UFC - Unleashed Classics (09.12.07)
Posted by Randy Harrison on 03.06.2008
Tyson Griffin and Clay Guida tear the house down in Ireland, while Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar try to recapture the magic of the Ultimate Fighter Finale in their rematch. The debut of Classic Unleashed has two big fights to get things underway!!
Welcome to the first edition of Unleashed Classics, taking a look back at the previous editions of UFC Unleashed, getting ready for the new crop of shows to begin. Lord knows when that will be, but until then I'll be taking a look at the old episodes and giving them the review treatment. If I haven't reviewed them then they're still new to us all, so let's get right to it people!
UFC Unleashed Classics (Originally aired on September 12, 2007)
Match One: Lightweights
Tyson Griffin (8-1) vs. Clay Guida (21-7)
This fight is from UFC 72: Victory, from Belfast, Northern Ireland, the first UFC show to be held in Ireland. This fight was pivotal for both men in their attempts to move up the ladder in the Lightweight division as both were coming off of losses, with Guida dropping a decision to Din Thomas, and Griffin ending up on the wrong end of one against Frankie Edgar, which was the first loss of Griffin's career. They both have cardio to no end, and both are great wrestlers, so this one will be contested hotly on the mat, I do suspect.
Round One
My fingers better be ready cause this is going to be a TON of action. They touch gloves and circle a little to open up the round before Griffin throws out a jab. They exchange and both miss right hooks and go back to circling. Griffin throws a leg kick and Guida tries fo use that as a single-leg takedown but Griffin is just too well-balanced and stays on his feet. Guida holds the single-leg and lifts griffin up into the air but still can't get the takedown. Griffin falls back and grabs Guida in a guillotine that is nice and tight. Guida tries to struggle against it as Griffin holds onto it in full guard. Guida passes to half-guard and escapes the guillotine, grabbing a front facelock on Griffin and riding him back down to the mat. They scramble and Griffin has Guida's back while they're standing against the fence. He gets a hook in and has an arm across the throat, but Guida grabs Griffin's foot and yanks it.
They both end up falling to their back and they scramble again with Griffin ending up on top. They're back to their feet and in the clinch against the fence and Griffin is just controlling Guida. Guida reverses the control and hits some knees to the body. They continue to clinch and Griffin JUST misses with a big knee to the face. A combination from Guida stops Griffin in his tracks and Griffin comes back with a nice jab. Guida shoots in for a takedown and gets it stuffed by Griffin and they continue to trade on the feet. Griffin hurts Guida with a BIG uppercut and a high kick and Guida shoots for the takedown to try to recover. Griffin stuffs it and then eats a BIG right hand over the top from Guida. They scramble to end the round, with Griffin taking Guida's back again at the horn.
Round Analysis: Griffin scores the first round in his favor, working the better positions, stuffing all of Guida's shot attempts, and nearly ending it with that big knee to the face that just missed. Griffin tried for the guillotine and almost finished and held the advantage for almost the entire round, making this one a fairly easy one to score.
Round Two
No glove touch and Griffin throws a big right hand over the top that connects and a stiff jab that snaps Guida's head back. Body kick from Guida and he shoots in for a takedown off of it, with a single-leg, forcing Griffin into a standing split, but he can't get the takedown. Griffin gets lifted off of his feet again and keeps from going down, but Guida finally just bulls him down bu they scramble back to their feet. They trade combinations and Griffin just misses a big uppercut before landing a ton of jabs to the face of Guida. They exchange some more misses and Guida shoots in again for a takedown but ends up taken down off of it himself. He tries to take Griffin's back out of it but can't and they scramble again, with Griffin trying a German suplex but ending up taking the brunt of it himself. Guida over to his hands and knees and Griffin is trying to take his back.
Guida stands and lifts up the leg, turning Griffin over and taking top position, turning it into a kneebar that is sunk in DEEP. Griffin working shots to the back and body of Guida as he tries to fight out of it and he rolls to his back to relieve the pressure. Guida takes Griffin's back with both hooks in as Griffin stands up out of it. Suddenly Griffin drops the slam forward, putting Guida on HIS FACE as he tries to sink in the choke. He didn't get him off and Guida starts landing some right hands before trying for the choke again. Guida locks in a body triangle to keep back control and Griffin tries to turn into it to regain guard. He can't and ends up stuck in back control as the round comes to an end.
