HIstory of the UFC 10.22.07: UFC XIX: Ultimate Young Guns
Posted by Matt McEwen on 10.22.2007
Chuck Liddell's first PPV fight, Kevin Randleman's first UFC fight and Tito Ortiz's first main event. Where do you get all that, another turn in the Road to the Heavyweight Title AND a Gary Goodridge sighting? Why, at UFC XIX, that's where!
Less than two months after UFC XVIII, the Octagon returned to PPV on March 5th, 1999 as the schedule of the UFC gets cranked up a notch. Instead of the quarterly events which had been the schedule, the UFC was now running essentially every two months. While the previously stated ambition to run "9 in 99" proved to be a bit ambitious, 6 shows per year is definitely a step in the right direction.
This time out, we have UFC XIX: Ultimate Young Guns. The young guns in question would be the fighters that UFC management were viewing as the future of the organization at this point. In the heavyweight division, Pete Williams would compete against Jason Godsey, an experienced, 35 year old newcomer, while 37 year old former champion Maurice Smith would return after a two year absence to take on the debuting two time former NCAA wrestling champion Kevin Randleman. The middleweight division would see Evan Tanner make his second appearance against newcomer Valeri Ignatov, Jeremy Horn go after his first win in the Octagon against some kickboxer named Chuck, and Tito Ortiz main event his first PPV against the only man to have beaten him so far in Lion's Den fighter Guy Mezger. An interesting card.
Now, this is the third of four shows featuring the "Road to the Heavyweight Title" quasi-tournament. After UFC XVIII, Pedro Rizzo and Bas Rutten had advanced to face each other here for the title. One problem with that - Rizzo and Rutten train together, so Rizzo removed himself from the tournament. You would think that would be something they would discuss prior to putting him in a tournament, but to each their own I guess. With no one to face Rutten, they added two men to the title picture - Randleman and Smith. In hindsight it's not such a bad decision, but at the time I'd say they were grasping at straws here.
This show is a bit no-nonsense, and is basically fight after fight. I have a slightly edited version of the show, so there was likely more filler, but as it stands, it's a pretty solid fight card.
Heavyweights - 200+lbs
Pete Williams (1-1, 6'3, 236lbs) vs Jason Godsey (0-0, 6'2, 238lbs)
Pete - no longer Petey - Williams is looking to get back on track after following up his huge upset win over Mark Coleman up with a lackluster loss to Tsuyoshi Kosaka in Brazil. He comes out looking to be in the best shape of his UFC career so far, so that's a good start for him. Godsey is a big guy, but by no means muscular. Not out of shape, or fat at all, just not really cut. He comes in at 238lbs, but looks like he could drop 10 of those and come in more cut. He does have career victories over former UFC champ Steve Jennum and Jeremy Horn on his record, so he does have some decent credentials.
Godsey comes out aggressively right from the start, but Williams uses that against him and scores a quick takedown. He works out of 1/2 guard for a bit, then stands up and grabs Godsey's right leg when he throws it up. A quick spin and drop to the ground later and the fight is over in under two minutes when Godseyy submits to the knee bar. Williams looked very good here.
Post fight, Williams says he has been training harder than ever and wants a title shot.
Tanner makes his second trip into the Octagon here, and still features normal looking hair. A bit curlier than last time when he was sporting the fashionable "Ceaser" cut, but nothing freakish yet. He is taking on newcomer Ignatov, who is the marquee member of Bob Shamrock's - adopted father of both Ken and Frank - new fight team, Shamrock 2000. He is well known for his leg and ankle submissions, so much so that Tanner comes into the fight barefoot, whereas he wore wrestling shoes in his debut.
Size looks like it could be a factor here, as Tanner is a big 199, while Ignatov looks like he is fighting at his walking around weight.
They both come out throwing leather to start off, but Tanner gets the better of it and is the aggressor after the initial exchange. He scores a takedown and passes easily into side control. Ignatov is trying hard for an armbar, but Tanner is able to avoid. Ignatov's guard - he seems to prefer the butterfly variety - seems decent to start, but then Tanner starts landing big shots. Surprisingly, Tanner goes for a heel hook, which lets Ignatov grab a leg of his own, and we have dueling submissions for a moment until Tanner pulls his leg free and passes into the mount. He holds Ignatov's left wrist with his right hand, then proceeds to drop BIG elbows while he has him tied up. About 4 of those, and Big John stops the fight. Nice showing by Tanner, who was just too strong for Ignatov here.
