411's UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera Report 11.14.09

Posted by Jeremy Lambert on 11.14.2009

Randy Couture made a successful return to Light Heavyweight as he edged out a narrow decision against Brandon Vera in the main event. Elsewhere, Dan Hardy defeated Mike Swick by decision to earn a shot at Georges St. Pierre and the UFC Welterweight title and Michael Bisping returned to his winning ways with an impressive performance against Denis Kang. Click for the full report.

UFC 105: Couture vs. Vera
From the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, England
Tape Delayed on SpikeTV

-Warrior intro. Bisping predicts a first round victory, Kang says it will be a short night for Bisping. Swick thinks Hardy should earn respect, Hardy isn't here to respect people. Vera is excited to fight Couture, Couture wants to compete against the best.

-Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan are the hosts. They breakdown Couture vs. Vera calling it a huge opportunity for both men to become title contenders. They rundown the rest of the card.

-Video preview for Pearson vs. Riley

Lightweight Fight: Ross Pearson (12-2) vs. Aaron Riley (28-11-1)

Round One: Riley standing southpaw. Good straight right by Pearson. Leg kick by Pearson. Pearson throwing very crisp strikes by Riley avoiding well. Plum clinch by Pearson. Knees to the body. Uppercut followed by more knees. Big knee to the head. Straight right on the break. Pearson grabs the clinch again and lands another knee. They break. Left hook by Pearson. Good body kick by Pearson. Riley connects with a knee as Pearson ducks under. Body kick by Riley. Dirty boxing by Pearson. Head kick by Pearson skims the top of the head of Riley. Riley gets a single but quickly releases it. Head kick by Pearson is blocked. Plum clinch by Pearson. Good knee to the head followed by the body. The round ends. 10-9 Pearson.

Round Two: Straight right by Pearson after a leg kick by Riley. Plum clinch by Pearson. Knee to the body. Riley shoves Pearson down but Pearson back up. They clinch. Good elbow by Riley. Straight right by Pearson on the break. Left hook followed by the right from Pearson. Left hook by Pearson. Plum clinch and a knee by Pearson. Straight right by Pearson. Pearson just dominating the stand up. Quick clinch a knee to the body by Pearson. Dirty boxing by Pearson. Plum clinch and a jumping knee by Pearson. Riley is cut near the nose. The cut looks bad as Riley is gushing right above the nose. The ref stops the action to check the cut. The doctor stops the fight, giving the victory to Pearson.

Official Decision: Ross Pearson by TKO (Cut Stoppage) at 4:38 in Round Two

-Pearson says fighting is his life and that he loves training and fighting.

-Video preview for Brown vs. Wilks.

Welterweight Fight: Matt Brown vs. James Wilks

Round One: They clinch. Dirty boxing by Wilks. Short elbow by Brown. Wilks drops for the takedown but Brown defends well. Brown looking for a kimura but Wilks spins out and gets the back of Brown. Brown turns into Wilks. Brown looking for a guillotine but quickly gives it up. They clinch against the cage. The ref breaks them. Brown puts together a good combination with the right hand landing multiple times. Wilks clinches. The ref breaks them. Head kick by Wilks followed by an uppercut. One two by Wilks and then he clinches. A mouse forming under the left eye of Wilks. Short punches in the clinch by both men. Wilks looking for a takedown but he leaves his neck out. Brown looking for a guillotine but Wilks gets out. Wilks gets the takedown with 30 seconds left in the round. Brown uses a kimura threat to get to his feet. They break. Left hand by Brown. The round ends. Pretty close round. 10-9 Wilks.

Round Two: Leg kick by Brown. Brown more aggressive to start the round. Jumping knee by Brown knocks Wilks down. Brown pounces on him and tries to finish but Wilks survives. Wilks grabs a leg and goes for a kneebar. Brown survives and pulls out. They get back to their feet and clinch. They break and clinch again. Short elbow by Brown. Wilks drops for a takedown and Brown uses the kimura threat to defend. Wilks gives up on the takedown but they stay in the clinch. Wilks looks gassed. The ref breaks them. Double jab by Brown. Big right hand by Brown. Wilks drops to his knees and Brown continues to pound on him. Wilks grabs a single. Brown sprawls out and gets turtle position. Brown tries to turn him over but Wilks sweeps into side control. Elbows from the bottom by Brown. Brown gets guard. Wilks gets up and stands above Brown. Wilks drops down for a punch and almost gets caught in a triangle but the round ends. 10-9 Brown.

