Nate Marquardt vs. Vitor Belfort
Randy Couture vs. Mark Coleman
Matt Serra vs. Frank Trigg
Josh Koscheck vs. Paulo Thiago
Demian Maia vs. Dan Miller
Rob Emerson vs. Phillipe Nover
Rolles Gracie vs. Mostapha Al Turk
Melvin Guillard vs. Ronnys Torres

We had a great night with friends last night watching UFC 106.  We have a little contest every UFC night to see who correctly picks the most winners.  I was pretty pleased in that I only missed one fight, picking Ortiz over Griffin in the final fight of the night.  I would have been very happy with that if my 15-year-old son, Noah, hadn’t correctly picked the winner of EVERY fight.  So now I need to blog a little about UFC 106 and spend at least some talking about Ortiz/Griffin and wondering what one judge was doing during the first round.

First of all, I’m a major UFC fan.  I love watching MMA.  I am also a martial artist, and I enjoy watching the especially skilled mixed martial artists employ their skills.  I do not enjoy or support those who display a lack of respect for the martial arts or for their opponents.  I don’t want to see UFC turn into anything like professional wrestling.

With that said, here are my personal observations on the major bouts from UFC 106:

Ortiz/Griffin:  I was hoping Griffin would win because I don’t like Ortiz’s attitude, but I thought Ortiz had more to prove and would come out with serious motivation.  While I don’t disagree that Griffin won, I have to believe the judge who scored it 30-27 for Griffin was smoking something.  Round 1 should most certainly have gone to Ortiz.  Round 2 could’ve gone either way on my scorecard.  Ortiz had a take down or two, but Griffin finished strong and defended well from the ground.  Round 3–Ortiz never actually answered the bell!  Even if Ortiz had been given rounds 1 and 2, I would personally have given Griffin a 2 point win for round 3.  Ortiz said he had a cracked skull (and he certainly had the black eye), but he simply didn’t show up for the final round.  Kudos to Griffin.  He defended the ground extremely well and landed some outstanding kicks on Ortiz.

Johnson/Koscheck:  I picked Koscheck to win, but not because I dislike Johnson.  Johnson has outstanding power and comes across as a good guy.  BUT THE BOY NEEDS A GROUND GAME!  Koscheck was just too well-rounded, and once it went to the mat, Johnson was toast.  This fight really can’t be discussed without addressing the knee that Johnson delivered to Koscheck’s head while Koscheck was still on the ground.  This was replayed over and over again in slow motion.  It was definitely an illegal knee.  However, Koscheck came up holding his left eye. The replays made it very clear that Johnson’s knee struck the RIGHT side of Koscheck’s head.  So why was Koscheck hold the wrong eye?  Personally, I think he was going for a breather and getting inside Johnson’s head.  Johnson was far more bothered by the later eye poke from Koscheck, which I’m not certain at all was incidental.  Koscheck’s after fight comments and tweets were filled with cockiness and arrogance–both unprofessional and immature.  This leads me to the conclusion that he may be a bit of a dirty fighter (or a cry baby), does not have the respect for the sport that it deserves, and he needs to grow up.  We don’t need someone else behaving like Lesnar in the UFC.  I’m anxious for him to be taken down a notch or two.  It won’t be long.

Thiago/Volkmann:  This was not the fight of the night, although I still enjoyed watching Paulo Thiago.  I didn’t know a lot about Volkmann prior to picking Thiago, but after seeing Volkmann’s less than impressive physique, I was feeling even better about my choice!  Volkmann, however, is a skilled athlete and an outstanding wrestler, and we now know he can take some punishment.  I was obviously not surprised he lost, but I was impressed that he stuck around for 3 rounds and held his own as much as he did.  He needs some jiu jitsu training, but I believe we’ll see more of him.  A solid outing for Thiago, but if you were going to pick a fight during which to head out to the concession stand…

Baroni/Sadollah:  When picking a fight with Baroni, all you really have to do is determine if his opponent has the ability to not get hit too hard during the first 30 seconds, because after that Baroni is gassed.  Baroni is a great physical specimen, but he’s all about that first 30 seconds of flash and dash before the crash.  Sadollah survived the onslaught and picked Baroni apart the rest of the fight.  I ended up a little disappointed that Sadollah couldn’t put Baroni down.  This left me questioning Sadollah’s cardio a little bit.

