With another action-packed month of MMA in the books, MMAjunkie takes a look at April’s best fights. Here are the five nominees, listed in chronological order, and the winner of MMAjunkie’s “Fight of the Month” award for April 2014.
At the bottom of the post, let us know if we got it right by voting for your “Fight of the Month” choice.
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THE NOMINEES
Justin Baesman vs. Herman Terrado at Bellator 115
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After a first round in which it looked like Justin Baesman was on his way to another submission loss, the “Raw Deal” came back to put a second-round beating on Herman Terrado at Bellator 115. It was a razor-thin, back-and-forth battle that all came down to whether or not the judges scored the second round 10-9 or 10-8 in Baesman’s favor. Two of the three judges scored it 10-8 while the other had it a 10-9. That meant a majority draw, a result that felt perfectly fitting after 15 minutes of competitive action.
Clay Guida vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri at UFC Fight Night 39
It wasn’t the slugfest most fans look for in a “Fight of the Month” contender, but Clay Guida and Tatsuya Kawajiri found a way to be just as entertaining with a grappling-heavy affair at UFC Fight Night 39. The two featherweights exchanged takedowns, reversals, submission attempts and more for 15 consecutive minutes in a bout that was deemed the best of the evening at the UFC’s most recent trip to Abu Dhabi.
Dustin Poirier vs. Akira Corassani at TUF Nations Finale
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Dustin Poirier and Akira Corassani wasted no time trading leather at the TUF Nations Finale. The featherweights opened the main card and did so with a bang. Despite being a heavy favorite, Poirier was dropped and hurt early in the first round. However, he turned things around as the fight wore on, and eventually he put away Corassani with some strikes of his own in the second round.
Thiago Alves vs. Seth Baczynski at UFC on FOX 11
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It may have been two-plus years since Thiago Alves had graced the octagon, but in his return from the extended injury layoff, “The Pitbull” didn’t appear to miss a beat. Alves showcased his dangerous striking against a game Seth Baczynski at UFC on FOX 11 en route to a decision win. Alves attacked Baczynski with hands, feet, elbows and knees in a well-rounded showing. He couldn’t get a stoppage, but Baczynski’s durability made it an entertaining affair.
Takanori Gomi vs. Isaac Vallie-Flagg at UFC 172
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Former PRIDE champion Takanori Gomi is always willing to get into a firefight, and at UFC 172, he had a willing dance partner in Isaac Vallie-Flagg. The two lightweight sluggers exchanged fisticuffs for 15 minutes with each man looking like he was going to cruise to a win at one point or another. In the end it was Gomi who dished out more punishment and he ultimately walked away with a decision win.
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THE WINNER: Dustin Poirier vs. Akira Corassani at TUF Nations Finale
Dustin Poirier (16-3 MMA, 8-2 UFC) is arguably one of the UFC’s most exciting fighters in any weight class, and at the TUF Nations Finale, he proved why by winning “Fight of the Night” honors with Akira Corassani (12-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC).
After a back-and-forth first round, Poirier stormed back in the second to pick up the knockout victory and the third fight-night bonus of his UFC tenure.
The win didn’t come easy, though, and Corassani knocked down Poirier in the first round, and “Diamond” had to dig deep to get back in the fight. Poirier has been hurt with strikes before, but he can’t recall a time in which he was forced to recover after being knocked down.
“He had me hurt,” Poirier told MMAjunkie. “It wasn’t his power hand, but he’s got a hell of a left hand. It just happened so quick. I threw a lurching uppercut, my feet weren’t set, my chin was up in the air, my hand was down on the uppercut, and all he had to do was put his hand out there. I recovered quickly, but I was definitely hurt.
“I want to say that’s the first time I’ve been dropped. But I’ve definitely been hurt in a lot of fights before. This was my 28th MMA fight, so I’ve taken some hard shots and fought back before.”
Poirier is happy with the outcome and said he’s more than willing to eat a few punches if it means getting his hand raised. There are many positives to take out of the win, but he’s also examining where he went wrong and how to fix it.
“I’m still trying to find a balance of using technique and using aggression,” Poirier said. “There’s a fine balance between when one is need and when the other is needed. I definitely was overaggressive in that fight. I should have had more patience, and I got hit with a couple shots that guy should never hit me with. It was all good, I got the W, and it was a great fight, but it was another learning experience.”
There’s been no shortage of potentially exciting fights for Poirier inside the octagon. While the bout with Corassani was one of his best, it’s going to take a lot to top his classic 2012 contest against Chan Sung Jung.
Poirier came out on the losing end of that match with “The Korean Zombie,” so the feeling of getting the win after a hard-fought battle with Corassani ranks among the most satisfying victories of his career.
“This one’s up there,” Poirier said. “It was fun. It was exciting. I had a blast, and I enjoyed being part of the fight. It’s definitely up there, probably in the top five of my career.”
While the fight game consists mostly of focusing on the future and not on the past, Poirier is happy to reflect. It wasn’t a perfect performance, but it was more than enough to be deemed MMAjunkie’s “Fight of the Month” for April, an award Poirier said he’s grateful to receive.
“It’s an honor,” Poirier said. “I’m pumped to have a headline on MMAjunkie about being in the best fight of the month, and it’s cool to see you guys voted it in. It was a great fight, and I’m excited.”
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Filed under: Bellator, News, UFC Tagged: Akira Corassani, Bellator 115, Clay Guida, Dustin Poirier, Herman Terrado, Isaac Vallie-Flagg, Justin Baesman, Seth Baczynski, Takanori Gomi, Tatsuya Kawajiri, Thiago Alves, TUF Nations Finale, UFC 172, UFC Fight Night 39, UFC on FOX 11 
