The Quick Hits

I wouldn't mind seeing this fight one more time after the dominating performances from both men in their most recent fights.

It was another top notch weekend of fights and there is a lot to go over and not much time, so I will highlight the main stories and some of the things I saw that got my attention.

Cotto and Pavlik bounce back
The first loss of a fighters career is always a hard reality to accept. But like the old adage goes, a true champion will get back up and learn from the loss, which is exactly what Miguel Cotto and Kelly Pavlik did Saturday.

After losing to Antonio Margarito in an absolute war back in July, Cotto was finally ready to get back in the ring and take on Michael Jennings in Madison Square Garden. Cotto put on a show for the fans at the Garden and looked as impressive as ever.

Cotto had the snap on his jab and power on his hook that has made him one of the most feared boxers in the game. In the fifth round, he unleashed a blazing combination that overwhelmed Jennings and brought the fight to a close.

It was a fight Cotto was supposed to win and he did so convincingly. Now that he has his career back on track he is ready for another big money matchup. I hope he takes on Shane Mosley. Cotto took down Mosley in a very close decision in 2007, but I think it would be even closer the second time around.

Meanwhile Kelly Pavlik proved he belongs at middleweight and should not try to move up in weight. After he lost to Bernard Hopkins in October, Pavlik was ready to put his belts on the line and did so in impressive fashin against a game Marco Antonio Rubio.

Pavlik didn't land any of his famous power shots, but he landed good shots consistently and put on a clinic until Rubio did not answer the bell at the end of the ninth. Now that "The Ghost" is back to dominating, he too is ready for a big money fight.

I would like to see him step in the ring against the super dangerous Arthur Abraham or take super athletic Paul Williams if he is willing to move up in weight. It was nice to see two of the best boxers back in top form.

UFC 95: Forget Thales Leites, you got Demian Maia
If there was anyone doubting the skills of Demian Maia, I think he answered the questions Saturday. The hottest middleweight prospect in the UFC dismantled another opponent by submitting the tough Chael Sonnen in the first round.

Not only did Maia submit him, but he did it with plenty of style. After securing a full mount, he locked in a triangle, rolled to his back and applied the pressure. Absolutely amazing. Putting on the triangle from the full mount is very difficult and he did it in seconds. He is now 5-0 in the UFC with five submissions.

I'm not saying he could beat Anderson Silva, because I don't think anyone can. But he is truly more deserving than Thales Leites, and that is not a knock on Leites. He is a very impressive 14-1, but you can tell when he fights that he is outclassed in every area when matched against Silva. Maia, on the other hand, is the best jujitsu player in the UFC.

After Silva makes his mandatory defense against Leites at UFC 97, please give Maia a shot at the strap as quickly as possible.

In other action, Nate Marquardt looked back to his usual self after some uninspiring performances the last few times out. He beat a dangerous Wilson Gouveia soundly. He used his superior counter punching to dictate the fight and didn't even have to do a lot of work on the ground where I thought he would have the biggest advantage.

As a fellow fan and good friend of mine pointed out, Gouveia could have gotten the better of the stand up action if he threw the leg kick when pushing the pace. He even forced Marquardt into the cardinal sin of moving straight back at one point instead of circling.

Instead of going for a Muay Thai clinch and delivering knees and short, powerful punches, Gouveia let him off the hook by swinging wildly and missing. My friend and I both agreed Gouveia could have made that fight much closer and possibly won with a better strategy.

In the main event, Diego Sanchez defeated Joe Stevenson in a solid effort for a unanimous decision. He looked a lot healthier than I thought he would at 155 and said later he planned on staying in that division for a while. If he does, I hope he keeps his walk-around weight at 170 so he does not have to make such an extreme cut.

Stevenson was unimpressive, trying to show a striking game that he could never get going. He did not throw enough punches, couldn't find a comfortable range and struck from poor angles. Sanchez looks like a threat at lightweight, but Stevenson needs to get back to the drawing board and reinvent his game.