The Surprises & Disappointments of UFC On FOX 14

Makwan-Amirkhani Surprises and Disappointments is a column featured on MMAOddsbreaker.com after every UFC event, highlighting three fighters who had surprising performances and three fighters who disappointed. Here were the three biggest surprises and the three biggest disappointments from UFC On Fox 14. Surprises Anthony Johnson — I didn’t think Anthony Johnson would beat Alexander Gustafsson and I’ll be the first to admit I completely underestimated “Rumble.” I thought Gustafsson would dominate him and easily win the fight inside the distance. Instead, Johnson was the one who dominated the fight, securing a first-round knockout to earn a title shot against UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Johnson is a fantastic fighter and I absolutely can’t wait to see him take on the champ in what should be an absolute war between two fantastic fighters. Kenny Robertson — Kenny Robertson is a guy I always bet against, but after his latest win, a brutal knockout over Sultan Aliev, I won’t be betting against him anymore. Robertson is not a household name but the guy is extremely dangerous and very difficult to beat. He has won three fights in a row and I believe the UFC should give him a step up in competition. He deserves it. Makwan Amirkhani — I still can’t believe Andy Ogle was favored over Makwan Amirkhani, but sure enough, he was. And sure enough, Amirkhani knocked Ogle out in the first eight seconds with a flying knee and punches. Amirkhani is a good fighter and with his outgoing personality, the UFC may very well have a future star on their hands to carry the torch for Finnish MMA. Disappointments Dan Henderson — I thought Dan Henderson would lose to Gegard Mousasi but I thought he would put up a better fight than the one he did. The 44-year-old legend of MMA was finished with strikes in the first round, marking his fifth loss in six fights and his third loss in a row by stoppage. Henderson is going in the Hall of Fame, but after such a poor performance, I think he needs to call it quits. Phil Davis — I think Phil Davis beat Ryan Bader, but it was a close fight and Davis didn’t perform up to expectations regardless. He should have thrown more leg kicks because it was working for him, but for whatever reason was just very inactive during the fight and it cost him a decision on the judges’ scorecards. A loser of two of his last three fights, Davis is no longer in title contention and he desperately needs a standout performance in his next outing to gain respect back after such a poor performance. Konstantin Erokhin — For me, the biggest disappoint of the night has to be Konstan Erokhin. The Russian heavyweight prospect came into his UFC debut against Viktor Pesta with a ton of hype behind him, but after failing to knock out Pesta in the first round, he gassed badly and was taken down and controlled in the second and third rounds to lose a decision. Erokhin’s ground game and cardio looked awful and at 31, you have to wonder if he can learn the ground game or if this is just another guy who got hype from crushing cans in Russia.

Written by Adam Martin.

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