Nogueira (Little Nog)/Cane:  Big Nog’s brother was the easiest pick of the night, and he didn’t disappoint.  You know he was coming in with great experience, training, and conditioning.  Cane, well, Cane could use some of that training.  In particular, he needs to learn not to block with his head.  Little Nog capitalized quickly on Cane’s lowered right hand and dropped him to the mat.  No doubt we’ll be seeing Little Nog on a UFC pay per view in the future!

Forrest Griffin defeats Tito Ortiz via split decision
Josh Koscheck defeats Anthony Johnson via submission (Rear Naked Choke)
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira defeats Luis Cane via TKO (Strikes)
Amir Sadollah defeats Phil Baroni via unanimous decision
Paulo Thiago defeats Jacob Volkmann via unanimous decision
Ben Saunders defeats Marcus Davis via knockout (knees)
Kendall Grove defeats Jake Rosholt via submission (triangle choke)
Brian Foster defeats Brock Larson via technical knockout (strikes)
Fabricio Camoes vs. Caol Uno declared a majority draw
George Sotiropoulos defeats Jason Dent via submission (armbar)

Tito Ortiz had this to say about the his fight with Forrest Griffin.

“I thought I won the fight. I thought I pulled it off two rounds to one. You know, that third round, I’m very thankful to Dr. William Smith here in Las Vegas for doing the surgery that he did, otherwise I would not have been able to step in against a guy who is ranked fifth in the world. I came in and thought I won the fight. [I didn't reveal my injuries prior because] You gotta sell the fight, right? I had disc C-7 or C-6 pressing on my spinal cord. I was in traction for awhile. Beyond that I came in and put up a fight. I put my heart and soul inside that cage every time I fight. I thought I won the fight. I thought I won. I thought I won…. I thought I won the first round and I thought I won the second round. You see the damage on his face? I got him good. In the third round I was gassed, but after taking 18 months off, I want to see another fighter come in here [and undergoing back surgery] and do what I just did. I gave my heart and soul, man. I entertained the fans. And for me not getting “Fight of the Night,” I’m taken back by it, but it is what it is. I thought I won. The judge called it 30-27, I mean what the fuck, are you blind or something? But hey, it is what it is, I’ll be back. I feel good. I’m sorry I let my fans down. I thought I won…. I’m pissed.”

Anthony Johnson weighs in on Josh Koscheck and his eye poke claim after Johnson’s knee to a downed Koscheck.

“I didn’t hit him in the head, I hit him in the arm. I don’t know why he would act like [that], I guess he was gassing. That’s the only thing I can think of, [him] trying to find some kind of excuse to complain. I know I didn’t hit him in the head. I thought I timed it perfect but I didn’t and that’s my fault. After him poking me in the eye it made a big difference. Then he did it twice and got both eyes the second time because when he swings, he jabs with his open hand and the right didn’t even hit me, it was just the open palm strike and my eyes, my eyes are burning like hell right now. After I hurt him, he needed that, he needed some kind of excuse to recover, but it’s all good.”

(PRVegas.com) UFC 106 will be available live on pay-per-view on iN DEMAND, DIRECTV, DISH Network, TVN, BellTV, Shaw Communications and Viewer’s Choice Canada and live at the Mandalay Bay – Events Center on Sat, Nov 21 2009 at 7:00 PM.

Ortiz-Griffin 2 moves up the card to replace Brock Lesnar’s UFC heavyweight title defense against Shane Carwin, which was postponed until early 2010 due to an illness Lesnar suffered which has kept him out of training camp for nearly a month.

Taking over the main event slot are UFC superstars Ortiz and Griffin. For Ortiz, the bout is an opportunity to make an immediate impact in the 205-pound weight class after an 18 month absence by defeating a fellow former light heavyweight champion. Across the Octagon is Griffin, a fighter looking for redemption against Ortiz after losing a razor thin split decision to “The Huntington Beach Bad Boy” at Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim on April 15, 2006.

