By MATT MOLGAARD
MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer

UFC 122 didn’t yield the fireworks many had hoped for. In fact, if you pay much attention to online forums and gym rat talk, it was one of the worst events the UFC has ever put on. That’s not a statement I would agree with, but it is indicative of some of the “action” we saw Saturday night.

Nate Marquardt unfortunately showed up with his mind set on not losing, rather than winning an extremely significant bout, while Amir Sadollah offered forth a conservative, somewhat safe performance. When two of your five main card bouts provide little more than 30 minutes of caution, fan frustration is understandable.

That being said, I enjoyed the card quite a bit. Krzysztof Soszynski showed much improved cardio, and forced a relentless pace that Goran Reljic just couldn’t keep up with. Dennis Siver looked as explosive as ever in his victory over Andre Winner, and just about as fast as his British foe, regardless of what commentators Rogan and Goldie would have you believe.

As for the live broadcast opener Duane Ludwig versus Nick Osipczak, what can I say? The fight was pretty much a barn burner. Duane Ludwig looked like the same Bang who exploded on the scene 10 years ago, only far more refined on the mat. Osipczak on the other hand looked every bit the prospect he’s been touted. The bout was extremely close, and while I think a draw would have likely been the fairest of outcomes, I can see how the judges scored the second frame for Ludwig; the majority of the round was controlled by Ludwig on the feet, and when Nick managed to take the fight to the mat, he didn’t find much success after the fights opening frame.

The unfortunate cancellation of the planned co-main event between Alessio Sakara and longtime veteran Jorge Rivera was disappointing to put it mildly. Sakara has been on a tear, and looks a completely different fighter since becoming acclimated to the middleweight division. He’s enjoying a three fight win streak that includes impressive wins over Thales Leites and James Irvin. Jorge Rivera is also riding a three fight win streak inside the octagon, including a decisive stoppage victory over Nate Quarry. These two would have more than likely provided for some of the fireworks the event was missing.