UFC: Rio shaping up, Shogun-Griffin II to co-main event

The card for UFC’s return to Brazil is starting to take shape and is looking to be one of the more entertaining cards of the year, on paper at least. Middleweight king Anderson Silva is expected to take on the last man to hold a victory over him in Yushin Okami (as bogus as that win was, another story for another day) in the main event of the night, a fun rematch between former Light Heavyweight champions will co-feature. Recently disposed of UFC Light Heavyweight champion and former PRIDE 2005 Middleweight Grand Prix champion Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua takes on the man who ruined his UFC debut in Forrest Griffin. These two previously met at UFC 76 in September of 2007 with Griffin winning in a war via rear naked choke in the closing seconds of the fight.

I really think this is a bad matchup for Shogun coming off the battering he received from Jones. Griffin is another big guy with solid fundamentals who has the ability to shut down Shogun’s game with his size, plus he is a much more polished fighter then he was when he took on Shogun in 2007. That fight was the fight that Griffin showed what he had in and he’s only improved since. In saying that though, Shogun didn’t have much in the way of cardio in that first fight and Griffin’s chin has since been exposed a few times so it’s a hard fight to call. Rematches in MMA are often so hard to predict especially when you have two top guys fighting four years after they first fought. Fighters and fighting evolve and change so much in four years that it’s hard to picture how the fight will go the second time around. One thing I think this fight won’t be is boring, the way these two fight (especially if Shogun brings cardio this time) it’s going to be a high tempo dog fight with either Shogun’s cardio or Griffins chin giving out. I am leaning towards Griffin though, I think he’s a bad style matchup for Shogun and it may be the push Shogun needs to think about dropping to 185.

Also on this card is another fun slugfest featuring PRIDE 2005 Lightweight Grand Prix champion Takanori Gomi against rising Brazilian Edson Barboza. Barboza is 2-0 in his UFC career and 8-0 overall, coming off a points win over Anthony Njokuani at UFC 128. Gomi’s coming off a loss to Clay Guida and will need to put the prospect away in order to stay relevant in the division. Add to this the possible return of Royce Gracie and it should be an entertaining card (if not the most important one of the year).

Fifty Greatest Fights in UFC History Part 4/5

20- Sam Stout split decision Spencer Fisher (UFC 58)
This fight saw the explosive return of the lightweight division in the UFC after a two year absence. Fisher took the fight on short notice, filling in for the injured Kenny Florian, but no one would have known from the effort he put in. The fight was a back and forth battle between two heavy hitters, but it was Stout’s crisper striking that saw him take a razor thin split decision. The two would headline a UFC Fight Night in 2007 with Fisher winning in another war.

19- Bas Rutten KO (14:43) Tsuyoshi Kohsaka (UFC 18)
The long awaited Octagon debut of ‘El Guapo’ Bas Rutten nearly didn’t go as planned as Tsuyoshi Kohsaka repeatedly took Bas down in the early goings of their fight. The feared kickboxer, who was hyped as having been able to knock opponents in Pancrase out with palm strikes (closed fist strikes were illegal in Pancrase) showed a hole in his game with his inability to stop the takedown. Bas played his guard well and took any punishment that was dealt out to him. After the 12 minute regular period, Kohsaka was ahead on points and it appeared that Rutten had three minutes to finish ‘TK’ in order for his Octagon debut to be a successful one. Rutten punished Kohsaka in the final three minutes, kicking his legs and body as well as landing heavy right hands before finishing TK with a barrage against the cage.

18- Jens Pulver majority decision BJ Penn (UFC 35)
The fight that really put the Lightweight division on the map. The first fight between rivals BJ Penn and Jens Pulver was a war. Penn was the new phenom having dominated Din Thomas and Caol Uno already in the UFC and few gave reigning champion Pulver a chance. It was all Penn in the opening two rounds as he took Pulver down and took him to school on the ground. At the end of the second round, Penn secured an armbar but Pulver was literally saved by the buzzer. After that it was all Pulver as he stuffed Penn’s takedowns and battered him standing up. The fight went the full five rounds, but Pulver retained his title. It would take Penn another six years to capture the Lightweight title (in the meantime he moved up and choked out Matt Hughes for the welterweight title).