Post fight, Tanner actually seems a bit disappointed in himself, as he had planned on keeping the fight more on his feet.
Heavyweight - 200+lbs - Title Eliminator
Maurice Smith (2-1,6'2, 220lbs) vs Kevin Randleman (0-0, 5'10, 218)
So, two new intro's to the most dysfunctional tournament in the history of professional fighting. We'll see if either of these guys actually gets a title shot.
This is Smith's first trip back into the cage since his loss to Randy Couture at Ultimate Japan, while Randleman is making his UFC debut after taking part in several tournaments in Brazil. In his pre fight video, Randleman is not lacking in confidence, which I'm sure isn't a shock to anyone familiar with him.
Both guys are small for heavyweights, though to say anything at all is small about the very jacked up Randleman is hard to do. The guy is freakishly ripped.
The fight starts with Randleman making Smith chase him, which is a bit surprising to see. The fans boo pretty quickly as there is no contact until about 2 minutes in when Randleman barely catches a combination. 30 seconds later Smith finally lands a leg kick. Yup - 2 1/2 minutes into a fight and there's been one combo that didn't really land and a leg kick. That's all.
Randleman catches a leg kick at about the 4 1/2 minute mark and scores an explosive takedown. Smith uses a 1/2 butterfly guard to good effect as he avoids most of the shots that Randleman is throwing at him. He is controlling the wrestler's wrists and head very well, but Randleman is slowly maneuvering towards the cage. Smith sees that and is able to spin away. McCarthy restarts them at 7:45.
Smith misses a left cross and Randleman shoots in and takes him down again. That was fast. Shockingly though, Randleman LETS HIM UP. He's either brave, stupid or both. Randleman pushes Smith up against the fence, where he proceeds to grab a double leg, lift him up and score another takedown. He tries to pass guard, but Smith tries for a kimura. Randleman is able to pull his arm free and land a good punch before settling back into the guard for the final minute of regulation.
Really boring opening but once they got going not a bad fight at all. Randleman is definitely in the lead going into the OT period, scoring with his takedowns and being the more aggressive fighter as well. Smith landed more strikes, but not enough to make up the difference.
Smith comes forward to start OT, probably aware that he is not in position to win a decision here. He tries for a leg kick, but Randleman has it timed and scores another takedown. Not much action on the ground other than an attempted kimura by Smith, but Randleman shockingly lets him up again with one minute left. Crazy. He ties Smith up against the fence and just pulls Smith to the ground again. Randleman ends with a flurry of strikes at the end of OT and scores a decisive win in a big upset.
He then gives an entertaining post fight interview. He thanks God for making it all possible and then - without pause - thanks his "favourite fucking person in the world" Mark Coleman. There's something funny about going from praising the lord to dropping F bombs.
Middleweights - 170lbs to 199lbs
Jeremy Horn (0-2, 6'1, 199lbs) vs Chuck Liddell (1-0, 6'2, 199lbs)
Horn is looking to get his first win in the Octagon here, while Liddell is making his first of many PPV appearances. Liddell looks essentially the same as he does today, right down to the ugly mohawk, except that he is in better shape here. No beer belly at all.
Goldberg says that Liddell is a dangerous striker, but that his wrestling game is his weak point, while Pat Militech leads Horn out. He is in much better shape this time out, and they mention how all the training with Militech is really paying off.
Horn starts out with leg kicks, then goes for a high kick which almost scores. That would have been funny - Liddell KO'd by a high kick. They clinch after the missed kick, with each guy having one over hook and one under hook. Liddell controls the takedown with his sprawl and starts to land some knees in this position, which hasn't been outlawed yet. Horn manages to get to a sitting position with his back against the fence, and Liddell tees of on his head for a minute before Horn grabs a double leg. Liddell sprawls again, and they get back to their feet. As they're clinched against the fence, Horn jumps onto Liddell to try and pull him down with a guillotine. He loses the choke on the way down, but succeeds in pulling Liddell into his 1/2 guard. Liddell lands some short punches from the top, but Horn is hugging tightly to Liddell's chest. It looks like they're about to get stood up when out of nowhere Horn rolls for a heel hook. Liddell grabs a leg himself, but from the look on his face Horn's is much more effective. Liddell is able to roll to relieve the pressure, then posture up and get his leg free and they end up with Liddell sprawling over top of Horn again. Horn reverses and gains top position with Liddell pushed up against the fence. Not much going on here, but it's hard to tell if that's the result of Liddell's defense or if Horn is a bit gassed. This at about the 8 1/2 minute mark.
