UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira Post-Fight Recap
by Mike Fagan on Aug 30, 2009 1:28 AM EDT
in MMA News
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-Regression to the mean. Learn it, live it, love it. Has Minotauro Nogueira slowed down since his Pride heyday? Of course. But world class athletes don't just fall off cliffs at 33. Nogueira showed tonight that his performance against Frank Mir was an aberration, the result of a staph infection and knee injury that had him in the hospital a week prior to the bout.
This was arguably Nogueira's best performance since his fights with Josh Barnett at the end of the Pride era. He showed off all facets of his MMA game, out slugging Couture standing, holding his own in the clinch, and showing off his vaunted jiu jitsu game. Great, great stuff and it's good to see him redeem himself.
-Take nothing away from Randy Couture. Nogueira won convincingly, but Couture held with him for 15 minutes. If Randy still wants to fight, I don't see any reason he shouldn't, though I think pipe dreams of him getting in there with Anderson Silva or Lyoto Machida should be iced, if not cooled.
-Is my analysis of Jardine's seeming lack of fundamentals the cause of his loss or is Thiago Silva better than people have given him credit for? For Jardine, one wonders where he goes from here. I assume the UFC gives him a bounce back fight, but his future in the division is in serious question.
For Silva, this fight was a great bounce back from the Machida domination. It's always interesting to see how a guy comes back after being steamrolled, even more so when it's the first loss of their career. Thiago answered emphatically, and I'd like to see him take a fight with someone like Rich Franklin.
-Hard to say much about Nate Marquardt or Todd Duffee. Very impressive stuff.
-I had been big on Jake Rosholt as he came up, but had cooled after his last WEC fight and UFC debut. He's regained my interest after this fight. He looked much, much tighter standing. Leben still snuck a big left in there to knock him down, but he stayed composed, recovered, and got back in the fight. Still, he didn't just press forward looking for takedowns, but fought controlled and technically.
-Ed Herman proved he's a tough dude after surviving the end of round one, but I'm sure he regrets his macho show trying to come out for the second. I'm even more disappointed in his corner who should have his long-term best interests in mind. It was clear when he came back to the corner that he had tweaked his knee pretty bad, and there's no reason he should have been answering the bell for round two. Now, in all likelihood, he has medical bills and a lack of income to look forward to.
-Finally, one last note on the main event. Just a fantastic bout. Great action, great drama, great atmosphere. This is right up there with Condit/Kampmann, Torres/Mizugaki, and Brown/Faber II as fights of the year, and both rounds one and two are up there for round of the year. Anyone arguing against five round non-title fights should really explain themselves after this one.
Photo by Tracy Lee.via yahoo.com
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From Randy Couture:
I have signed a 6 fight contract with the ufc today. 28 months,6 fights. Move to Light Heavy may be in-store.
I think the o/u on the amount of fights he gets through is 2.5.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
Was that signed before the fight? My guess is the UFC told him that if he wanted a rematch with Lesnar (assuming he had won) he would have to sign an extension first. Either way it takes a fighter, who I’m sure m1 was praying would leave the UFC to become a future Fedor opponent, off the list.
by John Nash on Aug 30, 2009 1:40 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
He signed it today at 7:45.
It’s a career-ender, and it’s a good one. The comp is not public, but this is a way in which competition benefits the fighters. He got a deal he would have never sniffed if Fedor signed with the UFC.
by Michael Rome on Aug 30, 2009 1:47 AM EDT up reply actions
I’m sure even the suggestion of him “maybe” leaving after his next fight to take on Fedor was threat enough to get himself a pretty good deal.
by John Nash on Aug 30, 2009 1:52 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
He got pretty much the same deal tito got… He might end up making more because he’ll probably get more title shots and marquee fights.
This is the same deal GSP, Anderson, BJ and every other star will get as their “retirement packages”.
Do you see him getting a title shot in any of his next 4 fights? Because I seriously doubt he’s going to fight more than that.
