looks how it looks i just cant agree with it. lol. i know what youre saying but fuck the doctor. hes an asshole. lol.