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UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort Post-Fight Analysis and Recap

1098_medium-Let the parade of "old Vitor is back" begin.  One thing I glossed over in my gambling analysis is Belfort's reliance on patient counter punching in his last few fights.  When Mike Goldberg told us to watch for Belfort to blitz, I informed the people I watched the fight with that there would be no such thing.  Instead Vitor came out reserved, made Franklin miss, and capitalized with his left hand. 

-Rich is super durable, and he got a little unlucky getting caught right on or behind the ear which probably threw his equilibrium way out of whack.  A couple of the big bombs Vitor landed following the knockdown looked to hit him square in the back of the head too. 

-I think the pre and post show talk from the UFC shows that they've been hesitant about giving Henderson or Marquardt a title shot because they want to bank on a Silva/Belfort title showdown. 

-While I won't call for him to retire, I'm not sure where Mirko Cro Cop goes from here.  It's fair to say that he'll never see a title shot within the duration of his current contract.  I'd like to see him fight Randy Couture, though I expect him to be used as a special attraction on Euro shows outside of that.

-Junior dos Santos showed what he needed to show tonight.  He looked tired in the final frame, but still fought effectively.  His chin stood up very well and he reacted well (i.e. no reaction) to the sight of his own blood.  I'd like to see him fight the winner of Velasquez/Rothwell or Kongo/Mir.

-Nice to see Tyson Griffin get the finishing monkey off his back, especially against someone as tough as Hermes Franca.  It's hard to make a bad matchup at 155, and there's 10-15 guys he could reasonably fight next.  Nate Diaz called out Dana and Joe to give him top competition, and that fight makes sense from a scheduling perspective.

-I thought both the Trigg and Kampmann stoppages were warranted live.  As Joe said, Kampmann might have been given a couple extra shots, but I certainly can't fault Yves Lavigne in that situation.  Trigg, however, looked done to me.  Koscheck had him pinned up in an exposed position and unloaded some bombs straight to his face.  Almost looked like a repeat of the Trigg/Lawler fight.  Unconscious or not, he didn't appear to be fighting back whatsoever.

-I'll own up to the Kampmann loss.  Admittedly, I've been aware of his tendency to take shots to the face, but I let my mancrush on him overshadow those deficiencies.  It surprised me that Kampmann had trouble bringing Daley to the floor, and the Brit made him pay for it.

-Goldberg followed up a bad Fight Night performance with an even worse performance here.  I found myself repeatedly putting my head in my hands, begging Vitor's God for mercy.  I understand people hold some nostalgic feelings for him, but the man's job is to describe things to other people and he can't do it.  I also have a bone to pick with Joe Rogan.  Vitor Belfort is not literally twice as fast as other human beings.

-It's bad enough that the UFC continues to advertise to people who are PURCHASING their product, but do they really have to continue showing us clips from crappy B-action movies?  For all their monumental financial growth and preoccupation with legitimizing the sport, this stuff comes off extremely bush league.

-To end on a happier note, I hope we get to see more free prelims on Spike.  It just makes sense for everyone.  More free content for fans.  Exposure for the fighters.  A good lead-in to the pay-per-view.  I'm not sure who loses on this deal unless Zuffa's really hard up for the $54 they'll make on those fights from the UFC Vault.

Photo via www.combatlifestyle.com

Ufc_103_medium

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This PPV is LIVE and with no commercials!

Now let’s take an extended look at Saw: Bajillion and Halo 30!

BOOSH

by Farthammer on Sep 20, 2009 1:44 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Saw...

Some retarded looking torture porn they had going there. Seriously I know we’re supposed to be watching “human cockfighting” but I don’t understand this stuff.

by sacterre on Sep 20, 2009 2:03 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

That Halo trailer was bad ass though. Everything else I could do without.

by Discman2 on Sep 20, 2009 1:47 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Another poor use of "literally"

was Joe (I believe) referring to Daley as being “literally explosive”. No, Joe…he didn’t erupt into flames.

by Scott Haber on Sep 20, 2009 1:50 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

He said explosive not eruptive…

A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.

by iiowyn on Sep 20, 2009 1:51 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

"Erupt into flames"

being my “literal” definition of explosive ;)

by Scott Haber on Sep 20, 2009 1:56 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Nitpicky

Seriously, people need to stop complaining about little problems Rogan and Goldberg have… they obviously are there to stay.

Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein

by Leland Roling on Sep 20, 2009 11:14 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

That’s a backwards reason not to complain about something.

Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com

by Mike Fagan on Sep 20, 2009 12:02 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

And I also wouldn’t classify Goldberg’s problems as “little”. He can hardly perform the most basic function of his job.

Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com

by Mike Fagan on Sep 20, 2009 1:23 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I love the screwups and crazy stuff said.

A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.

by iiowyn on Sep 20, 2009 12:07 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I love Rogan and Goldie but I also love seeing BE commenters rip apart all the flubs.

█♣█
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 Sep 20, 2009 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

No mention of the SpikeTV screwups?

A man should never waste an opportunity to keep his mouth shut.

by iiowyn on Sep 20, 2009 1:51 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I thought I was just finally going mad. It was kinda comforting really.

by Zack Gobie on Sep 20, 2009 1:55 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Production was poor tonight. Right off the bat there was a 2 second loop for the first 2 minutes of the fight.

Spanish commentary heard during the english commentary

by Discman2 on Sep 20, 2009 1:59 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Yeah, that was definitely bad.

Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com

by Mike Fagan on Sep 20, 2009 2:00 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Dana must be pissed

Big coming out party for heavily promoted UFC undercard live on Spike and first fight ends up looking like a glitching POS. Somebody’s getting clipped.

█♣█
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 Sep 20, 2009 1:44 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I didn’t see the fights on Spike what happened?

Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.

by ufc4 on Sep 20, 2009 7:31 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

for the first 45 sec of the mcfedries fight it kept repeating the first 5 sec, like it was caught in a loop

by cagefightonacid on Sep 20, 2009 9:37 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions   0 recs

anyone noticed Belfort’s stance? kinda looked familiar to me..

iiowyn? :)

by Anton Tabuena on Sep 20, 2009 2:00 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

If no one got what i said…

i was referring to his wider stance, posture, and better footwork that he has been incorporating into his game recently.. He’s been more controlled and counters much much better in his last few fights..

some things he’s been picking up from training with a certain champion..

and i agree with with what Mike Fagan said,

When Mike Goldberg told us to watch for Belfort to blitz, I informed the people I watched the fight with that there would be no such thing.

that’s the 90’s belfort, not the Belfort that we’ve been seeing recently..

by Anton Tabuena on Sep 20, 2009 2:08 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

From Luke’s Summary:

After a feeling out period where Vitor held his stance as if he was Lyoto Machida…

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett

by themachiavellian on Sep 20, 2009 2:11 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Would it be premature to say the Vitor Era has begun?

by sacterre on Sep 20, 2009 2:13 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Ok. Let me know when it’s time to hop on the bandwagon though, k?

by sacterre on Sep 20, 2009 2:21 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

maybe after he fights at 185 and beats the champ…

by Anton Tabuena on Sep 20, 2009 2:22 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Or better yet, after a successful title defense!

by sacterre on Sep 20, 2009 3:23 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

If he beats silva, he doesn’t need to defend. The bandwagon will literally explode.

You don't look like a Tanaka.

by spectaa on Sep 20, 2009 11:10 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Cro Cop walked out ashamed

I just got back from the arena, and he looked embarrassed. I don’t know how much made it on-air, but he took the towel off his shoulders, draped it over his head, and solemnly walked out the arena. He’s done at the top levels – maybe a few senior-division matches, but he’s only going to get bullied around by the new breed of HW.

Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better. -Samuel Beckett

by themachiavellian on Sep 20, 2009 2:09 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Can he make 205?

by argyle on Sep 20, 2009 6:31 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

A fight with Chuck or Randy would probably be a good co-headliner for a strong card a either 205 or HW. But like Fagan said, UFC will probably just save him for the Euro cards beating up the Al-Turk’s of the company.

by Rusty Trombone on Sep 20, 2009 9:54 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Catchweight

He could fight Chuck at 215. Why not?

by jebushchrist on Sep 20, 2009 9:59 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

CroCop is a legend, I don’t think he is done. He has lost plenty before, that has never stopped him.

for all intents and purposes, just consider all my posts as works of satire.

by Bandaka on Sep 20, 2009 10:37 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

He is completely done. He NEVER sets up his LHK anymore, and it’s fucking pitiful. I don’t want him in the UFC at all, to be perfectly honest. He’s making himself look fucking horrible. If he can drop down to LHW and gain some speed, I wouldn’t be opposed, but he absolutely sucked against Dos Santos. Throwing LHKs without setting them up = FAIL.

Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein

by Leland Roling on Sep 20, 2009 11:16 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Dos santos put too much pressure on him, he was too big and fast at the same time, crocop could only push him to get some distance to charge an obvious HK. Imo he can compete against smaller opponents.