Round Analysis: Guida takes this round with his submission attempts, although it was really close. The Griffin face slam on Guida was absolutely sick and looked like Guida's face should have been imprinted on the mat. I have them as one round apiece going in to the third in what's shaping up to be an epic fight.
Round Three
Griffin with a combination to start the round and they trade jabs in the middle of the Octagon. More jabs are taded and Girffin hits a good right hand and a combination but misses the follow and hits a BIG knee. Guida shoots in with a double-leg but can't get the takedown and Griffin fights out of it. They're back to standing and Griffin hits a BIG uppercut and a leg kick as Guid hits a hard counter right hand. Guida with another single-leg takedown attempt and he bulls Griffin up against the fence. Griffin drops to his butt and then scrambles to roll and give up bis back to Guida. They're pressed against the fence and Griffin is raining elbows to the top of Guida's head and some hammerfists land. They scramble with Griffin grabbing one of Guida's legs and they end up with Griffin on his back and Guida hitting some nice reverse hammerfists with his right hand.
Guida on top of Griffin and lands a good right before falling into Griffin's half-guard. Griffin stands right up out of it but Guida keeps holding him down. They roll and trade transitions and Guida takes the full mount for a moment before falling back to half-guard. Shoulder strikes from Guida and some short lefts to Griffin's face. Guida holds the top position as Griffin tries for rubber guard. Griffin with an upkick that lands and Guida is in the full guard landing hammerfists. Guida tries to pass guard into side control but can't get there as Griffin's guard is just too good. Guida pounds from the top to the head and body with rights and lefts as the crowd comes to its feet with fifteen seconds left in the round. Guida stays on top and lands a HARD knee to the body right before the horn, grounding and pounding until the end of the fight.
Fight Analysis: Guida took that third round in my opinion, with the better position and the better striking. It's a shame that for whatever reason the judges didn't see things the same way, but I guess it's all subjective. Guida took the loss really well, despite clearly thinking that he won, and I have to say that I doubt I'd have been that calm. It's a shame that it ended the way it did because it was an absolutely beautiful ground battle between two of the best wrestlers in the 155-pound class. A bit of a bad aftertaste from the decision, but nothing to keep me from LOVING this fight.
Winner: Tyson Griffin, Split Decision
Match Two: Light Heavyweights
Stephan Bonnar (9-3) vs. Forrest Griffin (13-3)
You all know the story between Griffin and Bonnar. They had possibly one of the most-watched fights, in terms of viewership, in UFC history when they battled it out for the contract at the first Ultimate Finale. Griffin won a razor-close decision, and Bonnar was also awarded a contract. After both suffered losses, Griffin to Tito Ortiz and Bonnar to Rashad Evans, they figured that they'd might as well test each other again to see who would prevail this time. This was the co-main event for UFC 62, which featured Chuck Liddell and Babalu Sobral on top in the main.
Round One
They come out circling quickly and Forrest lands a leg kick. A big Forrest chant from the crowd starts up and they exchange in the middle of the cage. A big right hand lands for Bonnar and he hits a combination. Bonnar throws a good leg kick that Griffin checks and he uses it to throw Bonnar down. Leg kick from Forrest and he hits a good straight right hand and a jab before Bonnar throws a spinning back kick that lands. Bonnar with a combination that gets blocked by Girrin and Griffin lands some jabs and it looks like Bonnar caught a finger in the eye on an exchange. Bonnar JUST misses a high kick and they're back to circling.
Griffin with a high kick and a leg kick that land and he eats a big right from Bonnar as he moves forward. Bonnar catches him with another shot and another spinning back kick tot he body. High kick from Bonnar gets mostly blocked by Griffin. BIG leg kick from Griffin and he chases Bonnar down to land a combination. They circle some more and Bonnar switches from orthodox to southpaw stance back and forth. They exchange and both miss before Griffin lands a BIG right hand. He chases Bonnar down but can't capitalize on it and they slug it out in the middle before circling to end round one.
