Musings, observations from UFC 95

In relying solely on his hands against Diego Sanchez, Joe Stevenson (left) forgot what made him competitive. Courtesy of Zuffa

• The same goes for welterweight Rory Markham, an ex-teammate of Ciesnolevicz's on the Quad-Cities Silverbacks. While he may be one of the most intriguing interviews in the sport, Markham (16-5) can't seem to learn how to move his head. Make no mistake, the hard punching 26-year-old Chicagoan is exciting because he doesn't have any defense.

Dan Hardy (21-6) was happy to capitalize.

Countering the power striker to a beautiful knockout, the British fighter, who is really playing up his roots, appears to be a fine prospect at 170 pounds. Had Markham won, I would've proposed a bout between himself and Marcus Davis. No reason that couldn't be Hardy, who took it upon himself to call out Davis following Saturday's first-round finish.

Because they're both counter fighters, a Davis-Hardy bout might not deliver. Yet, with both seemingly intent on leaving their mark on the UFC's UK circuit, it just makes sense.

• Is Demian Maia the man to defeat Anderson Silva?

On the floor, he could do it. No question. Maia brings the kind of Brazilian jiu-jitsu into a fight that's simply fun to watch. Even for fans who don't see much entertainment on the grappling aspects of MMA, there must be some acknowledgment that the BJJ world champion is extremely good at what he does.

While he's dominated with it so far, accumulating a 5-0 record in the UFC, Maia (10-0 overall) hasn't enough skills to contend with the best middleweights. Not yet.

I'd like to see Maia fight Nate Marquardt, and right now I'd give the edge to the unassuming Coloradoan.

• Let me chime in quickly on Josh Koscheck's loss to Paulo Thiago (11-0): Yes, Koscheck was caught. He was hurt. If this were boxing, he would have received a 10 count. That's all indisputable. However, MMA isn't boxing. Fighters are not defenseless from their back. I've seen that scenario too many times to count, and it's not entirely shocking for the man on the bottom to regain his wits, recover and pull out a win.

This is professional fighting. A referee is in place to protect the health and safety of the sport's athletes, but officials also need to realize that veteran's like Koscheck (12-4) deserve a chance to survive. Rebounding from adversity is perhaps the most exciting aspect of a combat sport that lives and breathes on flashy knockdowns and dynamic exchanges.

It's a tough call. One I've never had to make, nor would want to. Still, hard-nosed veterans like Koscheck should be given the benefit of the doubt.

• During the pre-UFC 95 conference call, Diego Sanchez (20-2) suggested Russian heavyweight Fedor Emelianenko is the best fighter in the sport. He could have chosen anyone, but it was Emelianenko who got the nod in large part, Sanchez said, because the WAMMA champion is as emotional as dry wall. I thought it was funny then that Sanchez walked to the cage in his lightweight debut as hyped and animated as ever.

Saturday's main event was a good fight, though its intrigue waned by the third round. Admittedly, I hoped for a ground war. Both Sanchez and Joe Stevenson (29-10) are capable of putting on a show with takedowns, submissions, reversals and severe ground-and-pound. Disappointingly, we saw none of it.

Instead, two fighters who have worked incredibly hard on improving their stand-up striking games offered an average kickboxing bout. Well, that might not be entirely accurate. Stevenson pretty much stuck to boxing.

If Rogan was wrong on Etim looking like Wanderlei Silva, he was dead-on in his assessment of Stevenson. In relying solely on his hands, the lightweight vet seems to have forgotten what made him so tough to begin with. The T.U.F. 2 champion needs to get back to his roots. He needs to rediscover takedowns. Work from the guard. Pass. Use his pressure and BJJ. If he does, his striking will improve if only because he won't be so predictable. And he shouldn't have to apologize for any of it.

Sanchez's size didn't help much in the power-striking department. The "Nightmare" was never known for having much pop at welterweight, but there was some hope that a drop down to 155 pounds would make him more dangerous. Nope.

Like Stevenson, Sanchez should remember why he won so many fights early in his career. He has gone from one of the most efficient ground strikers in MMA to a pretty forgettable competitor on the feet.

That's a trend I'd like to see stop now.