First of all, I feel that Dana White deserves a big “Thanks!” from MMA supporters around the world for bringing us UFC 105 live on Spike. Dana is a genius when it comes to promotions and giving away a Couture fight for free, that’s just freaking awesome.
The show started off with the pre-fight interviews, and I really loved hearing Vera and Couture spout off at each other. Dana’s pre-fight interviews have obviously taken a page from the world of Wraslin’, a fact that grows more and more obvious with each new PPV. Nonetheless, they are getting to be almost as entertaining as the fights themselves. It’s obvious that the MMA world takes better care of their fighters than the Boxing world does, mostly because the dictation from the MMA guys is actually intelligent and coherent.
“I get to fight the Living Legend, you know… I get to fight Randy Couture, Captain America”, says Brandon Vera during his interview. The rest of the preliminary interviews and character spots shows that Brandon has a great deal of respect for Randy. This is a sentiment that doesn’t hold true for Randy.
“I want to compete against the top guys in this weight class and I need to get through Brandon Vera to do that”, says a very confident Couture. To me, that sounded almost to be a dismissal of Vera’s abilities, a dismissal that I was sure that Randy would regret before the night was over.
Fight 1: Pearson vs Riley:
My Bet: Ross Pearson
Pearson: Age (25) Height (5’8″) Weight (156) Reach (69″)
Riley: Age (28) Height (5’8″) Weight (155) Reach (69″)
I actually felt a little sorry for Aaron Riley before the match started. Just looking at the Ultimate Finale 9 Winner, Ross Pearson, is enough to make one think twice before going toe-to-toe with him. Pearson was an English fighter with 9 wins and 3 losses behind him.
Aaron Riley, on the other hand, was a veteran fighter with 28 wins and 11 losses. Even with this impressive background, I just didn’t think he could really give Pearson a run for his money.
First Round started off a bit slow. These guys have pretty much the same fighting style and showed a lot of respect for each other. Riley threw a couple of tentative kicks early on, looking for range and testing Pearson’s speed, but it was Pearson who landed the first real blow of the night with a hard right to Riley’s head. Riley shook it off easily enough, but Pearson seemed to only gain confidence as the fight progressed. Riley continued to seem tentative and to soak up some serious punishment early in the first round. This is not the same guy I saw fight Shane Nelson in UFC 101, he almost seemed to be trying the old rope-a-dope that Ali made famous; gassing out his opponent with ineffectual blows early in the round and then exploding at the end to take the point lead. You just can’t do this in the Octagon, however. These guys don’t gas that easily and no one can take punishment from someone as strong as Pearson for long. Around a minute left in the round, Riley landed a really nice leg kick, but it was immediately followed up by the right hand of Pearson. Directly after this, Pearson seemed to actually get a bit technical; He was watching and waiting for his combinations, landing them exactly as he wanted without a change in his expression. I was concerned that this might turn into a clinic with Riley as the training dummy if something didn’t change quickly. With about 30 seconds left in the first round, Riley attempted a takedown which Pearson shrugged off without much effort. I think Riley let it go, knowing that it would take too much energy and not score high enough with the judges this late in the round. 20 seconds left; Pearson lands a hard leg kick to Riley’s head, which Riley shakes off and dances away from the side of the ring.
Pearson easily takes round 1, but I gotta say; Aaron Riley is tough as nails. Pearson landed some heavy punches, rough knees and a couple of nice head kicks, but Riley simply waved them off. Had he been a bit more aggressive, that round could easily have become a legend in the sport.
Second Round started immediately after the commercial break. Riley looked a little worse for wear, but ready to go to work. Unfortunately for him, Pearson seemed to have gotten his range and immediately lands some bombs, then clinched and drove him to the fence. Pearson tried a half-hearted sweep to take down Riley, which failed and ended with Riley as the aggressor and Pearson against the fence. Riley lands some rough elbows and Pearson responds with a couple of knees that break them apart. Riley looked a bit winded, but that was possibly due to the fierce knees of his opponent. At around 3 minutes left in Round 2, Riley found his range and went for the kill but Pearson fought him off with some excellent boxing. Less than 30 seconds later, Pearson went a bit crazy, landing some tight combination punches and leg kicks that left Riley looking a bit amateurish. With less than 30 seconds left in the round, Pearson caught Riley with a flying knee followed by a right hand that opened his head up. This was one of the worst cuts I’ve seen as far as the sheer amount of blood pouring from Aaron’s head. He was literally shaking the blood from his head and gloves like sweat. Up to this point, neither fighter had been cut in this fight and this was unexpected. The ref paused the fight to check Riley and the docs stopped the action, saying he just could not continue at this point.
