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Battle. Intensity. Valor. VIOLENCE.
Like those who visualized the savagery of dominance and intense; violent battles of the legendary character General Maximus in The Colosseum; we had the pleasure to watch the same greatness and violence take place in the Octagon.
Three wars; six gladiators; pure shock; and a heroic Michael Chandler asking the same iconic line we heard from Maximus…
ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED!?
In case some nerd needs the reference:
Let’s be clear- that’s not a question from Iron Michael (only one Iron Mike). It was a statement. He knew. We saw; in awe. The perfect line after a perfect bout in the eyes of the spectator. The same touch G-Butler toned off as Maximus. Are we entertained? Entertained is an understatement. We sir Michael; were blessed. Blessed by sport. Blessed by heart; blessed by integrity. More importantly- blessed as fight fans. Fans of war and hard fought violence. Wars that shouldn't have any spectator crying and complaining over PPV prices- because the value has spoken; while your jaw still lays on the floor alongside Li Jingliang.
Boy oh boy has the value been high of late inside that Octagon. We have seen some awesome moments as my fun Chimaev slide-in shows. Yes, that crazy bas***d really picked up a gladiator in The Leech and carried him around the Octagon like a rag-doll as he talked his talk to the boss. Moments on moments. The prelims; early prelims; main card- it didn’t matter. The noise had started from the very beginning of each event. Despite the pure epicness (yes I made that word up), all that noise has been pushed aside and overruled; at least for this post; so we can fully appreciate the wars that occurred.
We have had a few all out wars in just the past 3 events. Major candidates for fight of the year, star-studded affairs, and fights between young risers with a full force of electricity. Shane Burgos versus Billy Q was phenomenal. The rematches of Usman/Covington & Namajunas/Zhang were incredible. Despite the noise from those three and more; there was three that really stole the spotlight. Three that brought all the noise. Three that will be talked about for years to come. Rodriguez/Holloway; Yan/Sandhagen; and Chandler/Gaethje.
Yair Rodriguez versus Max Holloway
Unlike my usually spot on cohost and MMA guru; who thought the Blessed One would dominate; I had the feeling in the soul that Yair Rodriguez and Max Holloway was going to be a helluva fight. I hit the bullseye. What a damn fight it was. Electric; fast paced; intense; and just full throttle action throughout an unexpected full distance war that left honor and respect amongst both gladiators for the end of their time. Both Yair and Max were straight savages as they stunted off high level swagger in both their striking and in their behavior whilst gettin' bloodied and bruised by the counterpart. Holloway barkin' and comboin' after having the deep cut above the eye; Yair moving forward despite a badly swollen foot and bruised facial; to the crowd roaring from each second- man it was a big feel.
Yair brought Max to his very brink and brought constant offensive pressure from the very 1st round. Max landed big shots early but Rodriguez just smiled them off; said bring it; and returned an offensive combination. We knew right away- 'Oh sh**... this is going to be a fight'. Yair made it back and fourth throughout the entire fight, but he allowed Max to land far too many strikes. Max was crisper and exploited Yair's gladiator approach as he opened up Yair and landed at a higher rate. We rarely have ever seen Max Holloway take damage and look the way he did after his war with Rodriguez. Yair was great... Max was just a bit greater. Oh! Max Holloway has some Dagestan in him! The Blessed one decided to have some fun as he had THREE takedowns on Yair. The takedowns are what truly separated them on the scorecard. The takedowns and Max landing more significant strikes at the rate he did. 49-46 is f'n ridiculous though. Much closer fight than that. Shame on you Sal D'Amato... shame on you. The fight was a nail-biter. Rodriguez took shots, and responded with shots of his own. Despite the game Yair-when Holloway gets in a mode of comfortability that only few on the planet can reach; he brings down the hammer on his foe. Despite Yair's constant pressure and offense, Max stayed true to his form and dug down deep. A savage he is. Max puts up Jamal Charles fantasy points type of numbers in the strike department. We all saw him shatter every record back in January during his massacre of Kattar- now he lands another 225+ versus a charging and motivated offensive foe in Yair. Both guys put on remarkable performances and showed us all the true meaning of competition. Be in awe of a quick recap of the violence between these two warriors; these two gladiators:
The damage handed out between the two was not expected. Especially to my boy Ashton and all the others that thought The Blessed One would dominate. Both guys took the damage; swag shrugged it off; and just moved forward towards more violence. It was fantastic to watch. Max takin' that elbow; surviving; and unleashing more offense was spectacular. Yair still throwing power leg kicks on his foot was spectacular. How the hell does Yair continue to battle and continue to throw with intent on what should have been a compromised foot? That's the big question. Check out the damage:
Brutal. Absolutely brutal. That crazy cat kept fightin' and fightin'. It was special to watch. It was special to watch both those gladiators. Sure fire nod; on a good list; for fight of the year. The fight had you on your feet; your jaw on the floor; and even more kickass- it left both gladiators feelin' the upmost respect for one another, both in sport and personally in life. What the sport is truly about if you ask me. Shows the true greatness of the sport and of war. Appreciate the sportsmanship and love between the two... and the war they gave us in the name of sport.
