Antonio Nogueira: "I'm back... and I'm bad... and I'm ugly."

Now, here’s an event worth talking about! Let’s get right to it, as there was plenty of action that went down during the night’s festivities. Not only was UFC 102 a pretty stacked fight card (at least in my eyes, it was), but the main event turned out to be a classic, and there were some great knockouts. What more could one ask for?

The night did start out kind of slow, however, as Brandon “The Truth” Vera picked apart Krzysztof Soszynski in a unanimous decision that went 30-27 across the board. I expected a little more from “The Polish Experiment,” but it was clear that Soszynski had never fought someone of Vera’s caliber before. It was also his fourth fight in eight months, and he stepped in as a replacement for Matt Hamill, so he may not have been fully prepared. I still see big things coming in the UFC from the huge light heavyweight.

Then, there was the middleweight bout between Chris “The Crippler” Leben and Jake Rosholt. I wasn’t sure how this one would go. I had previously seen Rosholt in the WEC before and he looked decent, but I thought there was no way that he would be able to stand and punch with Leben. Yes, Leben is still basically just a raw power puncher, and though I like him a lot—he was quite the character on Season 1 of “The Ultimate Fighter”—he lacks a lot of technique and doesn’t have much of a ground game. Anyway, Rosholt kept his distance in the first round and landed some decent shots despite Leben scoring a takedown and trying to work some ground and pound. Then, round two went more Leben’s way, as he started to close the distance and land some of his trademark big shots. I had the fight even after two. Then, Rosholt managed a takedown of his own in the final round and eventually ended the contest with a superb arm triangle (head and arm choke) that he sunk in quickly (thus winning submission of the night), and even though the ref seemed to miss what was a Leben tapout, he stopped the fight on his own anyway, as Leben was going unconscious. It’s been a rough go for Leben recently. He’s definitely a game kid, but he’s lost four of his last six fights, and I’m beginning to wonder if MMA is for him.

Now, on to the knockouts! It only took heavyweight Todd Duffee seven seconds to KO Tim Hague, and he set a new UFC record for fastest knockout in doing so. He also did it with a jab, which is kind of scary. Sure, it was a roundhouse left while Hague was on his back that put his lights out, but the damage was already done. Look out for Todd Duffee, he could be someone. Next, Nate “The Great” Marquardt took on Demian Maia in a tremendous clash of styles. I was worried for heavy-handed Marquardt in this one, because I have seen several of the undefeated (11-0) Maia’s fights, and his jiu-jitsu is no joke. Maia has won most his fights via submission. Alas, it wasn’t to be for the Brazilian master on this night. Marquardt proved that every dog eventually has his day, dancing around with Maia for twenty-one seconds before uncorking a straight right hand that actually lifted Maia up in the air making him parallel to the ground and earning Marquardt knockout of the night. Nate also displayed great class by not striking his opponent again while he was down. Maia was obviously hurt and the referee stepped in to call it. After that, there was the much anticipated matchup between Thiago Silva and “The Dean of Mean” Keith

Thiago Silva: Another new sheriff in the already crowded light heavyweight division?

Jardine. Almost readers may remember me criticizing Jardine not too long ago for not being able to live up to his catchy moniker. Well sadly, Jardine did little to prove me wrong, as Silva only needed ninety-five seconds to drop Keith on the canvas via strikes. Despite Jardine’s unorthodox style, he seemed no match for Silva’s quickness, and quite frankly I’m now very worried for Jardine’s career. As tough as he is, Jardine may soon become just another mere stepping stone for younger fighters within the division to climb the latter with.

It’s also worth mentioning (because it was brutal to watch) that Aaron Simpson scored a deserved TKO over Ed Herman, but I’m sure the fight didn’t end how anyone wanted it. Simpson pretty much dominated Herman in the first round, and during one of Simpson’s takedowns it was clear that something happened to Herman’s knee. Miraculously, Herman made it out of the round, and to his credit made a valiant effort to answer the bell for the second, but seventeen seconds in, Herman tried to throw a high roundhouse kick with his right leg and on the slow-motion replay fans could see what appeared to be the ACL of his left leg pop. This sent Herman screaming to the canvas, which called for a halt to the action. It was cringe-worthy, and something nobody really wants to see.

