On a week where the buzz typically revolves around how sweethearts did or did not honor each other on a heavily commercialized holiday, Fuel TV made a lasting impression upon its constituents in the form of its inaugural UFC event.  Synonymous to any Valentine’s Day, the first installment of UFC on Fuel TV involved pairings of individuals, resulting in various outcomes.

Here’s a look back at who walked away from this momentous evening, feeling special:

TJ Dillashaw def. Walel “The Gazelle” Watson via Unanimous Decision

The first round of this pairing can be simply described as “pure dominance”.  Dillashaw wasted no time getting the crowd’s attention, starting things out leaping four feet to land a Superman punch.  From there, he displayed prowess in the area of wrestling and the ground game.  Whether it was a takedown, securing ground position or ground-and-pound, Dillashaw was borderline flawless.  Watson suffered from claustrophobia the entire round.  He was swarmed, thus having no room to counter Dillashaw’s attack.  Despite being on the defensive, The Gazelle escaped the clutches of his predator, thanks to expired time.

The second round rang the same tone as the previous.  Dillashaw landed a few more punches in the opening seconds of this round, followed by another takedown.  Every ground position or move possible, Dillashaw executed.  Side control, knees, elbows, taking the back, you name it, Dillashaw did it.  The only weapon that Watson had to offer was heart, because that’s what was needed to survive another unbalanced round.

In the final round, Watson’s heart was inflated only to be deflated in the end.  He took the fight to Dillashaw with strikes attempts.  For one minute, it looked like the fight would stay on its feet.  Then Watson threw a front kick which was countered, taking him back to territory he involuntarily became all too familiar with.  Dillashaw again established side control.  Watson attempted a guillotine choke, but came up empty.  The two battled to secure control on the ground, but found themselves back on their feet.  At the 2:38 mark of the round, the two got into an exchange of strikes where another kick attempt was countered by Dillashaw.  This time, Watson went for a triangle choke when the action went to the mat. Dillashaw escaped, found himself in a knee bar position and avoided that attempt as well.  Dillashaw secured a mount with 1:24 remaining, switched positions for a rear naked choke, but came up empty, thanks to Watson’s elusiveness.  Knowing a submission was out of the question, Dillashaw settled with mounted punches to secure the win.     

Stipe Miocic def. Philip De Fries via Knockout (Punches, 0:43 of Round One)

From the gate, Miocic was on the receiving end of some solid shots from De Fries.  Despite being rocked a bit, Miocic was able to get a hold of De Fries to stifle his momentum.  After the two broke apart, Miocic landed a right hand that forced De Fries to backpedal.  From there, he landed a three-piece combo, further damaging his foe.  The two had an exchanges of punches that landed, which concluded in a right hook from Miocic that took De Fries off his feet.  Miocic mounted De Fries, whaling on him with punches and 0:43 in the first round, the fight was in the books.    

Ronny Markes def. Aaron “A-Train” Simpson via Split Decision

Upon sight, this looked like one of those fights where size would mean everything.  Markes, clearly the bigger of the two middleweights, was out to impose his will on Simpson.  In spurts he did with bull rushed strikes and pressure on the cage.  Simpson, not to be intimidated by his opponent’s stature, displayed bully-like tactics of his own.  The A-Train had a moment at the 2:10 mark of the first round where he threw an uppercut that sent Markes staggering into the cage.  From there, he got on top of Markes with mounted punches, but the Markes was able to withstand the hailstorm. 

In the second round, Markes scored a takedown, but Simpson’s counter attack off the ground would not allow for Markes to completely cease the opportunity at hand.  The two got back to their feet and exchanged strikes to finish the round.

The final round picked up where the second left off.  The two combatants had a balanced exchange of strikes up until the 0:22 mark of the round when Markes scored a double-leg takedown, which swung the pendulum in his favor, giving him the decision.

