UFC on FUEL TV 4: Munoz vs. Weidman Post-Fight Thoughts & Analysis

The UFC returned to San Jose for the second time in nine months with an outstanding fight card full of tremendous performances. The middleweight main event saw contenders Mark Munoz and Chris Weidman clash and in a fight that expected by many to be close, Weidman blew Munoz out of the water. Weidman’s performance has the MMA community abuzz as many are clamoring for the undefeated middleweight to challenge Anderson Silva for the UFC middleweight championship.

Aside from the show-stealing main event, the card was very exciting as there were exciting submission, brutal submissions and back-and-forth wars.

Catch my UFC on FUEL TV 4: Munoz vs. Weidman post-fight thoughts and analysis for the main card below.

• Chris Weidman was the star of the night, making a huge statement to every middleweight in the division by destroying Mark Munoz en route to a brutal second-round TKO finish. Weidman was superior in every aspect from striking to wrestling and grappling as he proved to be better than Munoz in every way possible. The “All-American” put on a clinic, starting with a takedown in the opening seconds of the fight all the way through to the brutal elbow that led to the fight-ending finish. A lot of people questioned how Weidman would handle the step up in competition; he answered that question with more than a resounding yes. Weidman called out UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva in his post-fight interview with Jon Anik, and after a performance like that, who can make a strong argument that he isn’t worthy? Unbeaten in the UFC at 5-0 and undefeated overall in his professional career, the New York native’s skill set matches up very well against the current champion. There is a few other significant middleweight contender fights on the horizon, but it’s hard to imagine anyone making a bigger statement than Weidman. Outstanding.
• In the co-main event of the night, James Te Huna beat the ever-loving snot out of Joey Beltran on his way to a unanimous decision victory. Te Huna landed the most significant strikes for one round in the history of the UFC light heavyweight division and 226 significant strikes overall. Most fighters would have been knocked out during the first round, but the chin of Beltran once again proved to be absolutely absurd as “The Mexecutioner” absorbed a ridiculous amount of punishment at the hands of his Australian opponent. The light heavyweight tilt lived up to its billing of a slugfest in every way possible, but Te Huna was simply the better fighter. Te Huna was exhausted by the third round and let Beltran rally a little bit but never found himself is serious danger. The win marked Te Huna’s third in a row in the Octagon and was just the second time he has gone to a decision in his 20-fight professional career. Keep an eye on the 30-year-old moving forward.
• Aaron Simpson was solid in his welterweight debut, dominating Kenny Robertson for a unanimous decision victory. It wasn’t the most exciting fight on the card, but it wasn’t the worst either. The two wrestlers jockeyed for position the entire fight and it was Simpson who was always able to get the better of his opponent. Robertson was not able to start his second UFC stint in a positive matter, showing the same flaws in his game as his first UFC loss to Mike Pierce. The win ultimately proved Simpson’s decision to change weight classes was the right one. He was supposed to fight Jon Fitch one the card, but unfortunately an injury forced Fitch out of the bout. It would be interesting to see how “A-Train” would handle Fitch’s level of competition and after the one-sided win, there would be no problem in the UFC putting that fight together again.
• Francis Carmont put on the most impressive performance of his three UFC appearances as he dominated Karlos Vemola en route to locking in a rear-naked choke in the second round for the submission victory. There were some exciting back-and-forth exchanges in the grappling department throughout the fight, but ultimately, aside from a couple of guillotine choke submission attempts, Vemola had essentially did nothing to threaten Carmont in their middleweight affair. Overall, it was a great fight between the two Europeans and following his win; Carmont called out the top fighters in the division. After his performance against Vemola, it is hard to say Carmont should be denied his wish. With a strong team behind along with his skills, Carmont certainly proved he has the potential to do great things.
• T.J. Dillashaw picked up his second victory in a row after losing to John Dodson in the final round of “The Ultimate Fighter” 14 when he submitted Vaughan Lee in the first round with a beautiful modified rear-naked choke. It was Dillashaw’s third submission win out of six career victories and just an overall great performance. The American wrestle had a bit of a tough time finding his groove for about the first minute of the fight, but one mistake by Lee was all it took for Dillashaw to bring the fight to the ground and work his magic. Lee was able to get the fight back to the feet, but it did not work for the best as Dillashaw transitioned to the back and locked in the choke.
• Rafael Dos Anjos has had some very good performances in his 10-fight UFC career; however, his unanimous decision victory against Anthony Njokuani was his best to date. Dos Anjos dropped Njokuani early in the first round and from that moment on was able to set the pace with superior aggression, striking and wrestling. Many, including myself, were surprised that the Brazilian was able to out strike “The Assassin” over the course of 15 minutes, but he did just that. It is worth noting that Njokuani told his corner after the first round that his right hand was broken, and something like that can severely limit a fighter’s game. It takes nothing away from Dos Anjos’ performance though and he showed a great display of all around skill the fight was a perfect depiction of how far he has come from the simple one-threat submission fighter he once was.

Mike Bohn, founder and lead writer of FightCove.com, wrote this article. You can follow Mike on Twitter at @FightCoveMike. Also, follow @FightCove on Twitter and “Like” Fight Cove on Facebook.