Finally came the main event of the evening. The 46-years-young Randy “The Natural” Couture took on Antonio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira in a battle of heavyweight titans. These are two colossal former champions. Couture is already a hall-of-famer and Nogueira will be. Couture is the only fighter to win a belt in different weight classes, and Nogueira is the only man to have held both the UFC and PRIDE heavyweight titles. Many folks appeared to like Couture in this matchup, but I think a lot of that had to do with Antonio’s poor performance against Frank Mir. However, “Minotauro” had to deal with several injuries for that fight, and had just gotten over a staph infection. People (and Nogueira) will maintain that’s no excuse, but needless to say, he was incredibly eager to prove that he hadn’t lost his edge. Anyway, the pair of giants engaged in a back and forth war, at least as far as the standup was concerned. Nogueira perhaps seemed to land more power punches, but Couture gave plenty back and wasn’t any worse for wear. However, I think it was Nogueira’s several strong and deep submission attempts that won him the fight. It was a unanimous decision for Antonio, 30-27, 30-27, 29-28 (I had him winning all three rounds), even though Randy did manage to escape the submissions cunningly and get back to his feet, proving that he’s still the best wrestler in the game. Regardless, the bout was closer than indicated on the scorecards, and while Couture was certainly disappointed, losing almost didn’t seem to matter. At this stage in his career, it’s almost as if it’s simply about taking on and facing new challenges for Couture. It’s an attitude that I hope I can only begin to have when I hit forty-six. I don’t even like to leave the house now. Also, this win for Nogueira should also set up a title shot for him against Brock Lesnar. That should be fun, especially for me as I continue to stay in the house.

BJ Penn: "Enough of Kenny's nonsense, I want to go hang out with Shane Victorino."

Hooray! Last Saturday UFC 101 was bestowed upon the world, and it was the first time the Ultimate Fighting Championship brought its exciting brand of action to the City of Brotherly Love. Yes, everyone by now knows that Philadelphia is the city AlmostAthletes supports (for better or worse) and basically calls home. Sadly, I couldn’t score a ticket to this momentous mixed-martial arts event, but regardless, I settled into my seat at a buddy’s house (thanks for the hospitality and beers, TG) in front of the TV anxiously anticipating a pretty decent card taking place in my backyard. The results?… Unfortunately, they were pretty uneventful—save for a couple events—and I was left feeling like I had just eaten Chinese food. Yep, I was still hungry. Granted, no matter what, I could watch MMA all day, but I was a touch disappointed by this event. Let me explain:

OK, for starters, just about every fight featured on the main card was rather slow and lopsided, with three of them ending in uninspired, unanimous decisions that were 30-27 across the board on every judge’s scorecard. I will probably take some heat for this, but UFC matchmaker Joe Silva or President Dana White might want to start telling fighters to step on the gas a little. Yes, I know that not all things can be controlled that way in the cage and that combatants have specific game plans during a bout, but there has been a good handful (too many) of plodding and listless matches left to the judges lately. That’s not what MMA is about. It’s about action.

