These were the three biggest surprises and the three biggest disappointments from UFC Fight Night 71. The Surprises Frank Mir — The main event saw Mir KO Todd Duffee in devastating fashion in the very first round. Mir looked great in this fight. His power was huge, his chin held up, and with two-straight wins, he’s back on track for a top-10 fight. I still think he’ll lose to the elite fighters, but he’s proven at this point he should be favored against an unranked guy like Duffee going forward. Manny Gamburyan — I really wasn’t sure what to expect from Gamburyan, but he pretty much dominated Scott Jorgensen for three rounds to pick up a clean win on the judges’ scorecards. Gamburyan showed good power in his hands, solid wrestling, and good cardio as he earned his second-straight win since dropping to 135lbs. Look for him to fight an established veteran coming off of a win in his next fight at bantamweight. Matt Dwyer — Most thought Dwyer would get owned by Alan Jouban, but he actually held his own in the fight and made it to the final bell despite taking some huge shots early on. Dwyer is only 1-2 in the UFC but all three of his fights have been exciting, win or lose. He’s not a contender, but he’s a solid lower-tier welterweight who can be involved in action fights. I like him quite a bit, even though he’s clearly flawed. The Disappointments Todd Duffee — I expected more from Duffee, who was brutally knocked out by Mir in the first round. Duffee is a huge guy with good technique and he trains at a good camp at ATT, but he looked extremely sloppy in this fight and deserved to be KOed with the way he was fighting. Duffee still has some potential, but he’s never going to be a top-10 fighter with that chin. Marion Reneau — I thought Reneau would at least be somewhat competitive with Holly Holm, but she just didn’t do much at all in this fight and lost a clear-cut decision. She was just starting at Holm the whole time and barely attempted to wrestle in a fight where she was getting outstruck on the feet. I like Reneau, but she is not a title contender. Not even close. James Moontasri — I picked Kevin Lee, but I thought Moontasri would do better in this fight. I figured he’d show some good offence in the first round before gassing late, but he didn’t even do that, as he lost in the first round. Moontasri is still a solid prospect, but he’s not a blue chipper like Lee is.
