UFC 102 Results, Commentary and Analysis: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Is a for Reals Threat to Brock Lesnar
by Kid Nate on Aug 30, 2009 12:56 AM EDT
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In a fight that jaded MMA fans slept on, Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira delivered an epic bout that showcased the sport at its absolute best.
Two men who had been waiting more than a decade to meet made it worth the wait. No fan could watch that fight and fail to realize that this was a truly epic batch between two true legends of the game.
The younger more versatile fighter showed that Father Time will out. Even at their respective peaks, Nogueira had the more complete arsenal between his solid boxing and his immaculate and lethal ground game.
But Randy "The Natural" Couture showed that heart and technique can give a man a fighting chance against even the most deadly of opponents. Three times mounted, twice put in deadly jeopardy of being choked out by a true ground-fighting assassin, Couture proved that he is still among the best in the game.
Even more excitingly, Nogueira has proven that he merits a fight against Brock Lesnar. A threat to beat the champ both on the feet and on the ground, Nogueira could very well cement his status as the 2nd best heavyweight in the sport by submitting Lesnar.
Thiago Silva is back as a serious and formidable force in the UFC light heavyweight division. Keith Jardine is on a two fight slump and might be done as a potential champion in the division. Would fans like to see Thiago Silva vs Brandon Vera?
On the lower card, Nate Marquardt made a strong case for deserving a title shot. Even against the incredible Anderson Silva. What I'd really really like to see is Nate Marquardt vs Dan Henderson for a truly epic #1 contender bout. Let Anderson Silva fight Frank Mir.
Jake Rosholt came through the fire to prove that he's a potential contender at middleweight...someday. The combination of top wrestling and aggressive submission attacks is an effective one, no matter how limited your striking game.
Among the many heavyweights on the guard, newcomer Todd Duffee emerges as someone the hypsters will get behind in a big way. Mike Russow shows that he is UFC caliber. Gabriel Gonzaga remains a very threatening gatekeeper in the UFC heavyweight division by punking out Chris Tuchscherer.
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Nog showed a great chin tonight and also i would like to now see a Jardine vs Griffin Rematch and Thiago Silva vs. Brandon Vera as you stated
by SouthAlaBamaRampage on Aug 30, 2009 1:03 AM EDT reply actions
If Mir wasn’t lined up to fight Kongo, I’d give Nog a rematch with him. They could scrap the Kongo bout, but we’ll see. That would definately be a way to fast track Nog into the number 1 contender spot.
I counted Nog out, I’m not gonna sit here and beat around the bush. I didn’t think him winning was completely impossible, but honestly, I didn’t see him being dominant like that. Big Nog has some more miles left before he hangs it up. Randy just needs to take money fights and end on a good note, either I underestimated Nogs power, overestimated Randy’s chin…or it was a little bit of both.
And let’s give it up for Nate Marquardt, for the Hype Train Wrecker of the Year award.
"You guys are jerking eachother off with some pseudo deep bullshit." - Kid Nate
^^ this
I think when the emotion of the night wears off, clearer heads will prevail.
weoweoweo is the best and brandon vera is a pogi.
I picked Nog to win but let's really be realistic about this..
Frank Mir is just as agile on the ground and just as dangerous off his back.. Brock smothered him and beat the living daylights out of him..
Nog has a chin, but let’s also be honest here.. Who has Randy ever KO’ed ?? Randy has only ever knocked 1 fighter down with a single shot and that was a broke back mountain Tim Sylvia.. I’m a huge Randy supporter & Nog as well..
But the reality is that Nog isn’t faster than Brock & he’ll be fighting from his back the entire fight for how ever long it goes if he gets in there with Lesnar..
oh please, stop with did we watch the same fight already
I mean, you thought couture had won….. and now you don’t think nog is a threat to your 4-1 champ?
Nog isnt reversing a 280+ pound 32 year old Lesnar as easy as he did a 46 year old 220 pound Couture…just saying
"Frank Mir had a horseshoe up his ass. I told him a year ago. I pulled it out of him and I beat him over the head with it." Brock Lesnar
yeah, he was also supposed to be KO’d today or decisioned today according to 70% of experts in this site, and look what happened… just saying.