Second, the fight between Amir Sadollah and Johnny Hendricks was stopped way too early. Sadollah was dropped with a punch twenty-nine seconds into the first round, and Hendricks pounced on him immediately, causing referee Dan Miragliotta to step in and stop the fight. The only problem is that Sadollah was on his way back up to his feet when this happened (I don’t care what Miragliotta says). Now, I know that the referee’s first responsibility is to protect the fighters, but there has to be a balancing act between that and giving a fighter a chance to recover. After all, fighters in the Octagon are warriors. They know what they’re getting into and they accept it. They don’t need a ref ruining their shot at glory just because they get touched up a bit. Besides, it’s a lot easier in MMA to see when a fighter’s lights go out. The officials need to relax a bit and let the guys fight. Anyone who wants to see an example of a good stoppage doesn’t need to look any further than last Sunday night’s WEC Bantamweight Title bout that saw Brian Bowles dethrone the champ Miguel Angel Torres. (Incidentally, I didn’t see this coming. Torres got KNOCKED OUT, and I didn’t think Bowles would be the man to beat the champ who hasn’t lost a fight in five years, only Torres’ second loss btw). Additionally, (I would be remiss if I didn’t at least mention it) BJ Penn’s lightweight title defense against Kenny Florian was a borefest. I don’t know what KenFlo was thinking with his game plan. Did he really think he was going to wear out a world class athlete like Penn? I actually laughed when Penn finally got tired of Florian’s act in the fourth round, simply threw him to the ground and choked him out.

There’s another thing I need to get off my chest, and I almost hate to mention it, because it may call into question my Philadelphia fandom. At one point, a brawl erupted in the crowd. I know, big surprise. I don’t know the details of what happened (if anyone does, please let me know), but during one fight announcer Joe Rogan actually stated, “No one in the building is paying attention to the fight in the Octagon right now.” This leads me to ask: Philly, can we reel it in a little bit? Don’t get me wrong, there’s a part of me that’s proud of the fact that we have a reputation as a rough and tough bunch of fans. However, there’s a fine line between being a dedicated and feral crowd and being a bunch of thugs and criminals. There was undoubtedly a ton of “tough guys” in the crowd sporting their Affliction and Tapout gear who thought it would be cool to start showcasing their “skills.” I can only hope that these punks were promptly stomped by security. Leave the fighting to the pros everyone, please.

Forrest Griffin: "Mommy! The bad man won't stop hurting me!"

Finally, here’s my biggest problem with UFC 101: Yes, the Anderson Silva/Forrest Griffin fight, if anyone can call it that. Let me preface this by saying that Forrest Griffin is my favorite fighter. Sadly, I don’t think I can call him that anymore. He dropped about ten slots Saturday. However, the saddest part of all this is that some are calling Anderson Silva’s performance his most impressive display of skills yet. I heartily disagree. I think it was more a case of Griffin completely embarrassing himself. I’m not trying to take anything away from Silva. It’s impossible to do so. He’s the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. But something strange was going on with Griffin. This was supposed to be the biggest challenge of Silva’s career. The middleweight champ had to come up in weight to take on a former light heavyweight title holder. We’re not talking about a slouch here. Win or lose, Griffin has had incredible fights with the UFC elite, including Quinton Jackson, Keith Jardine, Tito Ortiz, Mauricio Rua and Rashad Evans. Of course, he’s also responsible for the greatest fight in UFC history when he won The Ultimate Fighter Season 1 crown over Stephan Bonnar. So, what happened? Griffin was a joke against a smaller (albeit slicker) opponent who basically toyed with him for three minutes before knocking Griffin down for the third time in the first round (with a jab while retreating), thus calling for Griffin to VERBALLY TAP, pleading with Silva not to hit him anymore. That can’t happen. It was later revealed that Griffin’s jaw was dislocated, but I don’t care. This is a guy who fought with a broken arm once before. Griffin then sprinted back to the dressing room without saying a word, taking my tongue with him. I hope Griffin can rebound from this, but there’s a chance many folks saw his last appearance on the main card for a while that night, and there’s a chance I’m in the market for a new favorite fighter… and I’m still hungry.

