With some big wins on his resume, Jake Ellenberger entered UFC 126 on the verge of becoming a viable contender within the promotion’s welterweight division.
In order to keep that momentum alive, however, he would need to overcome the capable jiu-jitsu ace Carlos Eduardo Rocha. Would Ellenberger use his superior wrestling and striking power to claim victory? Or, would Rocha catch Ellenberger with a surprise submission?
The result follows:
Jake Ellenberger b. Carlos Eduardo Rocha via split decision (27-30, 29-28, 29-28)
*Story of the fight: Joe Rogan correctly questioned the logic of the judge who scored this one 30-27 in favor of Rocha. While the fight was very close, 29-28 Ellenberger was absolutely the right call.
After an expected Ellenberger takedown, the first round indeed fell in favor of Rocha, who used his superior jiu-jitsu to control Ellenberger. Rocha was always able to score the dominant grappling position, and he managed his top control for a good portion of the fight.
But with Rocha’s grappling superiority established, Ellenberger wisely played the latter two rounds more conservatively–and he won the fight doing so. His strikes were far crisper and more damaging (Rocha threw a lot of kicks, but many were wild, “no chance in hell” shots simply designed to prevent the appearance of inactivity), and he was able to control the pace and location of the battle. Ellenberger took it only to the mat when necessary, and that largely enabled him to avoid Rocha’s submission threat.
Not the performance that will take Ellenberger to the next level of stardom, but it was a solid showing that proved he could think through a fight wisely and end things with his hands raised.
