UFC on Fox 10 Aftermath: Head Kicks, Snoozers And Sleepers
UFC on Fox 10 went down in Chicago last night and delivered a pretty solid card; although the main event left a lot to be desired. The card wasn’t packed with the biggest names, nor were there any bitter rivalries to play on, but the card feature some decent fights from past, present and future contenders.
So what did we take away from UFC on Fox 10: Henderson vs. Thomson? Well……
Bendo needs a finish
Rather predictably, Ben Henderson and Josh Thomson fought a close five round affair in the main event. ‘Smooth’ was looking to bounce back from his championship loss to Anthony Pettis at UFC 164, but he didn’t show up to fight Thomson in my opinion. Thomson apparently broke his hand early on in the fight, which nullified his striking ability and led to a rather stale clinchfest.
Henderson was happy to stuff takedown attempts and score points, and Thomson was happy to carry on attempting takedowns. If Henderson had turned up the heat with the striking and battered Thomson, this article could read very differently. In my opinion, a dominant finish could well have led ‘Smooth’ straight back to a title shot. As it stands, it looks like Henderson vs. Melendez II is on the cards.
Head kicks are back in fashion
Both Donald Cerrone and Daron Cruickshank caught my eye with their impressive head kick finishes. Although Cerrone was more technical and precise, Cruickshank showed brutal power in his spinning kick that did the job against Mike Rio.
The trend of using head kicks to finish fights spectacularly is one that I’m quite fond of. As a fan of Cro Cop in his prime, it’s good to see that the techniques he brought over from K-1 are still being adapted today in MMA
The prelims shined in Chicago
Alex Cacares and Sergio Pettis put on an awesome back and forth battle which finished in the third round when ‘Bruce Leeroy’ sunk in a fight ending rear naked choke. Pettis may have to go back to the drawing board, but he has nothing to be ashamed of. In his second UFC bout, and his first pro loss, the younger Brother of the Lightweight champion certainly impressed me.
Overall, I was much more entertained by the undercard at UFC on Fox 10, mainly due to Cacares/Pettis
