MMA's 3'Rs 8.31.09: UFC 102 - Couture vs. Nogueira

Posted by Larry Csonka on 08.31.2009

Nogueira is back and better than ever, Nate is great, Todd Duffee sets a UFC record and gets ripped off, UFC knows how to fill up a card, Jake Rosholt submits Chris Leben and more! The latest edition of MMA’s 3R’s breaks down all of the action from UFC 102!



* Welcome *
You may have noticed that the R's have been farmed out to the other zones (Movies/TV, Music), and I have to say that I am proud to see that. My lawyer has finalized things, and I have received $582, a hot roast beef and provolone sandwich and a 6-pack of Iron City Beer. Rock on. But today we are here to discuss UFC 102, did the show deliver, or did I walk away disappointed? Let's find out!

* The Column Concept *
For those of you unfamiliar with the concept of the column, here it is. The column will look at events and or happenings in the world of MMA. They will be broken down into the three categories, the Right, the wRong and the Ridiculous. The Right will be the good and great fights or positive news items of the week. Perhaps even big fight announcements. The wRong will be bad fights, bad booking decisions and the like. Finally, the Ridiculous are the things that were just the worst of the world of MMA. They get grouped in their categories, and for a show, they will get a score from 1-10, based on the 411 ratings scale.


* And now, the 3R's of… *






* The Results *
PRELIMS
* Mark Munoz def. Nick Catone via split decision (28-29, 30-27, 29-28)
* Mike Russow def. Justin McCully via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-26, 30-27)
* Gabriel Gonzaga def. Chris Tuchscherer via TKO (punches) - Round 1, 4:27

MAIN PPV CARD
* Brandon Vera def. Krzysztof Soszynski via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
* Nate Marquardt def. Demian Maia via knock THE FUCK out (punch) - Round 1, 0:21
* Jake Rosholt def. Chris Leben via technical submission (arm-trinagle choke) - Round 3, 1:30
* Todd Duffee def. Tim Hague via knockout (punches) - Round 1, 0:07 Prelim Bout Shown On PPV
* Thiago Silva def. Keith Jardine via knockout (punches) - Round 1, 1:35
* Aaron Simpson def. Ed Herman via TKO (injury) - Round 2, 0:17 Prelim Bout Shown On PPV
* Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Randy Couture via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
* Evan Dunham def. Marcus Aurelio via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27) Prelim Bout Shown On PPV

THE RIGHT:



Nate Marquardt def. Demian Maia via knock THE FUCK out (punch) - Round 1, 0:21 aka THAT'S how you earn a title shot: Nate Marquardt vs. Demian Maia was one of those fights that many thought could be a MOTN, or a boring ground bout. Well, I guess in the end that it was neither, because Nate Marquardt knocked Demian Maia the FUCK out. In reality, I suppose this is how most felt that Maia would lose. There is no doubt that the man is a monster on the ground, but his stand up has always been questioned. He said he was working it, and well, he has to go and work it some more. It was a spectacular KO for Marquardt. THIS is the kind of victory Nate Marquardt needed if he wanted a rematch for the title. A win is good, but to win in such impressive fashion is the way to gat the title shot. I also want to commend Marquardt on his sportsmanship here. He knew that Maia was out, and when he stood above him, he held off and walked away. I know that they say fight until the ref stops you, but these days we see so many late stoppages, it is nice to see a man act with class and not go out there to injure someone.

Aaron Simpson def. Ed Herman via TKO (injury) - Round 2, 0:17 Prelim Bout Shown On PPV: One of the prelim bouts that made the main card was this bout, and it was a damn good one, minus the tragic ending for Ed Herman. Aaron Simpson looked completely dominating in there, and before the injury was making Herman look like a rookie. Herman had some good defense from the ground, but Simpson had his number on this night, and was heading towards a victory in my mind. Herman looked to tweak his knee at the end of round one, and was limping back to the stool. It was a questionable decision to let him come out for round two, but you had to respect the fact that he WANTED to fight. He dropped early in round two, and cradled into the fetus position and clutched the knee, likely tearing or blowing something out. Much respect for Ed for trying to fight, but this just wasn't his night. Simpson looked very impressive.



