MMA

UFC middleweight contender emerges with thorough beatdown

Former Strikeforce light heavyweight champ Gegard Mousasi emerged as a top 10 middleweight in the UFC after making quick work of Mark Munoz Saturday in Germany.

Munoz entered the fight as the No. 7 middleweight in the world while Mousasi was unranked, though the Iranian-born Mousasi was a 3-1 betting favorite, according to mmajunkie.com.

Munoz came out immediately looking to take Mousasi down to work his effective ground-and-pound game. But Mousasi demonstrated a take-down defense that has improved since his fights against “King” Mo Lawal and Keith Jardine in Strikeforce.

Mousasi circled and stifled Munoz’s every move. And after a failed take-down by “The Filipino Wrecking Machine,” Mousasi was able to deliver his own brand of ground and pound, elbowing Munoz from side control and almost locking in a guillotine choke.

Nothing Munoz did had any effect on the Iranian-born Armenian, and the onslaught mercifully ended four minutes into the first round when Mousasi tapped out his foe with a slick rear naked choke.

Mousasi seems to have set a new tone for his career at middleweight. After dropping a unanimous decision loss to Lyoto Machida at 185 pounds in February, Mousasi looked better than ever in his second go-round at middleweight.

The fighter known as “the Dreamcatcher” proves to be an enigmatic figure in the middleweight division. With a win over a top 10 fighter, Mousasi’s path to title contention is clearer than it was when he debuted in the UFC just over a year ago.

In his post-fight speech, Mousasi called out fellow Strikeforce alum Luke Rockhold and Tim Kennedy. Beating either of those two would further his case for an eventual title shot.

Brutal mismatches help no one

When the fight was announced, the matchup made no sense at all, even as a late injury replacement on a Fox Sports 1 card. And Stipe Miocic did what everyone expected him to do Saturday against natural light heavyweight Fabio Maldonado – completely wrecked the Brazilian in 35 seconds in his home country.

Most, if not all, mismatches in the UFC seem to come from late replacements due to injuries — this time Maldonado fighting in place of Junior Dos Santos. But in the largest MMA promotion in the world, you would expect a deeper talent pool.

There are countless examples to call upon. In February, Patrick Cummins stepped in for an injured Rashad Evans against Daniel Cormier. Cormier embarrassed Cummins — the fight barely lasted a minute. Light heavyweight champion Jon Jones fought natural middleweights Chael Sonnen and Vitor Belfort, and dispatched them with ease.

The reality is that Maldonado, Cummins and the like had no business being pitted against known killers like Miocic and Cormier, despite both victims being late injury replacements.

While president Dana White emphasizes the talent throughout all weight classes in his ongoing barbs against competitor Bellator’s roster, these kinds of mismatches should be a thing of the past, yet don’t seem to be.

Miocic, a 6-foot-4, 250-pound heavyweight, knocked out Maldonado quickly and brutally. Maldonado weighs 215-220 pounds at most and has made his career at light heavyweight.

And Stipe’s victory over Maldonado does nothing for his career at heavyweight. It was simply a setup for a spectacular knockout, and that’s exactly what happened, at the expense of Maldonado’s brain cells.