Words By Patrick O’malley.

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MMA Junkie Corner UFC 329. It’s Time.

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Intro.

If you were to take a look at how the UFC schedule was balanced in 2012, then you could get a clear look at how they were planning on dominating the world of Combat Sports. And Brazilian Jiujitsu was a selling point. The business was set for MMA to become the biggest sport in the world. The UFC was already a household name, and 2012 was one of their commercially successful, from attendances, ppv buy rates, and videogame sales, 2012 was a special time in the history of The Ultimate Fighting Championship. I’m going to be making this a series of posts, aimed at taking a look at ppv’s of the past, and figuring out if they were any good. This is UFC 153 from November 2012.

Demain Maia vs Rick Story UFC Welterweight Division.

This on paper looked like a classic case of Jiujitsu practioner vs Striker, and that’s not what came to light. Maia got the win in under two minutes of round no1 with a neck choke. Maia is a legend within the world of Brazilian Jiujitsu, and he showed his skills here, by putting away Story in quick succession. I liked this. Demian would go on to remain with the UFC for several years, whilst Story would leave the UFC in 2016 after letting his contract run out, when he lost to Donald Cerone. I think it was a shame that he decided to not renew his deal, because he could’ve had some decent fights. Rick Story vs Stephen Wonderboy Thompson would’ve been a dream fight.

Phil Davis vs Wagner Prado UFC Lightweight Division.

I thought this was an interesting look at how a grappler pays, utilises there skills against a Jiu Jitsu specialist. This was what we got when Phil Davis was booked against Wagner Prado. Davis dominated Wagner in the opening round, by using a solid ground-game. Davis has a background in Collegic Wrestling, and he used to dominate the 1st round. The 2nd round saw Wagner try to keep things standing by using his boxing, but Phil managed to counteract this and put him on his rear, and get the win by submission. I liked this. Phil Davis would leave the UFC in April of 2015, and would go on to sign with Bellator MMA, whilst Wagner would be cut from the UFC in Febuary of 2013 after losing to IIdemar Alcantara at UFC on FX 7 on January 19th. Davis was a longtime trainee of Lloyd Irvin.

Erick Silva vs Jon Fitch UFC Welterweight Division.

This was awesome. As a man who loves seeing the how different aspects of the fight game works, this gfight was a special treat, and the best fight on the card. The 1st round saw both fighters try to mirror one another, and this was fascinating, as it looked like they were figuring each other out. The 2nd round saw Erick try and pull away, using his Jiujitsu skills, however Fitch managed to counteract this with his superb wrestling. I liked 2nd round as the tempo started to rise. The 3rd round saw Jon Fitch start to make a comeback. This was when his wrestling took over, and it was clear that Silva had no answer to his skills. Jon got the win by decision. This was as real as it gets. Jon was cut from the UFC in Febuary of 2013, as part of a massive Roster cutting measure, whilst Erick Silva left the promotion in December of 2017 after he lost via decision to Jordan Mein at UFC on Fox 26.

Glover Texiera vs Fabio Maldonado UFC Light Heavyweight Division.

In 2012 UFC’s Light Heavyweight Division was incredibly stacked and it was only going to get bigger, as the likes of Jon Jones, and Alexander Gustafferson, were slowly becoming household names. Enter stage left Glover Texiera. Glover was trained by John Hackleman who’s the longtime friend/trainer of Chuck Liddell, so going into this fight with Fabio Maldanado I knew that he was going to showcase some excellent kickboxing, and I was right. Glover managed to better his opponent by keeping him standing, this would be how the fight would play out. Dr’s nearly stopped the fight inj the second round, and it was eventually called, when the ringside official was concerned over how his eye was damaged. This was one hell of a dominating performance. As an MMA Junkie I loved this.

Minotauro Noguieira vs Ed Herman UFC Heavyweight Division.

I wasn’t a big fan of Ed Hermans. I’ve always thought that his attitude towards other skill sets was a bit dismissive, and a bit rude. Ed Herman was a fighter that could’ve had the world at his feet, that’s if he didn’t put in performances like this. The first round felt like a feeling out process. Herman is one of the most overrated fighters I’ve ever seen. Nogueira outclassed him, and got the win in the second round with a jiu jitsu rear naked choke.

Anderson Silva vs Stephan Bonnar.

This was an interesting time for Stephan Bonnar. It was known within the MMA world that he was in unnoficial retirement, and he was set to leave the promotion when his contract came to an end. This fight happened because Anderson stepped in to help the PPV back together after injuries threatened to derail it. This would also be quite bitter sweet, because both mens careers would take different turns. Anderson won the fight inside the first round. Stephan would leave and go to Bellator MMA, and have a run there, however Stephans story doesn’t have a nice end. He would end up losing his life through an overdose brought on by addiction to pain pills. This would happen after he faced years of injuries. RIP Stephan. Anderson Silva would lose his middleweight crown to Chris Weidman in june of 2013 at UFC 162. His career would continue to go on a downward spiral, after he suffered a nasty broken leg in the rematch at UFC 168, and after a year out his fight against Nick Diaz was called a no contest after both men failed drug tests for anabolic steroids.

Overview Of UFC 153.

This was a UFC PPV that would be easy to sleep on, but if you give it a shot, then there is plenty to enjoy. The rise of Glover Texiera, and Demian Meia turning back the years were cool, and Big Nog dominating Ed Herman needed to happen. The main event wasn’t anything special, but it was looked at the time as needed, because if Anderson said no, then it does make me wonder what might have happened.