How Roger Huerta Saved My Saturday Night
Around 4 o’clock last Saturday afternoon I was on the phone arguing with a buddy of mine as to how we were going to spend our evening. We could either hang out in one of our glamorous basements to watch the TUF Finale, or head to the bar which was showing the Mayweather-Hatton fight for a reasonable cover charge. In my mind the decision was obvious. Since the boxing PPV is significantly more expensive to order than the bar cover, and the TUF Finale is going to be shown on Cable for free, I suggested we hit the bar for the boxing match and DVR (thank god for DVR) the TUF Finale. It would have been nice if the bar were to show the TUF Finale on the smaller televisions in addition to the boxing PPV, but that just wasn’t happening. After much arguing with said friend, I found myself alone in my decision to hit the bar for the highly anticipated Mayweather-Hatton fight.
Hear me out
I am not a huge boxing fan, I admit. In fact, I almost always shy away from boxing when flipping through the Versus channel and wait until they show some WEC. However when it comes big matches like these I just can’t stand to miss a fight. After all how often do highly anticipated boxing matches come along these days? Maybe once a year? Additionally, I followed the HBO series “Mayweather-Hatton 24-7” religiously and was eagerly awaiting their confrontation, hoping for an unexpected but optimistic Ricky Hatton victory. Now don’t get me wrong, if Mayweather-Hatton were to interfere with the UFC 79 card or any UFC PPV really, then I would have to go with the MMA card. But this was not the case. So I made sure to record the TUF Finale and proceeded to meet up with my brother, the only person I could find willing to stick it out with me at the bar.
Not as fun
At the bar, you could say things were a tad one sided as to who was rooting for who. I may very well have been one of the 12 Hatton fans in the crowd; compared to about 200 Mayweather supporters (it was a big bar/restaurant.) Finally after two appetizers, four rounds of beers and thirty rounds of under card fights, Mayweather- Hatton had begun. For those who didn’t see or read about the fight, Hatton came out strong but as the fight progressed, Mayweather started to do what he does best: systematically pick opponents apart. By the tenth round, a clearly struggling and out classed Hatton was knocked down once and then once more only moments later. There was no eleventh round. Leaving the bar also proved to be more difficult than I imagined, having to navigate around jumping and screaming Mayweather fans who wanted nothing more than to rub their victory in my clearly disappointed face. I was aggravated and cold and tired. Things couldn’t really get much worse.
Could they?
Back at home, all I wanted to do was sleep and think about how things could have gone differently for Hatton, if he had just listened to the advice I was shouting at him through the T.V. After I sat and festered for a minute, I thought why not fire up the DVR and check out the TUF Finale, after all it couldn’t be any worse than the boxing match…right? I sat through the first few bouts and was fairly unimpressed but entertained nonetheless. However my interest began to peak as Jared Rollins and Jon Koppenhaver started to beat the living hell out of each other in what turned out to be a classic MMA back and forth bloodbath. Though others in my house were asleep, I began shouting at the screen for the second time that night, managing to forget about the disappointing boxing match which had plagued my evening thus far.
After watching Jon Koppenhaver pull out that crazy TKO Victory, I found my spirits suddenly brought back to life…and I don’t even like either of those fighters. It was just refreshing to see a great battle with no care for who won or lost. Guida-Huerta was a different story however. I absolutely hate Clay Guida (don’t ask me why, I just do…maybe it’s the hair) and am a huge Roger Huerta fan, I think he may even be our next lightweight champ somewhere down the line. So I was debating whether or not to save the main event for another day, hoping to avoid further disappointment should Huerta lose the fight. After all the Danzig-Speer final showdown wasn’t exactly highlight material and I thought it might be time to call it a night.
Redemption
But I was still riding pretty high on the adrenaline rush from the Rollins-Koppenhaver fight and some flat Mountain Dew, so I decided to let the DVR roll through to the Huerta- Guida match and see what happens. The fight begins and in a fashion similar to Ricky Hatton, Roger Huerta starts off strong but was by no means dominating. I remained confident in Huerta until things turned ugly late in the second round, where Huerta found himself absorbing an onslaught of punches from the bottom. I even contemplated turning off the television right then and there so I wouldn’t have to witness Huerta getting grounded and pounded out. But luckily that’s not what happened. Huerta weathered the storm and managed to defend himself against a menacing Clay Guida. Round three began and before I could worry about losing that ten dollar bet I made with my friend (which picked Huerta to win obviously) Roger Huerta began to unleash his own brand of high kicks and well timed combinations which Guida clearly wanted no part of. Guida then went in for the take down, got reversed, and Huerta was able to take his back and sink in a nasty rear naked choke in true champion form.
Simply put: What. A. Fight. I know I said earlier that I don’t like Clay Guida and I probably never will. But I respect his ability inside the cage and Huerta’s victory, along with my Saturday night redemption, certainly would not have been as sweet if Guida hadn’t put up such a fight. While there weren’t any crowds of Clay Guida fans cheering against me, and even though Huerta’s victory by no means takes away Ricky Hatton’s loss, my Saturday night had been saved and I could now rest easy, knowing that Roger Huerta finally listened to my advice which I painstakingly shouted through the television.