In that bout, Ortiz tore into Griffin at the opening bell, almost finishing the fight with his trademark ground and pound attack. Amazingly, Griffin survived the assault and roared back over the next two rounds, teaming with Ortiz for an instant classic. After 15 minutes, the judges declared Ortiz the winner, but the back and forth nature of the bout made it a natural for a rematch.

In the newly-added co-feature to UFC 106: Ortiz vs Griffin 2, welterweight contenders collide as Josh Koscheck meets Anthony “Rumble” Johnson in one of the most intriguing 170-pound matchups of 2009.

“Koscheck vs. Johnson is a great fight and I give credit to both guys for stepping up and making a fight like this happen,” said White. “The amazing thing about this fight is that both Koscheck and Johnson are world-class wrestlers, but they can also knock you out with one punch. I don’t know where this fight’s gonna go, but wherever it goes, it’s going to be one to remember.”

Winner of the 2001 NCAA Division I National wrestling championship, Josh Koscheck entered MMA strictly as a wrestler, but as he battled his way through the first season of The Ultimate Fighter and up the welterweight ranks, he has evolved into a well-rounded contender with dynamite in his right hand. Owner of UFC wins over the likes of Diego Sanchez, Dustin Hazelett, Chris Lytle, Yoshiyuki Yoshida, and Frank Trigg, Koscheck is well on his way to a world title shot should he get by Anthony Johnson on November 21st.

A junior college National wrestling champion, Anthony Johnson has nonetheless built his reputation in the UFC with his devastating knockout power. Winner of five of his seven Octagon bouts, San Jose’s “Rumble” has ended each of those victories (over Chad Reiner, Tommy Speer, Kevin Burns, Luigi Fioravanti, and Yoshiyuki Yoshida) by way of knockout, making him one of the most feared athletes in the 170-pound weight class.

This Saturday the UFC presents Ortiz v Griffin II live on pay per view. The last time Ortiz and Griffin fought it was an exciting fight with great performances from both guys. Ortiz is a guy that you either really love or really hate. His wars with Ken Shamrock are legendary as are his taunts and pre fight hype. Forrest on the other hand is such a likeable guy with his self deprecating humor and well rounded fight game that it makes it hard for me to root against him. Both of these guys are coming in with something to prove Griffin is coming off his loss to Anderson Silva and Tito is coming off a long layoff/surgery/spat with Dana.Tito looks focused and rejuvenated and Forrest is …..your typical Forrest lol. Forrest always has exciting fights and to me win or lose has made his mark in the UFC. 

Normally I’d have a pick for this fight but my appreciation for fighters talents makes this a tough call.

Here are the other great fights as well as the promo for Ortiz v Griffin. My picks are in Red for some of the fights

MAIN CARD

• Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz-No Pick
• Anthony Johnson vs. Josh Koscheck- “Rumble” Johnson
• Phil Baroni vs. Amir Sadollah-Baroni – How can you not root for “The NY Bad-Ass”
• Luiz Cane vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira-NOG
• Dustin Hazelett vs. Karo Parisyan- Hazelett

PRELIMINARY CARD (un-aired) – Some fights will air on Spike TV @ 9pm est

•  Marcus Davis vs. Ben Saunders-Davis
• Paulo Thiago vs. Jacob Volkmann-Thiago
• Kendall Grove vs. Jake Rosholt-Kendall
• Brian Foster vs. Brock Larson-Larson
• Fabricio Camoes vs. Caol Uno-Uno
• Jason Dent vs. George Sotiropoulos-Sotiropoulos

On Itunes, or go to the audio here.

News:

Anderson Silva vs. Vitor Belfot in Jan.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/16355/vitor-belfort-says-hes-verbally-agreed-to-bout-with-anderson-silva.mma

Mike Swick Vs. Dan Hardy determine next fight for GSP

http://mmajunkie.com/news/16323/mike-swick-vs-dan-hardy-likely-to-determine-no-1-contender-for-georges-st-pierre.mma

Kimbo on TUF. Kimbo: “The crucifix is not my favorite position.”

