(That’s worth a little thumb ouchie. Photo courtesy of NBC Sports.)
- Thiago Alves proved himself worthy of a title shot with his victory over Josh Koscheck at UFC 90, but he didn’t get out unscathed. MMA Weekly reports that he suffered a dislocated thumb in the fight. It’s not a serious injury, and a spokesman from American Top Team said they expect him to be fine, but maybe it’s a good thing that he’ll be forced to wait out the GSP-B.J. Penn superfight before getting his shot at the welterweight strap.
- Patrick Cote, on the other hand, has a more serious injury situation. He suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee on Saturday and will have to undergo arthroscopic surgery next week. This will most likely sideline him for the next six to eight months, rendering prospects of a rematch with Anderson Silva just that much dimmer. By the time Cote is ready to fight again, Silva could have notched another two fights. Perhaps we’ll all be ready to put this one behind us by then.
- Finally, Fabricio Werdum says he was “surprised” by Junior Dos Santos, adding that it was the first time he had ever been knocked out and “it happened so fast.” Indeed it did. Werdum declined the chalk it up to a lucky punch, saying Dos Santos deserved it, and claimed the loss “won’t change anything” with regards to his pursuit of the UFC heavyweight title. Not sure how he means that, but he’s probably going to have to get back in there and notch another significant win if he wants a shot at the eventual heavyweight tournament winner.
What a bizarre night. If, like me, you can’t quite make sense of what you saw last night, the video above gives you another chance to sort through it all. What does it say when Bruce Buffer provides more intensity than the main event?
Bonus awards for UFC 90 were $65,000 a piece and it played out like this:
Fight of the Night: Sean Sherk and Tyson Griffin
Submission of the Night: Spencer Fisher
KO of the Night: Junior Dos Santos
Awarding bonuses this time around must have felt like a strange process. There were only two submissions (Thales Leites’ choke of McFedries was not impressive enough somehow) and one knockout, and picking a fight of the night had to be a lot like picking a favorite Arena League football team. Apparently 15,359 people showed up to be disappointed by the most unsatisfying UFC in recent memory, with a live gate totaling $2.85 million.
Dos Santos’ vicious knockout of Werdum is after the jump, along with the so-called fight of the night and more.
(As a Brazilian might say, Patrick is about to get haped. Photo courtesy of UFC.com.)
Last week, I sent a letter to Dana White asking if the UFC’s tired old gladiator intro could be replaced with this for tonight’s broadcast. So, fingers crossed. Anyway, we’re about to witness the beginning of the end of Anderson Silva’s career (and possibly Cote’s, depending on how badly he gets injured tonight), a potential fight-of-the-night between the Pitbull vs. the Koscheck, a heavyweight feature that shouldn’t have even been approved by the athletic commission, and a few guys who couldn’t finish a fight to save their balls. Join us, won’t you? Round-by-round updates and commentary await you after the jump; refresh the page every few minutes for all the latest.
Goddamnit, it’s the same gladiator bullshit intro. I WON’T BE IGNORED, DANA.
Where my Chicagoans at?! It seems that Rosemont has a large goth-chick contingent, and that’s cool with me. According to Joe Rogan, Patrick Cote has heart, balls, and power. Anderson Silva, unfortunately, has knees, elbows, fists, and feet.
Sean Sherk vs. Tyson Griffin
You guys psyched for the first decision of the main card? My money’s on Sherk for the unanimous D. Tyson comes out to “Eye of the Tiger,” possibly unironically. Can anybody explain Tyson’s back tattoo to me? It looks like a pen exploded on him. Buffer’s trademark 180-twist is seriously getting out of hand. Dr. David Smith is reffing. Don’t blow it, newbie. Round 1: Sherk bulls in after throwing a hook and takes Tyson down against the cage. Sherk takes Griffin’s back and Griffin carries him across the cage before tossing him off. Back on the feet, Grffin throws some punches and lands a leg kick. Sherk shoots and is stuffed, but he pushes Griffin against the cage and gets the double-leg. Sherk is bleeding onto Griffin. Tyson gets to his feet and throws a few punches into Sherk’s face. Tyson pushes Sherk off and lands a solid right, then a leg kick. Good left from Sherk, then a hard leg kick from Griffin. Sherk with his own leg kick. Sherk lands a punch combo and a leg kick. Griffin whiffs a head kick. Griffin shoots and Sherk sprawls. Sherk brilliantly transitions to Griffin’s back, but gives it up when Griffin starts carrying him again. Griffin lands an uppercut. Both men land bombs in a frantic exchange and the round ends.