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i wanted to see huerta and clay slug it out for 3 rounds with huerta winning a UD. but man that last round was just crazy. the look in rogers eyes was pissed off and focused, you just knew he was gonna go all or nothing and it worked.
i watched that live then watched boxing afterwards and was left wondering how people can still watch boxing. i must admit the fight got better as it went along but they stop the fight every 5 seconds cause the guys are holding each other. those gloves are just too big after getting use to mma style. seems like they need to take away points more when holding and use lighter gloves for better action but hey im not a big boxing fan , i just watch the big fights. i was hoping mayweather would lose but he just knows how to curl up like a wimp and turn his body to avoid getting hit and while that wouldnt bother me later in a fight when your tired but come on, its a fight, start swinging back.
mma is just more exciting then boxing is. every sport needs to change the rules as time goes on and maybe boxing needs to change some thing to make it more of an exciting fight. the ref shouldnt have to break up the fight 10 times a minute.
I used to be a boxing die hard, but find myself drifting out of boardom anymore. I too wanted Hatton to club Mayweather, but to no evail. Like your narative, and I hope you don’t make that mistake again.
Boxing has been boring to me since 1998 when I started to get into MMA. Only a marquee fight will bring viewers to boxing these days. The Ultimate Fighter Finale wasn’t bad. If you like fighting and hate to stalling all the time during fight then you should check out World Combat League. The fighter stay standing and a docked points for stalling. It is nonstop action. WCL is presented by Chuck Norris
I was worried before the fight started, because he just didn’t look ready for how intense Guida can be with all the pressure he brings. I remained hopeful, but things gradually started looking really bleak for a Huerta win; luckily Guida wasn’t able to finish it at the end of the second. I was worried he would still be woozy at the start of the third, but Mike, you are right about the look in his eyes. Hopefully that will be the last time he believes the hype and underestimates an opponent.
I don’t think he believed the “HYPE” or underestimated Guida. I can’t believe how many of you underestimate him. That guy fights his ass off every time he enters the octagon, and I hope Zuffa appriciates that and pays him accordingly, and not based on his win/loss record. He doesn’t get a title shot in the near future, but he is always a game opponent, and a very tuff speed bump on the way up the ladder. Huerta definately dug deep, and you could see how serious he was coming out for the third. I hope people start taking him seriously as well. As long as a fighter brings it, I don’t care if how many times wins or looses, I am a fan.
A lot of people have still been critical of Huerta. To me, I don’t understand how you could still question a guy who took a beating like that and came back to finish the fight. Clay Guida has gone the distance with Gilbert Melendez, Tyson Griffin, and Din Thomas in close decision fights many thought he won and he put a hurting on Marcus Aurelio, a fighter who beat the #1 ranked lightweight in the world. And Huerta finished him, coming back from adversity. Pick apart the guys game all you want but when you have cardio like that and heart like that, you’re a legitimate champion caliber fighter and that’s all there is.
Huerta is officially for real. He’s one win from a title shot. And the way he came out for the third against Guida you couldn’t totally begrudge him if he got a shot without fighting anyone else. Sure, you can’t put him before Florian, and Sherk’s kind of a nuissance now with his next in line status (will be happy when BJ puts him away). The thing is, Huerta is actually better off taking another fight or two in “rising star/heir apparent” status before he has to deal with Penn himself. Because I don’t think he can handle a super talent like BJ in his prime just now and it will take a little luster off his radiant success if he gets schooled. As it stands, he just totally justified the hype with his latest performance. And as good as Florian is, I think Huerta could beat him. Huerta Sherk would be dope or, better yet, Edgar Huerta.
Huerta won this fight fair and square, but the 3rd round was determined by that knee. So it was like Matt Serra vs GSP. Huerta was lucky like Serra, but I believe Guida is a better fighter. Yes, I am a Guida fan. (At least a fighter, who uses an entrace song, which can be considered music
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I agree with you earlier posters about boxing boredom after getting used to MMA.
Prediction: boxing gloves will get smaller, as they were way back when, using 6 oz gloves or maybe smaller so we’ll see more KO’s and fewer decisions all in hopes that boxing will better compete with MMA. I believe it will. You make boxing more like a street fight rather than 2 dudes hugging and holding each other and I’ll watch like I used to. Until then, its MMA for me.
Yeah, that is what we need, smaller boxing gloves, more knockouts and more brain damaged fighters. Boxing and MMA are two totally different sports. It really is apples and oranges. Boxing will never have the same popularity that it once did.
