UFC on Fuel TV 8

Anybody watch this one? I watched Silva vs Stann, Struve vs Hunt & Lombard vs Okami. The first 2 were decent fights but the 3rd not my thing. I cant say I was very impressed with Lombard although it was the first time I'd seen him, maybe Okami made him look bad. I'd heard he was being talked about as a possible opponent for Anderson Silva? On this performance Silva takes him apart.

yeah I watched those fights also. The first round between Stann and Silva was a complete brawl; at first I found it exciting to see the two of them swinging wildly at one another with reckless abandon but then it wore off quickly - sure it would have made for an impressive KO but it just became about which fighter could endure the most punishment. I thought Stann got the better of the exchanges in the first round and so as round two went on being a far more strategic/technical affair I thought it favoured Stann. I didn't see Silva getting the knock out as Stann was holding his own very comfortably, but Silva connected with two beautiful head shots and you knew as soon as Stann covered up the TKO was coming.

Struve and Hunt was entertaining, both men gassed badly and Struve looked to have no power or snap in his punches. For a tall guy he doesn't seem to use his height and reach advantage very well. Hunt found his target too often and I could see Struve being KO'd long before it came. The KO itself was impressive, Struve lay there absolutely defenceless so Herb Dean made the right call before Hunt could do any unnecessary damage through G&P.

Okami is a very technical fighter but he doesn't cope well with aggression. I thought history was going to repeat itself when Lombard came out strong in the third but Okami managed to survive and pick up the victory. Okami is now on a three fight win streak but he wouldn't stand a chance of beating Silva in a rematch so I think he'll eventually become a gatekeeper for rising Middleweight prospects.

To be honest I thought Stann might've taken it before the fight & after the first it was looking good for him. Also I thought he would have better cardio than Silva but again when he's stepped up a level he's been found wanting. Not sure where this leaves him, 3 losses on the trot now? The fact he's American, does come to fight & is in good fights probably buys him a little more time.

Struve is an odd one for me, as you say he doesn't make the most of his height & reach which was huge over Hunt and Hunt is not a guy you want getting in close. He'd looked good recently, 4 win run & probably not that far off a big fight. Good punches that finished him & Hunt seemed to think it was over before turning back as Dean waved it off. Apparently Struve has a broken jaw.

I know what you mean with regards to Okami but its the same with so many of the top MW's, a lot are beginning to look like gatekeepers.

Stann's saving grace is that he's an American hero being an ex-marine and seems to be a good guy, but he's lost 3 of his last 4 and is on a 2 fight losing streak. If Dana was being honest about the roster cull not over yet then I think he has to give Stann one more chance but if he should lose 3 in a row then he should go. Stann is just not an elite fighter.

I can see Dana making Stann a gatekeeper to be honest, he's an American, give him a couple of easy fights then stick him in with an up & comer, if he loses another couple of easy fights etc, if he wins all well and good. As you say he's a good guy but falls just short at the top level but does have power & stamina going for him.

I think Dana has to look very closely at all divisions to see who he can cut especially as he's always looking to sign new talent be it from rival promotions or TUF. With regards to signing guys from TUF he has to look at limiting it, maybe just the top 4, as you said before the idea behind winning the series is to get the contract & not just to dish out contracts to all who made it into the house.

The problem Stann has is he's inbetween a rock and a hard place - he's the former WEC light-heavyweight champion but he wouldn't stand a chance against the top level competitors at LHW and Anderson Silva is middleweight champion who's the GOAT. Stann's chances of winning a title or even making a competitive winning streak is very minimal with the quality of fighters he has to deal with around him.

Stann comes to fight and is popular because of it, all credit to him for wanting to please the crowd, but I definitely think he needs to work on his fundamental skills, especially his BJJ and takedown defence. If he could plug some of the gaps in his game he might be able to hold the position of gatekeeper but time is running out for him to make a decent success of his UFC career.