UFC on Versus 1 Recap and Analysis

March 23, 2010 | Tim | Comments 0

UFC on Versus 1 showcased two up-and-coming prospects who will eventually become title contenders against two UFC veterans trying to keep their place near the top of their divisions. In both instances, youth won out.

Heavyweight prospect Junior dos Santos, 4-0 in the UFC heading into this fight, faced a former title contender and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu black belt in Gabriel Gonzaga. Some were picking Gonzaga due to his superiority on the ground, but dos Santos proved from the opening bell that if you try and strike with him, you will be in for a short night. Just under four minutes into the fight, dos Santos caught Gonzaga with an overhand left that floored him. A few follow up shots finished Gonzaga’s night. The impressive showing from dos Santos should put him in line for a future title shot. Some are suggesting a potential Cain Velasquez/dos Santos fight with the winner getting a shot at the title after the winner of this weekend’s Frank Mir/Shane Carwin showdown.

In the main event of the evening, Jon Jones, one of the top prospects in all of MMA, took on former top prospect Brandon Vera. Early on, Jones showed that his offensive Greco-Roman wresting would be difficult to deal with as he threw Vera to the ground in the opening minute. The fight soon moved back standing, but Jones got another takedown soon thereafter. This time, Vera landed an illegal upkick that briefly paused the action, before the fight resumed with Jones in the top position. From there, Jones landed a hard elbow strike to the right side of Vera’s face. The shot really hurt Vera, as he quickly turned to his stomach and covered up. A few more strikes landed from Jones before the fight was stopped. After the fight, it was revealed that the Jones elbow broke three bones in Vera’s face. Jones shouldn’t be rushed into title contention just yet, but will likely face a top 10 light heavyweight in his next fight as the UFC slowly moves him up the ladder.

In other main card action, Cheick Kongo battered former UFC heavyweight title contender Paul Buentello from the opening bell, eventually forcing Buentello to tap out from strikes early in the third round. In the opening fight of the evening, Alessio Sakara battered James Irvin early and often. Irvin, who was making the weight cut to middleweight for the first time, clearly looked weak at the weigh ins and at the fight itself. A left hook from Sakara in the middle of the first round caught Irvin right on the eye, forcing a stop to the contest. Sakara was awarded the TKO victory and has now won three straight fights.

In preliminary card action, lightweight Clay Guida returned to the win column by submitting Shannon Gurgerty via arm triangle in the 2nd round. The Ultimate Fighter season 10 finalist Brendan Schaub fought for the first time since losing to Roy Nelson in the finale, and got a 1st round TKO win over Chase Gormley. Finally, in a welterweight fight, John Howard moved to 4-0 in his UFC career by surviving an early test from newcomer Daniel Roberts to knock him out two minutes into the fight.

Full Results:

MAIN CARD

Jon Jones def. Brandon Vera via TKO – Round 1, 3:19

Junior Dos Santos vs. Gabriel Gonzaga via KO – Round 1, 3:53

Cheick Kongo def. Paul Buentello via TKO – Round 3, 1:16

Alessio Sakara def. James Irvin via TKO – Round 1, 3:01

PRELIMINARY CARD

Clay Guida def. Shannon Gugerty via submission - Round 2, 3:40

Vladimir Matyushenko def. Eliot Marshall via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 30-27)

Darren Elkins def. Duane Ludwig via TKO- Round 1, 0:44

John Howard def. Daniel Roberts via knockout – Round 1, 2:01

Brendan Schaub def. Chase Gormley via TKO – Round 1, 0:47