Thiago Silva vs. Rashad Evans at 108

http://mmajunkie.com/news/16371/rashad-evans-vs-thiago-silva-set-for-ufc-108-co-main-event-in-january.mma

Coleman pulls out of Ortiz fight, looks like Forrest Griffin will replace him.

http://mmajunkie.com/news/16429/forrest-griffin-replaces-mark-coleman-faces-tito-ortiz-at-ufc-106.mma

UFC 106:

# Heavyweight Championship bout: Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin (Confirmed)

# Light Heavyweight bout: Tito Ortiz vs. Forrest Griffin

UFC 105 in Manchester, England, 11/14/09. A light heavyweight match up between Randy Couture and Brandon Vera is confirmed.

11/20/09 : fifth episode of ShoMMA — Women’s bout: Kim Couture vs. Kerry Vera

Rampage retires

Cro Cop retires… finally. In May of 2007: “Mirko ‘Cro Cop’ Filipovic announced today on Croatian television his intentions to retire from mixed

martial arts after his contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship expires.

In early January 2009, he said, “”I believe that during 2009 I will fight three more times for Dream, then I hope for a farewell fight in the

UFC.”

BufferZone–> http://bufferzone.craveonline.com/videos

Greatest site ever. Buffer 360 video, etc…

————————————————————————————-

JUDGES SCORECARD:

Middleweight bout: Nate Quarry vs. Tim Credeur –> Both pick Quarry

Quarry defeated Credeur via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-27, 29-28).

Lightweight bout: Gray Maynard vs. Roger Huerta –> Chris = Huerta, Cecil = Maynard

Maynard defeated Huerta via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 30-27).

Lightweight bout: Nathan Diaz vs. Melvin Guillard –> Both pick Diaz. Cecil says by sub early.

Diaz defeated Guillard via submission (modified guillotine choke) at 2:13 of round 2.

Fight of the Night: Nate Quarry vs. Tim Credeur

Knockout of the Night: Jeremy Stephens

Submission of the Night: Nathan Diaz

UFC 103

Main card

Catchweight (159 lb) bout: Tyson Griffin vs. Hermes Franca – Both pick Griffin

Griffin defeated Franca via KO (punches) at 3:26 of round 2.

Welterweight bout: Josh Koscheck vs. Frank Trigg — Both pick Koscheck

Koscheck defeated Trigg via TKO (punches) at 1:25 of round 1.

Welterweight bout: Martin Kampmann vs. Paul Daley — Both pick Kampmann

Daley defeated Kampmann via TKO (punches) at 2:31 of round 1.

Heavyweight bout: Mirko Filipovic vs. Junior dos Santos — Both pick Junior

dos Santos defeated Filipovic via submission (punch) at 2:00 of round 3.

Catchweight (195 lb) bout: Rich Franklin vs. Vitor Belfort — Chris=Franklin, Cecil = Belfort

Belfort defeated Franklin via KO (punches) at 3:02 of round 1.

Fight of the Night: Rick Story vs. Brian Foster

Knockout of the Night: Vitor Belfort

Submission of the Night: Rick Story

————————————————————————————-

TALE OF THE TAPE:

Preliminary card

Middleweight bout: Yushin Okami vs. Chael Sonnen

Main card

Welterweight bout: Anthony Johnson vs. Yoshiyuki Yoshida[1]

Lightweight bout: Joe Stevenson vs. Spencer Fisher[1]

Lightweight bout: Gleison Tibau vs. Josh Neer[1]

Heavyweight bout: Cain Velasquez vs. Ben Rothwell[1]

Light Heavyweight Championship bout: Lyoto Machida (c) vs. Mauricio Rua[1]

Fellow AKA member Mike Swick talks about Matt Hughes not wanting to fight Josh Koscheck and other AKA members. See what he had to say here.

After Koscheck victory over Trigg, he called out Matt Hughes.  See what Matt Hughes had to say about Josh Koscheck.