17- Frankie Edgar unanimous decision Tyson Griffin (UFC 67)
Another Lightweight fight makes it into the top 20 and this one pitted two young prospects with excellent wrestling against one another. Edgar had the better wrestling, but Griffin had the more complete game. The cardio and pace each could set was dead even and it was at an electrifying level. Edgar controlled much of the fight with his superior wrestling, but Griffin was able to light him up when he could keep it on his feet and used some excellent escapes which created some of the best ground transitions ever seen in the UFC. Griffin sunk in a deep knee bar at the end of the 3rd round which he held for a good 30 seconds as Edgar gutted it out and took a close decision due to time spent on top.

16- Shonie Carter knockout (3rd) Matt Serra (UFC 31)
The spinning backfist fight and a night that Jiu Jitsu expert and future UFC Welterweight champion Matt Serra will never forget. After dominating Carter on the ground for the majority of the fight, Carter caught Serra with a spinning backfist that knocked him out in the final seconds of the fight. Serra had gone from submission attempt to submission attempt to submission attempt for the full three rounds and was clearly ahead on points at the time of the stoppage, but Carters experience, submission defence and unorthodox style saw him over the line with one of the most memorable finishes in UFC history.

15- Royce Gracie submission (0:57) Ken Shamrock (UFC 1)
The first high paced grappling match in the UFC. The first time two future UFC Hall of Famers fought each other in the UFC. Royce Gracie and Ken Shamrock were head and shoulders ahead of everyone in the first UFC tournament, but drew one another in the semi finals after winning their opening two matches quickly earlier in the night. Gracie immediately shot in and a scramble ensued and went on for nearly a minute before Gracie sunk in a sleeve choke after taking Shamrocks back and forced a tap-out. These two would dominate the early parts of UFC history with Royce winning UFC 1, 2 and 4 and Ken becoming the first UFC Heavyweight champion after winning the vacant title against Dan Severn at UFC 6. Gracie and Shamrock fought again, going to a draw in a dull 35 minute fight at UFC 5 which was fought entirely in Gracie’s guard.

14- Matt Lindland majority decision Phil Baroni (UFC 34)
The other fight between these two  was even better then the UFC 41 rematch. This one was fought on the preliminaries of UFC 34 and was an all-out war that was fought at a higher tempo and was alco closer then their rematch. In this fight Lindland again repeatedly took Baroni to the mat and was able to improve his position and do damage, but his stand-up back then was awful and Baroni rocked and dropped him whenever they stood up only for Lindland to get a clinch and then a takedown. After splitting the first two rounds, Lindland was having his way with Baroni again in the final round until a foul cost him a point and the fighters were stood back up. Baroni then looked like he had stolen the fight by nearly knocking Lindland out in the final seconds, but the judges saw differently with two of them scoring every round to Lindland and the other judge scoring it a draw (2-1 Lindland before the point deduction).

13- Forrest Griffin unanimous decision Rampage Jackson (UFC 86)
The controversial decision in MMA history. This fight is like the Sugar Ray Leonard vs Marvin Hagler Middleweight title fight for MMA. The Ultimate Fighter 7 coaches fought out a five round war for the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship and the decision still gets argued about to this day. Griffin pushed the pace in round one only for Rampage to drop him and come close to finishing him at the end of the round. Griffin dominated round two, hurting Rampage with a leg kick and then getting on top and mounting him. Round three was very close as again Forrest worked at an enormous pace, but Rampage scored with the heavier blows. Round four saw Rampage get a takedown and land some shots from on top, only for Forrest to come close with a triangle before the champion slammed his way out of it. The final round was again very close as Forrest continued to push the pace and Rampage picked the cleaner shots. I personally scored the fight a draw (10-9, 8-10, 10-9, 10-9, 9-10) but all three judges scored it for Griffin who became the first Ultimate Fighter Winner (excluding Matt Serra) to win a world championship.

