Well, the day has come and gone. The moment that not only middleweight fans, but also MMA fans worldwide have waited for has come to an end. Since the unification of Pride and the UFC we have all been waiting to see what the results of the unification of the middleweight championship between Pride champ Dan "Hendo" Henderson and Anderson "Spider" Silva would be. And since we have all been waiting so long, you can wait a little longer. Let's get the preliminary results out of the way.
Personally, I was a bit more interested in the preliminaries than I was in all but the main event, but then again, what do I know, I'm just a fan and a columnist, what does my opinion matter? Anyway, here are the results that weren't shown on pay-per-view:
Jorge Gurgel proved once again that he is unable to finish a fight as he wins by unanimous decision over John Halverson.
Diego Sanchez gets back to his winning ways after two straight losses by defeating David Bielkheden by submission via strikes at 4:23 of the first round.
Josh Koscheck proves that losing to the interim welterweight champ doesn't mean he deserves to be an undercard by beating Dustin Hazelett by TKO at 1:24 of the second round.
Luigi Fioravanti beats Luke Cummo by unanimous decision in a fight that didn't bring anything clever to my mind.
And finally Andrei Arlovski shows that everyone loses sooner or later by handing previously undefeated Jake O'Brien a loss by TKO at 4:17 of the second round.
Now onto the stuff that we are told was worth the money. (Note: all round winners are my opinion based on aggression, take downs, defense and round control)
The main card fights started off with Jon Fitch (20-2-1) entering the octagon versus UFC newcomer Chris Wilson (12-3-1). Fitch, who is riding a 14 fight win streak, seems to be largely overlooked in the crowded welterweight decision. None the less he continues to step up and fight anyone that is pitted against him.
Round 1: Wilson surprises everyone by coming out aggressively and showing not only strong striking ability, but also excellent take down defense, all but stifling Fitch's attempts at taking the fight to the mat. He was successful twice, but was able to get any real control or points out. Round 1: Wilson
Round 2: Wilson again comes out and shows that he can control the stand-up game with go contact on both punches and kicks. Fitch shows that he is at least smart enough not to trade blows when out matched and is able to get a take down and transition to side control early. Fitch remains in dominant position throughout the round. Round 2: Fitch
Round 3: This round starts with Fitch getting the better of the stand up game, then transitioning to a double leg take down. He controls the fight until the last 20 seconds when he gets caught in a triangle choke against the fence. Wilson, however, is not able to lock the triangle fast enough and time expires. Round 3: Fitch
Result: John Fitch wins fight by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 30-27)
Writer's Opinion: This fight looked like a set up before the bell rang. Fitch is on the most successful streak in the UFC, but no one seems to care. He is 8-0 in the UFC and 14-0 in MMA during his streak. He has defeated previously unbeaten Diego Sanchez, Thiago Alves, Josh Burkman and Brock Larson along the way. Pitting him against a UFC newcomer seemed more like a set-up to a number 1 contender match. Wilson, however, seem to feel different. Wilson gave it his all and nearly caught Fitch, who didn't seem to have taken the fight that seriously, more than a couple of times. If Fitch doesn't at least get a number 1 contender match out the this, the UFC needs to worry about losing one of its most promising welterweights.
Fight two consisted of the middleweight giant Yushin Okami (22-4-0) stepping up to former middleweight champ Evan Tanner (34-6-0). After a two year absence from the sport, Tanner had a lot of speculation going into the fight, and being lined up with the former number 1 contender at middleweight isn't the easiest way to mount a comeback.
Round 1: Okami shows no fear against Tanner as he steps up and immediately knocks Tanner to the ground with a perfect strike. Tanner recomposes himself quickly as Okami is unable to maintain back control and finish the fight with strikes. Tanner forces the fight to the cage with an over under clinch and the round ends with both fighters on their feet after trading a few more strikes. Round 1: Okami
Round 2: Okami again comes out an uses his size to control the stand up game. Once again, Tanner tries to slow the momentum of the match by forcing Okami to the cage, but Okami is able to reverse the position, get the clinch and land a perfect knee to the face of Tanner, dropping the former champ. The fight is immediately ended.
Result: Yushin Okami wins by KO at 3:00 of round 2.
WO: Evan Tanner shows that spending two years at the bottom of a bottle isn't the best way to prepare for a MMA fight. While the fact that he has so far been able to overcome his demons and begin to train again is admirable, it doesn't mean that he deserves to be on the main card. His age and lifestyle seem to have caught up to him and it doesn't look like he has what it takes to be a top contender in the UFC anymore.
Fight three is another middleweight fight between former light-heavyweight Alessio Sakara (16-6-1) and Chris Leben (17-4-0). Sakara is fresh off a knockout win as a light heavyweight and Leben is coming off a surprise knockout of former heavyweight Terry Martin. But does the former TUF bad boy have what it takes to step up and continue on the path to a title shot?