That, to me, is what is wrong with MMA. By what standard do they select their contenders? Is it merely by who can draw? I can’t think of another major sport in America that has such arbitrary championship selection. (I won’t compare to boxing, because I believe everyone agrees that is something the UFC shouldn’t imitate)
I don’t want to compare it to boxing because as soon as I do someone will go on about how corrupt and disorganized boxing is.
The point I’m trying to make is that if the UFC (by far the largest and most important org) wants us to take title fights serious they have to some transparent way of selecting the challengers. A published top 10 list or something where you can see who is the next in line. Right now, anyone who’s a draw and wins one fight can be in line for a title match. Now that might be good for business, but sports wise it seems Mickey Mouse.
And just for the record, I would say most of their title fights have been fitting. I just hate the idea that every time they are setting up the next title match it’s negotiated in some back room. it reminds me too much of The Harder They Fall.
I would love it. But I also wanted to see the Vikings vs. Broncos in 98’ and so did most football fans, but it didn’t happen. Why? Because the Vikings didn’t win.
If we could have Randy vs. Machida and the next in line didn’t have to worry about being permanently bumped out of their place in line, then I would be all for it.
Randy vs Machida will be after quinton…
So who after Quinton is a compelling fight for you? more so than Randy?
Do you know something about Quinton or are you just writing off Rashard (because I am).
I don’t think Randy has the speed to hang with Machida anymore. I don’t see how he would close the gap and clinch or dirty box.
So barring a Silva-Machida fight how about this:
Anderson Silva wants to fight LHW but doesn’t think Henderson is a worthy yet? Have them fight at 205. Henderson has always seemed better to me at 205 and if he pulls off the win you have Machida’s next challenger (He beat Franklin at 205 so he’s got a quality win in the division and he might take it for a chance to beat Anderson and fight Machida for the title)
And/ or Cane against Thiago. If Cane can beat him he gets the next shot.
Otherwise sign Gegard.
Publishing rankings would cause more problems than it’s worth.
There would always be arguments about the rankings, so it wouldn’t really solve anything because Zuffa could just put whoever they want at number 2, then you would also have a hard time to get number 3 to fight number 8. Why would #3 take that fight? he should only be fighting #2 or waiting for him to lose so he can get his title shot. What if the champ doesn’t want to fight #2 for some reason? Strip him of the belt like they do in boxing all the time.
The way it is now, no official rankings, no mandatory challengers, it makes it easier for them to make matchups, easier for (most) fighters to get title shots, and makes fights more exciting.
the standard
is how they determine it: previous fight performance, potential box office, fan e-mails,
what scheme are you suggesting that the ufc should impose with reference to title shots?
I don’t know I’m just spouting off.
But the system for picking challengers seems to opaque for me. But as much as it goes against any sort of business sense the #1 contender should be picked only on merit not on drawing power.
Otherwise the Minnesota Twins never would have won it.
Baseball?
Is that that one where they have an unbalanced schedule so the Yankees and the Red Sox can play each other 20 times a year for ratings and ticket sales, making it more difficult for teams from certain divisions to win the Wild Card because there are wide differences when it comes to strength of schedule?
Competition is always good for the workers and consumers.
=)
by MMASuPreMaCy on Aug 30, 2009 2:13 AM EDT up reply actions
This was a great event to bounce back from after 101’s lackluster undercard. The main event was just stellar, and will be historic for the sport.
And you know what the crazy thing is? The next events lined up are just as great on paper…the UFC is really cranking it out.
"You guys are jerking eachother off with some pseudo deep bullshit." - Kid Nate
What a great night of fights. I didn’t know what to expect from the main event, but man I didn’t expect that. For a second there I really thought we were gonna see a Frye/Takeyama throwdown there for a second. Man, that was an amazing fight.
When Nog and Randy got into that Hockey fight for a few seconds I was up out of my seat.
