The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of UFC on ESPN 6 – Sherdog.com

Lauzon turned back time by defeating JonathanPearce. It was the perfect way to say goodbye to the sport forLauzon, who has sustained a great deal of damage over the course ofhis career and stepped into the cage riding a three-fight losingstreak. In front of his beloved Bostonians and with the samesignature violence that makes him a surefire Hall of [emailprotected]#$%&gAwesome candidate, Lauzon big-brothered the up and comer withground-and-pound from a half nelson. While Lauzon was hesitant tocommit to retirement immediately after the fight, UFC PresidentDana White seemed ready to encourage him to end his career on ahigh note. Lauzon turned what looked like a setup match for thenext generation -- Pearce was on a five-fight winning streak thatincluded an appearance on Dana Whites Contender Series and twoothers in Bellator MMA -- into the perfect swan song.

Rosa and Costa entered the arena hoping to the right ship, as bothmen had experienced defeats in their previous outings. In stylepairings that promised fireworks against MannyBermudez and the ironically named BostonSalmon, Rosa and Costa came out in the winning side of thosefireworks. With the exception of KyleBochniak, who was outclassed by an impressively poised SeanWoodson, the city managed to enjoy home-cooked victories. Whilethe UFC has rightfully received criticism for not booking mainevents in locations more appropriate for the fighters, it does agood job of keeping a local feel to the undercards. Results likethis help elevate an otherwise routine event.

Unfortunately for Weidman, the extra 20 pounds on the scale didnothing to resuscitate his career. Reyes heavy hands and technicalacumen proved too steep of a mountain to climb, as the formerchampion fell victim to a backstepping left hand and follow-uphammerfists on the ground. Less than two minutes into the contest,Weidmans light heavyweight campaign came to a screeching halt. Hadthings gone differently, it seemed almost certain that theSerra-Longo Fight Team standout would have been tapped to standopposite Jon Jones in abattle over the light heavyweight title. Say what you will aboutwho would have been favored to win that fight, but Weidman wouldhave added name value to the blue corner that is not readilyavailable at 205 pounds. Similar to when rumors swirled aboutRockhold being fast tracked if he passed his first test in a higherweight class, the potential involving Weidman went unfulfilled andthe dominant champion was left to look elsewhere for a marqueematchup.

A victory over Reyes would have provided a simple answer to thequestion of what was next for Weidman, along with a built-in chanceto redeem the misfortune that has plagued his career in recentyears. Now, another decisive loss puts that question in bold print.There just is not an easy answer for Weidman at this point. Hecould elect to remain at 205 pounds. However, his ceiling seemspretty obvious. The damage he sustained in wars at 185 pounds didnot just magically go away with a move up in weight. Just like wewitnessed with James Vick atUFC Fight Night 161, the leap in weight may have come too late.Should Weidman decide to run it back at middleweight, he will facethe same challenges associated with his inability to absorbpunishment. The top names in the division would be no kinder to hischin, including KelvinGastelum, who managed to hurt Weidman badly before beingsubmitted two years ago. Plus, Weidman would be back to draininghis large frame again.

It seems likely that Weidman and his team will examine what lifeoutside of competition looks like. After being knocked out fivetimes in six fights and nearly suffering the same fate in his lonevictory during that stretch, it looks like we are witnessing theend of a great career.

Hardy has made four appearances inside the Octagon so far. Half ofthose them have gotten bogged down with rule-bending controversy.From a competitive standpoint, those controversies have distractedfrom his clear growth as a fighter under the direction of AmericanTop Team. Now, his taking two puffs from a prescribed inhalerbetween the second and third rounds has taken the conversation awayfrom the things he did right in the cage in Boston.

By adding more elements to his game, Hardy managed to outpoint thestubborn Ben Sosoli.Leg kicks from the outside, effective defensive footwork and theability to do something other than quickly blast his opponent tobits were on display. However, when he used his medication betweenrounds, it called the entire fight into question. Going thedistance for the first time and handling a consistent pace withoutmuch issue would normally something to commend for a fighter whosecareer mainly consists of short circuiting the opposition in quickfashion. How can we rightfully look at Hardy lasting the full 15minutes as a positive if he needed his asthma medication to doso?

The fault does not exclusively rest with Hardy or trainer Din Thomas,who was the primary target of Whites criticism after the fact.Granted, when most athletic commissions only allow water or in somecases an electrolyte-enhanced beverage like Gatorade in the corner,there is no reason to believe that medication that enhancescardiorespiratory function is permissible during a fight. However,the Massachusetts State Athletic Commission did plainly tell Hardyand his team that it was permitted. The level of confusion betweenthe commission (which quickly overturned the decision to ano-contest), UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner,the commentary booth, media and amateur online investigators wastruly bizarre to witness. Is Albuterol allowed between rounds? Whatabout the potential abuse of asthma medication in relation tosports performance? Is Massachusetts clear enough about what is andis not allowed in competition? Why was the fight allowed tocontinue into that pivotal third frame in the first place?

As the infamous 1983 boxing match between Luis Resto and BillyCollins Jr. showed, asthma medication can be used a PED to increasecardio capacity. As the testosterone replacement therapy era of MMAshowed, fighters can and will abuse the use of therapeuticexemptions to gain a competitive edge. It sounds like a recipe fordisaster if the commission does not address this properly.

Clear improvement and two dominant wins from Hardy have beensandwiched between two displays of poor judgment. Those trustedwith overseeing the action in a responsible fashion get a solidfailing grade on clearly communicating the proper rules andhandling discrepancies as they arise. Once again, Hardysperformance inside the cage was overshadowed by other factors.

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The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of UFC on ESPN 6 - Sherdog.com