Winner: Ross “The Real Deal” Pearson (Stoppage due to Cut)
At this point, I’m 1/1 in predictions.
Fight 2: Wilks vs Brown
My Bet: Matt Brown
Wilks: Age (31) Height (6’1″) Weight (169lbs) Reach (75″)
Brown: Age (28) Height (6’0″) Weight (170lbs) Reach (76″)
Matt Brown came into the fight with 10 wins and 7 losses, interestingly enough the UFC called it 12 wins. I don’t know where they found the other two wins at. James Wilks came in with 7 wins and 2 losses. He was the second UK fighter of the night and the crowd there in Manchester, England were showing their national pride by cheering for their boys and nearly booing the American fighters.
First Round starts off nicely, neither guy looking to back down. After a light exchange, Brown ties up with Wilks and pushes him into the fence. Wilks, not to be intimidated, pushes back and gains the upper hand, even managing to fight out of Brown’s Kimura and taking his back, which he quickly relenquishes. With 3 minutes left into the round, the ref breaks them up and Brown comes out like lightning, landing some nice punches, Wilks attempts a couple of counter-punches but they go wild. Wilks pushes Brown against the fence and attempts a takedown, which Brown defends. The ref, whom I hate at this point, breaks them up again. Wilks comes out of that with a nice headkick that sends Brown on the defensive. With only seconds left in the round, Brown sinks in a deep guillotine which Wilks beats by dropping down to the ground and follows up by taking Brown down with seeming ease. The round ends with Brown failing to sink another Kimura, Wilks countering with a head kick and Brown answering with a hard left that backed Wilks up a few steps. On his way to the corner, Brown is taking deep breaths and looks tired. The first round was exciting with lots of action, definitely two professionals at the top of their class going to war.
Second Round starts right after the commercial break with Brown landing a nice leg kick to Wilks’ left leg, which Wilks immediately counters with two straight lefts that land solidly. Brown fakes a couple of jabs and lands a high kick to the head that doesn’t seem to bother Wilks. Wilks misses a head kick and slips, prompting Brown to come running in with a wild flying knee that could have easily ended the fight had it landed properly. Wilks attempted to take his leg, but the flying knee had hurt him enough to cause him to slip again and land on his back. Brown jumped at the chance to finish and attempted to ground-n-pound Wilks, who barely manages to stay in the game by pulling half guard and bringing Brown in close for a leg-bar, which he nearly got but Brown managed somehow to slip out of. This went so fast I had to pause and rewind my DVR several times, but it looked as if Brown slipped out thanks to both fighters being sweaty and slippery. During this exchange, Brown was racking up points by landing some hard hammer fists to the sides of Wilks’ head. It didn’t seem to faze Wilks, but it was definitely enough to impress the judges. Over the next couple of minutes, Wilks fights hard to keep Brown close, Brown’s corner calls out to create space and that Wilks is gassed. With around a minute and a half left in round 2, the ref once again breaks them off the cage and takes them to the center of the ring, even though Wilks was clearly working for a modified whizzer takedown. Brown lands some serious combinations that drops Wilks again, but Wilks manages once again to work through the haze and pull Brown in close. On the ground, Brown works for Wilks’ back, but Wilks easily rolls him over and ends up in side-control. Brown works him to butterfly guard and manages to pull off a deep triangle choke that would have ended the fight, but Wilks was saved by the bell. Wilks clearly taps brown on the shoulder and both guys grin at each other as they separate, all Brown would have needed was another ten seconds and the fight would have been over. As they head to their corners, Wilks’ left eye is swollen shut and there appears to be a minor cut nearby. The cut man goes to work and we go to commercial break.