McCarthy stands them up, and they do a little boxing to start until Liddell lands a nice body kick, which is answered by Horn with a nice leg kick. He follows the kick in with a shoot and gets the takedown, but Liddell is able to get to his feet quickly. Horn takes him right back down with about a minute left in regulation. Liddell tries for a few seconds to get a kimura, but can't secure it. He is able to roll to top position, but Horn locks on a head and arm choke with about 20 seconds left. Time runs out, but when Horn lets go Liddell is out cold. He didn't tap, but passed out and the fight is over.
That was a good fight. You could see some of the skills that Liddell would use to gain his success in the coming years, but you could also the holes in his game at the same time. For his part, Horn looked really good here.
Heavyweight - 200+lbs
Andre Roberts (1-0, 6'2, 370lbs) vs Gary Goodridge (3-4, 6'2, 243lbs)
Goodridge makes his return to the Octagon after more than two years away, during which time he became a staple on the first series of PRIDE shows. He was originally supposed to take on Tank Abbott here which would have been a fun slugfest, but Tank got the flu and couldn't go. Roberts is a massive Native American with an ugly mohawk and a good background in wrestling and boxing. He trains with Pat Militech, so you know he is solid.
They both come out exchanging punches, and the fight looks more like the slugfests that populated the first several events. The big man is coming forward, but he gets caught by a right hand by Goodridge which makes him turn his back and quit. It looks like his nose got broken, but I've never seen that before. That's two fights in a row that ended very oddly.
Middleweights - 170lbs-199lbs
Tito Ortiz (2-1, 6'2, 199lbs) vs Guy Mezger (4-0, 6'1, 198lbs)
This is a rematch of the tournament final at UFC XIII when Mezger was being dominated but was able to secure a choke after a controversial standup and win. This also Ortiz's third straight fight against the Lion's Den, following the loss to Mezger and his win over Jerry Bohlander.
In possibly the funniest pre fight comment in the history of mankind, Tito says that Mezger has been cock, which as a pro fighter you should never be, and he has thus lost respect for him. Someone should play that comment back for Tito every time he wants to open his mouth.
The fight starts out with Tito shooting quickly and scoring the takedown. He works out of 1/2 guard but Mezger has a front face lock. Ortiz pulls his head free but then gets caught with double under hooks. Even still, Ortiz is able to easily muscle Mezger towards the fence. Mezger is able to stand up, but not for long as Ortiz really wants the fight on the ground, and he gets it back there. At about the the 4 minute mark, with Ortiz in the top position, he starts to unload on Mezger. Mezger scrambles, and gives up his back and eats some elbows to the head. Mezger is able to scramble to his feet, but Ortiz takes him down again and lands some more big elbows. Mezger tries for a kimura, but Ortiz is just too strong and pulls his arm free. At about the 7 minute mark, Ortiz pushes him up against the fence again.
They get back to their feet for a minute, but Ortiz scores with yet another takedown. He takes Mezger's back and is content to pound away with hammer fists and elbows until McCarthy calls the the fight.
Immediately after the victory, Ortiz shoots the double bird at the Lion's Den, then proceeds to put a shirt on that says "Guy Mezger is my bitch." While they're showing replays of the finish, you can hear Ken Shamrock screaming at Tito to "Take off the f'ing shirt" and a few other choice comments. When they're done with the replays, Shamrock is hanging over the top of the Octagon with his finger in Ortiz's face until Big John lifts Tito up and out of the way.
In contrast, Ortiz is very polite at the first of his post fight interview, saying how tough Mezger was and what a good fighter he is. Then he follows that up with saying that if he were Ken Shamrock, he'd be upset too since his two top fighters just got schooled by Tito. It hurts because it's true.
The 411: Another hard show to put into a rating system. There were no reall stand out fights, though both Randleman/Smith and Horn/Liddell were good. No horrible fights either, as the outmatched competitors got finished pretty quickly. Fun in a hindsight way too, as the Ortiz vs Shamrock feud REALLY got heated here, and LIddell loses ther first fight that most people ever saw of his. The weirdest thing was seeing Goodridge in the Octagon again. He reminded me of how the shows were when he first showed up, and how far they had come since then as - other than the occassional Tank Abbott fight - the "spectale" aspect has entirely been replaced with a real sport feel, which is only helped by athletes like Ortiz and Randleman stepping into the cage.