Round 2: Sherk with a leg kick. Tough body kick by Griffin and Sherk shoots in, taking Griffin down against the cage. Griffin gets to his feet and takes a punch. Sherk kicks Griffin’s leg, and Griffin returns with a punch. Another leg kick from Sherk, whose striking is looking impressive in this fight. Body kick from Griffin. Sherk lands some hard punches. It’s a boxing match now, with both men throwing punches in bunches. Griffin throws a head kick then lights Sherk up with a punch combo. Griffin is counter-punching well, but Sherk slips in some shots, then lands another one backing up. Griffin weakly attempts a takedown; he’s looking very gassed now. He misses two wobbly leg kicks. And there’s the bell.
Round 3: Right hook from Griffin rocks Sherk, but he recovers and nails Griffin with one of his own. Wild punch exchange now. A straight right from Griffin gets through Sherk’s guard. Sherk hasn’t attempted a takedown in a long time, which could cost him the fight. Nice leg kick from Griffin, and Sherk responds with two leg kicks and a body kick. Two more Sherk leg kicks. Sharp punch combo from Sherk. Griffin gets an uppercut in, and Sherk responds with a 1-2 combo. Leg kick from Griffin. Left hooks from Sherk. Sherk lands more punches. Brutal leg kick from Griffin but Sherk keeps landing punches. And that’s the fight. From my angle, it looks like Sherk will take the decision. The judges say 30-27, and 29-28 twice, all for the Muscle Shark. Lotta boos for this guy.
Did you know there’s going to be a third Transporter movie? How bout that.
Patrick Cote, who wants to “shock the world,” intends to go toe-to-toe with the middleweight champ. We’ve heard it all before, dead man.
Fabricio Werdum vs. Junior Dos Santos
Big Nog is in Dos Santos’s corner. So at least somebody knows who this guy is. Cigano’s cornermen accidentally drop his sponsor banner over his face. No respect! This fight is brought to you by Xyience, by the way. I could have sworn they went out of business after robbing their shareholders, but they’re back now so deal with it. And Dan Severn’s in the house! Round 1: Dos Santos leaning forward with jabs to the body. Werdum bouncing out of the way. Werdum lands a leg kick and Dos Santos returns it. Werdum lands a leg kick. Dos Santos lands a mammoth uppercut and Werdum’s nose explodes as he goes down. He’s out before he hit the ground. Whoever bet money on Dos Santos is a rich motherfucker now. Dude gets the KO, 1:20 of round 1. Poor Werdum. Gonna have to wait for that title shot, buddy. I’d like to retract my prediction that Werdum gets the knockout bonus tonight. (What, too late?)
Rich Clementi vs. Gray Maynard
Gray comes out with Randy Couture and Jay Hieron, to the strains of “Ain’t Nothin’ But a Gangsta Party.” Add in four shots of tequila and you have the recipe for one confident motherfucker. Round 1: Clementi is cutting off the cage at first, but Maynard lands first, springing forward with punches. A right from Maynard lands. The crowd boos some inactivity on the feet. Leg kick Clementi. Maynard shoots and is stuffed. Maynard lands a nice right hook. Clementi misses with a garbage-ass kick. Maynard slips in another right. Maynard catches a Clemnti kick, lifts and slams him. Maynard throwing punches to Clementi’s ribs from the top. Clementi sits up, trying to sweep, and Maynard pushes him back down, landing more punches from the top. The round ends, and it probably goes to Maynard.
Round 2: Maynard pops the right. Maynard pushes Clementi against the cage, but Clementi knees out of it. Clementi tries for a head kick. Maynard shoots, and slams Clementi to the ground. Clementi gets to his feet but Maynard tries for a guillotine. The fighters go to the ground and Clementi almost finds an armbar off his back, but loses it. Clementi rolling trying to get to his feet, but Maynard sticks on top of him. Maynard ain’t doing much besides keeping Clementi on the ground. Maynard briefly gets Clementi’s back, but Clementi rolls. Maynard stays on top and the crowd boos heartily as the round ends.
Round 3: Maynard lands a punch combo. Another slam by Maynard, and the Bully works for a choke on the ground. The referee tells the fighters to do something, and Joe Rogan politely asks what he’d like them to do. Maynard in Clementi’s guard now, with Clementi throwing elbows from the bottom. Rogan is getting very pissed with the ref’s constant orders to “do somethin’.” Although really, they aren’t doing much. Clementi stands up briefly and is slammed right back down. Clementi reverses from the bottom, and gets up, but Maynard puts No Love down again. Maynard laying on him to end the round. Terrible fucking fight. Maynard wins it unanimously.