Third Round starts off with Wilks attempting a few leg kicks and eating one by Brown. Wilks throws a couple of combos that land nicely, but Brown has the range and heads for him. Wilks wisely ties up and pushes for the fence. Brown fights his way off the fence and attempts a half-hearted superman punch. Both guys look tired at this point and I was expecting a lackluster performance for the rest of the round. Brown pushes forwards and eats some lefts and a right from Wilks but manages to land a nice left hook on Wilks. They tie up and end up on the fence again. Wilks works his way to Brown’s back, but Brown has been countering him all night with a Kimura and does so again. Wilks was ready this time, however and as soon as Brown relaxed, he took advantage and attempted a Kimura of his own. Brown had to work hard to get out of this Kimura, which Wilks seems to be very good at. With 2 1/2 minutes left, Brown takes the full mount and begins to rain down blows on Wilks. Wilks is too gassed at this point to mount a defense and the ref steps in to stop the fight.
I would like to comment here on the referees for these fights. I know these guys don’t work for the UFC and that they have to enforce the rules as the UFC laid down, but I wish there was some way that as fans we could have them fired for some of these stupid calls. Several times in this fight the ref broke the two up and away from the fence when Wilks was clearly working. The commentator, Joe Rogan, at one point seemed upset with the ref and was explaining how hard the two were working to gain an advantage. Rogan is great when it comes to educating the audience on the intricacies of MMA, but it appears as if this ref has never watched a single match before, evah.
Winner: Matt Brown (TKO)
I’m now 2/2 for predictions.
Fight 3: Winner vs Delgado
My Bet: Andre Winner
As a fellow Arkansan, I felt kinda bad for counting out Delgado before the bell rang, but I just have a lot of respect for Andre Winner. I also doubt the validity of Delgado’s so-called black belt in BJJ, which he was supposed to have earned in Brazil after only 1 week of training. This doesn’t mean the guy can’t fight, I’m just saying…
Winner: Age (28) Height (5’11″) Weight (155) Reach (73″)
Delgado: Age (27) Height (6’3″) Weight (156) Reach (77″)
This is the third fight of the night and the third English fighter to enter the ring. I’m starting to see a pattern here. Do you think Dana padded the card to get some nationalist pride going in the audience? Nah, he wouldn’t do that… would he?
First Round starts with Delgado going for a flying knee, but Winner is looking confident and keeps his distance. Winner lands a hard right hand and Delgado collapses, with Winner right on top. Delgado fights him off and goes for an arm, but Winner backs off and they are both back to their feet. Delgado continues to pursue the faster Winner. Winner baits Delgado but can’t capitalize when Delgado rushes in. They end up on the fence with the stronger Delgado attempting a knee that goes wild. Back in the center of the ring, Winner seems to be baiting Delgado again, but Roli plays it safe and lands a few kicks and a straight right. Delgado switches from the aggressor and starts backing off, apparently the right hand he ate earlier is causing him to respect the speed and power of Winner. Delgado continues to land light rights and fast lefts on Winner, who closes the gap and forces Delgado into the fence. Delgado fights him off with a knee, but Winner comes back with a left-right combo that lands and they end up on the fence again. Back in the center of the ring, Winner lands another leg kick to Delgado’s left leg. Rogan comments on the fact that he keeps landing those and perhaps it is this that is slowing Delgado down. Winner baits again and when Delgado steps in, Winner lands a devastating overhand right that puts Delgado down. His eyes were closed before he even hit the ground and the two left punches that Winner lands to his unconscious head were only exclamation points before the ref can get between them.
Winner: Andre Winner (KO)
I’m 3/3 now. Can’t keep this up, LOL!
Fight 4: Bisping vs Kang
My Bet: Bisping
Michael Bisping: Age (30) Height (6’2″) Weight (186lbs) Reach (76″)
Denis Kang: Age (32) Height (5’11″) Weight (185lbs) Reach (77″)
To be honest, I had to wiki Denis Kang. I seriously did not know the guy beyond hearing his name from time to time. I didn’t remember him from UFC 93 and 97 and even though his last few losses were by submission and wins by KO or TKO, I still felt that Bisping was a heavy hitter that could take down just about anyone.