Video: Frank Trigg talks about his upcoming fight agaisnt Josh Koscheck

Barnett Tests positive for steroids. Affliction folds. Mayweather’s comments about boxing and mma; Cro Cop Back in UFC, after possible deal with Dream, Next fight possibly vs. Dos Santos; Frank Trigg comes back to ufc, next fight vs. Josh Koscheck.

UFC 100 Review:

Light Heavyweight bout: Mark Coleman vs. Stephan Bonnar Main card

Middleweight bout: Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Alan Belcher

Welterweight bout: Jon Fitch vs. Paulo Thiago

Middleweight bout: Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping

Welterweight Championship bout: Georges St-Pierre (c) vs. Thiago Alves

Heavyweight Championship unification bout: Brock Lesnar vs. Frank Mir

UFC 101 Prelim Card:

Middleweight bout: Thales Leites vs. Alessio Sakara

Main card

Lightweight bout: Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellegrino

Middleweight bout: Kendall Grove vs. Ricardo Almeida

Welterweight bout: Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks

Light Heavyweight bout: Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin

Lightweight Championship bout: B.J. Penn (c) vs. Kenny Florian

Die Ergebnisse sind da! Dieses Wochenende konnten wir uns über
UFC 95 – Sanchez vs Stevenson freuen…
Ihr findet die Ergebnisse wie immer hier oder unter dem Reiter “Ergebnisse”…

Nach einer Niederlage durch einstimmigen Entschluss der Punkterichter gegen Thiago Alves bei UFC 90 und einer endlosen Zankerei zwischen Offiziellen seines Managements “Zinkin Entertainment / American Kickboxing Academy” und der UFC, wurde die Sicht sehr neblig um den Top-Herausforderer im Weltergewicht.
Lange wusste man nicht wie die Zukunft um Josh Koscheck in der UFC aussieht…

Bis jetzt!

Der ehemalige Ultimate Fighter Teilnehmer stimmte einer 20-Monats-Vertrags-Verlängerung der UFC zu. Somit werden wir ihn noch bis mindestens 2011 im Octagon sehen können.
Koscheck selbst “Die Verlängerung ist sehr gut für mich! Das bedeutet schließlich, dass ich einen Job habe.
Es gibt viele Gründe warum ich so oft kämpfen möchte…Ich bin das ganze Jahr im Gym und ich bevorzuge einen echten Fight als nur zu trainieren. Dies ist die einzige Möglichkeit damit Geld zu verdienen!
Also teilte ich der UFC mit, dass ich fünf bis sechs Kämpfe in 2009 bestreiten möchte. Mir ist egal gegen wen…jeder der willig ist gegen mich anzutreten kann kommen…ich bin bereit. Ich bin ein Kämpfer, und das ist es was ich liebe!”

Author: Satan Claws

The dead and myself have been working diligently down here in the “South
Pole” on this year’s X-Mas(sacre) List. It is nearly complete (I’ve been a
little sluggish lately..all this fucking food! Newborns are harder to digest
than one might expect). Here’s a snippet of what I’ll be bringing everyone (in no particular
order…CHAOS!!!):

Fedor: A renewal of the invincibility powers I bestowed upon him in
exchange for his soul many years ago.

Andrei Arlovsky: The illusion of a chance at beating Fedor, followed by
severe disappointment. 

Tim Sylvia: A selection of assorted pee-pees for the tasting.

Matt Serra: The opportunity to kick bible-toting Matt Hughes’ Midwestern
ass on behalf of NY and Italian-Americans everywhere. Look for the State to
lift the ban on MMA in NY within the next few months, thereby allowing this
fight to happen at the Garden. In the alternative, expect State Senate and
Assembly members to die a fiery-death!

Alistair Overeem: Kneepads. 

CroCop: A fancy pen for his impending retirement.

UFC: What do you get for the company that has everything?

Wanderlei Silva: A win against Rampage (but does he really need assistance
from me?) followed by a shot a UFC LHW Champ Rashad Evans (there I go
letting mortals in on the future again).