Thiago Alves vs. Josh Koscheck
Koscheck gets the Good Taste award for coming out to “Higher Ground” by the Chili Peppers. He skips mightly out to the cage. Alves lookin’ huge, as always. Round 1: Leg kick Alves. Hook from Alves as Kos dashes in. Kos slips while throwing a side kick and Alves almost pounces on him. Kos gets nailed with a right hand and goes down. Kos shoots for a leg to recover, but Alves pulls out then smashes him with a head kick when Kos gets up. Kos jabs after surviving the onslaught, then lands a punch combo. Alves with a stiff jab then a leg kick. A right hand from Koscheck rattles Alves. Nice leg kick from Alves. Good 1-2 from Kos, who then tries for a takedown against the cage. Alves defends it then throws a head kick, and two leg kicks. Inside leg kicks from Alves. There’s the horn. The round likely goes to Alves for putting Kos in serious trouble.
Round 2: Leg kick Kos, then some fierce punches. Leg kick/punch combo from Alves. Head kick from Kos. Hard leg kick from Alves. Koscheck misses a spinning back kick, but jumps forward and drives a nasty knee into Alves’s body. Kos pressing Alves against the cage, but Alves escapes. Leg kick from Alves. Good jabs from Kos. Alves returns with some serious kicks to the legs and body. Alves is punishing Kos’s legs, and lands a good hook to Kos’s head. Kos shoots but Alves defends again. Koscheck laying against Alves on the fence to end the round.
Round 3: Sharp punches and leg kicks from Alves. A knee from Alves sends Kos to the ground, but he manages to get to his feet and escape further damage. Kos clinches but can’t take Alves down. Alves pushes out of it. Kos calls a time out after getting poked in the eye, but returns to action quickly. Punches from Alves. Head kick Alves. Now Alves gets poked in the eye and takes a brief break. Hard leg kick Alves. And another one that buckles Koscheck. And two more. Koscheck trying to land punches where he can, but he can’t make much happen. Kos misses a side kick, Alves pops him with a punch, and the bell rings. Alves doesn’t hear it and scores a late takedown. Kos is not amused.
Alves shouts out Ay Chee Chee and Tapaauot. He gets the unanimous decision, obviously. Alves tells Dana White that he’s still a good boy, so please hook him up with a title shot.
And the 55 seconds we’ve all been waiting for…
Anderson Silva vs. Patrick Cote
I just noticed that Joe Rogan has a pretty serious black eye going on. Problems at last night’s Zanies set? Cote ees never scare’. World, are you ready to be shocked? Anderson Silva walks out in an Addidas track suit. All that’s missing is the shell-toes. He looks loose. Joe Rogan is obscenely marking out on Silva right now. Herb Dean is reffing this shit. Both fighters bow at the face-off. Round 1: Leg kick Cote. Cote misses an overhand right. Leg kick again from Cote. Crowd getting restless. Silva still hasn’t thrown. Leg kick Cote. Leg kick Silva. Cote misses a head kick. Front kick from Silva, and a body kick. Silva comes forward with some punches, but ain’t doing much overall. Body kick Silva, and both men exchange punches. Then a big knee and a head kick from Silva. Leg kick Cote. Silva has his hands down, baiting Cote. Hard leg kick Silva. Body kick Silva. And there’s the bell. What the fuck did I just witness?
Round 2: Cote bouncing now and throws a superman punch. Silva lands a hard left, then a switch kick, but Cote brushes him back with a spinning backfist. They clinch against the cage. Hard leg kick from Silva, then some punches and another kick. Body kick Silva. Cote rushes in, and Silva tosses him to the ground. Silva in Cote’s full guard. Silva gets up, taps Cote’s legs with kicks, then OFFERS HIS HAND to help Cote up. Crazy. Body kick Cote. Silva is doing some 52 Blocks type shit. WTF. Tappy leg kicks from Cote. He’s afraid to commit. The crowd boos. Cote catches a leg kick and bulls Silva into the cage. Elbow and knees from Silva to end the round. Cote becomes the first UFC fighter to take Anderson Silva to the third round.
