by UFC on ESPN: Emmett vs. Murphy (also known as UFC on ESPN 65 and UFC Vegas 105 took place tonight from the APEX in Vegas. It was a heated card with a few nice finishes and plenty of action to touch on. Here are my hot takes from the main card.
Torrez Finney wins a narrow-split decision over Robert Valentin
My Take – It could have gone either way, but if you don’t finish your opponent, you have nothing to complain about if you’re Robert Valentin. He had his chances, but let it go to the judges and 2 of 3 gave it to Finney.
Ode’ Osbourne TKO’d Luis Gurule in the second round
My Take – After Gurule controlled the first round on the ground, Osbourne let his hands fly in the second and ended in quickly. One could argue for an early stoppage but I wouldn’t, it was clear Gurule wasn’t getting out of the flurry of punches from Osbourne. Ode’ had lost 3 straight in the UFC and was on his way to being cut with another loss, this win, buys him another fight or two!
Brad Tavares defeated Gerald Meerschart by decision
My Take – Here is the thing, it could have went either way on the cards and Meerschart was upset at the results. But, when you’re a guy like Tavares who has been with the UFC since 2010 and have had 25 UFC fights, you’re getting that decision every single time.
Lee Chanh-Ho stops Cortavious Romious in the second
My take – It was a lackluster first round that saw a second round get kickstarted with a groin shot to Romious. He came back out but wasn’t the same as Ho eventually overwhelmed him with a barrage of shots until the ref stopped in. It was a dominant display that should land Ho a UFC contract.
Pat Sabatini defeats Joanderson Brito by Decision by scored of 30-26, 30-26 and 30-27
My take – This may have been the best Pat Sabatini we’ve ever seen. It was 3 rounds of ground and pound as Sabatini spent 13 minutes of the 15 minutes on top of Brito, simply pounding him and piling up the points along the way. This one was a blowout. It also speaks loudly for a guy like Diego Lopes to be taken seriously, considering he knocked Sabatini out could less then 18 months ago.
Lerone Murphy defeats Josh Emmett by UD
My take – I’m getting a bit sick of these all-too-common matchups. It was the same old song and dance yet again. The up-and-coming superstar against the guy past his prime, just looking to land that one last shot. Emmett never had a chance and Murphy just danced him around for five straight rounds while Emmett was bloodied. Murphy at 16-0-1, may be something big in the making, but one thing is for sure, Emmett needs to retire and this win did little for him. Murphy needs a step up in competition.