"You guys are jerking eachother off with some pseudo deep bullshit." - Kid Nate
by Kaleb Kelchner on Aug 30, 2009 1:44 AM EDT up reply actions
Me too!
That was everything that was advertised and more.
by CasualMMAFan on Aug 30, 2009 1:48 AM EDT up reply actions
Headliners Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Randy Couture earned “Fight of the Night” honors, Nate Marquardt earned a “Knockout of the Night” bonus check, and Jake Rosholt was awarded the “Submission of the Night” at Saturday’s UFC 102 event.
Each competitor earned a $60,000 bonus check with the UFC’s traditional post-show bonus program.
As expected, it would have been hell on earth had the not given FotN to Nog and Randy.
"You guys are jerking eachother off with some pseudo deep bullshit." - Kid Nate
by Kaleb Kelchner on Aug 30, 2009 1:45 AM EDT up reply actions
Duffee
Gotta be feeling a bit hosed.
by Danny Dangerously on Aug 30, 2009 1:45 AM EDT up reply actions
Cant feel bad…. Nate knocked Maia completly off his feet
by SouthAlaBamaRampage on Aug 30, 2009 1:49 AM EDT up reply actions
No way that was better than the Marquardt KO.
"You guys are jerking eachother off with some pseudo deep bullshit." - Kid Nate
by Kaleb Kelchner on Aug 30, 2009 2:10 AM EDT up reply actions
Being the fastest dosen’t make it the best. Nate and Maia were a marquee match-up, and Nate put him out in one punch.
"You guys are jerking eachother off with some pseudo deep bullshit." - Kid Nate
by Kaleb Kelchner on Aug 30, 2009 2:32 AM EDT up reply actions
True that – Hague may have been completely out, but Maia was 2ft off the ground.
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 2:34 AM EDT up reply actions
Poor Todd Duffee. Sets a UFC record, nothing to show for it.
Blah blah blah shower room bonus blah blah blah.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
shower room bonus?
Is that like a sexy version of a locker room bonus?
by Danny Dangerously on Aug 30, 2009 1:49 AM EDT up reply actions
Pretty sure that’s how Meltzer refers to them. Might not be him, but it’s a term I’ve heard before.
But yeah, just a sexier way of saying locker room.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
Well, if Edith wants her job back…
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 1:59 AM EDT up reply actions
Well nothing to show for it except for the fact that he got a huge career boosting victory in a fashion that will surely get him a lot of notice. While I agree that this is probably one of those times where they should of given out two bonuses lets not act like poor old Todd Duffee got nothing out of this.
I really thought they would split the bonus, or hand out a couple.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
It wad definitely fight of the night. The only thing I have against them winning it is that they don’t need the money. I like to see the poor bastards on the undercard winning $60,000 where it might make a big difference
by John Nash on Aug 30, 2009 1:48 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Didn’t think the card was that great but the main more than made up for it.
F’soty for me:
Misaki-Santiago
Tokoro-Cullum
Nog-Randy (you really don’t usually see a one sided fight end up being so good but it was)
Randy should retire though. Nog dropping more than once isn’t a good sign.
You crazy
It was a great card overall.
by Danny Dangerously on Aug 30, 2009 1:50 AM EDT up reply actions
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting much from the card but damn did it come through. Everyone here at the crib really enjoyed the show. WAR UFC!
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Aug 30, 2009 2:09 AM EDT up reply actions
You’re forgetting Torres/Mizugaki, Brown/Faber II, and Kampmann/Condit.
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 2:01 AM EDT up reply actions
Didn’t think much of the latter two and Torres’ fight was good but not worthy to me. I would put Banuelos-Jergenson over all three of those you mentioned
Blasphemy! Out, out damned demons!!!
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 2:07 AM EDT up reply actions
Man, I would have killed for another 2 rounds of this. I think Nog would have scored a shutout, but it would have been a blast to see more.
