Burkman upset, Fitch gets much needed win at WSOF 6

With the UFC holding down the afternoon for us, the night belonged to World Series of Fighting (WSOF 6), which panned out to be a decidedly awesome event. There were highs and lows all around, so let’s dig into some key notes of what transpired.

Miguel Torres: For those that didn’t see the prelims, Miguel Torres was absolutely destroyed by a journeyman fighter of little renown in Pablo Alfonso, signaling a definite end of an era. It wasn’t the fight that interested me however, but the post-fight tweet I knew was coming from Torres in regards to the bout, and sure enough, he didn’t disappoint in disappointing me. Blaming his loss on being forced to change his shorts before the fight has to be a new low, even for someone who has long been one of the sourest individuals in the sport.

A true champion rises above difficulty, and yet if struck down, rises again stronger than before. It’s the person that makes excuses for a failure that you know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, will take no efforts to remedy their flaws. Torres has faltered several times since losing his title in WEC and never once has he owned up to any shortcomings on his part. Not coincidently, never once has he improved or recaptured that past glory. As such, Torres himself is now the past. Onto the future…

Justin Gaethje: Hot damn. One of the most absurdly athletic guys we’ve seen in years, Gathje took the fight to a primed and ready Dan Lauzon and systematically destroyed him over the course of two rounds. I mentioned in my fight report that I feared he’d wage this kind of war, yet while he proved me right in his intentions, he proved me wrong by flattening Lauzon at his own game. Everything Gaethje fires has impact like it was thrown from a twenty year veteran, with his leg kicks being out of this world for someone with no legitimate muay thai experience. It was the ripping right hook and upper cut that put Lauzon out cold, and showed that Gaethje is ready to test deeper waters already in his young career.

Jon Fitch: A fight that was both sad and happy at the same time, we saw the worst Fitch has been in that first round, and a glimpse of what he still could be in the gripping third round. It’s hard to say if Fitch’s issue of late is that he’s mentally burnt out on the sport or if he’s physically been passed by, but Alfaya took advantage of early weakness and had his way with him on the mat. It was as the fight was slipping away and Alfaya slowed a bit that Fitch turned it on, putting a solid beating on his opponent, though he never dominated the mat game like he would typically do in his fights. I’m not enthusiastic for the rest of his career at this point, but seeing Fitch find a bit of latent fire in his belly did make me fear a bit less for his well-being going forward.

Steve Carl: An unlikely titlist, Carl played a masterful game tonight; drawing Burkman into his wheelhouse and getting the job done. Carl isn’t an amazing technical fighter in any facet, but he’s a voracious grappler with a sharp battle-mind and a limitless gas tank. The fact of the matter is, you can be better than your opponent at everything, yet if you play by his rules, he’ll generally make it as difficult on you as possible. Burkman made the mistake of playing a game of chokes and wrestling when he should have been playing a game of long-range strikes and footwork. Hats off to Carl to making his game work and getting that strap in the WSOF 6 main event.

Tags: Dan Lauzon, Jon Fitch, Josh Burkman, Justin Gaethje, Miguel Torres, MMA, Steve Carl, World Series of Fighting, WSOF 6

Category: Featured, MMA, World Series of Fighting