Reflections from UFC 92: Bad Refs, Good Fights, Great Card
Published by Dave Sholler on December 29th, 2008 in Current Events

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I always look forward to the holiday season, but it’s not because I like to decorate Christmas trees or spin dradles.

You see, I look forward to December because the Ultimate Fighting Championship always puts on one of its best cards during the final month of the year.

UFC 92, much like other December UFC pay-per-views, did not disappoint. We saw title belts change hands with Rashad Evans defeating Forrest Griffin for the 205-pound crown and Frank Mir upending Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira for the interim heavyweight championship.

We also saw vicious knockouts. Quinton Jackson’s left-hook knockout of Wanderlei Silva was one of the best of 2008. Cheick Kongo, a massive man with some of the best paws in the sport, also recorded a brutal knockout via a ground and pound win over Mostapha Al Turk.

Once again, the UFC’s December pay-per-view lived up to the hype. But before we close out 2008, let’s reflect on some of the things that occurred on the final card of the year. Here’s what we realized…

Steve Mazzagatti needs to be replaced…

Mazzagatti is an affable human being, but his skills as a referee are downright putrid. He waited far too long to stop the Kongo-Al Turk bout and put Al Turk in harm’s way by allowing the fight to continue. On his back with Kongo in a loose guard, Al Turk absorbed some of the stiffest shots we’ve seen in a long time, including an elbow that instantly bloodied his face. If showing no defense behind his crimson mask wasn’t enough reason for Al Turk to be saved by Mazzagatti, the series of punches that flattened his face surely were.

We’d offer a softer stance on Mazzagatti if this hadn’t happened before. But we’ve seen Mazzagatti make questionable decisions time and time again. The safety of competitors always comes first, especially when they are being bludgeoned into unconsciousness. This isn’t a street fight.

We’d rather not see Dan Evensen in the Octagon again…

We have a great deal of respect for any combat sports competitor, but Evensen just isn’t ready for the high-level action offered by the UFC. After being stopped by Kongo in his debut in August, Evensen was again stopped at UFC 92 by newcomer Pat Barry. The Las Vegas resident ate leg kick after vicious leg kick from Barry and eventually was saved by referee Yves Lavigne midway through the first round.

While the window of opportunity for the 34-year-old Evensen may be closing, we think he has a chance at some success if he can cut significant weight. He just looks too slow and out of shape at 250 pounds.

You can’t knock Matt Hamill’s hustle…

Following a loss to Rich Franklin in September, Hamill bounced back with a nice win over Reese Andy at UFC 92. While we are unsure how far he can go in the crowded 205-pound division, we will always enjoy watching “The Hammer” compete. In seven fights inside the Octagon, Hamill has four stoppage victories, a tough, entertaining decision loss to Michael Bisping, and the aforementioned scrap with Franklin. Simply put, Hamill makes you feel like you’ve gotten your money’s worth.

Yushin Okami deserves a title shot, but it won’t sell…

With a unanimous decision victory over Dean Lister, Okami continues his assault on the UFC’s 185-pound division. Other than a loss to Rich Franklin in 2007, Okami has seven victories inside the Octagon and is poised for a shot at champion Anderson Silva.

Whether or not he gets the shot remains to be seen. Even though Okami owns a DQ victory over Silva when the two competed outside of the UFC, the desire to see another Okami-Silva match is lukewarm at best. Okami is strong and durable, but there seems to be major questions as to whether a bout against Silva would be marketable.

“Rampage” is back…

Forget about legal troubles, his loss to Forrest Griffin, and the firing of Juanito Ibarra. For one round at UFC 92, the world remembered why Quinton Jackson is one of the best 205-pounders in the world. With a menacing left hook, Rampage knocked Wanderlei Silva silly and redeemed two losses suffered to the Brazilian when both competed in PRIDE. With the win, Jackson hopes to get another shot at the recently dethroned Griffin. Since he’s been haunted by the July loss to Forrest, we hope Jackson gets another shot.

We told you so…

When we predicted on this website that Frank Mir would become the first man to stop Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, a few of you called us crazy. How do we look now? The new interim heavyweight champion looked incredible in the standup against “Big Nog” and dropped the former titleholder three times en route to a second round stoppage victory. A rematch and unification bout with Brock Lesnar looms. For the record, we like Mir’s chances in that one too.

Evans’ patience is a virtue…

We were just as puzzled as you when Rashad Evans wouldn’t pull the trigger in rounds one and two of his fight against champion Forrest Griffin. But midway through round three, Evans proved that his patience is his best attribute. Much like he did against Chuck Liddell in September, Evans found the perfect time to pounce on Griffin. Landing solid blows from Griffin’s unimpressive guard, Evans pounded out the champion and captured his first world title. Plain and simple, Evans is scary good. Although a relative newcomer to the MMA scene, the former Ultimate Fighter season two winner seems destined for a long title run.