March MMAdness: Day 19, The Final Four!

Prepare for the ultimate penultimate showdown as Mania’s March MMAdness finals draw ever closer …

Day 1 Results | Day 2 Results | Day 3 Results | Day 4 Results | Day 5 Results| Day 6 Results | Day 7 Results | Day 8 Results | Day 9 Results | Day 10 Results | Day 11 Results | Day 12 Results | Day 13 Results | Day 14 Results | Day 15 Results | Day 16 Results | Day 17 Results | Day 18 Results
Day 19 Results:

• Robbie Lawler vs. Rory MacDonald 2 (#1) defeats Frankie Edgar vs. Gray Maynard 2 (#5) with 76 percent of Maniac votes.

This was its closest match to date, but our No. 1 seed rolls into the finals without issue.

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Match 2: Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar 1 (#2) vs. Dan Henderson vs. Shogun Rua (#3)

VS.

Forrest Griffin vs. Stephan Bonnar 1 has found itself pitted against grueling war after grueling war, starting with a dominant victory over No. 63-seeded Junior dos Santos vs. Stipe Miocic 1. Then came No. 31-ranked Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje, No. 15-ranked Robert Whittaker vs. Yoel Romero 2, and finally No. 10-seeded Zhang Weili vs. Joanna Jedrzejczyk, which clawed its way to 46 percent of the vote before joining the others in defeat.

Fittingly for such a display of resilience, the first meeting between Dan Henderson and Shogun Rua has yet to dip below 66 percent of the vote in any of its match ups. Only No. 19-ranked Eddie Alvarez vs. Justin Gaethje made it something of a fight, as No. 62-seeded Tony Ferguson vs. Lando Vannata, No. 30-seeded Wanderlei Silva vs. Brian Stann, and most recently No. 27-ranked Leonard Garcia vs. Chan Sung Jung fell by more than 150 votes.

What superlatives are left to describe these two absolute slugfests? Both have strong meta-narratives, strong regular narratives, and raw violence. It looks to come down to the appeal of Griffin vs. Bonnar’s historical significance against the greater momentum swings, competitiveness, and near-finishes of Henderson vs. Rua.

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To reiterate: spread the word, share socially … do whatever grassroots / viral “Get Out The Vote” campaign needed to ensure your favorite fights advance to the next round. Complaining in the comments section about seeding and whatnot will not impact the results and will just make you look like an unappreciative dick.

Same time tomorrow, Maniacs.

Be sure to also check out our March MMAdness archive — which includes the entire bracket — to catch up on the tournament right here.