Man, imagine how epic a big Couture slam + GNP finish is in the fourth.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
That’s the thing. I don’t think it would have happened. But it could have. And I wish we could have seen it.
by Michael Rome on Aug 30, 2009 2:14 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Yamasaki should’ve stopped it in the 3rd IMO. He wasn’t defending himself at all Nog just got tired of hammerfisting away luckily. Randy got a gift.
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Aug 30, 2009 2:21 AM EDT up reply actions
He was moving, those hammerfists weren’t devastating, and he clearly was able to recover. Completely disagree.
by Michael Rome on Aug 30, 2009 2:23 AM EDT up reply actions
Randy was done but Nog got tired. Just saw it again, just my opinion.
I was rooting for Handy btw.
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Aug 30, 2009 2:28 AM EDT up reply actions
I think some refs might have stepped in, but I agree that Randy was doing enough to defend himself.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
I was mostly bored until the Couture Nog fight, but eegadz what a war it was. Holy schmoly.
A few things ran through my mind as I witnessed Nog’s domination of him.
1.Pride truly was hands and heads above UFC in the heavyweight division.
2.Couture vs Fedor would be terribly one sided. Where I once found this fight irresistibly intriguing, I now would imagine Fedor completely dominating Randy.
3. How badly do you think Nog wants to avenge his loss to Mir now? I want this and I want it badly. TBH, I really like both those guys.
The Nate/Maia fight was really anticlimactic. I wanted to see Nate fight off Demian’s ground game etc.
I felt so bad for Jardine. This guy is so friggin tricky to figure out. He’s got to be the only guy that can lose to Houston Alexander, then beat Chuck right around his prime, then lose to Wandy, then lose a close decision to Rampage, then get dominated by Thiago. I’d love to see him earn a title shot at some point.
Vera’s obviously quite good, but I didn’t feel like he ever really went for it. There were moments where SZ was clearly out of it and weak and Vera just sort of kept dancing on the outside. I think he could’ve had some more aggressive combinations, especially in the 3rd when he was still dancing and had zip on his legs and punches. That would’ve been a great fight.
/\
Vera needs to get his killer instinct back and stop fighting to not lose.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
Mostly bored? You must have been rooting for Maia and Jardine huh? Dude you’re insane. Hell of a show.
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Aug 30, 2009 2:19 AM EDT up reply actions
Nope. I called Nate, and I’m impartial about Jardine/Silva. Just found the fights anti-climatic. I expected to see those two fights as a bit of a war. Instead Jardine got knocked down with a weak left hook, and I didn’t even see anything after that land cleanly and he went stiff. Just not that exciting in my opinion. Same with Maia. I hoped to see more than Maia walking into Nate’s stiff straight right. Incredible punch by Nate, but one incredible punch does not a great fight make (for me).
KO’s = excitement.
Excitement = not bored.
Nobody said they were all great fights, just that it was an exciting and entertaining show.
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Aug 30, 2009 2:30 AM EDT up reply actions
Those weren’t exciting KO’s for me.
But I think it’s wonderful that you liked it. I’m so proud.
For me it was a blip of perfection in a sea of yawn.
Congrats on the elitist douche attitude. Be proud of yourself. =)
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Aug 30, 2009 2:45 AM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Well I didn’t FEEL like an elitest douche when I typed it.
Maybe just relax a little bit. It’s okay for everyone to feel a certain way about a certain event. There’s no point in arguing something as subjective as a fight night. We all have different stories about why we watch and what we like to see etc. It’s fine that you loved it. Seriously. It’s also okay that for the most part I didn’t love it.
I’ll be honest, Nate dropping a Hindenburg on Maia took the wind out of my sails for a bit.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
Right Click > View Image for Full Size
I love this so much I had to post it again.
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 2:14 AM EDT reply actions
Cut him some slack. Supremacy just loves MMA so much that he feels the need to inform and update us about every other MMA promotion not named UFC. I really do apreciate his efforts too. Let’s face it UFC doesn’t need his help anyway.
