It's not that UFC 105 was bad. It wasn't. In fact, it was fantastic, particularly the undercard. And if we are comparing undercards, then UFC 105 absolutely smashed anything the lame efforts of Top Rank could even hope to put together.
But if we are talking main events, Couture vs. Vera - as talented as they are, as spirited as they fought - couldn't hold a candle to the utter brilliance of Manny Pacquiao.
Bad Left Hook sums up what happened in Las Vegas:
Manny Pacquiao was sensational tonight in Las Vegas, knocking down Miguel Cotto twice, battering him throughout the majority of the fight, and forcing Kenny Bayless to stop the fight in the 12th round of a dominant performance, giving Pacquiao his 50th career win and arguably his most impressive.
Pacquiao (50-3-2, 38 JO) floored Cotto on timing shots in the third and fourth rounds, but after Cotto looked sharp, strong and fast early, he was dominated over the latter half of the fight. Pacquiao proved that there is no questioning his power at this weight, and no questioning his ability to take a good shot, either. He walked through some strong punches from Cotto (34-2, 27 KO) and seemed to barely feel them. Pacquiao, on the other hand, was able to hurt Cotto consistently.
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He was faster, stronger, and better. Miguel Cotto isn't old, wasn't drained, isn't "overrated." Cotto did all he could tonight, but he was laid to waste by a superior fighter.
Pacquiao is now the WBO welterweight titleholder, the seventh weight class in which he's won a major title, the first man to ever do that.
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Bayless, unlike Cotto's corner, protected the fight. Cotto was on his bike most of the latter rounds, straight-up running from Pacquiao. He was demoralized and in some ways embarrassed. His pride took a hit tonight. Cotto showed clear fear of Pacquiao in many rounds, and there's no disputing that.
Manny Pacquiao is a fighter unlike any other in the world.
I said it on The Lavar Arrington Show With Chad Dukes on Friday: I still believe the biggest draw in combat sports in Brock Lesnar. But if we are being honest with ourselves, the stars shone the most brightly tonight on the phenom from the Philippines who submitted the performance of a lifetime tonight in beating Miguel Cotto.
The problem with the UK fights are not that they are bad. Tonight they were hugely entertaining, although the Couture vs. Vera main event will surely be judged by the uninitiated to MMA as boring and defensively dull. I can only imagine the inept judging involved that robbed poor Vera only exacerbates their opinions. We should hold ourselves in awe of Randy Couture each and every time he competes with such incredible acumen, but tonight showed his weaknesses as much as his strengths.
So while the UK can host big fighters who can ostensibly make big fights, it doesn't have the magic of Las Vegas when two of boxing's (or MMA's) finest collide. It just hasn't been converted to that kind of territory yet. It will, but it's not there now. And when two of boxing's finest meet only to result in the ascendency of one of that sport's all-time greats directly before our eyes, denying the utter gravity of the matter seems quixotic, attacking windmills that signify nothing.
I don't mean to exhume a cheap MMA vs. boxing battle. If we are entering that contest, count me in for MMA ten times out of ten. I will always pick MMA as my favorite sport. But as a fan of all combat sports, I cannot deny what tonight means for us. I cannot avoid cosigning on the massive achievement of Manny Pacquiao in boxing just because I hold MMA the closest to my heart.
Next week the scales will be tipped in MMA's/UFC's favor once again. Ortiz vs. Griffin 2 is a fantastic fight and will be the life of the party in the fight capital of the world once again. But tonight - and only tonight - we must view matters with candor: the greatest combat athlete on the planet this evening - because of this evening's achievement - is Manny Pacquiao.
And like his fight with Cotto, it's wasn't even close.
Photo via ESPN.com.