UFC 94 Recap, Review & Results

What we learned from UFC 94:

• We learned that Clay ”The Carpenter” Guida is improving with every fight as he proved by winning a split decision over Nate Diaz. Diaz used his significant reach advantage; landed effective jabs and had the fight in control in the 3rd round. Instead of sticking to that strategy, Diaz started to get in the clinch which ultimately lost him a very close fight.

• Karo “The Heat” Parisyan defeated Dong Hyun Kim in an extremely close split decision. The 1st and 2nd round had some energy with each fighter gaining control. The 3rd round was quite the opposite with no flow and neither fighter trying to improve their position. What we learned from this fight is that referee Josh Rosenthal will not break fighters up in the clinch no matter the circumstance. The 3rd round was one of the worst rounds in recent memory.

• Stephan “The American Psycho” Bonnar made his return to the Octagon after an extensive leave of absence due to injury. After last night’s performance, he may consider returning to the couch. Jon “Bones” Jones dominated the 1st rounds and held on for the victory via unanimous decision. How did “Bones” Jones get a shot in the UFC? Before his first UFC bout he had a record of 6-0 with each victory coming between April of 2008 to July of 2008; then bam he is on a UFC card in August of 2008. As of yet, no one has offered an explanation on how fighters actually get into the big show. Regardless, the scouts, Joe Silva or whomever traveled to the Northeast to watch this kid got it right. What we learned is “Bones” Jones belongs and at the age of 21, he will impact the light heavyweight division for many years to come.

• Lyoto “Dragon” Machida proved yet again he is simply the best fighter in the world at 205 lbs. TTC’s Pound for Pound rankings has Machida at #7, which will certainly change when the updated rankings are released. Machida improved his unblemished record to 14-0 by dismantling previously unbeaten Thiago Silva via kayo. Silva, like many before him, underestimated the pure skill Machida possesses. Machida is elusive like no other and yet has powerful striking ability with both his hands and feet. As Joe Rogan stated, Machida fights with a style that gives him little damage and inflicts major damage. What we learned is if politics aren’t in the equation (popularity, flash et. Al.) then Machida should be next in line for a title shot. If that happens, Rashad Evans can kiss his title good bye.

> How will the UFC 94 results impact the Pro Fighting Fans 2009 Mixed Martial Arts rankings? Keep checking back to find out!

• In the main event, the much-ballyhooed matchup between UFC Lightweight Champion BJ Penn and UFC Welterweight Champion Georges St. Pierre turned out to be incredibly one-sided. The first round was close but GSP was likely the winner while rounds 2-4 were completely dominated by GSP. MMA fans were astonished as GSP passed Penn’s guard with ease. Penn’s dexterity is of legendary status and his guard his thought to be one of if not the best guards in the history of the sport. On this night, GSP toyed with Penn and punished him with an onslaught of elbows and punches until mercifully a corner stoppage halted the bout between rounds 4 & 5. Penn was derogatory to GSP leading up to the fight more so than the usual talk used to promote a fight. He called GSP names that cannot be repeated in print, questioned GSP’s heart and basically stated GSP is not in his league. At UFC 94, the opposite was the case. We learned two things from the main event. The first is GSP, often thought of as the greatest athlete in the sport, continues to get better with every fight. Canada has embraced GSP naming him athlete of the year in 2008 substantiating his popularity in his home country. Not only should GSP be embraced by Canadians but all of MMA. GSP handles himself with class and modesty and is a great ambassador to the sport. We also learned that the greatest pound for pound fighter references by Joe Rogan and Mike Goldberg are up for grabs at any given moment, a flavor of the month if you will. In October of 2008, according to Rogan and Goldberg, Anderson Silva was without argument the greatest pound for pound fighter in the sport. Last night, they stated GSP cemented himself at the top of the pound for pound rankings. The self-promotion and hyperbole are tiresome. Quit the marketing and endless promotion and just commentate on the actual sport, a sport that is growing by leaps and bounds. The sport is now big enough to exclude the MMA 101 discourse. MMA fans are intelligent enough to know who’s who and the landscape of the sport.

By Scott Dryden
ProFighting-fans.com Staff Writer & Director of Content

Complete UFC 94 Results:

Main UFC 94 Bouts:

• Georges St. Pierre defeated B.J. Penn by TKO (Referee Stoppage) - Round 1 - St. Pierre retains UFC Welterweight Championship belt
• Lyoto Machida defeated Thiago Silva by KO (Punch) - Round 1
• Jon Jones defeated Stephan Bonnar by Unanimous Decision
• Karo Parisyan defeated Dong Hyun Kim by Split Decision
• Clay Guida defeated Nate Diaz by Split Decision

Preliminary UFC 94 Bouts:

• John Fitch defeated Akihiro Gono by unanimous decision - Round 3
• Thiago Tavares defeated Manny Gamburyan by Unanimous Decision
• John Howard defeated Chris Wilson by Split Decision
• Jake O'Brien defeated Christian Wellisch by Split Decision
• Dan Cramer defeated Matt Arroyo by Split Decision

View more thoughts on UFC 94 from UFC writer Steven T. Kelliher here at ProFighting-fans.com!