12- Matt Hughes knockout (3rd) BJ Penn (UFC 63)
After being choked out in less then a round in their UFC 45 meeting, Hughes had revenge on his mind. The only trouble was BJ Penn is an absolute freak and even though he was filling in for an injured Georges St Pierre on five weeks notice, he came prepared to take his title back. Penn outboxed Hughes in the first round while showing cat like balance to avoid being taken down. In the 2nd round Hughes finally got Penn on his back, only to be caught in a triangle choke and an armbar that he barely made it out of. Penn seemingly blew his gas tank trying to finish Hughes in the 2nd round and Hughes began to land heavily standing up in the 3rd. Hughes took the weakened Penn to the ground and held him in a crucifix while landing clean shots on Penns head which forced the referee to stop the fight. It was an incredible comeback from Hughes and is probably his career defining victory. I would still like to see this rivalry become a trilogy and I’m sure there’s plenty of others who’d like to see these two fight again.

11- Diego Sanchez split decision Clay Guida (TUF9 Finale)
The last fight to take place in the Octagon makes it nearly into the top ten. After a staredown that almost put the Rampage-Wanderlei fights to shame (almost), both men exploded as the opening round started exchanging wild blows. Sanchez began scoring with heavy combinations before Guida took him to the mat. Sanchez escaped and dropped Guida moments later with a head kick that looked to have finished the fight. Guida showed the heart and determination that has made him a fan favourite and saw out the round. Rounds two and three saw Guida completing takedowns, but spending all his time defending submissions or trying to keep Diego on his back. The fight went the full three rounds at a pace that the Lightweights seemed to produce time and again and Sanchez’s work from the bottom gave him the split decision.

See Also:

Part 3 (30-21)

Part 2 (40-31)

Part 1 (50-41)

Fifty Greatest Fights in UFC History Part 3/5

30- Marco Ruas knockout (13:17) Paul Varelans (UFC 7)
Marco Ruas introduced the world of UFC to leg kicks in this epic final of UFC 7. Outweighed by over 150lbs, Ruas was up against it in the final of this tournament. Having fought over 15 minutes already in the tournament, his opponent ‘The Polar Bear’ had fought just over two. Ruas immediately went to work chopping the big man down with leg strikes and showing his superior technique in the clinch by stifling Varelan’s attempts to use his strength in any way. Ruas also implored a never before seen tactic of foot stomps during a clinch up against the cage, but it was his leg kicks that eventually wore the bigger man down after over 13 minutes of fighting. Ruas was arguably the first fighter in the UFC to show excellent stand-up as well as great submission skills.

29- Marcus Davis submission (1st) Paul Taylor (UFC 75)
This fight was short, but sweet. Marcus Davis made the mistake of standing with Paul Taylor who was a reknowned kickboxer and it didn’t take long for him to pay for it. Taylor put Davis down with a vicious head kick that looked to have ended the fight. Taylor pounced on Davis and landed several shots before Davis recovered and took top position. On the ground there was no question who was the superior fighter as Davis moved quickly to mount, landed some hard shots and secured an armbar that forced Taylor to submit.

28- Matt Lindland unanimous decision Phil Baroni (UFC 41)
This was one of those grudge matches that lived up to expectations. This was a rematch of a controversial decision at UFC 34 in what was another war and they picked up right where they left off. Lindland controlled the fight with his superior wrestling, but Baroni’s punching power kept him very much in the fight. The fast pace continued until Baroni slowed down in the 2nd round allowing Lindland to establish top position and dominate with his wrestling. Baroni caught his 2nd wind and finished strong in the 3rd landing several hard combinations but it was too little too late as Lindland took a unanimous decision.