Humility? I don't know what that means.

by Sieck

There’s nothing quite like watching two guys beat each other up, especially for sport. While I’m not a proponent of violence in the real world, two evenly matched warriors throwing down in a regulated environment is perhaps the purest form of entertainment (and possibly athletic pursuit) that there is. Beyond that, there’s a primal aspect to it, much like a bone in the nose or a plate in the lip that just makes it feel right. There’s not a bigger supporter of fighting in the NHL than myself, I’m all for a batter charging the mound to settle differences between teams, and I would even go so far to say that if fisticuffs were allowed in the NBA, it might solve a lot of problems (on and off the court). That’s why there’s no one happier than me to see the sport of mixed-martial arts (MMA) taking off in a big way. The sport is becoming more popular than a virgin on prom night, and it’s my estimation that it soon will thankfully eclipse the stale sport of boxing as the default setting for gladiators and the warrior code. I know, everyone’s going to say I just contradicted myself, that I should love boxing because it exemplifies everything I just eloquently waxed poetic about. Well, I used to love boxing and would still love it if the game was actually about fighting, but I don’t believe it is anymore. Anyway, more on that later, let’s stay on topic. Recently, the UFC held its 100^th fight card, and I feel the event was a rousing success and one of the first steps in claiming the title as the best of the combat sports. Let’s shed some light on this to scatter the roaches, shall we?

Georges St-Pierre: I'm so tough, I can beat guys with hurt privates.

I remember watching during the old days of the UFC back when Royce Gracie was ruling the cage, and quite frankly, I often found it boring. Nothing against Gracie, he’s obviously a master, but all he often did was smother his opponents, which wasn’t very engaging to watch. Additionally, MMA was a bit of a free-for-all back in the day, with questionable practices that perhaps weren’t in the spirit of a fair fight. This was so much a problem that the “sport” was illegal in many areas. Enter Dana White. The aspiring businessman who, along with his partners, bought the failing UFC for a mere one million dollars (I know, chump change to most) is the best thing to ever happen to MMA. He immediately instituted clear rules and weight classes that legitimized the sport. Since then, the UFC has steadily become a juggernaut, and this was no more apparent than after the conclusion of UFC 100.

First, for the uninitiated, MMA is just that, a mixture of fighting styles: boxing, wrestling, karate, Muay Thai, jiu jitsu, etc. There was plenty of all this featured during the event, which resulted in a tremendous showcase for the sport. Second, former WWE wrestler Brock Lesnar took on Frank Mir to unify the heavyweight title in a much-anticipated and contentious rematch. While Mir took the first meeting (perhaps luckily), Lesnar dominated the second matchup and halted the fight in the second round (as opposed to my first round prediction) with a brutal ground and pound game (the art of dominating a grounded opponent with strikes). While I respect Lesnar’s athletic talent, I’m certainly not a fan, and his post-fight comments are a good indicator why. He disrespected Mir, the sponsor (Bud Light), and therefore the fans. Lesnar needs to remember that this isn’t the WWE anymore, and such theatrics are not appreciated. However, it did give people something to talk about, and I do respect and appreciate that he did at least have the decency to be a man and later step up to apologize. Next, Georges St-Pierre successfully defended his welterweight title in another dominating performance against Thiago Alves, and he even did it after severely pulling his groin in the third round. St-Pierre completely neutralized the Muay Thai of Alves with fluent transitions between wrestling and standup striking, further cementing his reputation as one of the best fighters in the world and a great superstar to represent the sport. Finally, Dan Henderson scored a vicious second-round knockout of Michael Bisping, further demonstrating that MMA isn’t just about men rolling on the floor with one another.

In conclusion, UFC 100 should provide plenty of evidence why MMA should surpass boxing in popularity, and it’s time the rest of the world take notice. I haven’t been excited about boxing since Lennox Lewis retired. Friends tell me that I need to watch the lower weight classes, but that still doesn’t matter. Nine times out of ten, no matter what the class is, boxing has degenerated into two men dancing around like nancies (a la Dave Matthews) as they try not to get hit. Furthermore, MMA uses four-ounce gloves, unlike the gigantic gloves used in boxing, Therefore, punches are much more devastating and entertaining, especially knockouts. Besides, no one is allowed to kick their opponents in the face in boxing. Who doesn’t love that? Also, it’s worth mentioning that the fix may be in with boxing and may have been for a long time. Luckily, I don’t think corruption has crept into MMA, yet. That’s proof in itself why the sport needs to take its rightful place, right up there with football, baseball, hockey and basketball.