The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of UFC Fight Night 135

Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed below are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Sherdog.com, its affiliates and sponsors or its parent company, Evolve Media.

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The Ultimate Fighting Championship brought a pivotal lightweight main event to Lincoln, Nebraska, as former World Series of Fighting champion Justin Gaethje took on James Vick atop UFC Fight Night 135 on Saturday at Pinnacle Bank Arena. With it came some good, some bad and some ugly.

THE GOOD

There was simply too much good to narrow it down to one aspect of UFC Fight Night “Gaethje vs. Vick.” Overall, it delivered in spades, with only a few moments lacking in good old-fashioned visceral entertainment. Out of the 13 fights on the card, nine of them resulted in finishes, and a few of those finishes are likely to make the “Best of 2018” conversations we’ll be having several months from now. Gaethje’s one-punch annihilation of Vick will become a permanent fixture on highlight reels, while Mickey Gall quickly employed his potent submission game against an actual MMA veteran in a gimmick-free matchup.

Even the fights that did not necessarily bring down the house made their mark, as the decisions were hard-fought and featured numerous shifts in momentum. Andrew Sanchez and Markus Perez put forth their best efforts to give the judges even more time off on a night when they had plenty of downtime. Drew Dober threw everything but the kitchen sink at Jon Tuck, but the Guam native was too determined and durable to not see the final bell. What started as the most lackluster clash at UFC Fight Night 135 turned into one of its most memorable. Middleweight prospect Eryk Anders followed a puzzling and uninspired 13-plus minutes of fighting with a legal soccer kick knockout that would make a Pride Fighting Championships-era Mauricio Rua blush.

Aside from all the good, the storylines that emerged left us wanting more. Michael Johnson found renewed life as a featherweight; James Krause taught a master class in strategy and striking acumen, as he extended a quiet but impressive five-fight winning streak and affirmed his commitment to the 170-pound weight class; and Gaethje, even if temporarily, silenced those with concerns regarding his longevity.

THE BAD

Jake Ellenberger has been a staple in the welterweight division for almost a decade.

In winning multiple post-fight bonuses, “The Juggernaut” has provided his fair share of memorable bouts. Savage knockouts of Jake Shields and Nate Marquardt qualify as some of the best stoppages on record at 170 pounds, while his decision win over Diego Sanchez kicked off the brief UFC on Fuel era in beautifully chaotic fashion. However, those moments have been firmly entrenched in the past, as Ellenberger has found himself on the wrong side of highlight reels far too often in recent years. UFC Fight Night 135 was no exception: Bryan Barberena spoiled his homecoming by earning a TKO in the opening round. It was Ellenberger’s fourth loss by knockout in a row. Of those four finishes, three have come inside the first frame. In the past five years, he has only managed to get his hand raised three times in 12 appearances inside the Octagon. Fans that are a new to the sport are more likely to remember Ellenberger for his infamous chuckle when dismissing Stephen Thompson’s karate skills -- it preceded a spectacular defeat by spinning hook kick -- or the epic elbow from Mike Perry instead of the consistent level of excellence he brought to the sport. To make matters worse, his skid started with losing to either former champions or contenders within sniffing distance of the title.

It has ended with a whimper, as Barberena and Ben Saunders represent a noticeable drop in opposition when compared to the Rory MacDonalds and Kelvin Gastelums of the world. Ellenberger calling it quits on a long and respectable career only an hour away from his hometown is without a doubt a blessing. It was just unfortunate that the decision was not made sooner. As is the case with many of the beloved veterans who hang around the sport a bit longer than they should, let us remember that Ellenberger’s final record of 31-15 does the true value of his career no justice.

THE UGLY

Without a shadow of a doubt, UFC Fight Night 135 had one clear ugly spot. I present to you referee Brandon Pfannenstiel. Without him, the “Fight of the Night”-winning confrontation between Cory Sandhagen and Iuri Alcantara would be an easy shoo-in for “The Good” portion of this column. Of course, the first round of their contest is on the shortlist for the best round of 2018. Similarly, Sandhagen is a clear nominee for the best comeback in MMA this year. Both men should be applauded for their performances. The early trouble Sandhagen faced was extremely difficult to endure. He managed to maintain composure while having his elbow contorted in the most unnatural of ways while being triangle choked and hammerfisted repeatedly. These were seemingly insurmountable odds that would have put away most men. Alcantara deserves credit for the heart he showed after finding the tables turned so dramatically against him. However, it feels as if we just cannot have nice things in this sport.

In a move reminiscent of some of the worst officiating this side of Edmonton, Alberta, Pfannenstiel allowed Alcantara to take a horrifically unnecessary beating. What began as a quick flurry of punches and subsequent submission attempt from Alcantara suddenly turned when the lanky Sandhagen escaped the triangle-armbar to take top position. From there, the onslaught began. Devastating ground-and-pound rendered the Brazilian nearly defenseless, as repeated punches and elbows bloodied his face and bounced his head off of the canvas. At this point, some referees may have stopped the fight, but Alcantara was at least attempting to sweep and seemed to use his legs effectively enough to slow the pace of Sandhagen’s destructive offense. However, with about a minute left in the round, the Elevation Fight Team product found himself shifting between mount, side saddle and half guard, with little to nothing preventing him from landing blows on Alcantara. As the round drew to a close, a merciful stoppage would certainly have not been unwelcomed.

Instead, the second round picked up where the previous stanza left off, as Sandhagen quickly dropped Alcantara with punches and followed up with unanswered ground-and-pound. While many, including Sandhagen and the commentary team, questioned when enough was enough and wondered when the bout might be waved off, Pfannenstiel stood by and kept watching. My unofficial count of 52 punches from the top were needed before any action was taken. Simply put, this was unacceptable. Fighter safety is paramount, and while mixed martial arts is a dangerous activity no matter the identity of the third man in the cage, there’s no excuse for adding extra elements of peril. The Nebraska Athletic Commission should be praised for taking swift action and removing Pfannenstiel from the rest of the event, according to the Fox Sports 1 post-fight show. There is no way this man should be allowed to referee again without undergoing additional training and proving he is capable of properly doing the job he failed to do in Sandhagen-Alcantara.