Round Three: Head kick thrown by Wilks but blocked. Body kick by Brown. One two by Wilks. Left hook by Brown. They clinch. Wilks drops for a single and switches to the back. Brown looking for a kimura. Wilks switches the position and gets a kimura of his own. Wilks drops to guard. Wilks trying to finish the kimura but Brown survives. Wilks sweeps to mount. Brown shoves him off. Wilks drops down and Brown goes for a guillotine. Brown uses the position to sweep to mount. Big punches by Brown. Wilks gives up his back. Brown continues to pound on him. The ref jumps in to stop it.

Official Decision: Matt Brown by TKO at 2:27 in Round Three

-Brown says he still has a lot to work on.

Lightweight Fight (Prelim): Andre Winner vs. Roli Delgado

Round One: Winner blocks a head kick. Leg kick by Winner. Big winging right hand by Winner drops Delgado. Winner tries to finish but Delgado survives. Winner gets up and lets Delgado up. Winner keeping his hands very low. Delgado clinches but Winner quickly gets out. Delgado almost lands a knee as Winner ducks in. Double jab by Delgado. Good left hook by Winner stumbles Delgado a bit. Good right by Winner and then a clinch. Dirty boxing by Winner. They break. Leg kick by Winner. BIG RIGHT HAND BY WINNER! DELGADO IS OUT! Winner lands a few more punches for good measure before the ref shoves him away.

Official Decision: Andre Winner by KO at 3:22 in Round One

-Winner says he has nightmares about the TUF9 Finals but he's back now.

-Tito Ortiz joins the broadcast via satellite. Ortiz says he's healthy now and ready for Forrest. Ortiz says he's submitting guys during training. Ortiz thought he was getting an easier fight than Forrest but he's still ready to fight.

-Video preview for Bisping vs. Kang.

Middleweight Fight: Denis Kang vs. Michael Bisping

Round One: Leg kick by Kang. Short left hook by Kang. Right hand by Kang drops Bisping. Kang right on top of him and in half guard. Bisping recovers quick. Kang staying active but not doing any real damage. Kang slips to full mount. Bisping hip escapes back to half guard. Kang slips to mount again. Bisping does a good job escaping back to half guard. Bisping gets full guard. Bisping trying for an armbar but Kang avoids it. Elbows by Kang. Bisping goes for the armbar again but Kang escapes and passes to side control. Bisping quickly back in guard. Kang passes to half guard. The round ends. 10-9 Kang.

Round Two: Bisping throwing a high kick and Kang easily avoiding. They trade jabs. Winging right hand seems to stumble Bisping. Double jab by Kang. Kang tagging Bisping with the right every time he comes in. Bisping shoots and drags him down with the single. Bisping in guard. Bisping postures up and throws down. Big punches by Bisping. Kang survives and gets to his feet but he ate a bunch of punches. Another takedown by Bisping. Kang is cut on the nose. Elbows by Bisping. More big punches by Bisping. Kang gets up but he looks out of it. Right hand by Kang. Bisping tagging Kang with the jab. Takedown by Bisping. Bisping in half guard pounding away. Kang turtles up. Bisping with knees to the body. Kang gets up and eats a knee that drops him. Bisping continues to pound on him as Kang turtles up. The ref finally stops it.

Official Decision: Michael Bisping by TKO at 4:24 in Round Two

-Bisping says he's going back to the old Michael Bisping.

Light Heavyweight Fight: Alex Gustafsson vs. Jared Hamman

Round One: Both guys come out swinging. Hamman landing the overhand right. Hamman gets poked in the eye. Quick break and back to it. Gustafsson with a HUGE straight right hand drops Hamman. His mouth piece flew out. Gustafsson pounds him out as the ref stops it.

Official Decision: Alex Gustafsson by KO at :41 in Round One

-"It was a good punch" says Gustafsson.

-Video preview for Swick vs. Hardy.

Welterweight Fight: Dan Hardy vs. Mike Swick

Round One: Hardy clips Swick with a right hand as he comes in. Swick clinches. Knee to the body by Hardy. Knees to the thighs by Swick. They trade punches to the body. Now trading knees to the body. Swick catches Hardy with a knee to the groin. The ref halts the action to give Hardy time to recover. Hardy recovers and is ready to go. Swick ducks under the left of Hardy and clinches. Swick working hard for the takedown but Hardy staying on his feet. Knees to the body by Hardy. Swick answers with a knee of his own. Short punches by Swick. Crowd starting to boo. They trade knees to the body. Short elbow by Hardy on the break. Swick fires back with a left. The round ends. Tough round to score. 10-9 Hardy.

