If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
LAS VEGAS – It just wouldn't be a UFC pay-per-view event if we didn't get to enjoy at least one hotly contested decision, right?
At Saturday night's UFC 132 event in Las Vegas, that honor fell to Dennis Siver (19-7 MMA, 8-4 UFC) and Matt Wiman (13-6 MMA, 7-4 UFC), who battled toe-to-toe for 15 minutes in a back-and-forth affair.
All three judges ultimately awarded the victory to Siver, and UFC president Dana White said after the event that he agreed with the call. However, White admitted UFC co-owner Lorenzo Fertitta – not to mention mop-haired teen pop star Justin Bieber – believe Wiman may have been jobbed.
"You guys are going to laugh at this one – but me, Lorenzo and Justin Bieber had scored that fight, and I actually had [Siver] winning the fight," White said at the evening's post-event press conference. "I gave him the first and third, and there's no doubt who won the second round.
"I think it's a little tough. Again, I'd have to go back and watch it, but I think Bieber and Lorenzo had it going the other way."
According to FightMetric numbers, Siver outlanded his opponent 38-9 in total strikes in the opening round. In the third, the German striker again earned the edge in total punches and kicks 47-6. Shockingly, even in the second frame – a round clearly won by Wiman after slicing open his opponent with vicious ground-and-pound – Siver actually outstruck his opponent 43-19.
At the end of three rounds, Siver landed 128 total strikes to Wiman's 34, and he held the edge in FightMetric's "significant strikes" category, 31-26.
"I think I won, in any case, the first and last (rounds)," Siver said through an interpreter. "I win."
MMAjunkie.com also scored the fight for Siver, 29-28, awarding him the opening and closing rounds.
When the judges' verdict was read, Wiman was in utter disbelief. So emotional was "Handsome" Matt, he immediately bolted from the cage, inadvertently sprinting through the arena's concourse rather than back to the confines of any locker room.
Siver saw the actions of his opponent but said he felt no disrespect.
"I did notice that, and I don't care about that," Siver said. "It's his problem, not mine."
When asked if he took issue with Wiman's quick exit, White said he understood the emotion of the moment and didn't believe the lightweight was acting like a baby, baby, baby (No word on Bieber's thoughts).
"I'm not going to make these guys stay in there and do an interview when they just lost," White said. "[Wiman] felt like he won, and he was upset. We've seen it with lots of guys. We saw Forrest Griffin run out of there. Sean Sherk ran out of the ring and ran down the Strip barefoot and no shirt.
"When you lose, people don't realize how hard these guys work and how much they put into a fight. It affects different guys when they lose differently. I don't ever hold that against them."
With the narrow win, Siver is now riding a four-fight win streak and is 7-1 in the octagon in his past eight appearances. While he lacks a signature victory capable of launching him into a title fight, he has earned the right to ask for a high-profile opponent. As it turns out, one such foe is already asking for him.
Melvin Guillard (28-8-2 MMA, 10-4 UFC), who needed just 36 seconds to dispatch of Siver in a UFC 86 contest, was also victorious at UFC 132. Sitting just two seats over from Siver at the evening's post-event press conference, Guillard openly requested a rematch, preferably at UFC 136 so "The Young Assassin" can fight in front of his family.
"It wouldn't be a good night," Guillard boasted. "I'll just have to put you to sleep again. We can do it in Houston if you want. We can fly you back over.
"I want to fight in front of my mom, no matter what. I don't care who it is. I'll fight anybody in front of my mom. We can fight for each other's purse, too. I'll put that much on the line. I will not lose."
Siver hardly batted an eye.
"A long time before, I said I wanted to fight these guys I lost to," Siver said. "So, it would be very, very interesting to fight Melvin."
It ended up being a close fight but not so much because they were evenly matched, more because Wiman had no plan other than a single leg all fight long and was willing to latch onto it and stay there for minutes at a time if he had to. The fight was made close by the fact that there was so much stalling because of the single leg attempts against the cage. There wasn't a whole lot of pure action happening outside of the second round, but I still had Siver taking the third round and Wiman taking the second, the first is kind of up in the air.
2013: +8.24u(increased unit size on 5/19)
Favorites: 20-6 + 6.13u
Underdogs: 10-19 -2.51u
Ludo's Locks Parlay Project: +1.4u
I think Siver is definitely more comfortable and just a better fighter. But he was outstruck fairly soundly by Pearson and fought a close fight with Fisher.
I like Siver a lot and am a fan, but I think Melvin would just be too fast, too technical, and too powerful. And Siver's not really a submission threat like Diaz or Roller were, so I don't think that that's a weakness he could exploit. I think we'd be looking at a pure striking match, with Melvin either knocking him out or taking a clear UD.
Comment