Petr Yan versus Cory Sandhagen
A battle with a sharp thorn of anticipated noise lived up to the hype and then some when Petr Yan took his talents to Abu Dhabi to go to war with The Sandman. A war it was. The display of offense; grit; and masterful combat that took place between the bantamweight's best was a sight to behold and left fight fans in a frenzy. I was losing my wits watching Petr Yan box and seeing him use a calculated approach to create an unstoppable array of counters and combos. It was a masterful performance throughout by Yan who separated himself from Sandhagen on the scorecards. Yan took the first round to calculate Cory; his movements; his striking; and Sandhagen's tendencies so he can counter and exploit him. Willing to give a round to Sandhagen in efforts to form reads; the all around game-plan by Yan was superb. Yan had the type of advanced combat that puts him in a different stratosphere even amongst the world's best like Cory Sandhagen.
Sandhagen, as expected brought the offense from the get-go. While Yan seemed to be untouchable in rounds 3-5; Cory stayed in form and had himself in position to land a axel turning maneuver in the fight, keeping the pressure and excitement up the entire fight. The fight was fast and furious from start to end. Not much of any slow moments. Both gladiators chewed down and moved forward into violence. Sandhagen showed he is a top 135er in the world; but Yan showed that he is just too damn good; even for those on top of the mountain. Bottom line. The counters and the power combinations from head; to body; and to the legs... it was just short of flawless by Petr. Yan was perfect; but The Sandman still showed his A-Game. The pressure Sandhagen responded with after such next level boxing and countering by Yan, was quite sensational. Most guys would have been completely shell shocked and would have gotten upset at their game-plan having Yan countering all their strikes. Sandhagen always stayed around despite Yan's perfection. This fight was one of the more amazing offensive bouts you will see. Sandhagen and Yan were both at their best as they electrified the crowd through the entirety of the bout. The first two rounds were evenly matched to the most part. Sandman landed with more authority but you could tell that Yan was creating a game-plan and calculating Sandhagen's tendencies. Yan's calculations were proved successful when he landed a destructive spinning back fist to flip the tables on the early chess match in round three:
Flawless spinning maneuver from his electric arsenal. Thankfully for Cory; he has that long length. The length in that moment helped Cory survive what is now known to be a ruthless- trademarked ground and pound by Sir Yan. Most guys quickly fade away into the waters when Yan is over 'em throwin' nuclears. Sandhagen survived. Got up and went forward into MORE violence. Determination. Courage. Two acts that are always components of the potion for a good war. Sandhagen showed 'em both. Sandhagen kept moving forward. So did Yan. The pressure of the two mixed with the highest level of striking known to MMA had stolen the spotlight. It had eyes glued; with no blink towards the TV. People on their feet anticipating the next great counter or combination. It was poetry to say the least. The moment Petr had his reads and marked Cory's tendencies it seemed to be over with. Rather it was to the body or combos to the head; Yan looked like the sharpest striker on the planet in all realms. Appreciate the body work by Yan and look how difficult of a challange it was for Sandhagen's quest for gold:
Petr Yan showed he is to be considered one of the more intelligent and dominant fighters on the planet right now. Both men... both GLADIATORS- showed that they are two of the best in the world; rather the weight or division. Classic bout between the two. Noise and violence from the beginning to the end. The last second fiery by both fighters was a perfect cherry on top:
Though it seemed like a margin on the scorecard; the fight itself was still a candidate for fight of the year. The very best 135ers showing why they are the best in the world for 25 minutes. The offensive masterpiece by both; the pressure; the all around masterclass with gold on the line... it was fantastic. Both gladiators left it all in the Octagon. A classic.
Justin Gaethje versus Michael Chandler
"Brothers, what we do in life echoes in eternity".
Those very words spoke firmly from General Maximus as he prepared his army for battle; now properly define the battle between Michael Chandler and Justin Gaethje. The fight between those two gladiators will surely echo in eternity. A fight that won't be forgotten about. A war that will be immortalized amongst the great. A true fight of the year candidate. 15 legendary minutes of straight up violence.
Just a day before the anticipation reached a head, the bout was flexed and moved to the leadoff spot on the main card. A decision that seemed to be more for Justin Gaethje's coach; Trevor Wittman; as Wittman could be with all 3 of his fighters as he had two other fighters in the main & co-main slots. The moment the decision was made, we all knew this fight would be a perfect tone starter. A perfect opener to set ablaze the noise for the rest of the main card. Maybe perhaps... a bit too perfect of a opener. This war stole the entire night at Madison Square Garden and took most of the crowd's roar. It also left us all with one question: How in the blue hell did THIS fight go the distance- how?
