Abu Dhabi was the scene for UFC Fight Night 40, where Heavyweight Roy Nelson found his home run punch and took out Antonio Rodrigo Noguiera with a massive, twitch inducing right hand. For Nelson, it snaps a two fight winning streak and he was able to display his trademark KO punch, while Noguiera has lost two in a row and appears very near the end of his illustrious career. The co-main event saw Clay Guida win a unanimous decision over Tatsuya Kawajiri, dropping the Japanese star to 1-1 in his UFC career.
The line on Nelson-Noguiera was close, with a slight edge going to Nelson (-150), who came through. For Noguiera, he has to read the writing on the wall. Though a long time legend and top contender, he is now going into matches as an underdog. In his last 4 fights, he has lost 3, but what is worse is that all three he was finished, and that also includes the horrific arm break at the hands of Frank Mir. His only win was against Dave Herman, who really is not a top fighter and is no longer with the UFC.
As for Nelson, he is talking title shot, but really it would be preferable to set him up with a fight against the likes of Mark Hunt, as it matches two aging veterans who are looking to cling to their ranking and to their pay slot. Both are big punchers with tonka tough heads, so its a logical match-up.
The co-main event saw Clay Guida outwork Tatsuya Kawajiri over three rounds. Like Nelson, Guida was the slight favorite at the books heading into the match, and he has now worked his way to 2-2 as a featherweight. For Kawajiri, it is an unfortunate loss, as at 35 he was looking to make a title run at 145 lbs in the UFC and this is a big setback. For him too, he should realize that Guida is the lowest skilled guy he has ever lost to, and his resume was built on guys like Guida. If he can no longer take this level of fighter out, his days as a top fighter are drawing to a close.
