A brief review of last night’s uneventful Fight Night:
Houston Alexander vs. Eric Schaefer (205 lbs)
The night began with a matchup of opposing styles, as Eric ‘Red’ Schaefer desperately tried to take down Houston Alexander for the first half of the first round, while getting battered by knees and uppercuts from within Alexander’s clinch. Once Schaefer finally got the fight to the ground, Alexander had no defense for Eric’s grappling, as Schaefer mounted Houston and applied an arm triangle choke. Alexander tapped out with only seconds remaining in the round.
Fight grade: 3.5/5
Alan Belcher vs. Ed Herman (185 lbs)
Belcher’s striking looks sharp in this fight and he consistently gets the best of Herman on the feet, rocking Herman several times through the bout. Herman manages to get takedown late in every round and has an advantage on the ground but is not able to finish. A very close fight, with a competitive first round that could go either way, Belcher clearly taking the second and Herman the third. Alan Belcher walks away with a split decision.
Fight grade: 3/5
Mac Danzig vs. Clay Guida (155 lbs)
Most of this fight takes place with Guida on top of Danzig, holding Mac down next to the fence. Danzig has the standup advantage but is not able to stop Guida’s repeated takedowns. Guida makes no attempts to finish, and other than a few nice slams from Clay, there is nothing more to mention about this bout. Guida wins by unanimous decision.
Fight grade: 2/5
Nate Diaz vs. Josh Neer (155 lbs)
In the main even of the night, Josh Neer surprises everyone with an early takedown of Nate Diaz. Neer succeeds in showing that he can hang with Diaz in the ground scrambles, but Diaz seems one step ahead of Neer both standing and on the mat. Good jiu-jitsu displayed by both fighters; neither one was in any danger throughout the fight. Two judges award the fight to Nate Diaz; the third to Neer who shakes his head at the split decision, conceding defeat.
Fight grade: 3/5
A boring event overall, with only four fights shown and the usually exciting lightweights not living up to the expectations. There were no title implications for any of the fighters featured on this card, and most of them will soldier on, stuck firmly in the middle of their prospective division. The Alexander-Schaefer bout was the most entertaining fight of the night, but there is no real upside to either fighter in the stellar lightheavyweight division, unless they are able to round out their game.