UFC 131: Cerrone vs. Rocha
Sorry we didn’t cover the last card, but we didn’t want to pay for it and can only assume that you, our intelligent readers, did not want to read about it. We bought this shit just for the title fight.
Cerrone is sort of overrated and we’ve never seen Rocha in the UFC. Looks like Cerrone has a slightly more upscale cowboy hat this time around rather than the black Tapout abomination he is usually partial to.
Cerrone is one of the most popular fighters from the WEC and we feel like UFC Matchmaker Joe Silva is throwing the man a bone. Never seen Rocha, but he looks small. Round-by-round updates after the jump:
Round 1-Cerrone starts off the first round by ripping a nutshot. Cerrone taken down by Rocha, but is able to pop back up. Rocha goes for another take down, but Cerrone slips out of it.
Cerrone looks far bigger than Rocha. Rocha is going to have a hard time wrestling with him. Rocha looks pretty terrible on the feet. Wagner taking long distance shots and coming up short. Cerrone still scoring with the leg kick.
Even when Rocha landes, it doesn’t look like it is hurting him. Rocha’s punches look like the are in slow motion. He’s not bringing his elbow out enough on the hook and they have no snap to them.
Rocha goes for a kick. Cerrone catches it, trips him and then lets him get up. Cerrone controlling this round. Cerrone looks as fresh as when the fight started. Greg Jackson is telling him to stop toying with this guy.
Round 2-Cerrone seems content to score with kicks. Rocha fails with yet another shot. We hate watching undersized BJJ practitioners against strikers who are good at defending takedowns.
Jesus, Rocha goes for another pathetic takedown. Rocha runs into a Cerrone jab and is on the ground. Cerrone lets him stand up again. Cerrone making him pay with more leg kicks. Cerrone cut over the brow, must have been a glancing blow from the edge of a glove because no major shots have been landed.
Rocha is limping from the leg kicks. Goes for the takedown, Cerrone pushes him down like a small child, walks away and waits until Herb Dean tells Rocha to get up.
Round 3-Greg Jackson’s fighters don’t really try to finish fights too much. Calling for more low kicks. Saying it could go either way. It can’t. Greg Jackson isn’t fooling anyone. He won the first two rounds. He will have to lose this round badly to lose a decision.
We would love to see Cerrone go for a KO here. He’s fighting a total chump and should be putting on a show. Terrible shot. My granny could have stuffed that takedown before she got her hip replaced.
Jesus. Joe Rogan and I would both like to see Cerrone pick up the tempo. Cerrone just caught Rocha’s leg, bitch slapped him and then tripped him. Starting to pick up the pace a little.
Cerrone’s not even moving his head, but it doesn’t matter because Rocha punches like a stripling. Rocha now running around the ring. Cerrone stuffs another takedown and then kicks Rocha in his buttocks to teach him a lesson. Desperation snots for Rocha, who seems aware that he couldn’t punch his way out of a paper bag.
Don Cerrone just sent a message to the UFC Matchmakers not to do him any favors. He clearly does not care about finishing fights, like most Greg Jackson fighters.
Cerrone has his ugly Tapout hat on again. Gone is the upscale cowboy hat from the prefight interviews. Time to please the sponsors.
Scores: 30-27 30-27 30-26. One judge gave him a 10-8 round. He was dominant, but you don’t usually see that type of scoring for such a preponderance of leg kicks.