Fourth fight, fourth English fighter. Seriously, Dana? Were you trying to save on airplane tickets or something? LOL!
Round One starts out without a glove touch, both guys looking mean as hell. The first decent contact comes via The Count’s (Bisping) leg kick, countered easily enough by Kang. Kang answers with a hard kick of his own to Bisping’s left leg. Bisping seems to be attempting to be the aggressor, but is missing his throws each time he wades in. Kang can’t seem to move fast enough to punish Bisping for his mistakes, however. Bisping goes in one time too many and Kang catches him with a hard looping right that takes the steam out of Bisping and sending him to the mat. Kang follows up immediately but ends up in Bisping’s guard. Bisping fights hard to keep Kang from posturing up and raining down blows, but it is clear early on that Kang’s ground game is superior. Kang escapes from Bisping’s half-guard a few times, but Bisping easily pulls it back together and even attempts a few Kimuras, however Kang kept working on breaking the guard and seemed to ignore Bisping’s submission work. Bisping tried just a little too hard to work the Kimura and Kang fought it off, winning full mount as he did so. Bisping immediately began working his hips, but Kang was faster and managed to lock his legs under Bisping. Before Kang could do much damage, Bisping managed to work his hips again back to half guard and from there back to full guard after Bisping misses two separate arm bar attempts. Another arm bar attempt by Bisping ends with Kang in side control. Kang looks to be attempting to land some elbows, but Bisping’s head is moving as fast as his hips and Kang can’t seem to damage him, even if he is passing guard at will. The round ends with Bisping on bottom and seemingly uninjured. However, due to the devastating right that put Bisping on his back, I had to give that round to Denis Kang. Rogan agrees and we go to commercial break.
When we come back from commercial, Rogan comments on the conversation in Bisping’s corner during the break. Apparently Bisping asked how he ended up on the ground. He didn’t even remember the right hand that took him down, which Rogan believes is a bad sign. Myself, I just think that means he’ll be a bit more careful but I think he recovered quickly enough.
Round Two starts out with Bisping missing a high head kick by a mile. Rogan notes that Bisping’s corner wants him to circle to the right, away from the heavy hand of Denis Kang, which I definitely would want to avoid as well. They trade blows and Kang throws a very slow straight punch that missed by a mile, he is clearly looking for range. Against a heavy striker like Bisping, looking for your range in the second round is a Bad Thing. Bisping misses another high kick and both fighters seem to be gauging one another, looking for that one mistake that could end the fight. Bisping seems lighter on his feet than Kang, who might have blown his wad during the previous round. Kang loosens up and dances in with a few quick jabs, one that lands on Bisping’s left rib and seemed to hurt him. Kang seems to be looking to land that right hand again, while Bisping seems to be setting Kang up for the high kick. Bisping goes for a takedown and gets it via a single-leg takedown with Kang’s right leg. Both are down with Bisping on top. Kang pulls Bisping down and tries to hip escape, but Bisping manages to posture up and starts raining down blows on Kang, who seems to lost. Kang is bleeding near his left eye and is trying desperately to get out from under Bisping. Kang manages to roll out, but Bisping is landing punches at will. With both fighters back to their feet, Kang is looking bloodied and perhaps a bit disoriented. His years in MMA are really paying off here, as any less experienced fighter wouldn’t have been able to pull that escape off and stand back up that quickly. Bisping seems to have his range now, but is still respecting Kang’s heavy right hand. Bisping makes an easy takedown and starts hammering on Kane. At this point we can see that Kang is cut on the bridge of is nose and he seems to be having trouble seeing. Kang rolls out from under Bisping, who is landing hammer fists and jabs left and right, seemingly at will. Kang manages to get back to his feet and dances around, showing that he is one tough SOB. With blood streaming from his cut into both eyes, Kang is determined to make it through this round. Kang keeps trying for a straight left, which Bisping counters with a devastating left of his own. Bisping is landing but Kang seems to be reaching for range again. Kang looks to land his heavy right, but Bisping sneaks in one of his own that rocks Kang. Kang is dancing, trying hard to shake off the cobwebs, but Bisping is determined to keep up the heat without opening himself up for that hard right. Three left jabs in a row from Bisping shows that The Count has his range and is looking to explode at the first opportunity. Kang continues to dance and move to his right, but Bisping is now in charge of this fight. Bisping takes Kang down again, with no resistance. The Count lands several unanswered hammer fists to the side of Kang’s head, but Kang is defending and rolls to his back, inviting Bisping into his guard. Bisping seems to reach through Kang’s guard and lands punch after punch. Kang rolls out into the fence, covering up and Bisping continues to rain punches. In a last-ditch effort, Kang attempts a light left followed by his heavy right, but Bisping ducks under both and continues to tee away. The ref warns Kang to protect himself, to which Kang answers by going for a leg that isn’t there. The ref jumps in and stops Bisping from continuing his punishment.
