Quick thoughts on UFC Fight Night 20

Gray Maynard may have out-boxed (barely) and split-decisioned jiu-jitsu brown belt Nate Diaz in the main event, an effort that looked more impressive than it was because of Diaz’s flailing/pawing striking style, but I’d hate to see what would happen to him in a title fight against BJ Penn. There’s just no way the former Michigan State University wrestler could stand and strike with Penn and he just doesn’t have the GSP-calibre takedown ability to grind it out on the ground.

Then again, I’m not sure the other top contender, Frankie Edgar, would fair any better against the Prodigy. While it’s only been rumoured that Edgar will get the nod against Penn at UFC 112, I think tonight’s less-than-stellar – by which I mean less-than-dominant – performance by the still-undefeated Maynard takes him out of the running for the moment.

That was one painful-as-hell armbar submission Evan Dunham slapped on Ultimate Fighter 8 champ Efrain Escudero in the third round of their bout. I have to wonder why Escudero waited so long to tap. He had to know he wasn’t going to get out of it. It was locked in as tight as any armbar can be.

Sure, the Gracies have an honour thing about not tapping and I get the warrior spirit mentality, but come on, Escudero ain’t no Gracie. Better to save the arm so he can fight again and soon. It wasn’t a cheap submission hold, their was no wiggle room. Dunham was twisting apart Escudero’s livelihood and it’s not like he’s at the top of the UFC foodchain cashing six-figure paychecks. I’m not sure he can afford a four- or six-month layoff to heal a broken arm unless he’s got a trust fund he can tap into. Credit to Dunham, too. He gutted out a first-round beating that had him weebled and wobbled only to turn the tables in round two before the Submission of the Night and a perfect 3-0 UFC record.

Ditto Aaron Simpson, who got rocked and was spaghetti-legged for almost the entire first round against Tom Lawlor but managed to dig deep and hold on and survive for a three-round split-decision win and the Fight of the Night bonus. No one would’ve faulted Simpson if he’d collapsed to the canvas after any of the handful of crosses and uppercuts Lawlor landed, but he kept his feet under him, kept moving forward, and Lawlor started gassing late in the second as Simpson shot for takedowns. The crowd may have booed but it was the right call as Simpson clearly had Lawlor beaten in the final frame and oftentimes it’s how you finish a fight that matters most.

And TUF 7 winner Amir Sadollah was in top form as he out-worked Brad Blackburn en route to a unanimous-decision victory to open the televised portion of the card.

Among the prelims, Chris Leben earned a UD win over Jay Silva that could’ve (and should’ve) ended in the first round when Leben worked a rear-naked choke for close to four minutes but couldn’t finish it. Rick Story settled for a split decision over Jesse Lennox while Nick Lentz and Thiago Taveres battled to a majority draw that Tavares would’ve won if he hadn’t nailed Lentz with a brutal groin shot in the third round that cost him a point. Twenty-year-old Canuck Rory MacDonald made his UFC debut by armbarring veteran Mike Guymon in the first round, Rafael dos Anjos outlasted Kyle Bradley for a unanimous-decision win, Gerald Harris TKO’d John Salter in the third round and Nick Catone took a split decision over Jesse Forbes.