Round 1: The fists started to fly from both corners as neither fighter seemed to think that there was even an option of taking the game to the ground. Both fighters landed a series of blows, with Leben seemingly taking the brunt of the force, but he's well-known chin didn't seem to mind any of the attention from Sakara's right or left fist as he forced ahead. Leben continued to strike and counterstrike through everything Sakara had at his disposal, finally landing a shot that knocked Sakara to the ground. Leben quickly pounced on Sakara and landed no less than three unanswered strikes squarely to Sakara's face before referee Herb Dean stepped in and stopped the fight.
Result: Chris Leben wins by KO at 3:16 of the first round.
WO: There was a bit of controversy at the end of this fight as Sakara immediately sat up with a clear face and looked at Herb Dean asking why he ended the fight. Don't worry Dean, I'll answer this one: because your face being punched uninterrupted does not count as intelligent defense (unless you are Cabbage or even Chris Leben for that matter). This game is designed to protect the fighters that are putting themselves in the middle of the most brutal organized sport in the world. Herb Dean did the right thing in stepping in, and if you have issue with that, may I suggest that next time you try to defend yourself, or at least keep moving to make it look like you are trying?
Fight four was between the homophobe (check out why he has a no-contest on his record) Heath Herring (27-13-1) and the giant Cheick Kongo (21-3-1). How would a man that has a record tantamount to a 2 win to ever loss ratio versus a man that owned Cro-Cop in the stand-up game?
Round 1: Herring wastes no time and rushes Kongo, landing two quick strikes that send Kongo against the fence and looking to recover. Herring ties Kongo up against the fence and Kongo overpowers him, reversing the position. The fight hits the ground and Kongo makes a critical error in standing up when Herring is defending in turtle position, when he could have easily overpowered him and ended the fight with unanswered strikes. He tries to regain position, but time soon runs out. Round 1: Kongo
Round 2: Herring again forces the action, but Kongo once again overpowers the slightly smaller man, taking the fight to the ground. Herring once again goes to turtle position, and when Kongo does not spin to take back, Herring controls Kongo's arm and rolls him. Herring Gains side control with about a minute and a half left in the round and finishes the round with knee strikes to Kongo's side without trying to advance position. Round 2: Kongo
Round 3: Herring explodes out with more excellent striking and when the fight goes to the ground, does the same as in the second round and advances his position by controlling Kongo's arm and rolling to side control. For almost three minutes Herring continues to land knees to Kongo's side before finally advancing his position to top mount, where the round and fight end. Round 3: Herring
Result: Heath Herring wins by split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28).
WO: The fight went to the judges, so it was anyone's game. Personally, I saw it as Kongo's win. Both fighters won rounds with Kongo winning the first and Herring winning the third. However, the second round was where things got messy. Kongo controlled the majority of the round with Herring controlling at the end. This most likely did what happened with many of Sugar Ray Lenard's boxing matches and gave the illusion that he won the round because he controlled at the end. Regardless, Herring won and might now be considered the number one contender. What does this mean? Nothing. Minotauro will tear through Herring as he will not make the same mistakes that Kongo did on the ground and his chin has been proved against the likes of Tim Sylvia. Herring doesn't have a chance.
And now, what you have all been waiting for, or at least what you have scrolled to the bottom of the story for, the fight for the undisputed middleweight championship of the world. Dan Henderson (22-6-0) versus Anderson Silva (20-4-0).
Round 1: The fight starts as many Silva fights have, with few strikes being thrown and both fighters just feeling things out a bit. Then it happened, Henderson shot and got the take down, ending in half guard. There he covered Silva's mouth with one hand, disrupting his breathing, and struck with hammer fists with the other. He managed to land a few good elbows before the round ended. Round 1: Henderson
Round 2: Silva looked in no mood to have a repeat of the first round, nor any interest in seeing a third round. Silva controlled the stand up with strikes. A leg kick to the head rocked Henderson, knocking him to the ground where he struggled to regain himself. Silva was able to capitalize, eventually taking Henderson's back, locking in a body triangle and sinking a rear naked choke, forcing a tap out just before time expired.
Result: Anderson Silva retains the middleweight championship via tap out by rear naked choke at 4:50 of the second round.
WO: I would like to take a moment to address Dana White directly: stop scheduling middleweight fights. There is no one left. The UFC doesn't have anyone in the middleweight class that can defeat Silva. Even the prospect of Wanderlei Silva dropping to middleweight doesn't seem to pose much threat these days. Silva is a better striker than Chuck Liddell and has a more dominant ground game than, well, anyone he has faced. This UFC had 3 of the 5 main card fights as middleweight fights and nothing really came of it. Yes, Silva solidified himself as the best middleweight in the world and probably the best overall fighter, but he has no competition. Trying to create the idea that he can be defeated at this point is worthless and it seems like we are reverting to the Frank Shamrock days when there just wasn't anyone to compete at his level.
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7 months ago
guess all we can to is wait a while until st. pierre jumps up to 185 ....
7 months ago
Yushin Okami can beat Silva
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