Winner: Michael Bisping (TKO)
I’m 4/4 for the night.
Fight 5: Alex Gustafsson vs Jared Hamman
My Bet: Jared Hamman
No Tape: This appears to be an unaired prelim that was thrown in as a time buffer.
Round One starts out with both guys swinging for the fences. Hamman is pushing hard, but Alex is fighting back with style and speed. Hamman lands a leg kick that was so fast, I missed it until the commentators mentioned it and I went back via rewind. Things are happening so fast, that I find myself pausing and rewinding just to see how a punch landed. Hamman goes for the leg kick again and follows up with a hard overhand right that Gustafsson never sees coming. Alex battles his way off the fence, throwing wildly and landing with what seems to be luck. Gusatafsson lands a straight left that causes Hamman to reassess his game plan and slow down a bit. Ref stops to check on Hamman who seemed to have caught a poke to the eye, but I never saw it happen. Hamman claps to show his readiness to continue and the ref lets ‘em back at each other. Hamman walks straight into a hard straight left that sends his mouthpiece flying and him to his back, Alex is immediately on top and Hamman is bleeding from a cut on his nose. Hamman attempts a hip escape, but Gustafsson lands several unanswered blows that have Hammon covering up. The ref jumps in and stops the fight at 4:18 in the first round, but Hamman is already out anyway. This turns a TKO into a KO.
Winner: Alex Gustaffson (KO)
I’m 4/5, not bad considering I guessed on that last one due to Hamman’s age.
Fight 6: Swick vs Hardy
My Bet: Mike Swick
Mike Swick: Age (30) Height (6’1″) Weight (170lbs) Reach (77″)
Dan Hardy: Age (27) Height (6’0″) Weight (171) Reach (74″)
This fight had the potential to carry it’s own PPV as the Main Event if you listened to the talking heads prior to the match. Dan Hardy is working hard to trash talk Mike Swick, who seems to be taking it all in stride. Apparently Dana White promised the winner of this fight a shot at GSP’s Welterweight title in Vegas. Rumor has it that the next Vegas fight will be at UFC 109 in February of 2010.
Round One starts out with a bit of electricity. The trash talk earlier may not have been all show, as each fighter glares hard at the other before they touch gloves and prepare to fight. They spend fifteen seconds sizing each other up and Hardy lands a tentative leg kick to the inside, which doesn’t seem to do any damage. Swick moves in quickly and catches a combo from Hardy for his trouble which seems to take his legs out for a second. They end up on the fence with Swick looking to be in trouble. Both fighters seem to be landing light knees and Hardy reverses, putting Swick’s back to the fence. Rogan comments that Swick may be in trouble from the combo a few seconds ago, but it looks to me as if he recovered quickly. Swick gets a single underhook in, which Hardy responds to with a punch to the inside leg. With Hardy off-balance, Swick switches and puts Hardy against the fence. Hardy manages to reverse the underhook and gets two of his own, but not tight enough to attempt a takedown. Hardy lands some nice knees, which Swick wants no more of. Swick seems to have trouble creating the distance he needs to break this off the fence. Swick lands an accidental crotch knee, which the ref sees and calls time on. Hardy is hurt, but recovers nicely. The action restarts in the center of the ring. Swick moves for a takedown which is blocked and they again end up on the fence. The crowd is not happy at this point. Hardy continues to land knees from this position, which causes Swick to work harder for a takedown he just can’t seem to pull off. The round ends with Hard in control against the fence and both fighters attempt a flurry of punches which don’t land as they come off the fence. Hardy is smiling as we go to commercial break.
