UFC 203, Miocic vs. Overeem: 5 winners/losers
CLEVELAND, OH – SEPTEMBER 10: A general view during the UFC 203 event at Quicken Loans Arena on September 10, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
Stipe Miocic defended his belt against Alistair Overeem in Cleveland’s first ever UFC event. These were the real winners and losers from UFC 203.
In the lead-up to the first ever UFC event in Cleveland, all the attention was on CM Punk and Stipe Miocic. Nonetheless, UFC 203 was an eventful night of fights as Miocic is sure to have a lot of options for his next title defense.
The atmosphere during the title fight was spectacular, and if all of Miocic’s defenses can come in Cleveland, that would be great. But if they do, they should surround him with better fighters, because he was the only real standout on this night.
When all is said and done, these are the names that people will talk about after UFC 203, for better or worse.
Sep 10, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Jessica Eye (red gloves) competes against Bethe Correia (blue gloves) during UFC 203 at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Loser: Jessica Eye
Jessica Eye had a rare opportunity heading into UFC 203. Along with Stipe Miocic, she was the other high-profile Cleveland native to compete at the Q, and despite a 1-4 UFC record (with one no contest), a win over Bethe Correia could’ve been enough to turn her career around.
It wasn’t much to ask. Correia doesn’t have a style that’s hard to train for, and the push of the home crowd should’ve ensured a win for Eye. Instead, the judges decided not to award the hometown favorite, and gave Correia a split decision victory.
Eye is a veteran; her seven UFC appearances only trail Miesha Tate for most in women’s bantamweight history. While she can cry robbery all she wants, she should know to never leave it in the hands of the judges. Unless you won convincingly, you shouldn’t be confident in using the scorecards, and Eye didn’t do nearly enough in the third round to get the win.
For Correia, who won for the first time in almost two years, she has all the confidence in the world; she even called out Miesha post-fight. When it comes to Eye, it’s hard to say where her career goes from here. It’s possible her next fight won’t be in the UFC.
CLEVELAND, OH – SEPTEMBER 10: (L-R) Jimmie Rivera punches Urijah Faber as he throws a knee in their bantamweight bout during the UFC 203 event at Quicken Loans Arena on September 10, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Loser: Urijah Faber
Urijah Faber used to be a lock in non-title fights – prior to tonight, Frankie Edgar was the only person that he lost to in that scenario. And even if he came up short in title fights, Faber was always well regarded as a talent finder. When he came up short against Renan Barao and Dominick Cruz, he told the world to watch out for TJ Dillashaw and Cody Garbrandt. The former became the new bantamweight champion, while we’re still waiting on the latter.
But Faber’s loss to Rivera was the end of an era, and it marked the end of his run as a competitive fighter. It was only three months ago that Faber was fighting for the title, but now he was fighting before two fighters with a combined 2-0 record on a pay-per-view card.
At this point, Faber is on the wrong side of 37, and doesn’t have many fights left in him. He is synonymous with MMA, of that there is no doubt. In Jimmie Rivera’s post-fight interview, he admitted how much he idolized Faber growing up. But even with this win, Rivera’s not considered a top-flight bantamweight, and he won’t get a title shot anytime soon. A win over Faber doesn’t have the same value as it did five years ago.
Perhaps that’s why he’s kept passing the baton to his Team Alpha Male pals whenever he comes up short.
Sep 10, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; C.M. Punk (red gloves) after his fight against Mickey Gall (blue gloves) during UFC 203 at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Loser: CM Punk AND Mickey Gall
When it was announced that CM Punk was going to fight in the UFC, there was plenty of backlash. They knew this was an unearned opportunity, and that he only got in because of name recognition.
CM Punk's story is the opposite of every heart warming tale of an athletic underdog. One percenter getting unearned opportunities. #UFC203
— Jonathan Snowden (@JESnowden) August 16, 2016
The only way he was going to win over fans was if he won, but his debut came to a merciless end in two minutes.