Jake Rosholt def. Chris Leben via technical submission (arm-trinagle choke) - Round 3, 1:30: Jake Rosholt is a guy that came into MMA with a lot of hype, due to his wrestling credentials. He won the 184-pound NCAA Division I wrestling title in 2003 and the 197-pound title in 2005 and 2006 and was a 4-time All-American and 2004 Big 12 Conference champion. Sexy credentials. His WEC debut was what I would call a lucky win over Nissen Osterneck. Rosholt was completely blown up and lucked out, plain and simple, but that isn't a horrible thing. His UFC debut against Dan Miller was an embarrassment for him, losing via RD 1 submission. The fight against Leben was easily his most difficult fight to date, and really, if he lost, he could have been on the way out the door. Well, he changed a lot of minds with an outstanding performance against an always-game Chris Leben. Not only did he take home the victory, but he got a submission victory over Leben with a great triangle choke. Leben has had 13 UFC fights, and is 8-5. The thing is that he is 3-5 in his last 8-fights, and now has back-to-back losses for the second time. While he is always up for a fight, Leben may be close to being out of the UFC. The company is bringing in new talent, and cutting those that lose, so nothing is out of question. This was a great win for Rosholt.



Todd Duffee def. Tim Hague via knockout (punches) - Round 1, 0:07 Prelim Bout Shown On PPV: Todd Duffee made the best possible UFC debut he could make as he set a UFC KO record by destroying Tim Hague in SEVEN SECONDS. Duffee came out and landed a great stiff jab, as Hague left himself wide open. Hague was dropped, and Duffee simply followed up and got the KO stoppage. Duffee stated after the fight, "That was just an appetizer, let me eat Dana". I couldn't agree more. I am not going to anoint him the next big thing, but the victory has at the very least earned him a spot on a Spike Fight Night main card for his next bout. Things like this just go to prove what I have been saying, and that is the fact that the UFC HW division is getting damn exciting these days. Todd Duffee deserves….



Thiago Silva def. Keith Jardine via knockout (punches) - Round 1, 1:35: Before the fight with Machida, Silva had a lot of hype behind him. The loss to Machida sent him to 4-1 in the UFC, but losing to Machida is nothing to be ashamed of. But people were writing him off, and felt that he was nothing but hype. Well, he looked great here as he dominated Jardine in a short fight, and rocked him big time. Jardine was out for a moment as he was getting nailed on the ground, and his arms dropped. A good stoppage by the official, and the kind of win that Silva needed. One has to wonder how many KO's like this Jardine can take. While it wasn't as devastating as the KO's he suffered against Silva or even Alexander, he got rocked hard once again. These shots take years off of a fighter's life, no joke there. Jardine has had 11 UFC fights, and is now 6-5 in the UFC. I don't think he is in danger of being cut yet, as he is popular and the company seems to really like him, but he now has back-to-back losses, and while they are to top competition, you just never know.



Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Randy Couture via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28): Going into the bout, not many people gave Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira much of a chance. In my opinion it just wasn't due to the Frank Mir fight. We all know that Nogueira had a laundry list of injuries going into the bout. What it was is that Nogueira hasn't looked great since coming to the UFC, and that at 32, he has the miles on him like a 52-year-old man, due to the wars he has been a part of. But the thing is this, you NEVER count out a warrior like Nogueira. The thing that excited me is that we finally were getting a match of the legends. Nogueira vs. Couture. Sure we can all say it would have been better a few years ago, but the facts are that Couture ay 46 is better than most, and Nogueira is Nogueira. The fight may have been a 30-27 fight, but it was an awesome 15-minutes that led to the 30-27 score, on my card anyway. It may be cliché, but the fight, combined with the atmosphere made this the thing of legend. Nogueira looking like the Nogueira of old with good striking, able to catch Couture who has great head movement and rock him on a few occasions. The submissions that would have finished most, escaped by Couture so that he could continue to fight and look for a way to finish. Hell, even near the end, when Couture was clearly outscored, he reversed and got into the guard, popped the crowd and gave them the HOPE that he could pull off the victory. This is MMA doing pro wrestling better than pro wrestling, once again, by accident. This was an epic battle that cannot be judged by the scores. It was one for the ages, and a fight so good that it made a very good card unforgettable. This one lived up to the hype, no doubt about it. I want to see BIG NOG vs. LESNAR!

