Fleeting Dominance

     With the next two UFC pay-per-views featuring exciting, but nonetheless non-title matches for  main events, the five UFC titles are all safe for now.  Over a year ago, I wrote about how dominant all UFC champions were and how it might get boring if no one could defeat them.  Well, what a difference a year makes.  

     This year, four of the five dominant, god-like champions have all been revealed to be actually human.  Lyoto "Dragon" Machida, who was the fighter that was hit the least in UFC history, slipped and then got pummeled by Mauricio "Shogun" Rua.  Then, coming back from a debilitating bout with diverculitis, Brock Lesnar successfully retained his Heavyweight Championship, but not before he was pummeled in the first round by challenger Shane Carwin. Then, pound-for-pound king Anderson SIlva, was taken down, grounded and pounded by Chael Sonnen for four and a half rounds, before escaping with a "Hail Mary" submission less than 2 minutes before the final bell.  Finally, B.J. Penn, who had been barely challenged in the lightweight division since winning the title several years ago, lost not once but twice(!) to the diminutive Frank "Answer" Edgar.


      The question now becomes, "Why the sudden decline?"  Have those previously dominant champs lost something due to age or injury or is it a matter of the challengers figuring out how to defeat the champs?  

     Although champs like Silva and Penn are getting on in age, Lesnar possibly not fully recovered, and Machida finally encountering someone who wouldn't chase him, the two questions probably are the wrong ones to ask.  As Joe Rogan has constantly said, "Styles make fights," and I believe that was the case with all those four champions.  Each of them faced a challenger whose greatest skill posed as the champ's greatest threat.  Machida was a counter puncher, but so was Rua.  Silva may be the world's greatest striker, but Sonnen was the ultimate wrestler with excellent takedowns.  Lesnar is simple an intimidating powerhouse, but Carwin had unreal striking power.  Penn was a dominant force both with power and jiu jitsu, but Edgar was a whirlwind of a striker who Penn couldn't catch.

     Whether my theory is accurate or not will be known in the coming months, with each of the four champions mentioned getting significant tests.  Lesnar will meet fellow athletic wrestler Cain Velasquez, Silva will have his rematch with Sonnen, Rua will test his skills against former champ "Sugar" Rashad Evans and Penn attempts a welterweight comeback against Matt Hughes.  If they all come back and go back to their dominant ways, then the "Style Theory" holds true.  If not, then the UFC may be deeper than people think.  Either way, it will be good times for the UFC and fans like me.