The Aftermath – UFC 136

UFC 136 wasn’t a resounding thumbs up according to entire the FGB crew, but some have pegged it as one of the better shows of the year thus far.

Here’s what the FGB crew thought about UFC 136:

Alan
Thumbs In The Middle (leaning up)
Best Fight: Nam Phan vs. Leonard Garcia
Worst Fight: Kenny Florian vs. Jose Aldo

Florian/Aldo really dragged and I think that being a good fight would have made this a great show, but it was a half an hour of boringness at a key part of the event. The main event was good but the rounds after the exciting 1st round were kinda quiet until the finish. Garcia/Nam was very entertaining, and Melvin/Joe was fun while it lasted. Chael’s win and promo were the most memorable things on this show for me.

Duan
Thumbs Up
Best Fight: Gray Maynard vs. Frankie Edgar
Worst Fight: Brian Stann vs. Chael Sonnen

Usually rematches just don’t quite meet expectations, but on this card we got not one, but two, that certainly did. The main event was another classic tear up which finally gave us a conclusive ending to the Edgar/Maynard rivalry. The finish coming inside the distance was definitely a shock too. As to where we go from here, I would be fascinated to see how Edgar matched up with Nate Diaz.

There was some really good action in Garcia/Phan to. It was pretty one-sided for the most part, but the combination of Garcia’s constant recklessness with Phan’s occasional vulnerability was enough to keep it captivating. Two very decent fights earn this show a thumbs up from me.

I was disappointed by Florian’s efforts. It has become clear that he just doesn’t have the mentality of a championship level fighter. Once again, he was far too cautious and let the fight slip away. There came a point when it was clear he needed something drastic to turn that fight. Aldo again didn’t look his spectacular best; this might have been the night to catch him, but Florian had his gameplan going in and come hell or highwater he was sticking to it. Having seen this same routine play out three times now, I would prefer he was passed over when it comes to selecting future challengers.

Cactus Jim
Thumbs Up
Best Fight: Gray Maynard vs. Frankie Edgar
Worst Fight: Kenny Florian vs. Jose Aldo

This was one of the best cards UFC has put on in quite some time. I found it thoroughly entertaining from start to finish and had a hard time picking a worst fight because they were all entertaining. Ultimately I settled on the Aldo versus Florian fight because while entertaining it felt that neither guy really lived up to their potential. I think to continue being mentioned as one of the top pound for pound guys in the world that Aldo needs to put on a more impressive showing than he has in his last couple fights. Florian has shown for the 3rd time that he’s just not championship material. Moving forward I think he should be relegated to the role of gatekeeper. Sonnen’s destruction of Brian Stann went down exactly as expected and his post fight promo was pure genius. Seriously, a loser leaves town MMA fight? Smells like money to me. Phan/Garcia lived up to their last meeting and the main event was one for the ages. I was on the edge of my seat from the first uppercut to the final blow to the head of a face down Gray Maynard. Frankie Edgar has proven he has the heart of a champion and can battle back from one hell of an ass kicking. Pure drama. If you haven’t yet seen this card go out of your way to find it and enjoy.

Big D
Thumbs Up
Best Fight: Gray Maynard vs. Frankie Edgar
Worst Fight: Kenny Florian vs. Jose Aldo

UFC 136 was an AMAZING show that accomplished a LOT for the UFC and even though it lacked a major PPV draw, it may have CREATED a handful of new ones. Joe Lauzon vs. Melvin Guillard was an awesome opener with nonstop action featuring two vets. Frankie Edgar finally exorcised the tramp stamping demon known as Gray Maynard by handing him his first loss after making an amazing babyface comeback, even cooler than the one in their second fight. This ABSOLUTELY helped put Frankie over. Gray needs to learn to finish. Kenflo is now in limbo for failing for beat Aldo, but Aldo really didn’t impress like I expected. The big story though was Chael Sonnen’s utter massacre of Brian Stann. Sonnen broke Stann in half. This is the kind of dominating performance PLUS a legendary post-fight promo that equals PPV Buyrates. A lot of so-called “insiders” like to talk about a “money promo”. THIS was the personification of that. I legit marked out like when Del Rio won and celebrated with my group.

GG
Thumbs Up
Best Fight: Gray Maynard vs. Frankie Edgar
Worst Fight: Kenny Florian vs. Jose Aldo

I like competitive fights, but I also like strong performances. While Chael Sonnen vs. Brian Stann wasn’t as competitive as I would’ve liked to see, Sonnen put on quite the display of wrestling and surprised a few with his submission win. And then he capped it off with a great promo. The only fight that didn’t really have either was Kenny Florian vs. Jose Aldo, but I give Kenny credit for fighting the kind of fight that he could win. He just didn’t fight it well enough. I don’t blame Aldo for the boring fight at all. The other three fights were really strong. Joe Lauzon shocked the MMA world yet again (though not as much as when he beat Jens Pulver). Nam Phan used Leonard Garcia’s face as a punching bag. And Frankie Edgar shook off another early beating to come back and prove that determination is the true mark of a champion. This was one of the best shows (if not the best) of the year.