UFC on Fox 3: Nate Diaz Submits Jim Miller

by Dr. Octagon, J.D.

Lavar Johnson def. Pat Barry by TKO at 4:38 of Round 1-This is another one of those fights where you wonder what Pat Barry was thinking. I really like the guy and he always puts on an exciting fight, but he had a full mount on Lavar Johnson with plenty of time to spare. Then he switched to side control and went for a kimura. He almost got it too; instead Lavar Johnson was able to get to his feet and knock Barry out. Barry is not known for his BJJ, so I would have preferred to see him work some ground and pound rather than giving up such great position.

Alan Belcher def. Rousimar Palhares via punches at 4:18 in Round 1-No one gave Belcher a shot in this fight. The thing is though, and it seems obvious in hindsight, when you don’t sink a leglock, you put yourself in a very bad position. Palhares started the bout off with a ridiculously explosive shot, but after Belcher was able to defend his submission attempts, he got knocked out from top position. Submission specialists can get pretty far in the sport, but it’s tough to win a fight against a quality opponent when they know exactly what you are going to do. At least Palhares has the ability to get to the ground with the shot, unlike a lot of other BJJ specialists.

Johny Hendricks def. Josh Koschek by split decision-The ref did a crappy job on this one. He missed an eye-poke and also separated Hendricks from the clinch when he was kneeing Koschek. Hendricks definitely won the second and Koschek certainly took the third. I rewatched the first round and think Koschek won it. But at the fight’s end Koschek’s face looked worse, so perhaps Johny’s punches were doing more damage. Hendricks did not look too impressive.

Nate Diaz def. Jim Miller by guillotine at 4:09 in round 2-Given how many emails I’ve received from our readers, it seems as though a lot of you took my advice and bet on Diaz. One thing I didn’t predict was Diaz winning by submission. I didn’t see that coming since Miller is really great on the ground, but Diaz had Miller dazed with a right elbow before he sunk the choke. Miller gamely defended, but Diaz was able to adjust. Another impressive victory against a tough opponent by Nate Diaz, who is getting the winner of Henderson-Edgar 2.