Tarec Saffiedine:  Perhaps Saffiedine went into his bout with Scott Smith determined not to hurt the rally artist that is the “Hands of Steel,” which has typically been a dangerous move for Smith’s foes. That said, he utilized a full-spectrum attack to outpoint and outclass Smith, who was largely relegated to firing big strikes without setups, and couldn’t seem to get untracked. Saffiedine was precise, consistent and workmanlike in his one-sided conquest. 

Hold 

Tyron Woodley and Paul Daley:  The welterweight showdown had added implications with Nick Diaz vacating the Strikeforce title to challenge UFC champ Georges St. Pierre. Both showed flashes of what makes them effective but neither could really wrest control of the bout outside of Woodley’s consistent takedowns in the first two rounds, which won the fight. It’s the second straight decision win for Woodley where his wrestling and little else dominated the fight. 

Stock down 

Fedor Emelianenko:  Three losses in a row means Emelianenko should retire, in my opinion (tell me what you think below). Whether or not he actually will is a question that will answer itself in the future. It’s also a largely unimportant one in the context of the current heavyweight division rankings, because he’s nowhere near the top 20 at this point. 

Marloes Coenen:  A tough loss for Coenen, whose improved wrestling seemed to be powering a mid-fight surge on Tate. Style-wise, Coenen is still a tough assignment with her calm demeanor and slick subs. However, the submission loss to Tate cost her the belt and will definitely require some re-tooling if she’s to make another run at the title. 

Robbie Lawler:  Normally an offensive dynamo, Lawler simply couldn’t let his hands go against Kennedy. With his spry takedown defense, scrambling and athleticism, Lawler’s one of the most exciting sprawl-and-brawl artists in the game. But the duo’s styles just seemed to cancel one another out, making the ground battle more interesting than the standing phase of the bout. 

Scott Smith:  I’ve always said that Smith should not be cutting to 170, as he’s simply too big for welterweight. Fighting Saffiedine, Smith was unable to generate the volume of strikes and high-octane combinations that defined his career as a middleweight. Perhaps it’s the product of hard wars in his career, the weight cut, or some combination of both. But tonight’s decision loss clearly showed a fighter in decline. If he’s to continue competing, he would be better served to do it at 185 where he’s got a puncher’s chance if he connects. At 170 he looks like he’s fighting underwater, and that’s not the Scott Smith fans are used to seeing.