UFC’s identity crisis

Depending on who you ask, last Saturday’s UFC 119 ranked somewhere between underwhelming, and the worst show of the ZUFFA era. Had Frank Mir not mustered a late KO in the night’s main event, the inquisition would have plenty of legs yet.

KO or not, Mir’s turgid crossing with Mirko ‘Cro-cop’ was already bound for infamy. In the rare moments Mir wasn’t hugging his opponent against the cage, failing pathetically to secure a takedown en-route to yet another referee separation, each fighter seemed determined to throw the fewest strikes possible.

“Like a sparring session,” was how colour commentator Joe Rogan described the inaction. By the time Mir put everybody (fans and Cro-cop alike) out of their misery with a minute left, even the KO couldn’t quench the chorus of boos.

“I guess a shitty win is better than a shitty loss,” said Mir afterwards, acknowledging the debacle. Despite Mir’s being the only knockout of the night (an indictment in itself), UFC president Dana White registered his dissatisfaction by awarding no ‘Knockout of the Night’ bonus – an unprecedented snub.

If Mir arguably lost career traction in winning, it’s difficult to see where the bout’s loser goes from here. Cro-cop, a bona fide legend from his rampant days in Pride, is demonstrably a spent force.

Gone are the highlight-reel head kicks. Gone is the aggression, and the aura of menace. On paper his 4-4 UFC record appears pedestrian, but a deeper analysis reveals something more alarming.

His four wins have come against Eddie Sanchez, Mostapha Al-turk, Anthony Perosh and Pat Berry. Impressed? You shouldn’t be.

Contrastingly, each time he’s stepped up in competition, Cro-cop has not only lost soundly (twice by knockout), but has fought oddly, exhibiting a near-blanket refusal to engage. Physically and mentally, he appears shot.

Elsewhere on the card, Sean Sherk returned to winning ways with a split decision over rising lightweight star Evan Dunham. If Frank Mir lost traction in victory, Dunham undoubtedly gained traction in defeat.

Seemingly, the only two people in the world who thought Sherk bested Dunham were judges Glen Trowbridge and (ever-controversial) Cecil Peoples. The sheer awfulness of the decision has renewed calls for judging reform.

Fan favourites and good buddies Matt Serra and Chris Lytle put on an absolute slugfest in a rematch of their 2006 Ultimate Fighter finale. Though the tussle was action-packed, Serra has courted criticism for making no attempt to draw upon his world class BJJ skills.

Instead, he chose to stand and trade blows with former professional boxer Chris Lytle for the entire bout, despite receiving a beating that grew increasingly uncomfortable to watch.

Increasingly-educated MMA fan demands the 'mix’'from mixed martial arts

A less granite-chinned fighter would have been knocked out, but the tough New Yorker gritted out the full three rounds to lose a unanimous decision.

Immediately afterwards, light-heavyweight contender Ryan Bader won a unanimous decision over Pride veteran Antonio ‘Lil Nog’ Nogueira. Though billed as a potential title eliminator, neither man furthered his case during a lacklustre stand-up battle that largely failed to ignite.

Despite the so-so fare, UFC 119 did prove useful in two regards. Firstly, it gave lie to the myth that stand-up battles are necessarily exciting. UFC 119 was packed with cagey striking matches and produced only a solitary KO, from an otherwise awful bout.

Secondly, the increasingly-educated MMA fan demands the ‘mix’ from mixed martial arts. They see Matt Serra, a skilled BJJ black-belt choose to stand with a former state champion boxer, and exciting though it was, they ask ‘why’?

Similarly, Matt Mitrione and Joey Beltran’s barnburner would have been heralded a few years ago. Nowadays, fans are ambivalent about two fairly unskilled strikers winging endless ‘bombs’ at each other in a sub-standard boxing match.

Alongside the topical debate raging in relation to risk-adverse, ‘lay and pray’ wrestlers, it would seem MMA is undergoing something of an identity crisis. Fighters and fans seem to be in disagreement about what constitutes good MMA, and the sport must evolve to bring them back onto the same page.

Alan Murphy