2013 Them's Fightin' Words Awards: Worst Fight of the Year

[Elsalvajeloco]

ANTONIO ROGERIO NOGUEIRA W-DEC3 RASHAD EVANS (UFC 156: Aldo vs. Edgar)

Mandalay Bay Events Center, Las Vegas, NV, February 2, 2013

 

In the category of fights that didn't deliver in any shape or form, Minotoro Nogueira vs. Rashad Evans ranks high up there. Two perennial light heavyweights failed to put on a bout worthy of being called a co-main event or even entertaining. MMA fans got the most peculiar performance of "Suga" Rashad Evans' career.

 

After splitting with Jackson's MMA in early 2011, Rashad Evans moved down to South Florida to train with longtime coach Mike Van Arsdale and former Anderson Silva trainers Diogenes Assahida and Sergio 'Babu' Gasparelli. What we got was the most explosive Rashad Evans since his run to the title in 2008 against Tito Ortiz. Although Ortiz is always a liability when it comes to being in fighting shape, there is no question Rashad needed to answer questions about how leaving Greg Jackson and striking guru Mike Winklejohn would affect his performance. When the new camp situation in Boca Raton became permanent, the amount of turnover in Evans' camp was more distracting than beneficial. In addition, Evans was halfway across the country from his friends and family and even hinted towards his unhappiness in interviews prior to the fight. Eventually, all this drama caught up to the one time light heavyweight kingpin. The world saw a lethargic and unsteady Evans against the former PRIDE mainstay for a grueling fifteen minutes.

 

ATTILA VEGH W-DEC5 CHRISTIAN M'PUMBU (Bellator 91: M'Pumbu vs. Vegh)

Santa Ana Star Center, Rio Rancho, NM, February 28, 2013

 

There are few fights in MMA where the first 40 or 50 seconds would help grab Fight of the Night honors and the remaining action would qualify as a show killer. Not since Jake Shields vs. Dan Henderson has time spent on a fighting surface for a championship bout been less appealing aesthetically. The excitement factor was not helped by the fact Bellator spent absolutely no time hyping the ex-DEEP product. M'Pumbu, a good looking prospect prior to signing with the promotion, won their light heavyweight crown and became the most anonymous major MMA champion since Dave Menne.

 

Sadly, Attila Vegh did not dominate the Congolese fighter enough to stop himself from taking the untangible title along with the physical one. Unfortunately for viewers, both contestants did not inspire the Santa Ana Star Center crowd to rise above or equal noise levels fitting of LPGA tournaments.

 

 

 

JAKE SHIELDS W-DEC3 TYRON WOODLEY (UFC 161: Evans vs. Henderson)

MTS Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, June 15, 2013

 

Jake Shields does what Jake Shields does and makes a fighter more athletic than him in every department look amateurish. Amateurish would also aptly describe the three frames of the Jake Shields vs. Tyron Woodley fight. On a card which needed all the help it could get, Shields and Woodley headlined the prelim section. Not shockingly, this wrestler vs. wrestler matchup turned out to be in line with Nik Lentz vs. Andre Winner. The nightmarish scenario of luring in prospective PPV buyers with a cruddy Jake Shields fight was real. If you're into clinching...and more clinching, you cannot go wrong with this Jake Shields tour de force.

 

 

ALEXIS DAVIS W-DEC3 ROSI SEXTON (UFC 161: Evans vs. Henderson)

MTS Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, June 15, 2013

 

Unquestionably, one of the biggest stories of the year was women's MMA being integrated into the UFC. After Ronda Rousey started off the "Girls Out Here Doing It For Themselves Tour '13" against Liz Carmouche in February, the task of earning their spots would fall into the hands of women not known to cause a show stealing ruckus like the Olympic judoka. The first couple bouts after the beginning of the Rousey Age did provide some spark for females to carve out their own paths.