27- Dave Menne unanimous decision Gil Castillo (UFC 33)
The epic first UFC 185lb title fight lasted the full five rounds and was probably the best five round display of MMA at that time in UFC history. Both men showed a well rounded game as they traded strikes, had some excellent scrambles as well as attempted submissions from the top and bottom. Menne’s ability to stuff the takedown and get back to his feet the times he was taken down proved to be the difference in what was a close fight as he was able to establish the better positions and earn a close, but unanimous decision.

26- Kimo Leopoldo knockout (9:08) Paul Varelans (Ultimate Ultimate 1996)
The first victory for Kimo in the Octagon after coming up short in battles with UFC legends Ken Shamrock and Royce Gracie came in the Ultimate Ultimate 1996 champions tournament over Paul Varelans. Kimo would show in this fight he wasn’t the wild brawler that gave Royce Gracie his toughest fight to date, but a tactician who was very capable off his back. After shooting in early, Kimo ended up on his back taking punishment on punishment while trying to work his newly improved ground skills. Kimo worked his guard and wore the bigger man out, but it took nealy nine minutes for this to happen. Kimo finally swept the 400lb giant and rained down with strikes until Varelans’ corner stopped the fight. Kimo was unable to continue in the tournament due to the damage he received in this fight.

25- Scott Smith knockout (2nd) Pete Sell (TUF4 Finale)
This fight was just strange. Both men, Team Mojo teammates on TUF4, were good friends who cheered each other on during the fight while they beat the shit out of each other. They traded heavy punches for the entire first five minutes, then hugged and complimented each other at the bell. The ending was just as wild as the fight. Midway through the 2nd round, which was shaping up to be exactly the same as the first, Sell hurt Smith with a left hook to the body that looked like it could end the fight. As he moved in for the finish, Smith landed a flush right hand on the chin that put Sell out and then Smith collapsed in agony from the body shot. It was an ending reminiscent of the Jack Johnson-Stanley Ketchel Heavyweight title fight of the early 20th century.

24- Jon Koppenhaver knockout (3rd) Jared Rollins (TUF6 Finale)
The UFC careers of both men were short lived, but their fight was one to remember. Both fighters let it all hang out in the opening round and did a lot of damage while exerting a lot of energy. They swapped takedowns and took turns wailing away from each others guard for the entire first round. The 2nd round was fought on heart and again they hammered each other from on top. Towards the end of the 2nd, Rollins appeared close to stopping a tiring Koppenhaver, but he was saved by the bell. Rollins, also visibly tired, got on top in the 3rd and looked for the finish when out of no where Koppenhaver swept him to mount and finished the fight from on top.

23- Don Frye submission (1:22) Tank Abbott (Ultimate Ultimate 1996)
Short but sweet. Tank Abbott beat Don Frye in the final of the Ultimate Ultimate 1996 from one side of the Octagon to the other. Tank dropped Frye immediately with a short left and was proving too strong for the UFC 8 champion as he continued to land with hard shots which bloodied ‘The Predator.’ About one minute in, Tank slipped and that was the only opening Frye needed. Frye took his back and sunk in a rear naked choke that forced Abbott to tap out. After the fight it appeared that Frye was the beaten man as Tank stormed out of the Octagon while Frye was attended to by ringside physicians.

22- Royce Gracie submission (4:40) Kimo Leopoldo (UFC 3)
After dominating everyone on a 7-0 run during UFC 1 and UFC 2, no one was expecting Royce Gracie to have much trouble with the unheralded Kimo. After walking to the Octagon with a crucifix on his back in a black cloak, Kimo surprised everyone with a gutsy performance that left Gracie unable to further compete in the tournament. Royce immediately shot in only for Kimo to use his gi against him and keep the fight standing where he was able to land several short punches. After struggling for a bit over a minute, Gracie finally got Kimo on his back and moved to mount. Kimo surprisingly knew how to escape and rolled Gracie to guard. Gracie used Kimo’s hair to control his posture and tried to set up a submission. Kimo’s strength made Gracie work like he’d never worked before and it took nearly five minutes for him to sink in a fight ending armbar.