Round 3: Cote goes down for no apparent reason! His knee blew out without Silva touching it. NO! NOOOO! Silva wins by TKO, 39 seconds into the third. Bullshit. Christ, what if Silva has to waste one of his last remaining fights to rematch cote? Silva tells the crowd not to boo Cote. If I was there, I’d be booing Silva for doing fuck-all in the first two rounds. He could have saved us from all of this.
I think it’s safe to say that Chicago did not get their money’s worth. My goodness.
Now they’re replaying the Thales Leites/Drew McFedries fight, which was the only quick stoppage from the undercard. McFedries rocks Leites early with some haymakers, but Leites takes him down and quickly takes McFedries’s back. Leites traps one of Drew’s arms with his leg and easily sinks in the RNC.
Now I guess Joe and Mike will have to kill time for 17 minutes because it doesn’t look like they’ll be showing another fight. Spencer Fisher actually gets submission of the night for his triangle choke of Shannon Gugerty. They cut to Silva backstage, who lays his belt on a folding chair and bows down to it. Who knows what he must be thinking right now. Joe Rogan explains that the beard is in honor of Evan Tanner. Rogan and Goldberg bump mics respectfully. And that’s it. Fuck. I’m going to watch Don Draper on SNL now. Peace.
(Luis Cane’s pimp-slap, straight left combo. No one ever expects it. Props, UG.)
- Apparently the hip new trend for youngsters on the internet is to film themselves making UFC predictions and then throw it up on YouTube. Fightlinker spotted the very enthusiastic WishKid12 doing her thing, and decided to see how her picks matched up against those made by professionals like us. We’re proud to report that both Bens (weirdly, we made the exact same picks) soundly defeated this precocious prognosticator. While she went 2-3 on the night, we went 4-1 (curse you Cane, and your bitch-slapping awesomeness). The only one in this impromptu contest to beat us was Fightlinker, with a perfect 5-0. So basically we’re smarter than a twelve-year-old girl but dumber than drunk Canadians. That’s still better than either of our families ever expected.
- Patrick Cote tells MMA Mania that the UFC did not have him sign a contract extension prior to his title fight against Anderson Silva at UFC 90 this Saturday night. That’s notable since he’s at or near the end of his current contract, and typically the UFC makes sure they have a guy locked up before they take a chance on him becoming a belt-holder. At least, that’s what they do when they think the challenger has a chance in hell of winning.
- In case you were wondering, Dana White says he will reward Josh Koscheck with a shot at the welterweight title if he beats Thiago Alves this weekend. We all know how much White loves guys who are willing to step in on short notice, and Koscheck has a chance to turn Diego Sanchez’s misfortune into a big break for himself. Not that anyone’s really clamoring for GSP-Koscheck II at this point.
- MMA Payout takes issue with the UFC’s insinuation that Brandon Vera voluntarily sat out a year and then returned a different fighter. They point out that Vera was an early victim of the “Zuffa Freeze Out” and that by running around comparing the old Vera to the new one, Dana White may be unwittingly calling the wrong kind of attention to his own negotiation practices. Damn revisionist history.
Rampage and Opie battle for the light-heavyweight belt, Cote and Alemeida scrap for the #1 middleweight contender spot, Joe Stevenson tries to keep his blood inside his head, Josh Koscheck and Chris Lytle try to make it two in a row…and that’s pretty much it. Not an awesome card, but UFN 14 is just two weeks from now, and sometimes quantity is quality. Results from the UFC 86 undercard and live updates from the PPV broadcast are after the jump; refresh your browser every few minutes to read all the latest, and share your reactions in the comments section.
UNDERCARD RESULTS
Justin Buchholz def. Corey Hill via submission (rear-naked choke), 3:57 of round 2
Melvin Guillard def. Dennis Silver via TKO, 0:36 of round 1
Cole Miller def. Jorge Gurgel via submission (triangle choke), 4:48 of round 3
Gabriel Gonzaga def. Justin McCully via submission (kimura), 1:57 of round 1
We are back in beautiful Las Vegas, Nevada, and the light-heavyweight title is on the line. Mike Goldberg says “this card is stacked top-to-bottom.” LOFL!