Despite training at Roufusport, and getting two years to prepare for this moment, he demonstrated no technique. Gall took him down at the start of the opening bell, and he had no idea how to defend it. Everyone expected him to lose, and yet he still looked worse than we thought he would. CM Punk was also used to bring in pay-per-view buys, so anyone who bought UFC 203 just for this fight had to be disappointed.
This whole thing was a circus from the start — a total farce from both sides. Punk said multiple times that he didn’t miss his wrestling persona. And yet he did a classic heel turn by refusing to shake hands at the weigh-in, then walked out to “Cult of Personality.”
In Mickey Gall’s post-fight interview, he went from saying “f*ck the hate,” to trash-talking Sage Northcutt in a matter of seconds. He was celebrating his win as if he became the champion, but there was no value in a win like this. Credit to Gall for getting what he wanted, and getting the name recognition, as his name will forever be tied to CM Punk’s. But it shouldn’t take until his third UFC fight to face someone with discernible MMA experience.
CLEVELAND, OH – SEPTEMBER 08: Fabricio Werdum of Brazil interacts with media during the UFC 203 press conference at Quicken Loans Arena September 8, 2016 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Josh Hedges/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
Loser: Fabricio Werdum
Sorry for being so negative, but this card really was full of losers. Especially Fabricio Werdum, who proved that it is possible to lose by winning.
After a spectacular first round in which it looked like Werdum hadn’t missed a beat after getting knocked out, he was extremely tentative. Against an opponent who really didn’t force the action, Werdum had all the opportunities in the world to take advantage and pick up a highlight reel finish.
Perhaps after Stipe Miocic caught him with a counter-punch, this is the first sign that Werdum is becoming a points fighter. But when the scorecards read 30-27, 29-27, and 29-28, even the judges didn’t know what the hell to make of it.
So soon after losing his belt, Werdum had a chance to prove that he still belongs in the title conversation by picking up an impressive win on the same card as the heavyweight champion. While the first round might’ve been indicative of that, the next two rounds effectively took him out of the conversation. And while he was already getting mercilessly booed, he did himself no favors by trying to assault Edmond Tarverdyan with the decision wrapped up.
Even though he beat Cain Velasquez, he’s more deserving of the title shot instead of Werdum. But knowing that, booking Cain in a title fight wouldn’t make much sense, which is why a rematch between the two is practically the only logical path.
Sep 10, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Stipe Miocic (red gloves) defeats Alistair Overeem (blue gloves) during UFC 203 at Quicken Loans Arena. Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
Winner: Stipe Miocic
The heavyweight division is full of greybeards, and even though Stipe Miocic is 34, he feels like a breath of fresh air — not only to the city of Cleveland, when he started a wave of championships won by that city, but to the heavyweight landscape.
Belts have changed hands frequently in the UFC, but in the heavyweight division, it’s become common practice. The only two people to hold it for longer than one fight in the last five years are Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez. While Cain was once thought of as the next great heavyweight, injuries have taken a large toll on his career.
But Miocic is a resurgent fighter, having won three straight and six of his last seven coming into this contest. He has looked better with every fight, and the reason the UFC came to Cleveland for the first time is because of him. And after nearly leaving the UFC in free agency, Overeem came into this contest on a four-fight win streak, so whoever ended up winning this contest could’ve had the makings of a dominant champion.
Miocic vs. Overeem was one of the most entertaining one-round contests in recent memory. There were shifts in momentum towards either fighter, and it was a gutsy round for the champ. Miocic was on the verge of being finished, but when he emerged victorious, he made the heavyweight division fun again.
He may have Croatian heritage, but he’s one of Cleveland’s own. You couldn’t help but smile when he wrapped up the win then played right into the Quicken Loans crowd. But Miocic’s title reign isn’t just a feel good story anymore, it’s a changing of the guard. And with the way he looks now, it’s hard to imagine he won’t keep this belt for a long time.
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