- In order to beat Lyoto Machida, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson needed to fight smart, disciplined and not play into Machida's game. For the most part, that is exactly what he did, cutting off Machida's angles and working in to the clinch position. It wasn't a dominant performance, but Jackson did enough to win the first two rounds, at least in some people's eyes.
- After getting blitzed with punches and mounted in the third round, it's no wonder that Jackson felt like he lost the fight. However, the 10-point must system employed by the UFC is a round-by-round account. If looked at in a totalitarian sense, did Jackson lose that fight? Absolutely. But did he lose it under the 10-point must system? Well...
- I personally scored the bout 29-28 Machida, with the second round going to Jackson. But while I thought that Machida landed the better strikes in the first round, it's hard to fault the judges for giving it to Jackson based on his aggression and ring control. Fair or not, perception is the law when it comes to judging. If you continue to move backwards, like Machida did, and your opponent is able to mount any sort of offense, the perception is that you lost that round.
- There was a lot of talk about Jackson bringing back the 'old Rampage,' the feared knockout artist from the PRIDE days. What I would rather see is a new Jackson, one that uses leg kicks and threatens with more takedowns. Right now, Jackson is a lethal boxer who occasionally mixes in takedowns. A more well-rounded Jackson could be lethal.
- Speaking of lethal, Saturday night proved that a focused, motivated B.J. Penn is one of the most dangerous fighters in the world. While we knew that Matt Hughes' three-fight winning streak was not exactly as advertised, no one expected Penn to drop Hughes in under 30 seconds. We seem to forget that Penn is only 31 and still a very relevant force in the UFC. He will face a much stiffer test next, as UFC president Dana White already announced that Penn will face perennial contender Jon Fitch at UFC 127.
- Fun fact: Penn became the second person to finish Hughes twice in the first round. The other? Dennis Hallman, who also scored a first-round KO at UFC 123 over Karo Parisyan.
- For two rounds, Maiquel Falcao dominated Gerald Harris, almost finishing by rear-naked choke on two separate occasions, before coasting his way to a unanimous decision. Falcao didn't make many fans by putting it on cruise control in round three, but the offense that he did display shows that he could be a serious force in the middleweight division.
- Phil Davis is an incredibly strong and explosive fighter. Davis controlled Tim Boetsch on the ground before eventually submitting him with a kimura best described as, "Big brother picking on little brother." The win extended Davis' perfect record to 8-0 and proved that he is ready for a step up in competition.
- George Sotiropoulos ran his UFC record to 7-0, surviving a strong start from Joe Lauzon before eventually submitting Lauzon in the second round. Sotiropoulos is a serious threat whenever the fight hits the ground, and should be looking for a title shot sometime in mid-to-late 2011.
- If you turned off the TV right after Jackson vs. Machida, you missed Brazilian lightweight Edson Barboza systematically destroy Mike Lullo's leg en route to a third-round TKO. Barboza is a large and powerful 155'er and his striking reminds me a little of UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo. Keep your eye on him, he seems poised for a breakout year.