You don't look like a Tanaka.

by spectaa on Sep 20, 2009 11:34 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Cro Cop is done because NOBODY is afraid of him any more and he knows it. Dos Santos had his hands pretty low and regularly circled toward CC’s left leg.

by MMAEruption on Sep 20, 2009 12:19 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

This.

Cro Cop is done at HW. He has lost the killer instinct and aura of being a destructive striker. Throwing the LHK out of nowhere and not setting it up is a serious problem for Cro Cop. He used to throw the leg kicks and body kicks to bring the hands of his opponents down and then he would unleash the LHK.

Another thing that really bothered me about that performance was the fact the he never effectively countered. Cro Cop used to use his straight left to counter effectively, but he never did that against JDS. He was just leaning in and pushing JDS off but never threw punches. At certain points of the fight he was actually looking for the clinch. Not the Cro Cop we all know and love. A drop to LHW may resurrect his career, but he just can’t cut it in the upper echelon of the HW division.

Contributing writer for MMA-Analyst.com

by Joe Schmitt on Sep 21, 2009 12:53 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Not back of the head

- Vitor did clip Franklin to knock him down, but the shot that knocked Franklin out was to the right side of his head. Looked to be right on the ear, NOT the back of the head.

- Cro Cop is no longer elite, but he is still good. Can he slim down to 205? If not then he only gets mid-level HW fights and that means 2 more fights and he’s out of the UFC. But don’t knock him too much, Santos is very good and a bad match-up for him.

- Where are the critiques of how utterly stupid Kampmann was? That was possibly the dumbest strategy (or anti-strategy) of the night.. I bet his coach is furious with him. You don’t stand and trade with Daley, you do everything you can to take him down.

Also, I had a Kampmann, Santos and Vitor parlay, so I’m pissed too. :)

by Django Z on Sep 20, 2009 2:17 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

He did shoot, he just couldn’t get him down. Says a lot about Kampmann’s wrestling acumen.

by Michael Rome on Sep 20, 2009 2:35 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Stretch...

Yeah, that’s a stretch. If you define “shoot” as grab a single leg and not come forward at all, then yeah… he shot. Kampmann’s gameplan was a horrible fail.

Follow me on Twitter @lelandroling
"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein

by Leland Roling on Sep 20, 2009 11:17 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Yeah, that was a piss poor TD attempt if you can even call it that.

Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.

by ufc4 on Sep 20, 2009 7:27 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Yeah, the one standing wasn’t to the back of the head. I was talking about when it hit the floor. But I expect that when a guy just turtles up and turns his neck every so often.

Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com

by Mike Fagan on Sep 20, 2009 10:07 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Other notes:

The voices in my head speak spanish.

Keep firing Assholes!

The Leafs are back!

by Ubernoober on Sep 20, 2009 2:25 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Those aren’t in your head, they were the commentators on yours stream

Walla walla walla I'm an idiot.

by ufc4 on Sep 20, 2009 8:41 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

yeah,Semtex worked fast and Kampman wasn’t able to clinch for a body lock. He was doomed without being able to execute the TD. Certainly makes Shields win seem even more impressive.
More importantly, why in god’s name can’t the fans of theis sport, the people who fund this enterprise, have the option to watch the prelims live? I will never pay the UFC a dime to watch their Vault. Why not allow me to pay a couple bucks extra and watch the prelims as the unfold? It’s like letting fresh fruit sit around and then tring to sell it as it is spoiling. Why not let me buy the product while it is still fresh? I tried to text my thoughts to Dana but since it wa more than 3 sentences he probably didn’t read it. I
From a gaming perspective I lost a lil on Kampman and cole but thanks to the expert advice gathered here and elsewhere I was able to dial in some profits on JDS , Kos, Griffin and Vitor. Get your bets in on A. Johnson while he’ still under -300.
Hope someone else got in on Washington (vs. USC) and +19 1/2 pts! woof woof!

by naturalist on Sep 20, 2009 3:13 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Advertising dollars. If crappy B-Action movie wants to spend its advertising budget on UFC PPVs, they either A) turn it down B) roll the clip. Personally I loved the Halo 3 clip – I thought it was a great ad for a video game.

by KrmtDfrog on Sep 20, 2009 10:04 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Saw

actually plays to the general viewership of UFC shows also.

Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.

by Brent Brookhouse on Sep 20, 2009 10:27 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I think saw 1 was pretty good. The rest was bad.