Big Nog: The full support of Hades in his run for the “official” UFC HW
title. He’s a good shit, that one.

Frank Mir: The word “ASSHOLE” tattooed on his forehead.

Frank Shamrock: Invisible braces.

Tito Ortiz: A clue.

Anderson Silva: A challenge (NOTE TO JOE SILVA: Thales Leites is not a
challenge).

Keith Jardine: Good advice: don’t take the rematch with Liddell. You
already have the W on your resume.

Bas Ruten: A new job…you’re ruining Inside MMA for me.

Phillipe Nover: Takedown defense (in the hopes that he may still one day
prove himself to be the savior of NY MMA).

Badr Hari: A K-1 Rulebook.

Gina Carano: A video camera on which to record a high-quality homemade
porno to be leaked on the internet.

US Fight Fans: A good, non-streaming, method of watching Fields Dynamite
on New Years Eve (should be one HELL of a show [evil laugh]).





Now remember kiddies, if you hear someone rummaging through your house on
Christmas Eve…you should stay in your  beds or I’ll chop your fucking
heads off with a butcher knife, string them together and make myself a giant
child-head cock-ring!!!



Ok, we’re gonna run through this kind of fast since there’s not a WHOLE lot to talk about here. Nothing especially notable in regards to this ppv- except maybe the change of fighter in the Sanchez/ Alvez match which, if you have been paying attention, you should already know about.

MAIN EVENT: Silva and Cote-

I’ve said it before… I thought this was a joke at first. Apparently it is not and Cote seems to be garnering more support than seems reasonable. Canada is apparently effecting the odds on this one. Way to go guys… Honestly, Cote’s best chance is on the ground. Good luck getting it there though. No way to get Silva to the ground without it ending up in a clinch… and we know how that ends. I’m predicting it ends in the first. Silva-by utter annihilation (as usual). There are rumors circulating that Cote thinks he has figured out Silva’s weak spot… I highly doubt that. Of course, it IS MMA and anything CAN happen.

Koscheck and Alves-

Well, I was excited when it was Diego cause I knew Diego would put up one hell of a fight. He pushes a pace that very few in the UFC utilize. He’s not a quitter and his record (which is impressive) is made more so by looking at just who he has beaten. I thought for sure that fight would go to a decision.

Now we have Koscheck. Despite his win over Diego (where was the REAL Diego in that fight?) I still think Koscheck is 2nd chair to Sanchez. Koscheck has made notable improvements in his game. He’s about as good a wreslter in practice as Alvez. I know that Alvez’s standup is better. This COULD go to a decision, but I got Alvez by TKO no later than the 2nd. I think the biggest factor that will come into play here is takedown defense.

Tyson Griffin and Sean Sherk-

GTFO. Wrestling match extraordinaire. There are two ways this could go: One, they recognize each other’s gross wrestling abilities and try to make it a standup battle. This could be exciting. Or…two, the choose to try and prove who has the better wrestling game- in which case you might as well take this opportunity to get another beer, take a piss, whatever. This match has a lot of potential and is waaaaaay underhyped. The key here is legkicks. If Griffin can utilize them well as he has in the past (on occasion) then the fight is his. I personally have this one going to decision. Tyson by Split.

Clementi and Maynard-

This match is likely to be fun. Clementi has limited wrestling skills, but has good subs and great standup. Maynard lacks adequate standup in comparison to Rich, but his ground game is hoss. I think this one depends on whether or not Clementi’s takedown defense is up to par. If he can stuff the TD and keep Gray at arm (or leg’s) length- then he has it in the bag. I’m not one to count Gray out though. This is gonna be a good fight. I’m going out on a limb and saying Gray by TKO…if not the 2nd then the 3rd. I don’t predict a lot of action in the first. Of course, I’ve been wrong before.

Franca and Aurelio-

I’m excited to see Hermes come back and hopefully recover himself. He’s an exciting fighter to watch, he just needs to polish some of those skills. Aurelio is well respected in MMA. He’s a good, well rounded fighter This whole fight likely depends on if Hermes can land that kamikaze hook he loves to throw. I’m not betting on that though. Despite my love for Franca, I have Aurelio winning this one. Decision, most likely… let’s say majority?