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Aug 30, 2009 2:42 AM EDT up reply actions
I think Supremacy
does a great job for her employers.
No shame in that.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
Wait, is Supremacy confirmed a female? This is destroying my entire image of her/him in my head.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
What video?
Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett
by Scott C. Broussard on Aug 30, 2009 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions
After hearing that Nog was getting KO'd several times in training
Anyone else get the feeling he would get dropped at any moment during the fight? This made the fight even better for me.
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
If Vitor kills Franklin he deserves next shot. After Vitor and the winner of nate vs Hendo Anderson should just be done with 185 and move to 205 for good. who else is left at 185?
Really? Even though that fight will be at 195? And that he’s only beaten two other fighters at 185 (Lindland and Martin) and they weren’t even that good of competition, otherwise they would have been in the UFC right?
Giffy Goodness
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 2:39 AM EDT reply actions 4 recs
That Maia KO is some Matrix type shit. I love it!
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Aug 30, 2009 2:42 AM EDT up reply actions
And the Maia hype train crashes. =)
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Aug 30, 2009 2:47 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I was and still am on that train, man, and the crash hurts real bad. I just can’t give up on fighters so soon. I think, though, that this train should be heading towards a NEW direction towards the Welterweight Division.
by chrisbboy82 on Aug 30, 2009 12:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Maia has a long way to go with his striking
but this should be a very educational fight for him and I expect him to improve and get back in contention.
Cutting down to 170 might be a good move too.
Follow me on Twitter @KidNate
It would make a lot more sense for the Maia hype train to crash if he was being hyped for his striking. But everyone knew that was his weakness, and in this fight, that weakness prevented him from ever showing his strengths. I don’t expect him to make a glaring mistake like that again. I still think he’s a top 5 middleweight and a guy to watch for sure.
Not sure what to think about the idea of him moving down to 170, both because I don’t know if he could make it, and because I don’t think this loss had anything to do with size. It’s not as though he’d actually gone to the mat with Marquardt and gotten overpowered. Sometimes it seems like people just reflexively talk about weight class jumping after every bad loss.
Maia himself said his striking was a 5 out of 10…
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
Even if his striking was 2 out of 10, he should’ve known that the basic counter to left roundhouse, is right straight to the kisser.
On this level of competition it’s silly to close the distance like he did without setting things up, especially if you’re not a kickboxer and don’t have the speed..
I hope he doesn’t end up like Leites: gun shy, praying for a TD…
by dancingChicken on Aug 30, 2009 12:45 PM EDT up reply actions
anyone who watched live saw the munoz fight?
cofield thinks that Catone got robbed because:
Frankly, Catone probably didn’t get enough credit for stopping the many takedown attempts by Munoz throughout the fight.
i wanna see the fight, but stopping takedowns doesn’t score points man..
We don’t need 5 round non-title fights. It would increase injuries and cut the number of fights we see on each PPV.
Nog almost certainly would have won tonight in a 5 rounder, but I still would have liked to see Randy try to make a comeback.
by Michael Rome on Aug 30, 2009 2:57 AM EDT up reply actions
Two more rounds of Nog/Couture > Simpson/Herman injury TKO that I could have seen after the PPV.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
That was still a fun fight to watch.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
I’m not saying it wasn’t fun. But I get really flummoxed when people talk about seeing “less fights.” Would you really rather see 15 minutes of two guys making UFC debuts in a fight you can watch the next day or 10 more minutes of two high-level guys in a super dramatic, highly skilled main event?
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
My stance is if the fight is important enough to be the main event then it deserves to be 5 rounds for the simple fact that it produces more closure to the competition even if it ends up being a decision… 3 rounds isnt enough.
UFC has excitement during a fight but it lacks drama and drama is the only thing boxing has left.
Drama cannot be produced in 3 rounds… 5 rounds is more likely. sitcoms are 30 minutes dramas are 2 hours.
