Weekend Wrap: Champions Rise & Fall

It was another exciting and busy weekend in MMA. We saw a great champion fall, another climb back up and our first UFC in the Philadelphia. Here is how we saw the action.

1. Champions will rise Just as Fast as they Will Fall

Anderson Silva rose to the occasion Saturday night. He was facing a very tough former champion at 205 lbs in Forrest Griffin and made him look like an amateur. He regained the support of the fans who booed him mercilessly during his introduction and cheered for him loudly after his KO win. One of the greatest fighters on the planet is back. Miguel Torres looked human Sunday night at WEC 42 when he was knocked out for the first time in his career by newcomer Brian Bowles in the very first round. It was Torres second loss in 39 fights and the top 5 pound for pound fighter in the world will have to go back to the drawing board and climb his way back.

2. Forrest Griffin and Kenny Florian are still incredible fighters

Despite setbacks Saturday night Florian and Griffin remain top fighters in their respective weight classses and will be back in the mix very soon. There are a large contingent of fighters at lightweight for Florian to match up against and booking his next fight will be easy. The UFC will be more careful with Griffin’s next opponent selection as he still carries a huge name value, but another knockout loss would really set him back. I can’t think of who his next opponent should be. Any help?

3. Anderson Silva could move to Heavyweight

Could Anderson put his paws on Brock Lesnar and do the same thing he did to Griffin? If he could keep it standing I say yes he could. Silva’s stand up is light years ahead of anyone at middleweight and looks to be a top 3 fighter at 205. He is tall and lanky enough that he could fight at 225 lbs and the size difference between him and some of the big heavyweights (Carwin, Lesnar etc) would be mitigated.

Does anyone else want to see Silva at Heavyweight? After Saturday night I say yes.

4. Philadelphia fans delivered

UFC 101 was a great card on paper and may not have lived up to it’s pre fight hype. However, the fans of Philadelphia did. They booed when nothing happened and cheered like crazy when something did. They even got into a brawl in the stands, which is always a good time.

News & Notes
BJ Penn was awarded submission of the night bonus. Silva and Griffin took him fight of the night and Silva was also awarded knockout of the night. Each bonus paid $60,000 extra… UFC 101 Prelims when longer than expected and Aaron Riley and Shane Nelson were bumped to the main card… On the way to the ring a fan reached down and stole Florian’s hat right off his head.. MMATraining.com had our first main event UFC sponsorship with Kenny Florian. You can check out the pics HERE.