Round Two starts out with Swick making his way across the ring quickly and attempting a flurry. He is countered and hit hard by Hardy’s hard right which staggers him. Swick’s right knee starts to buckle but he manages to stay upright and backs off. Hardy smells blood and moves in, but Swick once again seemed to recover quickly. Hardy moves in quick and lands another right, Swick is smiling and Hardy lands a quick left and pushes Swick into the fence. Hardy continues to land knees from this position and once nice elbow, and Swick seems to be having trouble fighting back with any success. Hardy makes a takedown attempt but Swick’s base is to wide and easily fights it off. Hardy lands some tight inside punches which Swick reacts to by wincing and moving away. Rogan comments that no one has ever rocked Swick the way that Hardy has twice so far in the fight. Swick manages to land a couple of overhand rights with his back to the fence. Hardy creates some separation with a knee and comes in over the top with a hard right but Swick counters with two or three fast overhands of his own which seem to hurt Hardy. Hardy lands a nice uppercut on the inside to which the crowd reacts to, Swick shakes his head to indicate it did not damage him. Hardy continues to try to take down Swick, but can’t seem to do so. With two minutes left in the round, the ref breaks them up and they restart at the center of the ring. Swick goes for a headkick, which is blocked, and slips but is back up immediately. Swick’s hands are a bit lower than usual, but he has a low style so it may not be fatigue. Hardy lands a nice leg kick to Swick’s lead leg that slows Swick down considerably. Swick seems to have his range, but Hardy had it from round one and Swick knows it. Swick can not seem to move out of the way of Hardy’s leg kicks fast enough and ends up eating every one thus far. Swick lands a fast left-right-left, which Hardy counters with a very hard right that lands on Swick’s left shoulder. Hardy’s power is definitely something to fear and Swick knows it. Swick attempts a superman punch that comes within millimeters of Hardy’s chin, but Hardy continues to press the action. Hardy moves in for a left hook, over commits and eats a hard left from Swick that leaves him facing the fence with Swick behind him. Hardy turns around, shaking his head and continues to stalk Swick. Hardy misses another combo and Swick begins pressing him with around forty seconds left in the round. Hardy tries again, Swick counters with the same left. Swick seems to have found Hardy’s timing. Hardy leaps in with a straight left and eats yet another left from Swick and both end up on the fence again. They break off the fence and Swick lands another nice left just before the bell. Swick is looking a little better as we move into the commercial break, but I fear it’s not going to be enough to win him the round.
Round Three starts as we come back from commercial and both fighters still seem fresh. Hardy again presses the action. Swick lands a fast overhand right which is countered by a very hard inside leg kick by Hardy. Swick backs off, circling to his left and looking for that opening he found in Round Two. Hardy is still trying the old combo, Swick lets the first one go by but jumps in with his counter left on the second causing Hardy to cover up. Swick starts moving in on the inside, landing fast jabs and Hardy is swinging hard and missing. Swick begins pressing the action, both fighters swing for the fences and Swick staggers but he seems to actually be landing more punches than Hardy. Swick lands a nice jab that stops Hardy, but eats a left coming in that staggers him and backs him against the fence. Hardy is quick to capitalize and moves to close against the fence. Hardy goes for a takedown and moves right into Swick’s guillotine which is released as soon as both fighters end up on the ground. Hardy is inside Swick’s guard but is landing some hard punches. Swick misses a triangle and eats a couple of punches to the ribs before the ref stands them up. This was a nice stand up for the action, but both fighters were working from that position and the ref had no call to do it. Hardy moves in with his leading left and Swick counters with a left of his own that lands. Hardy presses, lands a leg kick with less than two minutes left in the last round. Not much action for a bit, Hardy misses a leg kick and then lands one. Swick’s lead left leg is very red above the knee and he seems reluctant to put weight on it. Swick moves in with a flurry, landing every punch but Hardy shrugs them off. Up to thirty seconds left and Swick looks to be baiting Hardy but backs off without a counter as Hardy presses the action. Swift counters Hardy’s tentative left with a jab and as Hardy moves away jumps in with a straight right that misses. Ten seconds to go and Swift moves in with a combo that Hardy shrugs off. Swift moves in again, misses and they tie up with Hardy’s back against the fence. Hardy explodes and switches places, working to avoid Swift’s foot stomp. Hardy goes for one more inside knee as the bell rings.