I dont listen to everything i hear i just pay attention to what i see and i saw Nog get the best of randy when he was on his back i dont think Lesnar will be that easy.
"Frank Mir had a horseshoe up his ass. I told him a year ago. I pulled it out of him and I beat him over the head with it." Brock Lesnar
yeah
but you gotta understand that big nog has been there with the best and heavier already, a 280 pound dude is nothing new to him. hell, if a truck can’t cripple him…
Im not saying its a easy fight for Brock either bro im just saying some of the things he did with randy are going to be a much tougher task with Brock
"Frank Mir had a horseshoe up his ass. I told him a year ago. I pulled it out of him and I beat him over the head with it." Brock Lesnar
I understand, but nog is a survivor, he can take the punishment en route to the belt :P
just because he’d have a tougher time with lesnar doesn’t mean he can’t beat lesnar.
i agree but just because he did well against Randy doesnt mean he will have the same luck with Brock. Randy landed some big shots and had Nog in a few bad positions in the fight. Not saying Brock and Randy are equal but one bad shot from Brock equals 10 of randy id suspect.
"Frank Mir had a horseshoe up his ass. I told him a year ago. I pulled it out of him and I beat him over the head with it." Brock Lesnar
same luck?
luck had nothing to do with it. and like I said, nog has been punished before, randy is no fedor either and nog survived all fedor had to throw at him. nog survived a left kick from cro cop, not many can take a kick from that guy and continue fighting. ok, so lesnar is big, but he doesn’t know how to strike. Sure, he can hit hard, but he can’t hit effectively. I think ppl are jumping on lesnar way too fast, kind of like the machida effect. Both are very young champions that still need to prove their worth as someone like anderson and gsp, whom seems umbeatable. if brock can continue having the same dominance against top competion in three more fights then I can see your argument being made, until then, he’s still 4-1 with fights against couture and mir…
And he finished both so whats your point? he fights who they put in front of him and was going to fight fedor next but he went to strikeforce hence the sudden fight with Carwin. Nog has sufferd a lot of punishment but it hasnt been from a 280+ pound man except for Bob sapp who was beating on Nog pretty bad up until the sub and lesnar is no bob sapp. The technique he showed against mir neutralizing his hips and controlling his arm and throwing bombs will work on many HW’s. Mir is 240+ and looked to be in top shape and he couldn’t move. Nog is a legend and is a great fighter and he has the tools to win but so does Brock.
"Frank Mir had a horseshoe up his ass. I told him a year ago. I pulled it out of him and I beat him over the head with it." Brock Lesnar
sure brock has the skills to win, what I am saying though is that, for me at least, I just don’t jump on ships that ppl say after one title defense all of the sudden the guy seems unbeatable. that’s how most of you guys sound about brock (and machida). brock is 1 and 1 against mir, who won the first fight by sub, and nog can capitalize way more on that then mir. You want to say he was too green back then? that’s a good argument, I’d say he’s still too green today.
I agree that sapp is no lesnar, but they hit with just about the same power. You may not believe that because sapp sucks, but his raw power I’d say is around the same as lesnars.
anyways I’m gone, it’s three in the morning here, peace out.
power alone can only get you so far power added with wrestling pedigree and a 7time champ in jujitsu teaching you how to neutralize someones jujitsu is a diff story. Brock didnt have comprido in the first fight with mir he does now big difference. Im not saying Brock is the greatest but im saying your talking now because he just beat randy but brock beat the same guy but finished the fight in the 2nd. Brock is more than a challenge for Nog just as Nog is a challenge for him is all i am saying. id favor Brock you would favor Nog so i guess we can just agree to disagree
"Frank Mir had a horseshoe up his ass. I told him a year ago. I pulled it out of him and I beat him over the head with it." Brock Lesnar
Sweeps are about technique...
and not just brute strength. You use your opponent’s own body weight to get a sweep. Nog rolled a wrestler as good as Couture, I wouldn’t count him out against Lesnar.
