Earlier today we looked at five positives to come out of last night's card. Now, let's take a look at the flip side, and discuss some not-so positive points of UFC 252. Here are five moments that have got fans talking, for all the wrong reasons.
O'Malley Injured Again
Sean "Suga" O'Malley went into his fight with Marlon "Chito" Vera with a tremendous amount of hype (I may of contributed to that), however it was not the performance and the result everyone expected.
I don't believe that this loss has hurt the Montana native's stock too much, as early in the first round Sean seemed to injure his foot. It was so bad the 25-year-old struggled to put weight on it, and ultimately fell to the floor late in the first. Vera did land some good elbows on the ground, but it was already over. "Suga" was stretchered out of the arena in agonising pain. Another long-term injury lay-off could see O'Malley fall further down the rankings once again.
Here's hoping for a speedy recovery.
DC Fails to Retire a Champion
The UFC 252 main-event was a fantastic fight. Both DC and Stipe delivered in an absolute five-round classic. Unfortunately, the future Hall of Famer, Daniel Cormier, could not retire at the very top of the sport. The former two-weight world champion has had one of the most illustrious careers in combat sports, and is truly one of the greatest of all time.
"DC" has expressed many times his desire to retire as a champion, and stated last night he doesn't feel as though there is a another title fight in his future. It's painful to see such a pivotal figure in MMA walk away from the sport, when there's undeniably unfinished business and a want to compete.
Regardless of what the future holds, Cormier can look back on his sport-altering career with no regrets. Truly one of the best to ever do it, and a priceless representative of MMA.
Eye Pokes (Yet Again)
I don't really think this needs addressing as there's not much left to be said. Yet, here we are, again.
The trilogy fight between Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic was nearly perfect. A five-round war, where at times both fighters looked as though they were in control. However, and seemingly more frequently, the bout was plagued by another eye-poke which many argued changed the course of the fight. Miocic accidentally poked Cormier in the eye late in the third round. This blinded the former light heavyweight champion and was clearly causing him a large amount of discomfort.
I guess you could argue it didn't change the out-come of the fight, and that Stipe may of suffered the same fate in their first bout, but I think the time to look at a reform of the gloves situation is now.
Herbert Burns Failed to Perform
Another fighter who went into UFC 252 with a certain amount of expectation was 32-year-old Herbert Burns. And once again, fans were left disappointed.
The Brazilian looked gassed after only five minutes of action and failed to make an impression on his far more experienced opponent. Many, including us here at The MMA Mindset, underestimated Daniel Pineda, however, he carried out a clinical and efficient performance. To fan's surprise, Burns also found himself being dominated the floor in and the grappling exchanges.
This is a massive setback for "The Blaze", who is trying to find his way in an already stacked 145lb division. Burns also had weight-cutting issues heading into the bout, so perhaps it's time to think about moving up to lightweight?
JDS Knocked-out For Third Fight in a Row
Despite looking in fantastic shape heading into his fight with Jairzinho Rozenstruik, "Cigano" once again fell to a devastating KO. This makes it three knock-out losses in a row for the Brazilian veteran, and in a division known for heavy hands, this makes the future bleak for JDS.
It doesn't seem to be a case of losing technical ability or simply not being able to compete with high-level guys anymore. Junior was having the better of the exchanges through-out the majority of the fight, and looked to be controlling where the bout took place. Rozenstruik landed a hellacious left-hook, and followed up with devastating strikes. And it was all over.
Many are calling for the former heavyweight champion to hang up the gloves, as the possibility of taking unnecessary head trauma in the future seems inevitable. However, the 36-year-old seems to have no plans to retire at the present time.
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