Burkman and Sell-

One thing is for sure: someone is getting punched. These two belong in the class with some other middleweights that just wanna punch someone (Franklin, Quarry, Lawler, Scott Smith- yeah I know…EXC. Whatever). This may be the fight of the night. I see both dudes throwing calculated blows, then devolving into brawling when the flurries get heated. If either starts losing there may be a TD, Sell is less likely- Burkman probably wouldn’t hesitate. This is a tough one to call, but Burkman has a better overall skillset and slightly cleaner boxing. I’m going with Burkman- Unanimous Decision.

Yes- I know I have skipped a couple fights. This is because I either was unfamiliar with one of the fighters or the fight simply did not interest me (Leites vs. McFedries). That’s the rundown for this PPV. Hope I gave ou something to consider. Can’t wait to see how this turns out.

OUR FIRST SHOW!

News items include: Koscheck vs Alves, Maynard vs Clementi, Shamrock vs Shamrock

Tale of the tape: Middleweight bout: Michael Bisping vs. Chris Leben Light Heavyweight bout: Keith Jardine vs. Brandon Vera Light Heavyweight bout: Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou vs. Luis Cane Welterweight bout: Marcus Davis vs. Paul Kelly Welterweight bout: Chris Lytle vs. Paul Taylor Heavyweight bout: Shane Carwin vs. Neil Wain

Rate us on itunes!

Firstly, before I talk about the card itself, a giant “please die in a grease fire” to Setanta, firstly for purchasing UFC rights from Bravo, denying us the card on free TV, albeit on a tape delay (but at a much more reasonable 9pm rather than 3am), secondly for not advertising said purchase one iota, so that nobody actually subscribes to you. Literally the first I heard of it was yesterday afternoon, and I’m not going to impulse purchase them for this, I’d rather just find a stream (especially when they charge an obscene £15 as a setup fee, which probably involves someone phoning Sky and telling them to press a couple of buttons).

Speaking of the stream, while it is great that the internet allows us all to watch things like this, it’s still an emerging technology to some degree, and relying on other people for the upload (and not having a lightning-fast download speed as well) can cause frustration. My first feed went down about a minute into the final round of the Cote fight, and the second was choppy in the main event, losing key moments of the fourth round and less important parts of the fifth. Still, onto the card itself:

Tyson Griffin – Marcus Aurelio: Pretty much one-way traffic, and I don’t know how anyone can disagree with the 30-27 scorecard. Griffin won all three rounds comfortably enough. The idiots booing in the first round after they go a minute or so with dull standup all need to be shot imo, but eventually Tyson is able to take the fight to the ground and put down some decent gnp, which is defended well enough, especially with Aurelio dangerous enough with his BJJ to threaten subs even from the bottom. Second round saw Griffin again having the better of a standup exchange, utilising kicks more than in the first and somewhat surprisingly overcoming a reach advantage. Aurelio eventually gets the fight into the clinch but can’t really do much, and eventually it is Griffin that gets the takedown. Aurelio is then able to get Tyson’s back, and briefly threatens a triangle which comes to nothing. Final round sees Aurelio looking somewhat gassed, and Griffin is able to defend Aurelio’s takedown attempts comfortably enough. It is Griffin who takes the fight to the floor, a somewhat unnecessary risk at that stag in the fight imo, but Aurelio’s sub attempts are easily repelled.

Koscheck – Lytle: 30-26 for me, with second round being a 10-8 round. I really don’t know why the fight wasn’t stopped at the end of the second round. Story of the fight is basically “trade some standup, Lytle not able to land much, Koscheck able to take it to the ground, is disgustingly dominant with ground and pound, Lytle is defending but offering nothing back”. Lytle is cut up badly in the second, which reopens in the third easily, and the only surprise apart from Lytle being able to make it to a decision is how the judges scored it, the only time Lytle threatened was landing a couple of shots with about 15 seconds left in the fight after being pummelled for the previous 4:45 of the round, but somehow one scored it 30-28 (a 10-10, what?) and one, even worse, gave it 29-27 (did they decide to deduct Koscheck a point for getting his hair messy or something?)