First off
I got a flawless stream that never quit on me……I love Russian announcers now.
I thought Couture was doomed when he got dropped in the 3rd. That was almost Chuck/Randy III like the way he fell. How he ended up getting Minotauro on his back is beyond me.
At 46 he’s still got it.
One of the best fights I’ve ever seen on a fantastic fight card. Still a little peeved we didn’t get to see the Gonzaga fight.
Beverly Hills 90210.......Denver Broncos 7.
I was
pulling for Randy, but I love me some Nog, and honestly- the prospect of Nog/ Lesnar is just really freaking cool to me.
IMO, the CC/ JDS winner should be fighting Velasquez if he beats _ (drawing a blank here), and Nog should get the winner of Carwin/ Lesnar.
Supporting all Las Vegas MMA. Xtreme Couture FTMFW.
'09 is the year of the FW's.
by ElliotMatheny on Aug 30, 2009 1:12 AM EDT up reply actions
I got a terrible succession of streams...
but thankfully I managed to catch all the fights in entirety except Vera/K Sos. I usually only ever need one stream. Yesterday I must have seen 6 streams before each one got succesively banned!
Nate Marquardt is now my new favorite fighter
Someone GIF that KO.
Beverly Hills 90210.......Denver Broncos 7.
He had me when he KO’ed Wilson Gouveia.
"You guys are jerking eachother off with some pseudo deep bullshit." - Kid Nate
by Kaleb Kelchner on Aug 30, 2009 1:12 AM EDT up reply actions
lol
I have nothing against Maia, but all the hype around him and the one thing he’s good at – I have to admit I chuckled a little bit. But only a little, cuz I’m sure he’s a nice guy and probably embarrassed by his performance :(
weoweoweo is the best and brandon vera is a pogi.
Same here. I respect him as a BJJ player, but man, you don’t get to the top of the heap with one really good aspect in your game anymore.
I thought I’d be less thrilled to see Nate/Silva II after tonight, but Nate proved me wrong, and now I really want to see that fight.
"You guys are jerking eachother off with some pseudo deep bullshit." - Kid Nate
by Kaleb Kelchner on Aug 30, 2009 1:31 AM EDT up reply actions
Nog looked like the Nog of old. His next fight should be Lesnar regardless of if he wins against Carwin
Randy looked bad. Time is the one opponent no one can beat.
Overall a night of crazy knockouts.
█♣█
A wise man told me don't argue with fools
Cause people from a distance can't tell who is who -- Jay-Z
by thetakeover on Aug 30, 2009 1:18 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Are you crazy?
"You guys are jerking eachother off with some pseudo deep bullshit." - Kid Nate
by Kaleb Kelchner on Aug 30, 2009 1:51 AM EDT up reply actions
I’m too lazy to go check the other post, but I’m guessing you’re the one who thought Couture might have won.
Yup, that's him
Haha ya right. Nog didn’t impress me in this fight, Randy did.
You don't look like a Tanaka.
No Nog is not a threat for Lesnar at all and he’s at least another big win away from getting a title shot big win for him though.
Bullshit
about Nog not being a threat.
Mir fucking GAVE Brock those power bomb takedowns, and he wouldn’t have it that easy w/ Nog. Nog would be grabbing a neck on the way down, and i’m sorry, but I just don’t think that 2 years of MMA is enough to prevent Nog from gator rolling your ass.
At this point, if they don’t give Nog the next title shot, then i’d love to see Nog/ Mir II and have Gonzaga fight Kongo, and then you have a bevy of fighters to pick from for Lesnar/ Carwin winner’s next fight (JDS/ Crocop, Velasquez if he wins his next fight impressively, etc).
Supporting all Las Vegas MMA. Xtreme Couture FTMFW.