Swift moves off to his corner but is stopped by Hardy who pulls him in close and says something in his ear. Swift nods and they separate. Hardy raises his hands, and I think everyone agrees that he won the fight with aggression and effective striking.
Winner: Dan Hardy (Unanimous Decision)
I’m 4/6 now and I still don’t like Dan Hardy.
Fight 7: Couture vs Vera (Main Event)
My Bet: Randy “The Natural” Couture
Randy Couture: Age (46) Height (6’2″) Weight (204lbs) Reach (75″)
Brandon Vera: Age (32) Height (6’3″) Weight (204lbs) Reach (78″)
Round One starts off with an explosion from Vera who catches Randy with a left leg to the head that staggers Couture. Vera moves in quick and lands a hard combo that Randy didn’t even see coming. Randy covers up and moves in close to tie up with Vera. Couture is the master of the clinch, but Vera seems to be ready for it and pushes Randy against the fence, landing a knee on the way. Against the fence, Randy quickly reverses and they end up with Vera’s back to the fence. Randy moves low to take Vera down, but Vera’s base seems too wide for an easy takedown. Randy moves back up, keeping his weight on Vera and pinning him against the fence. So far Randy has not tried any of his “dirty boxing” or hard knees that he usually pulls out by now from this position. Randy works hard to get his underhooks in, but Vera is fighting him off successfully. Vera reverses and puts Randy against the fence, using his height advantage to gain leverage. Randy explodes and reverses again, putting Vera’s back against a corner post. This is Randy’s favorite place in the ring, since it’s harder for the opponent to move away from Randy’s punches and knees. The ref breaks them off the fence with three minutes left in the round. Brandon moves to press and Randy shoots in, pushing Brandon against the fence again. Brandon seems to be dropping down to gain leverage, but Randy capitalizes and drops him to gain the first takedown of the fight. Brandon keeps his back to the fence and works to stand, Randy reaches and takes Vera’s head with ease in his left arm. Randy lands two easy knees against Vera’s head and his movement is enough to break his hold and Vera is back vertical. Randy keeps Vera’s back to the fence, but they are far enough away from the pole that Vera now has room to work and counter Randy’s takedown attempt. The ref warns them to work and Vera nearly escapes before Randy manages to take a single leg. The ref warns again even with Vera’s leg trapped in Randy’s grip. Randy goes to take out Vera’s other leg but is unable to do so and relinquishes the single, with Vera still trapped against the fence. Randy explodes for a double underhook but Vera manages to keep his base with thirty seconds left in the round. With 17 seconds left. the ref breaks them up again and Vera swings hard for a righ t underhook that misses as Randy moves in for another takedown attempt. The round ends with Vera yet again backed into the fence and Randy still looking fresh.
