UFC 115's Three Stars: Franklin, Condit and Dunham
In a tradition taken from hockey (ahem, HOW 'BOUT 'DEM BLACKHAWKS), Cagewriter takes a look at three of the biggest stars from UFC 115.
No. 1 star -- Rich Franklin: The former middleweight champion hadn't fought since he was brutally knocked out by Vitor Belfort, but he showed that ring rust was not a problem. Franklin stayed calm after his arm was broken by a Liddell kick and waited for the perfect moment to deliver a right that ended the night -- and quite possibly his fighting career -- for Liddell.
No. 2 star -- Carlos Condit: MacDonald dominated the first two rounds, and it was clear that Condit would need to pull out a home run to win the fight. He waited until the final minute of the fight, but was able to stop MacDonald with a crushing elbow. The bout was stopped as the 10-second warning sounded, with Condit, the one-time WEC welterweight champ, coming out as the victor. However, MacDonald got a nice consolation prize. He and Condit won $85,000 bonuses for their Fight of the Night performance.
No. 3 star -- Evan Dunham: The undefeated lightweight executed a perfect gameplan against Tyson Griffin. He controlled Griffin's every move in the Octagon on the way to an inexplicable split decision win. Dunham has never lost a bout, and that includes four wins in the UFC.
Honorable mention: Mirko Cro Cop Filipovic: Cro Cop dealt with Barry's fanboy adulation all week, and then had no problem choking Barry out. However, now that we know Barry broke his hand and foot in the first round of the fight, it's hard to tell just how great Cro Cop's performance was.
Dishonorable mention -- Yves Lavigne and Tony Weeks: Lavigne, normally a top-notch referee, oddly stopped the Wiman-Danzig bout without Danzig tapping or being choked out. In a fight dominated by Evan Dunham, Weeks scored the fight for Tyson Griffin.
Do you agree? Disagree? Who are your three stars from UFC 115? Tell us in the comments.
