After watching UFC 146 I saw a lot of things that I didn't see being discussed on any of the MMA forums that I frequent so I thought I'd bring my opinion over here and see what everyone else thought.
Dan Hardy Vs Duane Ludwig I was rooting for Hardy in this fight, and I was glad to see him win via KO, although there were a few nervous moments where it looked like he unnecessarily absorbed a few shots to the head. I'm glad he won as I'm a fan, but I hope he doesn't assume he's fully 'back' and falls into a slump again.
CB Dollaway vs Mayhem Miller I thought this fight would be interesting to see how Mayhem fared after his first fight back against a lesser opponent than Bisping, but I was really disappointed to see Dollaway literally just hold him down. He did land some shots at the end of the fight and yes, it was Mayhem's job to stop Dollaway holding him down, but this fight frustrated me because I like Mayhem and wanted to see him fight at his full capabilities, against someone who wanted to actually do some damage.
I feel like in this fight, Dollaway was content to just hold on and coast his way to a victory, when I think he should have tried to finish Mayhem more, especially as Dollaway didn't appear overly tired, or injured, whereas Mayhem did.
Also, as a fan of Mayhem, I think it's a shame that his personality and personal issues with Dana White affect him fighting in the UFC, I'd have liked to see him get one last chance before he was cut, probably for good this time.
Jamie Varner vs Edson Barboza I'm glad I didn't put money on this fight because I fully expected Barboza to destroy Varner. Admittedly I'd stopped paying attention to Varner a while ago and assumed he was still on a losing streak in smaller organisations or retired. It was good, and surprising, to see him come back with a dominant win against a guy like Barboza.
Diego Brandao vs Darren Elkins I was interested to see how Brandao would fare in his first post-TUF outing against someone like Elkins, and I wasn't sure which way this fight would go. I like him and I think once he's had more experience, Brandao could really be a great fighter in that division, and I was impressed with how Elkins handled the first round onslaught, to then still try to finish the fight in the next 2 rounds.
Stefan Struve vs Lavar Johnson Everyone probably knew Struve had to take this fight to the ground to avoid the heavy hands of Johnson, but I was surprised just how quickly and neatly Struve put him away. I've always been a fan of watching Struve, and I thought this was a short but good fight.
Stipe Miocic vs Shane Del Rosario I hadn't seen much of Del Rosario, but I knew he was coming back from a long layoff, so I was impressed with how well he did against Miocic; my main impression of Del Rosario was that he hits HARD. Can't wait for him to come back after this loss. I thought Miocic looked great too and that he showed he can really take some beating.
Roy Nelson vs Dave Herman I was expecting another 3 round back and forth bloodbath in this fight, and I've never been a huge fan of Nelson's, but he wins me over with each fight, and this fight made me a fan, amazing KO. I'm not sure who I want to see him against next, but he seems to (usually) make it a good fight no matter what.
Cain Velasquez vs Antonio Silva This fight pissed me off a bit. I've never been a massive fan of Velasquez and have always thought he's been a bit overrated, despite his practically undefeated record. I bet on JDS against Velasquez in their title fight a few months ago and that fight played out how I thought it would.
I think that Velasquez did look good in this fight, but the announcement that he was getting a rematch with JDS for the title I think is pretty stupid. He just beat a guy who came off a loss from Strikeforce, and who was cut so bad he clearly couldn't see, and probably was having a bit of difficulty breathing with the amount of blood pissing out his face.
While I think Velasquez should be credited with cutting Bigfoot open and then beating him soundly, this fight was so one sided, and against a different calibre of fighter than Cain, I think in NO WAY does this mean he gets a title shot... I'd like to see him have one or 2 more big fights before he gets a shot against JDS again (a fight I think will go the same way as the first).
JDS vs Frank Mir I'm a fan of both of these guys, JDS moreso because he's apparently the nicest guy in the world, ever. I think this fight played out pretty much how everyone thought it would. I think Mir is a great fighter and if it had been anyone in the division other than JDS he was fighting, he would have walked away with the title.