Round Analysis: Not a lot of action in this round, but the action that did take place seemed to favor Griffin. He controlled the Octagon, made Bonnar fight his fight, and landed some serious strikes. You could make an argument that Bonnar won this round, but it wouldn't be a very good one in my eyes. This one goes to Forrest.
Round Two
More circling to start round two and Griffin lands a good straight right hand before they circle some more. Trading jabs back and forth between them and they continue to circle before Griffin throws a combination that just misses and a straight right hand that doesn't. Bonnar with a combination that misses and he flashes out a couple of jabs. Griffin lands a kick that grazes Bonnar's cup and Griffin apologizes with a glove touch. Bonnar with a right hook that misses and a high kick that also misses before they go back to flashing out the jabs. An exchange of punches where Bonnar comes closer to landing a hard punch but neither land anything flush.
Forrest keeps cutting off the Octagon and lands a straight right hand and a follow-up jab. Bonnar with an overhand right that glances off of Griffin's face and Bonnar lands a great combination that opens up the already bleeding cheekbone of Griffin a little further. Griffin fires back with a great one-two that lands and they're circling again. Griffin with a jab that lands solidly and snaps back Bonnar's head. They trade and slip all the punches and Griffin lands a leg kick, replied to by Bonnar with one of his own. They both trade hooks that miss and Griffin lands another stiff jab. Bonnar takes the center of the Octagon now and Griffin hits a hard left and they trade with Bonnar landing a right hand and Forrest hitting a jab at the horn.
Round Analysis: Much like the first round, Forrest may have thrown less strikes but he landed almost as many, if not more, than Bonnar and they were all really accurate punches that left their mark and did some damage. Bonnar has seemed just a half-second too slow on the exchanges for most of the fight and that half-second is the difference between getting off your jab first, or eating your opponent's jab while yours is stopped short. Two-zip, Griffin.
Round Three
They trade jabs and Bonnar hits a leg kick and a combination before Forrest hits a left and a good right hand that open Bonnar up on the right eye. High kick by Bonnar misses and Forrest moves forward with a Superman punch that misses. Forrest with another stinging jab and a leg kick that lands. Bonnar responds with a leg kick of his own and they go back to circling. Another Forrest chant from the crowd and they continue to circle with Griffin just missing a big right hand. Bonnar JUST misses a spinning back fist and glances the midsection of Griffin with a spinning back kick. Forrest with another leg kick and Bonnar hits a straight right over the top. Another leg kick from Forrest and another and they go back to circling and feinting. Bonnar with a big right hook that lands and Forrest responds with one of his own and a head kick that glances off of Bonnar's head.
They move to a clinch but only for a moment before separating back to the middle. Goldberg starts talking insanity about making it a title fight that isn't a title fight or something like that and I just kind of roll my eyes. Griffin hits a good left hook and Bonnar tries to respond but can't hit the combination. A right hand and in inside leg kick from Forrest land, followed by a solid left hook. Forrest controls the center of the cage and flicks out the jab that lands and the crowd is on their feet with thirty seconds left. Bonnar with a couple of good right hands that connect and Griffin hits a BIG overhand right. They exchange and Griffin gets another big right hand and they clinch against the fence as the horn sounds to end the fight.
Fight Analysis: This round went much like the first two rounds, and this fight was certainly nothing like their highly regarded fight from the Ultimate Fighter Finale show. This seemed like a half-speed version of that fight, with a lot of flurries of activity, but not the sustained, back-and-forth brawling that punctuated the first fight. A bit of a disappointment when compared to their previous encounter, but it would have taken a lot to live up or surpass that fight.
Winner: Forrest Griffin, Unanimous Decision
Goldie thanks us for watching and tells us he'll see us right back here -fist pump- inside THE OCTAGON, and that's it for the show. God, do I hate it when he does that.
The 411: The first fight was epic, and speaks for itself. It proved that a fight can be exciting and entertaining while being primarily fought on the ground. The transitions and reversals were outstanding and my only issue is with the wrong guy getting the decision. The second fight, not so much. It didn't have half the intrigue of the first fight, as Griffin seemed in control from the onset. 50/50 in terms of fight enjoyment, but I'll go a little higher with the rating just because of how much I loved the first fight.
