The UFC Fight Night 93 featured some of the best veterans of the game, who showcased their skills to the best by captivating the German MMA community. Hamburg saw a slugfest between two ‘UFC originals’ who battled against age and showcased what true mixed martial arts is all about.
The Preliminary card had a tough show for the fans, but none of the bouts were as impressive as the two young bantamweights who made it to the Octagon with only a few fights in their bags.
Finally, we saw the long-awaited return of The Mauler, Alexander Gustafsson, who turned the unfortunate tables in life to seek a win that elevated him back into the top spot in the rankings. Thus, the card was a successful outing for the UFC. that provided the entertainment that the German fans had been hoping for.
1- Age doesn’t catch up with Josh Barnett
Fighting in the Octagon is a tough job, which doesn’t always assure a promising future. Keeping the risk in mind, it is impressive to see an athlete compete at the highest level of MMA beyond the prime age.
Josh Barnett is a true veteran of the sport who left the spectators something to remember with at UFC Fight Night 93. At the age 38, it is highly unusual to see many fighters succeed when compared to young stars like Jon Jones, Conor McGrgor, Dominick Cruz. The Babyfaced Assasin, however, proved his critics wrong when he dominated and submitted Andre Arlovski with a rear-naked-submission to pick up the victory.
We rarely see a fighter nearing their forties do any better than bearly survive in the cage, well unless you are somebody like Dan Henderson or Randy Couture to whom age opposes to swindle.
We’ve seen the likes of Chuck Liddell, Matt Hughes, Tito Ortiz step away from the Octagon after several losses in the end, but Barnett gets better.
Barnett, who became the youngest UFC heavyweight champion back in 2002, began his second stint with the company only three years ago with dominant triumphs over Frank Mir and Roy Nelson.
The match was a slugfest with Arlovski utilizing his striking skills to keep his opponent at bay, while Barnett charged forward with superior grappling skills. The Pitbull managed the range as much as possible, courtesy of his boxing skills, but his Barnett knew the counter. Realising the danger of him continuing a stand-up game, Barnett charged forward with takedowns.
While Arlovski attempted a Kimura from the standing position, he ended up on the ground with Barnett taking control with mount position. The end was near. Barnett hooked his arms around his Arlovski’s neck forcing him to tap out without wasting any time.
2- Two Swedish light heavyweight contenders
The world of MMA has been dominated by UFC, which has transformed it into a global phenomenon. Fighters from every corner of the world excel in the extreme art of combat just to compete at the highest level of MMA with the desire of a bigger sack of gold.
At UFC Fight Night 93, the world saw the power of Swedish warriors when Alexander Gustafsson and IIir Latifi demonstrated their wrestling skills. Only one of them was fortunate enough to leave the Octagon victorious.
Despite the attempt by The Mauler as well as The Sledgehammer to put their respective skill set to test, only Gustafsson benefited the most.
3- The Mauler breaking his losing streak
When we talk about unfortunate tales, you can't but help think about The Mauler, Alexander Gustafsson. Previously on a losing streak, the fighter resumed his winning ways with his victory over Jan Blachowicz.
This victory was necessary for him as he was on a two-fight losing streak that consisted of losing a spot as the number one contender against Anthony Johnson, followed by the loss in a title match against Daniel Cormier. His match with DC was highly criticised as he had come off two losses out of three fights prior to fighting Cormier.
Despite being the only person that was close to leaving the greatest fighter of all times, Jon Jones with a genuine loss, he had to pick his career up before the UFC bids him goodbye.
Fortunately for him, he was able to overcome Blachowiz's striking skills by repeatedly taking him to the ground, time and time till he could outwrestle his opponent almost effortlessly. This gave Mauler an easy victory which would help make him forget his big fight losses.
4- Is Bader’s KO win enough to put him back on the top spot?
Ryan Bader has time and time again proved that he’s got the skills to be a top contender in the light heavyweight category, but his hopes to get a title shot were gunned down after a loss to Anthony Johnson.
Prior to his fight with ‘Rumble’ Johnson, he had put together an impressive resume with a five-fight win streak, that included an outstanding performance against former UFC champion, Rashad Evans. After his fight with Evans, many had thought he was next in line to receive a title shot until Rumble showed up to spoil his plans.
All thanks to Power Team MMA, he was able to outwit his opponent IIir Latifi with a right knee to his head that knocked him unconscious before his head bounced on the mat. The brutal KO earned him the Performance of the Night Bonus.
5- Only one finish in the Preliminary Card
The UFC always makes sure to book fighters with knockout-caliber against each other to entice fans to subscribe for the event or simply join thousands of hardcore fans in the packed arenas.
The popularity of the sport is surpassing boxing and pro-wrestling to such an extent where we now see many athletes switching careers to MMA, also because of its wild action in the preliminary cards that's lacking in other combat sports.
Thus we always get to see more than one finish on every card. To the fan’s dismay regarding the most recent offering from the UFC, there was only one spectacle of a finish, that happened in a women’s bantamweight match. Ashlee Evans-Smith and Veronica Macedo gave all they had in the ring to put on a great show.
Macedo showcased excellent striking skills that included kicks to the head without stepping into it. This skillset was tackled by excellent clinch tactics that helped Smith take the 20-year-old Macedo to the canvas. Macedo desperately hooked Smith’s knee, looking to secure a knee hook, but finally failed to shield her face from a much more skilled grappler in Smith.
Smith took advantage of it by landing a series of elbows to finish the match and win via TKO.
6- One of the very few to enter the Octagon with only three fights experience
The only fighter to score a finish at UFC Fight Night 93 in the Preliminary card, Ashley Evans-Smith, however astonishing as it may sound, is one of the very few fighters with three or less than three fights under their belt, to whom the gates of UFC have been opened to.
Most of the UFC fighters enter the Octagon after bagging an average of 10 to 15 fights, but it is very rare to see someone enter one of the most competitive division in the UFC with only 3 wins.
This was quite normal in the pre-Zuffa era, but post The Ultimate Fighter Season One, the intensity of the competition is almost a thousand times greater with the growing star power and money of the UFC.
7- Seldom do we see a draw in a heavyweight fight
One of the most brutal divisions has to be the heavyweight division where the big boys play the game. The heavyweight division produces the highest fight finishes in the UFC according to FightMatrix. Hence, no matter how popular the heavyweights are, they always succeed to draw the fans’ attention.
In spite of that, rarely have we seen a fight conclude with a draw in the heavyweight division. The fight between Christian Colombo and Jarjis Danho ended with both their hands raised at the end by the referee, which is something that the fans and the fighters don’t like.
A secret you need to know: a draw earns both the fighters win bonuses.