Evan Dunham def. Marcus Aurelio via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27) Prelim Bout Shown On PPV: The first prelim fight of the night ended up being the final fight shown on the PPV. Those live in attendance said that this was an excellent way to kick off the night of fights. I loved this fight, because these were tow guys fighting to win for the entire fight. Full of energy, great back and forth exchanges and a hot crowd for local boy Evan Dunham. Dunham's escape of the attempted guillotine was a huge moment in the fight, giving Dunham a lot of momentum and obviously frustrating Aurelio. I felt that Dunham won 29-28, and I really don't see how Aurelio won two rounds on a card, but hey, that's MMA judging. Great, great fight and I am glad that it made the show.

Filling The Card: I often complain when companies do not fill out the time given to them, especially on PPV. UFC 102 was not only a great night of fights, but we also got to see EIGHT of the ELEVEN fights on the show. The UFC gave us a full three hours, and made sure that we got what we paid for, and I for one appreciate that.

THE wRong:



The UFC 102 Countdown Special: I am a huge fan of the UFC Countdown shows, but I have to admit, the UFC 102 show did nothing to make me want to buy the PPV. Now don't get me wrong, I am not the audience that they are looking for, since I buy the PPV for work as it is, but on some level, all of the Countdown Shows have something in it that make me feel that I HAVE to see the PPV. This one failed at that. While we can argue that the fight is a few years too late to be the fight we all wanted, the fact is that Couture vs. Nogueira is a battle of legends of the sport. The show started with the bout, and then, just ended. Usually the MAIN EVENT gets nearly 30-minutes of the show, and a fight of this caliber really should have. It just seemed as if the show wasn't that focused as they used to be. The Countdown Shows are famous for adding buys to the PPV's, they are that good. But outside of the stuff on Thiago Silva, which was interesting, I feel that the show didn't deliver as it usually does.

Brandon Vera def. Krzysztof Soszynski via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) aka boring kickboxing : This was the only fight of the night that I did not enjoy. I felt that it was over very early, as Soszynski, who is a very reckless fighter, ate a HARD body kick early in round one, and was tentative from that point on. While he did try to work the clinch and a few takedown attempts, there was no explosion there as he was afraid to take another hard body shot. He should respect Vera, because when he is on he is very good, but once you get afraid, you're done. Besides the meandering pace of the bout, Joe Rogan's nuthugging of Vera made this almost unwatchable. While Soszynski didn't do many good things, Rogan completely ignored them to praise Vera. Very annoying. After an anti-climatic return to the UFC at heavyweight, where he went 0-2, losing to Tim Sylvia and Fabricio Werdum, he dropped to LHW. He went 2-1 there, the loss a split decision. But he never looked comfortable at LHW. He looked tired, drained and lethargic against Andy and Jardine, but better against Patt. At UFC 102 he faced Krzysztof Soszynski, and while I didn't like the fight Brandon finally showed up at LHW. He looked in great shape, his cardio looked better than it has and he finally seems to be set at the weight. Vera is a guy with so much potential, and if he can forget the HW bullshit, focus on 205, and be serious, the man could be dangerous once again.

KO of The Night: I usually do not bitch too much about the fight night bonuses, as the UFC is usually pretty fair with them, and let's face it, they don't HAVE to give them out. Nate Marquardt won KO of the night, KO'ing Demian Maia in very impressive fashion. And on a normal night, there would be no argument. But when Todd Duffee KO's Tim Hague in a UFC record SEVEN SECONDS, I have an issue with it. Come on Dana; throw the dude a bone! At least give TWO KO bonuses, it isn't like you haven't done it before. Todd Duffee was robbed.

THE RIDICULOUS:

* The 411 *

I really enjoyed UFC 102, and feel that it was one of the best events of 2009. Tons of fights ended, great KO's, and the battle of the ICONS that actually delivered an epic bout. The anticipation was there for the main event, the crowd was hot, NOG is back and Couture did everything he could to survive, and even at the end, looked to have a chance to finish, which made the crowd even hotter. Outside of the Brandon Vera vs. Krzysztof Soszynski bout, I enjoyed everything, and felt rewarded as we got to see eight fights out of the eleven on the card. Many felt slept on this card and felt that it would be a lame duck coming after UFC 100 and 101. Instead, it overachieved and was a ton of fun.

BIG thumbs up for UFC 102, and of course, a recommendation to purchase the replay if you didn't see it already.

SHOW RATING: 9.5

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KYRA says goodbye…