You don't look like a Tanaka.

by spectaa on Sep 20, 2009 11:16 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Didn’t like the Kampmann stoppage. Daley definitely had him hurt, but I hate seeing fights stopped when the guy’s still on his feet. Bad strategy to keep the fight on the feet as long as Kampmann did though. His takedown attempts had nothing on them either. I’ve got to think Swick is the closest thing the WW division has to a #1 contender by default now after this. Even with the win, I don’t think Daley is in the title picture and needs another fight. Maybe fight Marcus Davis next.

Cro Cop hung in there longer than I thought he would. But Dos Santos is no joke. Really eager to see who Junior fights next. Velasquez?

Good stoppage of Trigg. I thought Kos would grind out a win, but he went for the finish. I hope Koscheck does get Hughes. I’d like to see that fight. I think it would say a lot over where both fighters stand in the WW division.

And I hope Belfort does get Anderson for the title. I was against Hendo vs. Marquardt because there wouldn’t have been any viable challengers for awhile, but Vitor’s win changes that a little. Now Dan and Nate can fight and take on the winner of Anderson/Vitor.

by Hardcase on Sep 20, 2009 10:06 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I thought Franklin caught one punch square to the back of his head while on the ground (the first one), but those sorts of shots seem to be ignored in high-profile bouts so I won’t concern myself with it too much.

The Kampman stoppage was terrible, in my opinion.

The Trigg stoppage was also a little questionable, but he was pretty much done so I’ll leave it at that.

Cro Cop put up a reasonable nice effort, but I think he’s pretty much spent. It’s a shame, but he’s been at this a long time and seems to be showing the effects. Furthermore, his style has been throughly exposed over the last couple years, and he hasn’t adapted much.

Goldberg is a laughable announcer. He doesn’t add a lot to the conversation, other than inexplicable explanations of the acoustics of leg-kicks nearly every fight. They will probably never replace him, which is disappointing.

It ends in an armbar or a strangle regardless.

by capital L on Sep 20, 2009 10:10 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I’m kinda surprised at the uproar with the Kampmann decision. Not that I think people are wrong, just seems to be more one-side than I expected. I’m a HUDGE Kampmann fan and had small money on him tonight, and I thought it was fine.

Twitter: @Mike_Fagan_13
http://www.sackmikegoldberg.com

by Mike Fagan on Sep 20, 2009 10:12 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Kampmann vs. Daley

The referee did his job correctly. I don’t even see what the uproar is all about. There have been many instances where fighters go to sleep eating punches standing, only to be jarred back to consciousness by the next punch.

Same thing with TRigg, referee saved him from further punishment.

Check out my recent MMA drawings on my blog, drop a comment, or subscribe via RSS for updates http://www.scritchandscratch.com/blog/?tag=mma

by VeeisAnimated on Sep 20, 2009 10:16 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I've said it several times...

this is one of the places where boxing has the edge in how these are handled. In boxing Kampmann would have been given a standing 8 count, we don’t have that in MMA (nor should we) so the ref is supposed to look at the fighter’s eyes and body. Kampmann’s eyes were rolling back in his head and his legs kept buckling. You don’t have to wait for a fighter to be knocked down or out for it to be a good stoppage.

That’s actually a perfectly correct stoppage.

Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.

by Brent Brookhouse on Sep 20, 2009 10:29 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

There are also standing TKO’s in boxing w/o the 8 count.

You’re right tho, this stoppage was perfectly fine. It doesn’t say you have to be on the ground to be TKO’d. You can be standing and out, you can be standing and not intelligently defending yourself.

by Phildo on Sep 20, 2009 10:33 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Well I watched it again

And “terrible” is not a fair description. I still think the stoppage was premature, but upon a next day out of context review I can see that it was clearly within the realm of reason.

It ends in an armbar or a strangle regardless.

by capital L on Sep 20, 2009 10:44 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I can see...

someone thinking that Kampmann should have been given another second or two to try and survive. I’m fine with that. What has been bothering me has been the cries that it was horrible…etc. So your day later reflection seems cool to me.

Editor - BloodyElbow.com - SBNation's mixed martial arts headquarters.

by Brent Brookhouse on Sep 20, 2009 10:50 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

So whats going to happen to Rich Franklin now? Is he still going to fight 195 catch weight, just to be the gatekeeper of 185?

for all intents and purposes, just consider all my posts as works of satire.

by Bandaka on Sep 20, 2009 10:39 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

It was a one time thing… that happened 3 times…

You don't look like a Tanaka.

by spectaa on Sep 20, 2009 11:22 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

All the stoppages were good

Yeah, I said it.

█♣█
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 Sep 20, 2009 1:46 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I’m convinced fagan is a double agent for sherdog

by cagefightonacid on Sep 20, 2009 4:31 PM EDT via mobile reply actions   0 recs

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