From top to bottom on the card Saturday night Matt Hughes, Chael Sonnen, and Jon Fitch all proved that wrestling is still one of the most important skill sets a fighter can possess. Matt Hughes continued his assault on Gracie Jiu Jitsu with his wrestling based front headlock choke that he put Ricardo Almeida to sleep with, while Chael Sonnen nearly pulled off the monumental upset over Anderson Silva if not for his suspect submission defense. The only one from that list that doesn't interest me, or many other fans for that matter, is Jon Fitch. Fitch is consistently in the top five in the division because he keeps winning, however unspectacular it may be when he does.
Roy Nelson's gutsy yet asthmatic performance not withstanding the wrestlers had their time to shine once again at UFC 117. The beating that Chael Sonnen put to Anderson Silva was one for the ages and showed that grit and determination along with a strong wrestling base can dethrone Anderson Silva in the right hands. It also showed that Silva is susceptible to overhand rights and looping punches, which would have been unthinkable to say just a few days ago, but now may be a reality. Sonnen tagged Anderson and rocked him on multiple occasions before taking him to the ground and mauling him some more. If Sonnen, who is not known for his striking, can connect on the Champion then Vitor Belfort has a damn good shot at knocking out his fellow countryman if they do indeed meet inside the cage.
Jon Fitch looked the same as always, using determination and a hard work ethic to grind out his opponent and ride him to a decision victory. Fitch's style would not be so mundane to watch if he could actually finish a fight every once in a while. Instead we get to see a wrestling match inside a cage every time out for Fitch. Fitch has said that he is constantly trying to finish his opponent every minute in the cage no matter what fans may think, which is hard to believe. However boring Fitch's fights may be he is another example of how wrestlers can dominate the game in MMA.
Matt Hughes shined in his performance fresh off his induction to the UFC's hall of fame against Ricardo Almeida. The fact that Hughes was able to rock "The Big Dog" before choking him out was even more surprising than the finish. Hughes' boxing coach says that his hands have gotten a lot better and he can let them fly when he wants to. Hughes still looks a bit akward in his striking stance, but a Boxer he will never be. Hughes was carrying the flag for American wrestlers once more when he used a headlock he learned in wrestling to finish a highly decorated Jiu Jitsu player in Almeida.
UFC 117 once again proved that to be a dominant force in MMA you need to be a strong wrestler or be able to use it in reverse to keep the fight standing and control position. The main event was shocking to see Anderson in such a precarious position, but Sonnen showed us that Silva is not invincible, and like everyone in the fight game he is beatable with the right style match up.
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