Event UFC 208: Holm vs. de Randamie [Results]

Bit of work to be done by the NYSAC.

Poor judging and refereeing tonight.

 

https://oddshot.tv/s/yqFnEp

 

Some are suggesting that Holm protest the result but that sounds like a go-nowhere proposition.

Holm STILL could've won the fight had she not spent a full 8-minutes of it (UFC's stat) pressing GDR against the fence.

 

A few thoughts...

There were only ten fights on this card, I think. I managed to see seven of them which is pretty good for me lately. Did not see LaFlare, Makhachev, or Reis win.

Glenn/Nover was a pretty good fight. Both guys are talented. Far from elite but the kind of bout you'd expect to see in the prelims. Nover is a part-timer and it's hard to tell if he would've amounted to more in his career otherwise.

Muhammad/Brown was decent, too. Joe and company were very high on Brown's potential. His body type is ideal. Sadly, looks don't win fights. Muhammad is very average but fair play to him coming in and winning as a late replacement. Last time he fought in New York it went badly.

Poirier/Miller was a great fight. Poirier looks very healthy at LW. Miller had won three on the trot going into this fight. He's 5-5 since 2014 and a very workmanlike fighter at this point. Beating Jim Miller might be Dustin Poirier's signature win, a young Max Holloway notwithstanding.

Teixeira/Cannonier was as close to a squash match-up as you'll see on a PPV card. Still, Tex played it safe. Fans didn't love it.

The opposite of playing it safe was Jacare Souza taking on a marginal top-15 middleweight in Tim Boetsch. Lots to lose in that bout. But Jacare did well and proved that he's good enough to be fighting for the title. Sadly Bisping is holding it hostage at the moment and Jacare will probably have to rematch Luke Rockhold in the interim.

Anderson Silva is a paycheque fighter these days. He has zero desire to fight tooth-and-nail anymore. But he is still very, very good. Derek Brunson was gun-shy. Shook? Maybe. Very forgettable fight. Since he won't fight Jacare, and everyone else seems tied up, I'm not sure what's next for Silva. Bob Whittaker? Not a lot of options. Might be a while before we see him fight again. Brunson could fight Boetsch.

The main event had the potential to be great. Holm kept pushing forward and GDR had nice counters. But the fight went sideways after an errant after the bell shot rocked Holm at the end of the second round. From there Holm tried to grapple with GDR spending the majority of the remainder of the fight (I think) on the fence. Despite a second (and no less egregious) foul after the bell in the third round the referee, who probably should've been Yves Lavigne based on seniority and who was already there doing fights, opted to give GDR a second warning. Had either foul resulted in a penalty we'd be looking at a draw. The fact that we aren't is almost a relief since Holm sabotaged her own chances by fighting safe/dumb and the fight itself was too dull to warrant a rematch.

GDR is an interesting opponent for Cris Cyborg. She has good size and is an effective counter-striker. If she can survive the early barrage and keep the fight standing she could do well. However after the fight GDR announced she'd be getting hand surgery so, I dunno, might be a while. Do they do Holm/Cyborg for an interim belt if GDR is out for 9+ months? How ludicrous can they get with this made-up division?

 

Poor Pay-Per-View performance, says early reports. Sub 300k.

A belt /= ratings.

 

GDR wants to get surgery then rematch Holly Holm.

Apparently in the bubble that is the 3-woman FW division the controversy over the fight must be settled in a rematch.

Holm/GDR was not a good fight and it didn't sell. Other than the two of them who cares?