Tyson Griffin vs. Marcus Aurelio
Griffin comes out to “Eye of the Tiger.” A bold statement. But then again, he’s predicting a stoppage win at the end of the first round, so it’s a bold kind of night for him overall. Round 1: Aurelio gets a light right hook in after some feeling-out. Crowd booing after 45 seconds, but Griffin shuts ‘em up with a right hook to Aurelio’s dome. Griffin misses a leg kick. Griffin trips Aurelio down and throws in a punch. Aurelio trying to work sub attemtps from the guard while Griffin punches from his feet. Aurelio grabs Griffin’s arm and wraps his legs around him in high guard. Upkick by Aurelio, then he kicks Griffin off after some shots traded on the ground. Back on the feet, Griffin throws a good punch combo. Hard leg kick by Griffin, then a hard punch to the body. Another leg kick, and one more. Aurelio shoots, but is rebuffed by Griffin, who clinches against the cage until the bell rings. Probably a 10-9 round for Griffin.
Thiago Alves is in Aurelio’s corner. “Proud Brazilian, speak the Portuguesa,” says Goldberg. Round 2: Leg kicks from Griffin stagger Aurelio. Griffin’s looking sharp, landing some tight punches. Aurelio’s reach advantage is being totally negated. Aurelio rushes in for a takedown and Griffin clinches him against the cage, as before. Griffin working knees to Aurelio’s legs, and foot stomps. Aurelio gives a couple knees right back. Griffin slams Aurelio after a breif stalemate. Aurelio reverses, gets up, and takes Griffin’s back. Griffin rolls and gets on top, throwing some punches to the head. Aurelio nearly gets a triangle, and hits Griffin with an upkick when Griffin shakes out. Big elbow to Aurelio’s face. Aurelio controls Griffin’s body as the round comes to an end, and Griffin bounces back to his corner, very fresh. The round was definitely Griffin’s.
In the audience, Criss Angel is identified, but not Sully from Godsmack. Joe Rogan is offended. Round 3: Griffin with a leg kick and a right hook. Aurelio shoots but Griffin sprawls. Good punch combo from Griffin. The pace is slowing down a bit, but Griffin is still ownung the standup exchanges. Another takedown attempt from Aurelio is stuffed. Griffin nails Aurelio with a punch, but Aurelio gives one back. Griffin looks like his leg might be hurting him, but he shoots for a takedown and gets it. Aurelio grabs an arm and nearly stretches Griffin out. And again. Griffin frees his arm and throws down an elbow. The last bell sounds as Aurelio continues to threaten Griffin’s arm. Tyson Griffin wins the unanimous decision, with all three judges scoring it 30-27.
Josh Koscheck vs. Chris Lytle
Lytle whiffs on some big punches and a kick. Koscheck staying “elusive.” Lytle taps a leg kick and lands a body kick. More swinging and missing from Lytle, who’s being the aggressor. Kos ain’t pulling the trigger. Kos throws a head kick, falls on his ass, then pops back up. Lytle gets a body kick in; Kos takes Lytle down but almost falls into a guillotine. Koscheck in Lytle’s half-guard. Lytle kicks Koscheck off, but Kos dives back on, in Lytle’s full guard. Koscheck landing a couple strikes from the top. Lytle rolls, Kos briefly takes his back, then Lytle rolls again and Kos is back in his guard. A couple hammer fists from the top from Kos as the round ends. A slow and uneventful round that the judges probably gave to Josh. Round 2: Leg kick from Koscheck. Koscheck goes for the single-leg takedown, gets it briefly but Lytle springs up and takes a knee in return. Koscheck takes Lytle down again and almost gets caught in a guillotine again. Koscheck pops out and throws some shots down on Lytle against the cage. Lytle’s cut. Koscheck with a slashing elbow from the top. More shots; things are looking bad for Lytle. Koscheck is just teeing off; Lytle’s blood flies onto a camera lens. Yeesh, that’s distasteful. The cameraman wipes it off as Koscheck continues to rain down damage. Lytle’s face is Stevenson-esque. Koscheck drops about a dozen light punches into Lytle’s head as the round ends. Lytle has trouble getting to his feet, but his corner tells him “you’re fine, you’re fine, you’re fine Chris.”
Joe Rogan remembers Marvin Eastman’s cut as “like a goat’s vagina.” Round 3: Lytle is wobbly. Koscheck shoots in and pushes Lytle against the cage. Koscheck takes Lytle down, Lytle again goes for the guillotine, Koscheck spins out. Lytle tries for it again, Kos gets out again. Koscheck puts Lytle against the cage again and throws down more elbows. This is one of the bloodiest UFC fights of all time. There are big puddles on the mat. There’s no way Lytle can see through it. Koscheck’s elbow is covered in gore. A couple more punches, and Yves Lavigne stands them up. Barbarian! Everyone thought it was going to be a stoppage. Lytle swings hard and almost gets Kos in trouble with punches. They clinch, Koscheck trying to ride out the clock. Yves separates them against the cage and Lytle throws every punch he has left at Koscheck. Kos survives it. The horn sounds. Fucking bloodbath. Josh Koscheck wins the unanimous decision, and is booed loudly by the crowd.