Every story has a beginning middle and ending. With 3 round main events they are promoted with a good beginning and then with 3 rounds the risk is the story stops at the middle
This is a very good breakdown of one reason why I want 5 rounds fights.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
Again with the excuses for Nog really?, I swear it’s freaking hillarious how quick some are to make excuses for some fighters after they get their asses beat. Big win for Nog no doubt but the crying and whinning from his fanboys is getting really tired I can’t even begin to imagine if he lost this fight what they would come up with to justify his losing.
yes... yes...
let the the hate flow through you… with each pasing victim you become more my servant and will take your father’s place at my side…
Keep firing Assholes!
ZE GOGGLES! ZAY DO NOZING!!!!
by Ubernoober on Aug 30, 2009 2:59 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
There are lessons to be learned here
After seeing Anderson Silva dismantle Forrest Griffin after two lackluster fights, and Nogueira looking to be back to a pretty good form after his disappointing loss to Mir, it just goes to show how one fight can change the minds of some fans. Where is all the talk that Nogueira (or Couture for that matter) should retire, or that he is OBVIOUSLY slowing down? Where is the talk that these two cannot compete at a high level? While there are times where some fighters are done after a lackluster performance and age, it just seems like this is a lesson to MMA fans that one lackluster fight does NOT mean that a fighter is done or should be counted out. Nogueira showed against Couture what makes him Minotauro Nogueira: excellent chin, good (but not great) boxing, excellent jiu jitsu from his back and just excellent jiu jitsu overall. I personally could not tell that he was ‘wartorn’ or ‘aged’ in this fight, and he just looked like the Nogueira that I usually see.
To be fare though, how often does a fighter go from looking as bad as Nog did in the fight with Mir to as good as he did tonight?
There was already an example of that in the co-main event
After Thiago Silva’s loss to Machida, many were counting him out and questioning his top ten status. Then he goes and does a Wanderlei on Keith Jardine (which might not seem like much, but Jardine did go to decision with Rampage and beat Griffin and Liddell when Liddell was still pretty good).
by chrisbboy82 on Aug 30, 2009 10:51 AM EDT up reply actions
That’s different though, Silva looked bad because he got clowned by maybe the greatest fighter in the world, Nog just looked old and slow against Mir but that was probably due to his sickness.
Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
I’m just answering Zack’s question, man.
by chrisbboy82 on Aug 30, 2009 12:17 PM EDT up reply actions
I loved this fight. Absolutely loved it. The heart on display was ridiculous. Nogueira and Couture are two of my favorite fighters, MMA or boxing, and I couldn’t help but get caught up in the atmosphere. Proud to be an MMA fan, proud to be a combat sports fan, proud to be a sports fan period. Two incredible athletes putting it on the line. Beautiful.
Bad Left Hook
"Well Howie, I think I'm going to stay outside and outjab him." -- Tex Cobb telling Howard Cosell how he would approach Larry Holmes
by Scott Christ on Aug 30, 2009 4:38 AM EDT reply actions 5 recs
i agree completely.
damn good fight. :)
by Anton Tabuena on Aug 30, 2009 4:45 AM EDT up reply actions
Yup this fight had it all. Soooooo damn good. I had Diego/Guida for my FOTY so far but this tops it. The folks at the Rose garden were treated to one of the best shows IMO.
Mike Goldberg: "You know Joe, When Matt and his brother Mark Hughes were growing up, they would pound each other behind the barn."
by xFenixKnightx on Aug 30, 2009 10:32 AM EDT up reply actions
well, gana have to swallow my own words now!!!!
i did not think Nogueira would win by UD, im glad i was wrong!!!!
what a BAD-ASS fight, up there for fight of the year for sure!!!!
who would of thought??
Everyone has a game plan, untell they get hit.