Stefan “Skyscraper” Struve def. Dave “Pee Wee” Herman via TKO (Mounted Punches, 3:52 of Round Two)

Somewhere between getting accustomed to the extra 20+ pounds of mass and sizing up Herman, Struve appeared tentative in the opening round.  The Skyscraper didn’t make much of an attempt to keep Pee-Wee at bay with his elongated reach.  In fact, Herman dictated the pace of the round, walking the taller foe into cage on numerous occasions.  Struve attempted strikes and landed a few, but Herman took ownership of round one, being the more accurate and aggressive striker of the two. 

In round two, it became evident that Struve’s confidence was on the rise. The aggression transferred into him, as he pushed the pace with striking combos, whic set up a takedown 0:30 into the second round.  Struve commenced to landing mounted punches.  Herman tried to counter out of the mount, leaving Struve to briefly take his back before Herman completes the escape.  The two returned to their feet and exchanged strikes.  Struve landed a big body kick to Herman’s rib cage with 3:15 left in the round.  With Struve’s continued dictation of the pace, Herman still landed significant strikes.  With 2:16 left, Struve landed a three-piece punch combo that buckled him, leaving a cut under Pee-Wee’s left eye.   From there, Struve followed up with a right jab, inside leg kick, right uppercut combo that sent Herman crumbling to the mat.  Struve secured a second mount, punching away until Herman was rendered defenseless. 

Jake “The Juggernaut” Ellenberger def. Diego “The Dream” Sanchez via Unanimous Decision

Home was definitely kind to Ellenberger.  The Omaha Civic Auditorium erupted in a way that gave Ellenberger a hero’s welcome.  The bout began with what Ellenberger does best, throw bombs.  The initial, two-piece combo gave Sanchez indication of the night that was in store.  Sanchez, not one to back down from a challenge, made it known he too was there to fight.  Sanchez was able to get in some shots, but for the most part, The Juggernaut had answers for whatever The Dream had to offer.  With 1:25 left in the opening round, Sanchez applied pressure, landing a right jab that forced the action to the cage.  Ellenberger attempted a takedown, but to no avail.  Sanchez charged at Ellenberger, but was met with a left jab that sent him to the mat.  Ellenberger went in for a front headlock, but Sanchez eluded the hold.  The two finished the round with a flurry of strikes that cut the bridge of Sanchez’s nose and send the crowd into pandemonium.

 The second round was more of the same, as Ellenberger’s speed prove to be too much for Sanchez.  Although Sanchez got off some strikes, the Nebraskan had counters that found home.  With 1:11, Sanchez attempted a right hook that resulted in a double-leg takedown from Ellenberger.  Ellenberger secured position on top, but was not able to have his way with Sanchez, as he worked well with his back on the ground, locking Ellenberger’s arms to prevent any ground-and-pound.  The Juggernaut found an opening where he was able to slide his arms out of Sanchez’s defense and bombard him with elbows to the head and face, closing out the middle round.

The third round saw a shift of momentum, as Sanchez became the aggressor.  He landed more shots while the fight was on its feet, forcing Ellenberger to backpedal.  Knowing this, Ellenberger went to his other strong suit, landing a second takedown on Sanchez.  While battling on the ground, Ellenberger loses position, giving the advantage to Sanchez.  With 1:09 left in the bout, The Dream took Ellenberger’s back and punched away relentlessly.  With 0:10 left, Ellenberger miraculously escaped and the two concluded the fight with a flurry of exchanged punches.  As valiant and admirable as Sanchez’s comeback was, it wasn’t enough to keep Ellenberger from getting the decision.

UFC on Fuel TV, Volume One is now in the books, and with the conclusion of any fight card comes the inevitable question, “What’s Next?”

For Jake Ellenberger, does this performance warrant him an immediate shot at the interim welterweight title until George St. Pierre returns?

Has Stefan Struve inched closer to being in the Heavyweight title picture?

Can TJ Dillashaw mimic the paths of his Alpha Male brethren?

While these answers remain to be seen, one thing that is certain is FightScoops.com is the reference needed when it comes to all things revolving around the UFC and Mixed Martial Arts.

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