Rose Namajunas vs Jessica Andrade : I picked Rose to win. I figured her length, movement, speed, and technique would be too much on the feet. We already saw how Joanna broke down Jessica's striking, and Rose is definitely Joanna's caliber in MMA striking. Grappling wise, I figured Rose's ability to instantly threaten submissions would neutralize the takedowns. To my credit, I was totally right. Rose messed up Jessica's face with the first 30 seconds and her kimura attempts made the slam attempts futile. Alas...it only takes one slip up against martial artists of this caliber. Jessica countered the "anti-slam Kimura" by switching to the high crotch, and slammed Rose right on her head. Rose needed to release the kimura but I'm not sure if they drilled that adjustment or if Rose didn't recognize the threat in time. I still think Rose wins that fight 8 out of 10 times, but my hat goes off to Jessica. She has earned the belt. I look forward to the rematch though, and other matchups if she can hold on to the belt.
Bj Penn vs Clay Guida: I picked Guide to win, but I figured the wrestling would come into play more. He demonstrated great use of low kicks. Even if they weren't the best kicks, they did slow Bj down. Additonally, his cardio was better than Bj's and he landed great punches once inside. It's sad watching Bj fight well past his prime years, but I guess that warrior spirit just never leaves some guys. I wonder if we could ever have some kinda master's division/ senior circuit for fighters past their prime. There's still older folks I'd be willing to watch, but I hate seeing them get battered.
Viviane Araujo vs Talita Bernado: Viviane has arrived. On four days notice and her UFC debut, comes in and KO's a veteran like Talita Bernardo. And she usually fights at Straweight. I am really interested in seeing how she develops in this division.
Anderson Silva vs Jared Canonnier: Similar to Bj, I think Anderson just has fighting in his blood. It's just hard to watch sometimes though. Even before the finish, Silva took 4 unanswered hooks to the face. He was eating low kicks all day before the final one blew out his knew. Never checked a single one. I guess it's impressive he still has a chin, but I don't know what to say. I will probably tune in regardless, but I wonder what is in it for these older guys. They are already legends. They have nothing to prove.
Jose Also vs Alexander Volkanovski: Aldo didn't look terrible, but he just plain got outlanded. His corner kept telling him he was ahead, but that was probably the wrong move. Jose looked to be coasting, only landing 1 or 2 shots here and there while Volkanovski was putting in work. Up against the fence, Jose needed to move his hips to either side more so Volkanovski couldn't just control him like that. Stopping the takedowns are great, you're still up against the fence. That's costing you energy and looks bad to the judges. And Volkanovski was landing knees and such too. It's unfortunate, as Aldo has looked pretty good recently. I was hoping for a better outcome for him here.