The best and worst from UFC Fight Night 126

#1 Worst: It’s not 2005 anymore

A monster in his prime, Thiago Alves was badly beaten last night

As a long-term UFC fan, one of the more painful things to view is the cold hand of Father Time beginning to crush fighters that were amongst the best in the world just a decade or so ago. Last night saw another two fall in devastating fashion, as both Josh Burkman and Thiago Alves were beaten badly by younger opponents.

For Burkman, it was to be expected. He’s been on a massive downward slide for years now since a strange resurgence on the regional scene in 2013, but even for him, a run of 5 straight losses makes for painful viewing. Remember this was a man who promised to become a world champion back in 2007.

As for Alves, he looked a shadow of his former self in a largely one-sided loss to the impressive Curtis Millender. Once a hulking 170lber who bullied the legendary Matt Hughes, Alves looked soft and weak in comparison to Millender and it felt like just a matter of time before he went out on his shield.

It’s natural to see these veterans go out this way – they made their own names by beating ageing fighters a decade ago, after all – but that doesn’t make it any nicer to watch. Alves looked good just last April in a win over fellow veteran Patrick Cote, but after last night many fans will be calling for his retirement. As someone who remembers the Pitbull in his prime, it’s sad to see.