I was referring to Aurelio as “Almeida” in the 2nd round of the Griffin fight? Cripes. Fixed now.
Joe Stevenson vs. Gleison Tibau
Tibau comes out to “Iron Man.” Props. And he looks huge for a lightweight. Round 1: Stevenson sticks Tibau with a jab. He lands another punch, dives on and almost sinks on a guillotine. Tibau gets out, and almost gets an anaconda choke. Back on the feet, clinching against the cage. Tubau takes Stevenson down, but Stevenson gets back up. Stevenson dirty boxes his way out of the clinch, then rushes back in for a double-leg takedown. Tibau working his guard, and clamps on an omoplata. Joe’s in trouble. Tibau throwing some punches at Stevenson’s head. Stevenson is just sitting there in a stalemate, waiting for a good moment to pop out. Stevenson can’t do anything, but he’s not getting submitted. He rides the clock out.
Joe Rogan says “chess match” like three times. Round 2: Tibau lands a left hook. Stevenson rushes forward and pushes Tibau against the cage. Tibau takes Stevenson down briefly, but Joe bounces back up. Tibau gets another takedown and passes into side control, then full mount. Stevenson bucks to get out, and does. Back on the feet. Tibau gets a takedown, but falls into an arm-in guillotine. Joe uses his Daddy-strength to crush out a submission despite the arm. Wow.
The official call: 2:57 of the second round. ‘Bout time we had a stoppage. Stevenson shouts out his son and said he had a bone-bruise coming into the fight.
Patrick Cote vs. Ricardo Almeida
Cote says he doesn’t care if Almeida trained “with Gracie, or the Pope, or whoever.” Yes, because the Pope is notorious for his ground game. Almeida comes out to “Fortunate Son.” Double-props. Round 1: Almeida goes for a flying guillotine, and pulls Cote into his guard. Damn! Almeida seems to be looking for a gogo, but Cote gets out and to his feet. Almeida ties Cote up, looking for a takedown. Cote tries to shake out, but Almeida is tenacious with his clinch. Finally, he gets the takedown. Almeida on top, throwing some shots, with Cote trying to keep some distance with his legs. Almeida in Cote’s half-guard, punching Cote in the ribs. Cote attempting to upkick after pushing Almeida off, but Almeida closes the distance, lands a couple punches and returns to Cote’s full guard. Almeida returns to his feet, throwing shots down from a distance. The horn sounds; the round was all Almeida.
Almeida’s glove is torn, and is re-taped. It’s not good enough. Finally, Herb Dean says it’s cool. Round 2: Cote pops Almeida with a punch. Almeida drags Cote to his guard, and into “crackhead control” (feet around Cote’s neck), but Cote slips out and gets up. Almeida is dropping his hands a bit too much; bad opponent for that strategy. Cote lands a nice right straight from a clinch. Cote pushing the pace with punches, and winning the round. Almeida clinches and falls to the ground, but Cote avoids. Almeida with another clinch against the cage; the crowd gets antsy. Almeida tried for the flying guillotine after a clinch, but Cote gets out. Cote bumrushes Almeida, who falls to his back after taking a punch, and the horn sounds. Round 3: More clinching. Cote snaps a leg kick after they separate. And another hard one that staggers Almeida. Almeida is not looking great in this fight. Cote misses on a punch combo, then eats a jab. Good leg kick from Cote, and another. Slow round, but Cote’s on his way to winning the fight. Almeida lands a punch, and absorbs a leg kick. Cote pushes forward, fists first. Almeida chases back and hits air, but he scores a takedown. Cote pushes off, but Almeida attempts a choke. Cote gets on top as the round ends. Kind of a tossup, but it may go to Cote for aggression.
Talk about a fight that didn’t live up to the hype. Both men are far from ready for Anderson Silva.
The scores are 29-28 Cote, 29-28 Almeida, and 29-28 Cote. Cote takes the split decision.
Our man Gerald Harris is in Rampage’s dressing room running through some grappling drills. WAR HARRIS!!!
Bangkok Dangerous commercial, yo. Nicolas Cage is in it, and he picks the worst fucking movies to star in lately. This does not bode well.
