SRS Watch/Don’t Watch: UFC Ottawa

Cole Smith outlasts Mitch Gagnon

• The first two rounds are completely avoidable.
• Gagnon rocks Smith in round one, then almost lands a big guillotine.
• Gagnon hadn’t fought in two and a half years, and before that it was two years. He’s lost all of them. He hasn’t won since October 2014, and is probably gone as a result.

SRS’ Rec: Watch round 3, I guess.

Arjan Bhullar SD’s Juan Adams

• I love how much the broadcast team is playing up the disdain Bhullar has for Adams for being eccentric and unconventional. It’s a good story to tell for people who otherwise might not care.
• Adams had a WWE tryout last year, while Jinder Mahal was supposed to walk Bhullar to the cage in 2017. That didn’t end up happening due to the hurricane.
• Adams puts the pain on Bhullar. The size advantage is huge, and Adams uses it really well.
• Juan Adams looks knackered about four minutes in.
• Adams immediately cracks Bhullar in the second round, but he goes right back to being tired and gets dragged down. 
• Arjan Bhullar just called out Andrei Arlovski, who has went winless in his last four fights, has two wins in his last 11, and hasn’t had a good performance in a win since 2015.

SRS’ Rec: Maybe the highlights will be okay. Both of these guys look like fringe top 15 guys at best 

Matt Sayles put Kyle Nelson out of his misery, R3 Sub

• Nelson works for a toe hold after getting rocked. Bisping thinks that anyone going for a leglock in MMA is stupid, I guess. They are if you’re in a poor position.
• This is incredibly low level MMA. There are several positions that neither man should be in. 
• The story of this fight is that Sayles has a pretty good right hand, and can stop really slow shots.
• Nelson begs to be arm triangled. He wanted out of there. 

SRS’ Rec: Lol, no. 

Nordine Taleb outclassed Kyle Prepolec, UD

• Taleb needed this win to hang around in the UFC, and he got it. He’d lost two in a row.
• He outclassed this guy, and he’ll still be in the UFC to see his 38th birthday next month.
• Taleb started off in the UFC 6-2 after losing two TUF fights. Well, he won again. 
• Over on Bellator right now, 39 year olds are winning their fights via 360 spinning right hooks. 

SRS’ Rec: It’s one of those nights. No.

Vince Morales sort of beats Aiemann Zahabi, UD

• This fight is a sparring match. Nothing happens. A huge waste of time for you, me, the people in the arena and those involved.
• Morales is able to put together some combos and looks a lot better than Zahabi in round three.
• Right now, Zahabi isn’t cut out for the UFC at this point. 

SRS’ Rec: No. So far you can skip literally everything on the prelims. This is one of the more low level, dull set of prelim fights that I can ever remember happening in the UFC.

#14 Macy Chiasson overwhelms Sarah Moras, TKO R2

• Moras was an “I Got 5 On It” pick, as I thought she could get underneath Chiasson’s hips and take her down pretty easily. 
• That happens, but not much else happens for four minutes. Macy takes Moras down and throws some sick ground and pound to follow. Chiasson probably won that round based on 1/5 of it. 
• Moras can’t recover for round two. Chiasson does a whole lot of the same and ends up doing enough damage to stop the fight.

SRS’ Rec: Compared to the rest of the prelims? Watch it. Chiasson is a nice prospect, too. 

Andrew Sanchez defeated Marc-André Barriault, UD

• I’m pretty sure there aren’t a whole lot of people who know these guys. 
• Sanchez landed some strikes in the first round. 
• The best part of the entire card to this point happens when they get into a clinch and slug it out during the second round. This one minute exchange is an awesome one. 
• Andrew Sanchez gets booed and tries to win the crowd back, and it doesn’t work.
• Sanchez has won two in a row. He’s never had a finish in the UFC, after winning all his fights before by finish.

SRS’ Rec: This fight doesn’t mean anything, but the highlights will be okay. 

Walt Harris dominates Sergey Spivak, R1 TKO

• Walt Harris opened up with front kicks, but then just overpowered Spivak and put the pain on him. This was overwhelming. 
• Walt Harris just beat the brakes off of Spivak. This show really needed that fight
• Harris had a rough go of it early in his UFC career. He lost two fights and was cut, came back and lost, and since then is 6-3. He’s finished his opponents in all but one fight. He’s now unbeaten in his last three fights. 
• Harris is a lot better than his record indicates. One fight was overturned due to likely accidental doping, one loss was a DQ for an illegal, and then he took that last minute Werdum fight. Who knows what Werdum was on. 

SRS’ Rec: This was great. Watch it!

Merab Dvalishvili defeated Brad Katona, UD

Katona is already at the point where he’s on a main card, but for tonight’s show that’s not saying a whole lot.

Katona has nice work in the clinch, but Dvalishvili is able to trip and take him down a few times. 

This isn’t a good one, but considering Merab Dvalishvili got hosed a year ago against Simon and against Saenz, good for him. Merab Dvalishvili SHOULD be 4-0 in the UFC

SRS’ Rec: No.

Shane Burgos beats Cub Swanson, UD

• Burgos is really using his range to take apart Cub Swanson. This is a nice striking battle.
• Burgos counters really well. 
• Swanson is done at the top levels. Moicano, Edgar, Ortrga, Holloway, Lamas, Mendes, Aldo and even Pulver at the time were top level losses. 
• Burgos is 5-1 in the UFC. He’s better, faster, younger. 

SRS’ Rec: Maybe worth it to watch Burgos, but the highlights will suffice again.

#9 Derek Brunson defeated #13 Elias Theodorou, UD

• Elias stuffs an early takedown, and fights out of another from Brunson. Elias’ ability to get up was pretty impressive, and it happened out of several spots. 
• Theodorou stops a second round takedown and makes Brunson catch air on punches. 
• Elias just isn’t effective against this style. He’s taken down, and works his way back up. On the feet, his awkward, loopy, sloppy strikes aren’t getting the job done. 
• Brunson gets a big takedown.

SRS’ Rec: Nah, man.

#8 Donald Cerrone beats down #4 Al Iaquinta, UD

• There’s a lot of feeling out in the first round until the last two minutes. A Cerrone knee catches Iaquinta, but isn’t sold. 
• This is a fun standup battle. Cerrone connects with a great left hand and Iaquinta is busted open in the third. 
• Iaquinta eats one kick too many and is dropped. Cerrone is having a great performance. 
• Donald Cerrone is just so fun to watch, and as a well-rounded fighter, is still somehow underrated.
• Cerrone keeps the heat on through the end of the fight and drills Iaquinta. 
• Can we just get this Cerrone vs. McGregor fight already? Main Event for the Aggro Crag World Championship.
• Cerrone has won three in a row, and four out of five.

SRS’ Rec: It’s Donald Cerrone. Yes, watch.