21- Rich Franklin unanimous decision Wanderlei Silva (UFC 99)
Fought at a catchweight of 195lbs, the battle between former UFC Middleweight (185lbs) champion Rich Franklin and former PRIDE Middleweight (205lbs) champion Wanderlei Silva did not disappoint. After Franklin controlled the early goings with his movement, Wanderlei caught a kick and took him down and landed a few hard punches from on top. Franklin scrambled to his feet and ended up on top when Wanderlei went for a guillotine choke. Round two was more of Franklin sticking and moving and controlling the action until Wanderlei rocked him with a series of right hands. Franklin gutted it out, but was clearly hurt and after two rounds the fight seemed to be anyones. Franklin again controlled the early part of round three, but was eating punches in return. Wanderlei waved the crowd on during the last minute before rocking Franklin briefly then conceding a takedown. He stood up and during the final seconds exchanged elbows and punches with Franklin with his back to him as the crowd cheered. Franklin took the unanimous decision 29-28 on all three cards.

See Also:

Part 2 (31-40)

Part 1 (41-50)

UFC Hall of Fame to increase by two at UFC 100

As part of the celebration of UFC 100, two more fighters will be inducted into the Hall of Fame during the lead-up week of the historic card. The two men joining Royce Gracie, Ken Shamrock, Dan Severn, Randy Couture and Mark Coleman has started some debate among MMA fans. The two leading candidates in my opinion are:

Chuck Liddell
Former UFC Light Heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell was the poster boy for the UFC during the time the sport became mainstream. His trilogy with Randy Couture is the legendary trilogy in MMA history and his grudge fights with Tito Ortiz (well more so the lead up to those fights) gave the sport the exposure it needed at the time. Liddell won the championship with a 1st round knockout over Randy Couture before defending the belt four times against Couture, Ortiz, Renato Sobral and Jeremy Horn. Since losing the belt to Rampage Jackson at UFC 71, Liddell has lost three of his last four bouts with his only win coming in an exciting slugfest with Wanderlei Silva. Whether or not he makes the Hall of Fame now, he’ll definately make it at some stage. Liddell’s induction could rely on him announcing his retirement from the sport, although every member of the hall of fame has had a fight in the UFC following their induction (apart from Dan Severn) so who knows?

Matt Hughes
The longest reigning champion in UFC history, Matt Hughes had two monster runs as UFC Welterweight Champion. Originally avenging the loss of his trainer Pat Miletich with a controversial knockout of Carlos Newton at UFC 34, Hughes defended the belt five times against Newton, Hayato Sakurai, Sean Sherk, Frank Trigg and Gil Castillo before losing his title to BJ Penn at UFC 45. Hughes won the belt back at UFC 50 with a 1st round submission over Georges St Pierre starting another domination of the division. This time defences against Frank Trigg, Joe Riggs (who didn’t make weight thus robbing Hughes of an official defence) and BJ Penn as well as a victory in a catchweight bout with Royce Gracie came before he dropped his title to Georges St Pierre. I think Hughes induction could be based on the result of his fight with Matt Serra, or more whether or not that is his last fight.

There are a few other possibilities, although I really think it’ll be the two mentioned above. I’d like to see John McCarthy in the hall of fame as he has been a huge part of the UFC until he retired from referreeing (although he came back this year). Evan Tanner could be inducted as could Charles ‘Mask’ Lewis as they have a huge sympathy vote with their tragic deaths in the last 12 months. An old school fighter like Don Frye could also end up taking up a spot although I think it’s doubtful. I really will be very surprised if it’s anyone but Liddell and Hughes.