'09 is the year of the FW's.
by ElliotMatheny on Aug 30, 2009 2:01 AM EDT up reply actions
You’re delusional Nog’s takedown defense is horrible, but it wouldn’t even matter Brock would knock him the fuck out standing worse than Mir did. Mir is younger than Nog, stronger than Nog, has the same if not better bjj than Nog and Lesnar smashed him Nog needs at least another win before even being in the conversation for taking on Lesnar.
Mir has no where neaar the BJJ of Nog
by SouthAlaBamaRampage on Aug 30, 2009 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m getting Bob Sapp flashbacks with all of you guys saying Nog has no chance against Lesnar. Granted, that was almost a decade ago, but it’s Big Nog we’re talking about! C’mon!
/irrational Big Nog fanboy
I specializes in grammar fail.
by a tommy point on Aug 30, 2009 1:31 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
The same people saying Nog would beat Lesnar are the same who said the only reason Lesnar beat Couture was because of size and age.
People, with the proper training camp, if Brock can shut down Mir so bad that he looks like he’s never rolled a day in his life…Brock will handle Nog. Period. Will Nog put up a better fight?…Maybe. Who knows? I say give Nog one more fight then get him in there so we can find out for ourselves.
"You guys are jerking eachother off with some pseudo deep bullshit." - Kid Nate
The same people saying Nog would beat Lesnar are the same who said the only reason Lesnar beat Couture was because of size and age.
What? That’s not true.
I’m one of the people (ask anyone!) who says that the only reason Lesnar beat Randy was due to size and age, and in no freaking way am I saying that Nog would beat Lesnar.
weoweoweo is the best… and I <3 Vera cause he is pogi.
Right Click > View Image for Full Size
Shameless self-promotion! http://twitter.com/scb0212
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Aug 30, 2009 1:40 AM EDT reply actions
33
god damn he don’t look no 33. Good for him tho, a genuinely nice guy and deserves all the acclaim he gets.
weoweoweo is the best… and I <3 Vera cause he is pogi.
UFC 102 Results, Commentary and Analysis: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira Is A Real Threat to Brock Lesnar. ** ?
"Hello, Japan"
Thanks for the undercard spoilers Nate!
You could have at least gave a heads up in the title or something.
once the event is over
and there is no risk of the fights being shown on PPV it can’t be a spoiler. We’re a news site. We report the news.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
Nogueira is NOT a threat to Lesnar
Nogueira has always had a tendency to block punches with his face and showed in this fight that its still a major part of how he fights. Unless his striking defense drastically improves, Lesnar would knock him the fuck out. Lesnar or Carwin landing flush like Randy did would end Nogueira’s night quick.
Nogueira is willing to take punches or he just leaves his face open . . . not a smart move against HUGE 265lbs. + fighters
I really don’t see him as a threat to Lesnar. HE CAN BEAT LESNAR, but not a serious threat.
Check out my recent MMA drawings on my blog, drop a comment, or subscribe via RSS for updates http://www.scritchandscratch.com/blog
by VeeisAnimated on Aug 30, 2009 2:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Nog got hit with some flush shots… if it was Lesnar or Carwin he would of been hurt big time.
Nog did great but he’s still slow and still gets hit. Lesnar wouldnt even need to take him down.
I want to see Nog rematch Mir. I think Nog deserves it for fighting in his condition and Frank needs it now that everyone thinks it may have been a fluke..
“Would fans like to see Thiago Silva vs Brandon Vera?”
No. Seems like a step down for Thiago. He’s only lost to Machida so far, and just wrecked Jardine, who’s the toughest fight Vera has had at 205 so far, and he lost that one. He’s only rebounding w/ two wins against an opponents who are, on paper, beneath him. Thiago deserves a fight w/ a bigger name at 205 than Vera, and Vera needs to rack up some more wins before taking a step up in competition, IMO.
I was really impressed with Jake Rosholt. While he still took some hard strikes, he’d clearly improved his defense. He stayed calm and appeared to work a gameplan rather than immediately reverting to wrestling instinct. And one he got Leben on his back, he was passing guard and setting up a submission—not your usual college wrestling champ strategy!
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