Quinton Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin
Forrest, as usual, comes out to “Shipping Up to Boston” by the Dropkick Murphys, and the white people in attendance are psyched. Rampage walks out and gets in the face of Wilmer Valderamma, who maybe pisses his pants. War Fes? Griffin smiles in the cage, while Rampage looks deathly serious. David Spade and Mandy Moore are in the audience. Not together, of course. Yves Lavigne is reffing this one. Big responsibility for the Frenchman. Round 1: Both guys exchange punches. Forrest slips in a leg kick. Forrest throws a head kick off Rampage’s glove. Forrest gets another leg kick, and a body kick, wisely keeping his distance. Rampage whiffs a haymaker. Rampage nails him with a left hook, then a knee. Griffin throws some kicks. He lands two leg kicks. Big punches from Rampage, then a leg kick. Griffin fires back with some punches of his own. Griffin punches out of a brief clinch. Griffin lands a nice left hook, then a leg kick. Rampsge punches Forrest to the ground. Rampage pushes Forrest against the cage on the ground. Rampage in Forrest’s closed guard, landing some punches as Griffin gets to his feet. Punches landed by both men in an exchange. Great first round. Hard to call; Forrest got rocked and knocked to the ground, but he controlled the majority of the round. Round 2: Griffin fires off two leg kicks that clearly hurt Rampage. Forrest scores two big knees in a clinch and takes Rampage down! Forrest in Rampage’s half-guard. Forrest trying to work some short elbows from the top. Forrest passes to side control, and briefly goes for an Americana. More short elbows. Rampage is lost on his back. Another Americana attempt, then Forrest passes to full mount, dropping punches and elbows. Total domination by Forrest, who’s a relentless blanket of doom on Rampage. The horn sounds. 10-8 round? Rampage lookin’ rough in his corner, getting his bum knee iced. Round 3: Inside leg kick from Forrest, who then misses a head kick. Rampage gets him with a hard punch and Forrest backs up. Rampage misses some punches, then lands some nasty ones. Forrest misses a leg kick, then gets one on Rampage’s thigh. Rampage catches Forrest with a right. Rampage looking a little better now, finding his rhythm with the punches. Both men clash with punches. Forrest’s leg kicks are looking a little weaker. Good 1-2 combo from Rampage, and a solid body shot. Injside leg kick from Forrest. Rampage tags him with a left hook. Forrest pushes forward with punches, and Rampages blasts right back. Much closer round, that possibly belonged to Rampage. Round 4: Rampage scores a hard punch combo, and another in a clinch. Forrest goes for a takedown but falls onto his back. Forrest is cut. Forrest going for a triangle; it’s sunk in, but Rampage slams out of it, Arona style! Rampage back on top on the ground. Big cut over Forrest’s eye. Rampage gets an elbow in, but not much else. Forrest gets to his feet but gets caught with a big punch on the way up. Forrest throwing some kicks that miss. Rampage gets in two more big punches. And two more as the bell rings.
Stitch rubs a glob of goo in Forrest’s gaping cut. Round 5: Leg kick from Forrest, and another. Rampage scores with a punch. Two more leg kicks from Forrest. And another big one. Rampage with a big right hand, and Forrest answers with his own. Forrest brushes Rampage back with a head kick. He’s clearly the aggressor in this round. More leg kicks from Forrest, but Rampage scores a head/body punch combo. Big right hand from Forrest. Rampage gets in his own. Rampage’s leg is clearly bothering him, but his punches still look dangerous. Knee from Forrest in the clinch, and an uppercut from Rampage. And they slug it out in the closing seconds to the bell. Amazing fight.
The official decision, people. 48-46, 48-46, 49-46 all to Forrest Griffin. OPIE IS THE NEW LIGHT-HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION! Forrest Jardine’d Rampage to death!
Forrest says that he was never “hurt-hurt,” but every punch Rampage threw “hurt.”
Rampage said “he jacked my leg up. I tried to pretend, I ain’t that good at acting.” He says his leg got a chance to recover when he was on the ground all through the 2nd. Afterparty at Prive! Rampage vows to never take that much time off from the cage ever again, and limps off.
They’re showing the Guillard/Siver fight now. Guillard rocks Siver to the ground right off the bell, but Siver gets to his feet. Two dead-on punches knock Siver to the ground, and Guillard jackhammer-punches him into unconsciousness. By default, he’s getting the Knockout of the Night bonus. “He didn’t even get a chance to say uncle,” Guillard quips.
Submission of the Night goes to Cole Miller for his triangle choke of Jorge Gurgel in the fight’s closing seconds. Well done.
