UFC 87 quick thoughts - Details

UFC 87 delivered in a huge way this weekend. For my money it was the best MMA card of the year to date. "Affliction: Banned" gave us Fedor’s return but not too much else and UFC 84 was very good as well but this show was outstanding. A few quick notes ...

* Demian Maia looked very good in submitting Jason MacDonald. There are a lot of people who only enjoy the standing and banging of a fight but this was technical and exciting at the same time.

* Kenny Florian did exactly what people expected him to do against Roger Huerta. He was more experienced and more technical and just a better all-around fighter. I really like Huerta and I hope he can get his contract worked out with the UFC, but Florian was the smarter fighter and the more well-rounded fighter.

* Cheick Kongo destroyed the random brawler he was given. Big shock there. I think the only surprise among the group I watched with was why they even put that fight into the main card. I know the fight before it lasted less than 30 seconds, but put it at the end if needed.

* Georges St. Pierre put together another dominant performance against Jon Fitch. I knew St. Pierre was a gifted fighter and one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the sport but I thought Fitch would give him more trouble than he did. I still think Fitch is the No. 2 welterweight in the world but GSP showed he, like Anderson Silva, is in a class of his own. Fitch had a ton of heart and it was amazing at how quickly he recovered from some of St. Pierre’s strikes, but he couldn’t generate much offense. GSP is simply the better fighter in all areas, which led to a convincing all-around victory. His future match with B.J. Penn should be one for the ages.

* Brock ... freaking ... Lesnar. I picked him to win the fight but I was still floored with how he manhandled Heath Herring. Herring is a good fighter who has a ton of experience and has faced some of the best heavyweights in the sports history. Still, the rookie Lesnar destroyed him. Brock Lesnar is just a freak of nature. His upper body is scary. I think Lesnar’s conditioning wasn’t where it needed to be as he seemed to slow considerably in the second half of the fight but he did more than enough to pound out the win. I was shocked Herring wasn’t knocked out as Lesnar delivered some tremendous blows. The right hand from Lesnar to start the fight looked like a wrestling move after Herring fell backwards into a somersault. Lesnar still has some noticeable holes in his game but is rapidly climbing the depth chart in the heavyweight division.