Huerta won that fight out of luck. I take nothing away from him cuz he’s a hell of a fighter. But I feel the ref pretty much has it in their minds who is gonna (or who they want) to win. I think the fight should have been stopped in the second when guida had he down and he was not defending himself intelligently.( I’m sure many will disagree)
Once they made it to the end of the round I know guida blew his whole load that round and it would be easy pickings for huerta in the third and huerta would get praised for his skill rather than guida getting critisized for gasing, whereas if he hadn’t blown his load trying to finish it in the second round he would have dominated the third round as well.
In all I have a great respect for Guida and I also wish Huerta all the luck in the world, he’s gonna be a great fighter soon if he keeps progressing.
Huerta won that fight with heart and skill. It was not luck that he won and the fight should not have been stopped in the second, You notice that Guida only really got 2 or 3 clean hits on top. The rest hurta was moving side to side and trying to tie him up. Huerta won because he kept coming and he didnt break and many thought he would. I was voting for guida to win.
I respect that… I still believe if guida didn’t blow his load in the last minute of the second he wouldn’t have came out flat in the 3rd in turn catching the knee that ended the fight basically
Agreed
I think one of guida’s biggest mistake was he began to telegraph his shots, making him vulnerable to the well timed knee.
Guida still needs to improve his striking before he can move up in the LW division. Even though he was full of energy his striking was fairly sloppy. He should have been able to finish Huerta at the end of the 2nd but as someone else mentioned he only managed to land a couple clean shots.
I’ll be the first to disagree.. ues you are correct the fight could have been stopped because he was out on the way down.. but this fight is perfect example that the referee should let it go for a couple of more shots.. as they hit the ground he was back in and contrary to your opinion he blocked almost everything with his arms.. I personally thought that Guida was gonna finish him right there.. but the defence was tight.. I also don’t think Guida gased either he cam into the 3rd a much fresher fighter and started his usual onslaught, but a couple of kicks and punches later he changed his mind and went for the takedown.. a mighty knee later and it was pretty much curtains.. all he could do to protect himself was give up his back before he was clear headed the choke was already sunk.. and resistance at that point was futile..
For those who don’t know sustaining punishment such as heavy hands or kicks also takes the wind out of a fighter.. it is not all about Cardio.. Guida doesn’t lack that.. he is a machine..
My hats off to both fighters.. it definitely was fight of the year.. both of those dudes are warriors.. and should be paid handsomely as they always come to fight.
Boxing – I’m like many of you. I used to buy the big PPV boxing matches in the 80’s and 90’s. The last one I paid for was when Tyson bit Holyfield’s ear. That was it for me and many others too. The UFC came at the right time when I and others like me were looking for something more (if pro wrestling were actually “real” and not scripted it might have filled the void). I still watch some boxing on HBO/Showtime but have never paid a cent since that day. I won’t debate which is better because they are totally different, but I will say I find MMA more entertaining.
Huerta/Guida was great! I look forward to both of their next matches and hopefully a rematch down the road. With the HW division in turmoil, 205 on hold, 185 down to it’s last “big” match and 170 in a constant cycle (Hughes/GSP/Serra), it’s refreshing to see the depth and possibilites the 155 division can offer (I can’t believe we went without this division in the UFC for so long).
Some how I knew the Roger Huerta fight was going to be one of the best fights ive seen in a while, dont get me wrong, every UFC ppv and fight night is preaty much awesome… like the houston thiago fight last month , for me that was nothing less then amazing but the Huerta Guida fight was just too much, im sure that brough a lot of new fans to the MMA world.
I still love the Guida boy…he has the heart and attitude all fighters should have. The scene with one of his coaches getting him pumped up made me a fan for life. THAT’s the way fights should all be! BRING ON THE YELLOW CARD (10% purse reduction for slow action) FOR THE UFC!!!
how do you not like clay guida, the guy brings it everytime and his fights are classics, if it wasn’t for the guys like him mma would suck
I cant wait for the Roger Huerta vs Diego Sanchez bout… that’ll be interesting.
I think December 8th is when I just decided to let go of boxing. I was a huge boxing fan until the Ultimate Fighter Season Finale. The fight between Huerta and Guida was amazing thrilling action where unfortunately the better man lost. Afterwards I watched the Hatton vs. Mayweather fight and was so boring I thought to my self why am I watching this. I was a Hatton hopeful but now I am not even a boxing fan. Maybe little.
Huerta is a complete stud. I have to admit that I was getting worried that he was going to lose by decision to Guida, but thank God he pulled off the miracle victory. Huerta and Florian should be a crazy fight!
zzzzzz……….huh…. what time is it? that was a long story. clay was whoopin up on huerta.looks like he really wanted to finish but got caught being over confident. if there is a rematch clay would definately coast to victory and just take the decision this time.
How about Sanchez? Keep can box and fight mma. We eed him to enter the octagon and lay it down on the relaxed contenders with a bender in the neopolitan pizzas!!!!
I need another cheesburger to enter the wing bowl!!!
Rampage is scared of Wanderlei!!! He is running like a woman!!! shahhahahhahahahahahhha
i heard sanches is considering going to 155