Headed into their showdown at
UFC 161 in Winnipeg on Saturday night, UFC light heavyweights Igor Pokrajac and
Ryan Jimmo were both coming off disappointing showings in their previous
outings.
Jimmo lost to James Te Huna at
UFC on Fuel TV 7, while Pokrajac scored a unanimous decision victory over Joey
Beltran at UFC on Fuel TV 6. Pokrajac’s
victory, however, was later ruled a no-contest after it was revealed that he
tested positive for the banned substance Nandrolone in a pre-fight drug
screening.
In front of a packed house at
the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, both Jimmo and Pokrajac battled
for promotional relevancy in what was a rather lackluster affair.
Round one saw Pokrajac pressure
the native Canadian in the opening seconds.
Jimmo, sensing the pressure, immediately clinched with the 34-year-old
Croatian and began to apply an effective “dirty boxing” attack that set the
pace for the majority of the round. Late
in the opening stanza, Pokrajac landed what would become the most significant
strike of the fight, when he connected with a heavy overhand right that had
Jimmo wobbled. The Canadian recovered,
however, and it was on to round two.
The second stanza set the pace
for the remainder of the fight. Any
pressure Pokrajac seemed to muster in round one was gone. Jimmo earned an early
takedown and it was all ground control thereafter. It wasn’t the most exciting round, but it
lead to the fight-clinching third and final frame.
When the fight wrapped, Jimmo
had earned a unanimous decision victory, but not without a hint of
displeasure. Normally all smiles, “The
Big Deal” was apologetic to the hometown faithful.
“Igor, the fans, Dana White,
Joe Silva, I’m very sorry about the not such a great fight,” said the upset
31-year-old.
Jimmo is well aware that
Saturday’s outing was less than pleasing to a paying audience.
“It just seems like I’m not
able to finish on a regular basis now,” he stated.
Although displeased with his
performance, Jimmo made no excuses as to why the fight played out the way it
did. He was coming off a brutal loss – a
loss that came after 17-consecutive wins – and this fight was all about getting
his career back on the right track.
“I was coming off a loss and I
fought conservatively,” he said matter-of-factly. “I did get my name back in
the ‘W’ column, though.” (Source)
