Surprises and Disappointments is a column featured on MMAOddsbreaker.com after every UFC event, highlighting three fighters who had surprising performances and three fighters who disappointed. Here’s the three biggest surprises and the three biggest disappointments from UFC Fight Night 50. Surprises Ben Rothwell — Not many people believed in Ben Rothwell heading into UFC Fight Night 50, but the veteran proved he can stick pack a punch as he KOed Alistair Overeem in brutal fashion in round one. I was one of the few who did pick Rothwell in this fight (mostly based on Overeem’s declining chin and Rothwell’s punching power), so it wasn’t a total surprise to me he won, but the majority were shocked by the fight’s outcome. With the win, Rothwell earned himself a top-10 fight his next time out. Maybe Stipe Miocic? Matt Mitrione — Matt Mitrione entered as an underdog but showed he should have been favored all along, as he knocked out Derrick Lewis in just 21 seconds into the first round. Mitrione improved to 8-3 overall in the UFC with the win and he definitely proved his worth by beating a solid fighter in Lewis in such devastating fashion. For his next fight, look for Mitrione to fight someone like Gabriel Gonzaga or maybe even Ben Rothwell. Joe Lauzon — I will be honest, I thought Joe Lauzon was completely done heading into UFC Fight Night 50. But he showed he wasn’t as he beat up Michael Chiesa and pulled off the upset when the doctor stopped the fight in round two. A great win for Lauzon, and it keeps him ranked in the top 20 of the division moving forward. For his next fight, look for him to fight a guy like Carlos Diego Ferreira. Disappointments Gegard Mousasi — In the main event of the evening, Gegard Mousasi was dominated on the ground by Jacare Souza en route to a third-round submission loss. Mousasi’s wrestling defence was poor throughout the fight and he couldn’t keep it on the feet, where he had the best chance to win, ultimately succumbing to a Souza guillotine in the third stanza. The loss sets Mousasi back at 185lbs, although he’s still top 10. Look for him to fight someone in the top 15 coming in his next fight, maybe someone like Thales Leites. Justin Scoggins — He was looking sharp early on but for some reason Justin Scoggins kept leaving his neck in the arms of John Moraga during his takedown attempts and it cost him in the second round as he lost via guillotine choke. This was Scoggins’ second loss in a row, which is not good at all for his confidence. He’s only 22 so he time to turn things around but he needs to learn to fight smarter. Sean Soriano — Despite behind hyped up coming into the UFC, Sean Soriano showed in his second-straight fight in the Octagon that he doesn’t have the takedown defence to compete at the highest level of the sport. On the feet he is a strong puncher but he is very weak in the clinch and he just can’t stop his fights from hitting the mat, where he doesn’t have much of a game. I don’t mind if the UFC keeps him for one more fight, but if they cut him it makes sense based on his two losses in the UFC.
