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Franky's UFC 83 Post Fight
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UFC 83: Serra vs. St-Pierre

Georges St-Pierre answered all the old questions, but managed to create a new one. Rich Franklin is back on track – for what, I am not sure. Michael Bisping proved that a weight-class change was perfect for him. Nate Quarry gave us one of the most memorable moments ever in the Octagon.

UFC 83, on paper, did not look terribly exciting, but I rather enjoyed all of the fights. I am disappointed in a few of the fighters though. With news coming from Dave Meltzer’s Wrestling Observer that the UFC is planning on some changes to its roster including roster cuts, some fighters from UFC 83 may be in trouble for under-performing.

I was disappointed that the only under-card fight that made the broadcast was Goulet vs. Hironaka. While Goulet put on his best performance in the UFC to-date, and made me look like a fool in my pre-fight analysis, I still wanted to see Cain Velasquez vs. Brad Morris. The UFC is in need of some serious talent in the heavyweight division and with such a decisive victory by Velasquez, and the hype that Jon Fitch has created around him, this would have been a perfect fight to air.

Also on the under-card, Jason MacDonald earned knockout of the night honors with his 2nd round knockout over fellow Canadian Joe Doerksen. MacDonald has firmly cemented his place as gatekeeper for the middleweight division. He holds wins over Rory Singer, Chris Leben, and Ed Herman but just can’t seem to break into the upper tier of the division after losses to Rich Franklin and Yushin Okami. Submission of the night went to Demian Maia. Maia now moves to an impressive 7-0 MMA record. Maia could easily be the best submission grappler in the middleweight division.

The pay per view started with TUF 6 winner Mac Danzig facing talented wrestler Mark Bocek. In the first round, Bocek utilized his wrestling to control Danzig on the ground. It looked like it could be a long night for Danzig. Fortunately for Danzig, the second round was quite different. Danzig found his range and pace and took the fight to Bocek. My only problem with this fight is that Danzig seemed to lack the “killer instinct” that is often talked about. He had Bocek backing up and hurt, but did not capitalize. Bocek needs to remember that this is not wrestling. A wrestler is trained not to be on his back, but in BJJ that is a better place to be than to give up your back. I think a fight with Frankie Edgar would be a perfect opponent for Danzig.

Charles McCarthy is one of the fighters that I was referring to when I said that I was disappointed. He knew he was out-matched, so his strategy was to cover up. Unfortunately, that was the extent of his game plan. I was irritated by his taunting of “you can’t hit me.” At least try to have some offense. Captain Miserable probably ended up with a broken forearm for those antics. On the other hand, Bisping looked better than I have seen him. He looked in much better shape and appeared to be on top of his game. The Brit is still a way off from being on Anderson Silva’s level, but he has to promote himself, right? I would love to see Bisping bang it out with Patrick Cote.

What can I say about the Kalib Starnes vs. Nate Quarry debacle? Kalib is out of the UFC. We won’t see him fighting again soon. His excuse, which I just find pathetic, is that he was protesting against the UFC for not paying medical bills. Many fans found what Quarry did very unprofessional. Maybe it was, but it was classic and, in my opinion, deserved. Starnes backed off the whole fight and Nate Quarry was frustrated. The mocking only occurred within the last 30 seconds of the whole fight. It wasn’t as if it was taking place the entire fight. Quarry repeatedly chased Starnes down, landing vicious leg kicks. I was impressed with Nate. In his first fight back from surgery against Pete Sell he looked stiff and rusty. Quarry could turn out to be a contender in the middleweight division after all.

In another middleweight bout, we saw what I think is the last of Travis Lutter (at least I hope so). Lutter took Franklin down in the first and was effectively using his BJJ. Franklin’s ground game seemed to be exposed, as he was in danger. Then, the armbar came and what an escape by Franklin! That was awesome. When the second round started, Lutter was obviously finished. No gas left in the tank. Franklin kept throwing punches while Lutter kept his hands at his side. Unbelievable. After what happened at the weigh-ins with Silva and his performance against Franklin, Lutter needs to be let go. Next for Franklin, I would love to see him coach TUF 8 against Dan Henderson setting up a fight for #1 contender. This would also prevent the hold up of any title defenses.

Georges St-Pierre silenced all the questions about his mental game and ability to perform under pressure. Fighting in front of his home crowd of 22,000 against a man who previously TKO’d him was a ton of pressure for GSP. St-Pierre looked great, if a bit hesitant to stand and engage with Serra, but you can’t fault him for that. The knees that ended the fight were brutal. The question that opened up now is what is GSP’s weakness? Matt Serra took the loss like a man – very classy and respectful. For both fighters, their next fights are glaringly obvious. For GSP, a title defense against Jon Fitch who is now 8-0 in the UFC. Matt Serra gets to finally have his grudge match against Matt Hughes. I am looking forward to both fights.