Round Two commences after the commercial break with both men moving in. Vera counters Randy’s clinch and inadvertently pokes Randy’s eye. Randy indicates that he is fine and the action resumes. Randy moves low and Vera attempts to counter with a low knee that Randy moves away from. Randy moves in for another clinch but is blocked. Before Vera can recenter, Randy moves in again and takes him against the fence. Randy goes to one knee in a takedown attempt that Vera fights off. Randy captures a single leg again but can’t seem to break Vera’s base. Vera again is dropping low to counter Randy’s takedown, but when Randy attempts the same maneuver as before, Vera counters and ends up reversing Randy. Vera lands a hard knee to Randy’s midsection and Randy’s back is now to the pole. Vera doesn’t seem to be attempting a takedown and Randy capitalizes on the separation with knees and a hard body shot. Vera moves for a takedown but Randy counters and reverses. Randy continues to fail at his takedowns and with two and a half minutes left in the round, the ref separates them again. Vera backs off and tosses a looping right and dances out of range. Randy stalks Vera who punishes him with a high kick to the head. Randy continues to push and is rewarded with a hard kick to the ribs by Vera, causing him to back off. Randy moves in, throwing a wild left and Vera lands a very hard knee that puts Randy down on his back, Vera jumps in and ends up in Randy’s full guard. Randy pulls Vera down, controlling his posture and they seem to be taking a break. The ref sees this and stands them back up with one and a half minutes left in the round. Randy stays tight and stalks Vera, moving away from Vera’s kicks and punches with ease. Randy seems to be looking for his range and Vera seems to be looking for another high kick when Randy moves in fast and cinches the clinch. Randy easily backs Vera into the fence, Vera doesn’t even seem to fight the move. Randy counters Vera’s escape attempts easily enough and manages to pull off a hard right hand followed by a left that misses. Randy moves Vera against the pole, but Vera reverses. Before Vera can set his base, Randy reverses again. The round ends with Vera pinned against the fence yet again.
Round Three starts with Randy looking very predatory and Vera dancing to show he still has energy left. Randy presses, staying low and reaching to clinch. Vera counters with an inside leg kick that takes Randy’s balance for a moment, allowing Vera to dance out of reach again. Randy moves in and fakes a clinch, instead landing a series of blows that Vera absorbs. Randy seems to notice his punches actually landed and throws a flurry. Vera covers up and ends up with his back to the fence again. Before Vera can adapt, Randy drops the punching and clinches again, going for a takedown. Vera keeps his base but seems winded. Randy keeps pressing Vera against the fence and when Vera looks to drop, punishes him with another over the top right and left. Randy explodes into a takedown but Vera keeps his base. Randy moves up again with a right that misses. Randy continues to land short punches on the inside and pulls off a nice left elbow. Vera works hard to separate to which Randy seems to be countering with takedown attempts. With two minutes, thirteen seconds left, the ref breaks them up and Brandon backs across the ring for separation. Vera lands another kick to the body, Randy is hurt and backs off. He could have a broken rib or two at this point. Vera presses the action. Vera moves in and launches a kick, Randy sees it and looks to duck in but ends up taking it against the side of his head. Randy drops his hands and dances away but Vera is moving in fast. Vera lands another body kick and Randy pushes the action. Brandon backs off faster and creates some room to move. Vera throws a wild looping right and Randy moves in for the clinch. Randy pushes for the fence and when Vera manages to separate, swarms in with punches. This time, it’s Vera who breaks the action by clinching. Randy ends up with his own back to the fence and Vera’s base is wide to hold him there. With a minute left, the crowd boos as Vera makes a half-hearted attempt at a takedown. Randy doesn’t even seem to counter it much, taking time to reach over Brandon’s back to land a couple of punches with his off-hand. These punches alter Randy’s balance but Vera doesn’t capitalize on them. Brandon explodes and manages to take Randy down, ending up in full mount. Randy works to keep Brandon’s posture controlled by pulling his head down. Brandon moves for an elbow and Randy gives up his back. Before Vera can cinch a hold, however, Randy rolls and is up to his feet. Randy lands an uppercut and Vera fires back with a knee. Randy looks to trade blows but Vera backs off. Randy moves in low, Vera tosses a looping right that Randy blocks. Randy lands two nice combos just as the bell rings and the ref steps in. Randy raises his right hand to Vera and the two embrace. Randy walks back to his corner and Vera nearly collapses, taking deep breaths as we go to commercial break.
Winner: Randy Couture (Unanimous Decision)
I’m 5/7 for the night.
I hope you enjoyed this in-depth view of UFC 105. I’m sorry for the lateness of the post, but I’ve been fighting off the flu for a week now and wasn’t able to sit up for very long at a time. Hopefully the quality of each match’s description off-sets the timing!