Round Two: Quick left hook by Hardy stumbles Swick. Hardy trying to walk him down but Swick clinches. Good short elbow by Hardy. Body shots by Hardy in the clinch. Hardy controlling the clinch at the moment. Dirty boxing by Hardy. Swick fires back with dirty boxing of his own. Elbow by Hardy. Good uppercut by Hardy. Knee to the body by Swick. Body shots by Hardy. The ref breaks them. Swick slips on a head kick but is quickly back up. They trade left hooks. Superman punch by Swick comes up just short. Counter left hook by Swick. Another good left by Swick followed by another. Swick catching Hardy with the counter left every time Hardy throws or comes in. Hardy clinches. Good left hook by Hardy on the break. 10-9 Hardy.

Round Three: Leg kick by Hardy but Swick comes back with a good left. They trade left hands. Straight right by Swick. Both men swinging now with Swick getting the better of the exchanges. Hardy getting wild with his punches. Big left hook by Hardy knocks Swick back. Hardy clinches. Hardy picks up Swick and looks to slam him down but Swick grabs a guillotine. Hardy pulls out of the guillotine and puts Swick on his back. Hardy in guard. Elbows by Hardy. Swick is slightly cut on the nose. The ref stands them up. Counter left hook by Hardy. Swick with a good right hand. Swick pressing forward but Hardy easily avoids. Left hook by Hardy. They clinch. The round ends. 10-9 Hardy.

Official Decision: Dan Hardy by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)

-Georges St. Pierre enters the Octagon to a very good reaction. GSP says that Hardy deserves a title shot. I guess he was impressed by his performance.

-Video preview for Vera vs. Couture

Light Heavyweight Fight (Main Event): Brandon Vera vs. Randy Couture

Round One: Body kick followed by a left by Vera. Couture stumbles but recovers. They clinch. Couture has Vera pressed against the cage. Couture controlling Vera but not doing any damage. Knees to the thighs by Couture. The ref breaks them. Couture ducks under and gets the clinch. Trip takedown by Couture. Vera gets back up but Couture has a headlock. Knees by Couture blocked. Couture continues to control but not throwing anything. Couture gets a single but Vera stays on his feet. Couture gives up on the single but lands a good left. Still in the clinch with Couture controlling. The ref breaks them. Couture ducks under and clinches again. They trade knees as the round ends. Tough round to score by Couture controlled most of it against the cage. 10-9 Couture.

Round Two: Leg kick by Vera and he catches Couture with an eye poke. Couture fights on. Knee to the body by Vera. Body kick by Vera. Couture pressed forward and clinches. Couture presses Vera against the cage. Knee to the body by Vera as the reverses the position. Couture back to pressing Vera against the cage. Short left by Couture. The ref breaks them. Jab by Vera. Head kick blocked by Couture. Body kick by Vera. Knee by Vera and Couture is down. Vera pounces on him but Couture recovers. Vera in the guard of Couture. The ref stands them up. Vera standing southpaw. Clinch by Couture. Couture presses Vera against the cage. Right hand by Couture followed by a left in the clinch. The round ends. 10-9 Vera.

Round Three: Leg kick by Vera. Right hand by Couture. Couture presses forward and lands some good punches. Couture clinches. Couture with Vera pressed against the cage. Dirty boxing by Couture. Good right hand by Couture. Dirty boxing by Couture. The ref breaks them. Body kick by Vera. Head kick but Couture blocks it. Another body kick by Vera. Couture clinches and uses dirty boxing. Uppercut by Couture on the break. They clinch and Vera has Couture against the cage. Vera gets the takedown and goes right into mount. Couture gives up his back and then gets to his feet. Uppercut by Couture. They trade knees. They break and Couture wins one last exchange as the round ends. Tough round to score. 10-9 Vera.

-Very close fight. Could go either way.

Official Decision: Randy Couture by Unanimous Decision (29-28 across)

-Couture says that the body kicks hurt and gives Vera his props. Couture says he feels more comfortable at Light Heavyweight.

-End Show