Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA Today Sports
UFC 168 kicked off tonight, which featured a great heavyweight bout between Josh Barnett and Travis Browne. Up for stakes was a UFC title shot, so they were both looking to make a statement. At the end of the day, Browne comes out the winner. Barnett tried to get the clinch going and take Browne down, but Browne landed a good knee while Barnett was going in. He then landed elbow after elbow on Barnett, and Barnett was not able to recover.
Browne gets the TKO win in the first round, and what a performance it was for Browne. Now, Browne has won three straight, and he’s becoming one of the best fighters in the heavyweight division. This win over Barnett is one of his best wins inside the UFC, and he is maybe one more win away from a title shot, where Cain Velasquez is the current champion. Browne showed great takedown defense tonight, and he was able to showcase some brutal elbows, which is something fans have come to expect from Browne.
He will more than likely fight Fabricio Werdum next, which will determine the next number one contender in the division. For Barnett, this is a huge loss for his career, and he will have to rethink some things, specifically his striking, for his next fight. For Browne, he showed great skills tonight, and it’s great to see him continue to develop as a fighter. His time spent with Greg Jackson in Albuquerque, New Mexico seems to be going great. Congrats to Browne.
Jeremy Green is a MMA and NFL contributor at RantSports. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter, or Google Plus.
