UFC 129 – St. Pierre vs. Shields
April 30, 2011
Rogers Centre,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Preliminary Bouts
Welterweight (170 lbs)
21 year old Rory MacDonald (11 – 1 – 0) defeated Nate Diaz (13 – 7 – 0) by unanimous decision. MacDonald wowed the Canadian crowd with three belly to back suplexes in the third round against the visibly smaller Diaz. All told, MacDonald finished 7 of 10 takedown attempts, while Diaz did not complete 1 of his 7 takedown attempts. Other than the 1st round, Diaz looked like he had little to offer in this bout. He looked out-sized, out-struck and out grappled against the Canadian prospect. MacDonald, who bounds 32 spots up the ranks from [#60] to [#28], should look to put some wins together and face the always dangerous [#22] Chris Lytle or fellow prospect [#34] John Hathaway next. Diaz, who has lost 5 of his last 8 (2 in a row at welterweight), falls 13 spots from [#28] to [#41]. His next fight will be an absolute must win to stay in the promotion. He should look to rebound against [#40] Brian Foster (should he be able to compete following his brain hemorrhage that forced him out of his bout with [#86] Sean Pierson) or [#38] Claude Patrick.
Welterweight (170 lbs)
Jake Ellenberger (24 – 5 – 0) defeated Sean Pierson (11 – 5 – 0) by KO due to a punch at 2:42 into round 1. Ellenberger, who took the fight on 16 days notice when [#40] Brian Foster had to pull out due to brain hemorrhage, made short work of Pierson with a counter left hook that sent the Toronto native crashing to the mat. Ellenberger followed up with punches on the ground on Pierson’s prone body, forcing the ref to stop the fight. Ellenberger, who moves up 1 spot from [#17] to [#16], would benefit hugely from a victory over fellow winner on the night [#28] Rory MacDonald if they were to fight next. Ellenberger is on a 4 fight win streak, 3 by stoppage. Pierson gained considerable momentum by defeating prospect [#94] Matt Riddle at UFC 124 in December 2010, and he needs a victory to have a hope of gaining this momentum back. A bout with [#80] DaMarques Johnson would determine which fighter will move onward and upward.
Welterweight (170 lbs)
Claude Patrick (14 – 1 – 0) defeated Daniel Roberts (12 – 2 – 0) by unanimous decision. Patrick, who extended his winning streak to 13 with this win, fought a back and forth battle with Roberts. However, Patrick showed more control in the 1st round (where he hurt Roberts with punches) and 3rd round (where he attempted 2 guillotine chokes), while Roberts took the 2nd round. Patrick’s superior ground control and cardio were ultimately the deciding factors in this fight. Patrick, who flies 30 spots up the ranks from [#68] to [#38], could face a notable name like [#41] Nate Diaz or test his skills against an upcoming prospect like [#73] Carlos Eduardo Rocha. Roberts, who had a 3 fight win streak snapped by this loss, needs a win to stay relevant in the UFC welterweight division. A bout with [#86] Sean Pierson or a step up against [#27] Dan Hardy could serve as a litmus test for where (or if) Roberts belongs in the UFC welterweight division.
Bantamweight (135 lbs)
Ivan Menjivar (22 – 8 – 0) defeated Charlie Valencia (12 – 7 – 0) by TKO due to elbows at 1:30 of the 1st round. Menjivar threw two elbows from inside the clinch, the second one shattering Valencia’s nose and sent him matworthy. Menjivar, who last competed in the octagon in 2004, should look to face competition like [#26] Antonio Banuelos for his next bout. Menjivar flies 40 spots up the ranks from [#68] to [#28]. Charlie Valencia, who drops 19 spots from [#35] to [#54], should face [#49] Reuben Duran in what would be a must win. Valencia is on a 2 fight losing streak.
Middleweight (185 lbs)
Jason MacDonald (25 – 14 – 0) defeated Ryan Jensen (15 – 8 – 0) by submission due to a triangle choke at 1:37 of round 1. MacDonald survived an early guillotine attempt at the hands of Jensen only to score a slick triangle choke of his own. Jensen tried to slam out, but this just increased the tightness of the hold. MacDonald, who had not competed in nearly a year prior to this bout, could face the injured [#52] Court McGee or [#44] C.B. Dalloway. MacDonald jumps 15 spots forward from [#64] to [#49]. Jensen, now 1-3 in his last 4 (2-4 in his last 6), would be best suited facing an up an comer like [#178] Brad Tavares. That is, of course, provided that he isn’t cut from the UFC following this loss. Jensen falls 15 spots down the ranks from [#114] to [#129].
Lightweight (155 lbs)
John Makdessi (9 – 0 – 0) defeated Kyle Watson (14 – 7 – 1) by KO due to a spinning back fist at 1:27 of round 3. Makdessi was in the driver’s seat the entire bout, which took place completely on the feet. Watson would have been advised to get this fight to the ground and flex his brown belt level grappling skills, but it was not in the cards tonight. The end came with a spectacular spinning back fist off of a low kick fake from Makdessi in a momentary lull. Makdessi has looked very solid on the feet up this point, and a fight with a wrestler like [#111] Waylon Lowe would test his takedown defense. Makdessi could also face [#103] Paul Taylor in what would be a guaranteed war. The Quebecois Makdessi bounds 43 spots forward from [#143] to [#120]. Watson, whose 5 fight winning streak came to an end on Saturday night, could look to rebound in a bout with [#285] Gabe Ruediger, or any incoming UFC talent at 155. Watson plummets 141 spots down the ranks from [#250] to [#391].
Featherweight (145 lbs)
Pablo Garza (11 – 1 – 0) defeated Yves Jabouin (15 – 7 – 0) by submission due to a flying triangle choke at 4:31 of round 1. Garza went for a flashy flying triangle midway through the first round. He landed it, but it took a minute or so for Garza to tighten the choke enough to illicit the submission from Jabouin. There are tons of next possible steps for the tall stature featherweight. Match ups against [#49] Leonard Garcia or [#51] Mackens Semerzier would be valuable affairs to make happen next for Garza. Garza jumps 33 spots forward from [#79] to [#46]. Jabouin, now 1-3 in his last 4, needs a win in his next bout to stay employed by Zuffa (if he is not cut for losing this fight). He will need to defeat someone like [#121] Fredson Paixao to regain traction. Jabouin falls 40 spots from [#78] to [#118].