The tempo was full throttle right away. Crowd was as loud as the strikes that landed. Chandler immediately rocked Gaethje with his power and presence early in the first. As always; that didn't slow down Justin a damn bit. He enjoys eating. The action was insane. Unlike anything before. Chandler threw all the power he had on every strike thrown in the 1st. Rocked Gaethje a few times. Gaethje's chin and brutal leg damage handed down is what flipped the fight to his side. Chandler's leg looked dead after the first. That didn't actually bother the gladiator though. Michael kept moving forward with a messed up face and dismantled leg while we still thought he could finish the fight at any moment along with Justin. The first round may have been one of the best rounds of all time yet alone of the year.
Second round obviously didn't slow down a bit. Both gladiators went straight into violence not giving a damn about the lights going out. Gaethje throws a bomb; Chandler throws a bomb; and repeat. Neither man had any care for their well being and getting hit. It almost cost Chandler when Gaethje landed a nuclear bomb of an uppercut in the second:
Don't know how Chandler survived that. Went into survival mode; held; and then got back to his feet and moved forward into more violence. The chirping from Chandler the more he took damage was as great as the violence that occurred. Pure integrity even in potential defeat. Pure love for war and entertainment. It was a marvelous display by Chandler. The fight never really lost steam. It was a war; plain and simple. Gaethje allowed Chandler to stick some points in the 3rd. Chandler did his best effort but once those legs got to the point they got to; it was all but honor for Chandler. He began to chirp; ask Justin for more damage; and even did some dancin' before the nail hit the coffin and the classic reached its end. The fact this war went the distance is hard to comprehend. It makes us want a 5 rounder and guaranteed finish. Neither gladiator finished after the montage of power and velocity on most of the strikes landed... it's just crazy. This dude Gaethje has been known to not give a damn about his well being or his opponent's; he has that reckless abandon fighter trait that has sprung him to stardom. Michael Chandler though. He made damn sure that we all knew it about him too. Crazy bas***d. Chandler not only allowed Gaethje to land power shots on him- he welcomed it. Begged it on. Like the sick cat he is. But my oh my; was it damn cool to experience. Chandler got smoked with two bombs that flung him into the fence; laughs; smiles; and literally WALKED into two more monster jabs as he brought himself right back into the smoke and violence. It was one of the more electric moments to happen inside the Octagon. Last great one with similarities is when Diaz rocked Leon and pointed him out after losing the fight on score. We fans just love that stuff. It brings the entertaining side of the art. Check out Michael Chandler steal the show; even in defeat:
video via ESPN MMA//twitter
From the bring it on hand gestures; eating the jabs; and the walk down... f'n fantastic stuff. Michael Chandler was made to be fightin' and destroyin' in The Colosseum, man. So was Gaethje. This fight was fantastic. The will of each gladiator was fantastic. Having this classic be pushed to the opening slot was very bittersweet. It was such an electric 15 minutes that the crowd seemed gassed and still reeling from the greatness. The fight that followed between Shane Burgos and Billy Quarantillo was also a classic and a fight of the year candidate; they didn't get the love they deserved because of the aftershock from the war between Justin and Michael. It was awesome to start the card with a atom bomb of electricity; but the peeps in that crowd weren't made for what the night set out to be. You knew that fight was going to be nuts; you knew about it opening; ya gotta look at these cards and expect to have a LONG night. Bring some RedBulls and get a lil' pregame on because your energy sucked! Enjoy this quick little 100 second montage of the shots we got to witness, slowed down:
video via UFC Europe//twitter
Hats off to these two gladiators and the performance they put on. It will sure go down as an all time classic for the promotion and all of combat history. Just like Yair and Max; Michael and Justin showed the utmost respect after putting it all on the line against each other; with Gaethje saying exactly what we feel- "I knew exactly what that motherf---er was. He is a warrior and we are living in the wrong times. Me and him should have been fighting to the death in a Colosseum." Damn straight. They even met up at the hospital later on after the fight; don't worry the encounter has zero similarities to the Nick Diaz and Joe Riggs hospital encounter:
Michael Chandler to answer your question... we are entertained brother. We need to salute these 6 warriors and all the others who get in that Octagon and put their lives on the line in the name of sport and war. What the UFC and MMA community have done for sport and those of us who pollute our interests and life in sport- is nothing short of spectacular. This sport thrives. It wouldn't be thriving if we didn't have the warriors to bring the war. I will spin off having to pay these warriors at another time; for now let's salute them. Respect them. Thank them. Wow this sport rocks. The kicker? We have another month left. This noise is to only get louder when we get to that December 11th card. Who else can't wait? Run it baby.
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