 

However, the debut of proven Canadian trial horse Alexis Davis and British supergenius Rosi Sexton told a much different story. The history of Canadian UFC events (particularly outside Montreal) is littered with many great disappointments as successes. The curse of Donald Cerrone vs Vagner Rocha struck down this battle between tough vets and turned it into 30% light sparring at your local MMA/Krav-Maga/cardio kickboxing gym. Saying the crowd was not enthused would be a magnificent understatement. While the effort of the ladies was somewhat admirable and endearing, a repeat viewing is definitely not warranted.

 

RORY MACDONALD W-DEC3 JAKE ELLENBERGER (UFC on Fox 8: Johnson vs. Moraga)

KeyArena, Seattle, WA, July 27, 2013

 

Poised to be the next MMA great one from the giant landmass above the United States, Rory MacDonald thrashed a row of opponents placed in front of him. Several bouts into his UFC career, he had not faced a significant puncher his size besides the Natural Born Killer. However, Jake Ellenberger was the biggest hitter based in San Diego not seen since the prime days of "Terrible" Terry Norris. Since moving out to spend more time in sunny California, the Omaha native has worked on his striking acumen more than his first love: wrestling. Although one of his duties now is getting Mark Munoz out of deep depression and into beast mode, Ellenberger has been able to string crackling victories together to earn a shot at another young superstar in MacDonald on Fox.

 

All stories must have an ending though. The ending to MacDonald vs. Ellenberger was the fans got no ending. At least, it felt like that when watching the contest on television. MacDonald took very few chances to open himself up to get blasted by the ex-IFL fighter. Ellenberger's attitude and lack of ambition seemingly indicated his welterweight special attraction was scheduled for thirty rounds instead of three. Much like boxing affairs at the turn of the century, this one would have been more enthralling in a newspaper. Maybe.

 

 

SOA PALELEI W-TKO3 NIKITA KRYLOV (UFC 164: Henderson vs. Pettis II)

BMO Harris Bradley Center, Milwaukee, WI, August 31, 2013

 

Soa Palelei was the talk of the town when he went to Team Quest Temecula in order to round out his MMA game and become a complete fighter. The cliche notion spouted by Mike Goldberg of iron sharpening iron in a MMA sense was none more disproven than when Palelei fought Eddie Sanchez at UFC 79 in December 2007. The Aussie looked like he belonged any place but the Octagon on that particular Saturday night. However, "The Hulk" took the long hard road and marched his way back into the UFC branded cage in August 2013. The guy who certainly did not take the same route was Russian Johnny-come-lately Nikita Krylov. Krylov's gaudy record did provoke people on Twitter to do a serious fighter investigation through YouTube. These people (including myself) found out the fedora wearing man known as "Al Capone" had faced a steady diet of.....bums.

 

When the fight rolled around on a night when more established heavyweight combatants would take to the cage on the pay side of the card, the fans at home got their money's worth. Not any second of the bout was worth a single red cent. Although the final round gave folks a thrilling and hilarious conclusion, this heavyweight fight showcased why high level MMA has a variety of different meanings. None of them include the words "Soa Palelei war of attrition".

 

 

 

 

[Zero]

Had to go with Rory vs. Jake just because I was so amped for that fight. Never expected it too be such a stinker. 

[glfpunk]

Same here. It was a fight that could have been so good but turned out so terrible.

[Guest Edwin]

Me too.

And the only reasonable fight for second place is the Rashad and Little Nog fight simply because they're recognizable names.

Davis and Sexton take third place simply cause the women had been on fire until that fight took place.

Th Soa fight and Bellator 205 lbs. title fight I'm not sure many people had high hopes for, so they were what they were.

[twiztor]

i went with Evans/Nog. i think Evans is consistantly one of the most boring fighters that has the most potential. he showed what he could do against Chael Sonnen recently, and his march to the title was awesome, but every fight dating back to January 2012 (vs Phil Davis) has bordered on unwatchable.

Nogueira fights so infrequently that you never know what you will get out of him.

[Zero]

I never really thought Rashad has the most potential to have exciting fights. I figured he'd blow the doors off Chael, but this upcoming DC fight, Ugh. 

[Elsalvajeloco]

RORY MACDONALD vs. JAKE ELLENBERGER is your 2013 Them's Fightin' Words Worst Fight of the Year.