Well....that.....happened last night.
Rockhold folded Phillippou in half in the first round. Phillippou looked he was looking for a way out after the first exchange or two. He had the deer in headlights look walking out to the octagon, and I'm sure any man who had bet money on the underdog was realizing there really wasn't a hotdog's chance in a hallway of it paying out.
Checking his eye after the cut from the kick et cetera, moments later when he stayed down after the body kick, this was my complete and utter lack of surprise that Rockhold won a fight that did not even look competitive for a moment or two.
Let's rewind back through the event starting with the anti-climactic main event:
Rockhold moves on to a division full of the likes of Machida, Jacare (who he actually beat - since then Jacare's won 5 in a row, with increasingly quick finishes), Weidman, and Vitor Belfort. After Anderson's strangle hold lapsed, the division really has heated up, and sad as it was to see Silva go out on a stretcher, there would have been a serious problem as Machida and Jacare were not willing to fight Silva.
Brad Tavares used an early combination of attacks to the body and end of the round takedowns to stifle Lorenz Larkin's advantages on the feet, upsetting the oddsmakers' favorite. I figured Tavares' takedowns/clinch would be the decisive factor and I was right.
Dillashaw bested Mike Easton of ignominious Team Lloyd Irvin affiliation with a versatile attack on the feet and some well-timed takedowns. Dillashaw channeled some movement that was very Dominic Cruz esque with kicks, punches, feints, switching stances, takedowns and knees.
Yoel Romero finished Derek Brunson through sheer out-athleticizing-mongo-smashing-him-donkey-kong style Cole Miller walked away with $50,000 with one of only 2 submissions on the entire card.
Yoel Romero is quickly becoming one of those guys that others will not want to fight. His wrestling pedigree, willingness to cut weight and stay dangerous through at least 2-3 rounds, and finishing power is quickly making him a man to avoid on the ladder/totem pole.
Full video highlights for the rest of the fights after the jump:
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