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#2 Best: Croom makes the most of his opportunity
Sometimes, success in the UFC is all about making the most of an opportunity no matter how it comes. That was the case for UFC newcomer Kevin Croom last night.
‘The Hart-Hitting Hillbilly’ took a fight with hot prospect Roosevelt Roberts on just two days’ notice following Matt Frevola’s withdrawal, and it was hard to imagine him having a lot of success. Croom’s 21-12 record suggested he was a journeyman, and probably not capable of beating a fighter as good as ‘The Predator’.
That wasn’t the case, though. Croom stunned Roberts with a knockdown in the opening seconds and then locked up a beautifully modified guillotine choke using one of Roberts’ trademark moves against him to force the tap out.
The whole fight went just 31 seconds, and the win for Croom has to go down as one of the UFC’s biggest recent upsets. He made the most of an unlikely opportunity and may be able to gain a pretty good UFC career out of it. What else can you ask for on two days’ notice?
#2 Worst: Martinez fails to impress in his UFC debut
It’s always largely unfair to rag on a fighter’s performance in their UFC debut. The pressure of the big stage can get to anyone, even massively experienced veterans, and for the most part, when a fighter steps into the UFC they’re facing top-level opposition that they may not have come across before.
However, it was hard not to be disappointed with the debut of Heavyweight Roque Martinez. The Guam-based fighter was brought into the UFC on relatively late notice to face fellow newcomer Alexander Romanov, and it looked like it, too.
Martinez appeared to be in terrible shape for the fight, weighing in at 258lbs but looking like he could easily make 205lbs – if not 185lbs – with a better diet.
It came as no surprise then when Romanov – hardly svelte himself – threw him around like a ragdoll en route to a second-round submission win.
It’s a well-known fact that you don’t need to be a bodybuilder to succeed in the UFC – just ask Daniel Cormier. But Martinez simply didn’t look prepared to be involved in a professional athletic competition last night, and it’d be a surprise to see the UFC bring him back again.
#3 Best: Azaitar’s blitz does for Worthy’s unbeaten run
It would’ve been easy to discuss the performances of Billy Quarantillo, Roxanne Modafferi, or Jalin Turner here, as all three fighters put on an excellent showing last night. But for me, Ottman Azaitar’s knockout of Khama Worthy stood out.
‘The Bulldozer’ came into the bout with a reputation for aggression, and as Worthy had picked up two UFC wins thus far into his career, most fans expected fireworks. But this wasn’t a back-and-forth fight in the end as Azaitar simply blitzed ‘The Deathstar’, taking him out in just over 90 seconds by TKO.
Azaitar has a lot of talent to go with his aggression – his hands looked ridiculously fast last night – and he’s now 13-0 with 10 KO’s or TKO’s to his name. Is he ready for the UFC’s upper echelon at 155lbs? Perhaps not given the depth of that division, but it’s certainly time to move him up the ladder.
At any rate, Azaitar’s showing last night was brilliant and was enough to earn him a $50k bonus. Hopefully, the UFC can get him back into the Octagon sooner rather than later – and don’t make him wait another year for his next appearance!