Jardine: “Maybe the UFC doesnt want me to become champion…”
Reality: “Maybe your chin doesnt want you to become champion.”
by mmalogic on Aug 30, 2009 9:07 AM EDT reply actions 7 recs
The really odd thing is he seemed to think he wasn’t getting a fair shake when he was 2-3 in his previous five fights (and now 2-4 in last 6). If you wanna be champion you have to beat other top contenders, you can’t beat Forrest Griffin then get murdered by Houston Alexander, you can’t beat Chuck Liddell then get murdered by Zombie Wanderlei Silva. Oh wait, he’s still alive isn’t he.
Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.
If anyone’s been getting a fair shake it’s Jardine. He’s often on the main cards and he gets to fight some really high profile names. Being a dangerous and unorthodox fighter, the UFC was putting gold nuggets on the line when they were giving him fights against moneymakers Wand and Jackson and Liddel, not to mention Vera and highly touted Thiago Silva. Had he squeeked out maybe two wins where there were losses he’d very likely be in contention. Had he gotten all wins, he’d have gotten his title shot a long time ago.
Damn, thought Nog would finish Couture, but regardless, I knew he would win. People were just being too quick to throw dirt on the coffin after one lackluster performance.
Called Thiago and Rosholt too, though I’ll admit, Leben was looking pretty good until the sub, better than I thought he would, at least. And I felt bad for Jardine since I didn’t want either guy to lose, but I knew once they got toe-to-toe Thiago would drop him. I wouldn;t say his future is in question though, at least not his immediate future. He’s now suffered two back-to-back losses, but they were against tough competition. He just has a longer road to get back into contention is all.
And I’ll admit, I underestimated Marquardt and overestimated Maia. I thought Demian would be able to get inside and pull guard before getting hit by any power shots. I agree w/ the above that if he can make the cut, he should seriously consider dropping to 185. I think Nate should still wait in line after Henderson for a title shot though. And if there was any fight I thought I may have called wrong, it was probably Vera/Soszynski, but I stand by the assessment that Vera is fighting subpar to expectations and still has a long way to go to be relevant in the UFC LHW division.
As far as Vera goes
Just give him time and let him build confidence in the light heavyweight division. For what it’s worth, he fought smart which allowed him to take very little damage and still get the win.
by chrisbboy82 on Aug 30, 2009 10:56 AM EDT up reply actions
It was easy to see the skill of Vera here. He moved so well, avoided those leg kicks like it was breezy easy, but he never escalated which was sort of disappointing to me. When he explodes into action he looks so good and snappy, but he seems to be in cruise control. At some point the great fighters instinctively know that it’s time to attack. Sure you enter harms way a little bit but it’s a part of the job.
Maybe he needs some time to learn that, a la Lyoto.
Should mention that Guida/Sanchez is up there for FOTY. Don’t know how I forgot that.
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
Also, can someone get a GIF of Anderson, “LOL OK NATE!” look?
Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com
Keith in Strikeforce
Anyone wanna bet that we’ll see Fedor vs Jardine or Overeem vs Jardine soon?
Correction
Considering the chump change he makes in UFC. Sorry.
He is well taken care of. After this I don’t know though.
A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.
The real wrinkle is Henderson saying he doesn’t want to fight at 185 unless it’s Anderson.
I now think they should just give each guy a shot, one in November and one in March or April.
One idea:
Hendo vs. Anderson in November in the UK, and Nate vs. Wanderlei Silva.
I only suggest the latter because it’s another stepping stone to making Nate a star, and who knows, maybe Wand catches him? I want Nate to really be a name by the time he gets his shot.
by Michael Rome on Aug 30, 2009 5:11 PM EDT up reply actions
MMMM
I like this a lot. Eventhough I really liked Nate vs Hendo for a contender that Anderson would be excited about, your scenario is a very close second.
The only problem is I’m not actually that interested in watching Hendo fight Anderson, except that I think Spider doesn’t necessarily like Hendo and would enjoy giving him a first round whopping.
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