Joe Rogan talks about a Rampage/Wanderlei rematch like it’s already booked. Feel our goosebumps! And that’s the end of the broadcast. So, maybe a solid 3 out of 10 overall, but the main event delivered all it could short of a knockout. Good night, and good luck…
Barring any unexpected defeats or freak injuries, Anderson Silva will fight at least three more times by the year’s end, Dana White said in a press conference held yesterday. First, of course, is his light-heavyweight debut against James Irvin at UFN 14 on July 19th. Said White:
“If everything goes well, he wants to move back to 185 and fight Sept. 6 in Atlanta [at UFC 88], probably against Yushin Okami, then he wants to fight again two months later.”
And who might that next opponent be?
“(Ricardo Almeida) and Patrick Cote are going to fight on Saturday night and see who’s next in line for Anderson Silva’s 185-pound title,” said White.
The long-term plan is for Silva to keep testing the waters at 205, in preparation for an eventual run at the title. And for the first time in the UFC’s history, one of its champions would be allowed to hold two titles at the same time. “Normally I won’t let guys do stuff like that because it’s just…stupid,” White said. “I’ll let Anderson Silva do it.”
Anyway, this has to be bittersweet for Almeida and Cote. The good news is that the winner of their fight is getting an immediate title shot; the bad news, of course, is that the winner is slated to get the worst beating of his life in November. I’m not saying that throwing the fight intentionally and leaving the country for a while would be the best idea, but it’s probably not the worst either.
The Patrick Cote-Ricardo Almeida bout could turn out to be one hell of a fight when all is said and done at UFC 86. It’s a timely matchup because it helps to slim down the list of serious contenders in the middleweight division, and both guys are at a point where they can’t afford to lose. Plus, I love a good contest of accents.
Check out Cote’s plans for a sprawl-and-brawl victory above. Almeida is after the jump. He might not be the last guy left in MMA who refers to his desire to go out and “represent jiu-jitsu”, but he’s definitely part of a dying breed.
Above is the first video promo for UFC 86: Jackson vs. Griffin (July 5th, Las Vegas). The main event should be fantastic, but it doesn’t bode well that Cote vs. Almeida is the only other match that warrants a mention in the clip. And even if the winner will technically be “moving up the ranks toward a middleweight title shot,” it’s not like they won’t have to beat 2-4 more guys to get there. The current lineup is below; is it better or worse than UFC 85’s?
MAIN CARD
Quinton Jackson vs. Forrest Griffin
Patrick Cote vs. Ricardo Almeida
Joe Stevenson vs. Gleison Tibau
Josh Koscheck vs. Chris Lytle
Tyson Griffin vs. Marcus Aurelio
UNDERCARD
Gabriel Gonzaga vs. Justin McCully
Jorge Gurgel vs. Cole Miller
Melvin Guillard vs. Dennis Siver
Corey Hill vs. Justin Buchholz
Unrelated, but important: The earth-shattering news that Dana White was promising to deliver tomorrow has been pushed back to this coming Tuesday. My guess? The UFC needs a little more time to obtain rights to “The Hex”…
Patrick Cote (12-4) and Ricardo Almeida (9-2) are penciled in to hook ‘em up in a middleweight tilt at UFC 86 on Saturday, July 5 in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to FightNetwork.com.
“The Predator” has won his last three bouts after dropping his first four contests with the promotion. He’s looked impressive in his last two outings, taking out Drew McFedries and Kendall Grove with strikes.
However, Cote will be fortunate if he can keep this fight upright. That’s because Almeida is a very talented Brazilian jiu-jitsu player under Renzo Gracie.
Almeida, in fact, returned to competition for the first time in almost four years to submit Rob Yundt with a guillotine choke just minutes into their scrap at UFC 81: “Breaking Point” back in February.
It definitely has to be a concern for the Canadian — he has lost via submission to Travis Lutter and Joe Doerksen in the past.
Here’s what he had to say:
“I’m a purple belt in jiu-jitsu, but I’m close to having my brown belt. I’ve worked a lot on my wrestling and my jiu-jitsu the last two years, so I’m ready to roll with anybody. I can’t wait to show my skills on the ground.”
Nice idea, Patrick. But I think there’s a time and place for everything … not so sure if the timing is right to show your skills against a guy like “Cachorrao.”
Either way this is a nice match up that will be televised on the pay-per-view (PPV) portion of the card, and it will more than likely have contender-type implications going forward in the 185-pound category.