Stevenson – Tibau was entertaining for the most part. Tibau looked to have a noticable size advantage, but it was Stevenson who was able to score the first knockdown, and attempted a choke but couldn’t lock it in. Tibau then looked to work from the bottom after Joe took him down again, failing with an omaplata and looked to have some kind of armbar but was unable to develop it into anything more than an uncomfortable decision. 10-9 Tibau for me. Second round sees Stevenson coming out swinging and getting into the clinch but not going anywhere. Tibau now takes down Stevenson and managed to pass from side control into the mount, but Stevenson escaped when he tried to get his back. Tibau then tried for another takedown, but Stevenson was able to lock in a guillotine on the way down and secured the tapout.

Cote-Almeida was the first of two close fights to round out the main card. The first round I scored to Almeida, with Cote being taken down a few times but defending very well, not allowing Almeida to really do too much damage. The second round I scored dead even, I couldn’t separate them in what was a duller, more tactical round, with Cote looking a bit more dangerous in standup and Almeida not defending as well, the bright spot for him being an attempted guillotine late which failed. I can’t really score the third round, as mentioned earlier my feed died after a minute and a half, although Almeida looked more tired and by all accounts Cote seemed to win the round, So, er, draw?

And then the main event. Jackson vs Griffin for the title. Early exchanges in the first round are fairly even, with Rampage landing the more telling shots, and Griffin utilising kicks more. Griffin is the first to take the fight into the clinch, but it is Jackson that takes him down. Forrest manages to recover, but is rocked by a late uppercut which is enough to swing a high-octane close first round to Rampage, 10-9.

Second round is completely different. Jackson is visibly rocked by an early leg kick, and Griffin is quick to capitalise, moving in and shooting for a guillotine. Griffin takes it to the ground and has Rampage in half guard. Jackson’s defense was not great and Forrest could easily have transitioned to the mount but declined to do so for a while, opting to stay in side control. Griffin lands effecting ground and pound with punches and short elbows, and then continues to apply that after moving to the mount. 10-9 Griffin, although it is arguable that this was a 10-8 round, I personally felt that although Rampage offered nothing, Griffin wasn’t able to hurt him that much compared to, say, Koscheck earlier.

Third round saw Rampage’s leg look dodgy when first coming out, and Griffin looked to attack that with kicks throughout the round. In a close round that stayed on the feet throughout, Rampage looked to deal the more telling shots, so I give him that one 10-9.

Fourth round as mentioned before was choppy. Rampage looked to have the better of frenetic early exchanges an took the fight to the ground and is able to cut Griffin from his guard. Griffin is then able to look for a triangle, but Rampage counters with a slam (apparently, it’s right here where my feed died). Next I see is Griffin trying and failing to get an omaplata, and he gets caught as he gets up by a shot from Rampage. 10-9 to Rampage again.

Fifth round saw an even trade on the feed for the first half, they tee off more, and for this round it is Forrest that is having the better of the exchanges. 10-9 Griffin for a 48-47 decision overall.

Obviously the judges disagreed. Even if you scored the second round 10-8, I don’t know how Forrest gets away with more than a draw for the fight. Perhaps he nicked it by one. But to give it to him by three rounds with Jackson only taking the fourth as one judge did? Jesus. The only round they all agreed was Jackson’s was the fourth, which in my eyes is unbelievable. What this does to the LHW division now is unclear, rumours are abound that the winner of Liddell-Evans will get a shot, if true I’d be somewhat irritated if I was Lyoto Machida, but we’ll see what Dana does.

Quick couple of beers:

16 – Hornbeam Lemon Blossom (3.7%) – 7, I don’t normally go for this sort of beer, a somewhat sweet and citrusy (no way) pale ale, but this is a decent example.

17 – Boggart Brew (4.3%) – 6.5, this can only be described as unusual. It has a continual odd taste that I can’t put my finger on. I thought it was OK, but it could divide easily.