UFC 102 Event Recap and Fight Results

Randy Couture and Antonio Nogueira have combined to win more major MMA titles than most young fighters even dream of.

They are some of the most popular athletes in the sport’s short history, and yet, their long-awaited battle at the Rose Garden Arena in Portland, Oregon last night did no record gate numbers, and does not figure to do any serious—relatively speaking—Pay Per View numbers in the aftermath of two star studded and championship-filled cards that came in the weeks before it.

Be that as it may, those fans privileged enough to have been in attendance last night are beginning to understand what an incredible event two aging, albeit legendary fighters delivered for them.

For three 5-minute rounds, Couture and Nogueira pulled out all of their considerable collective martial knowledge in a sincere effort to finish the other fighter and remain afloat in a sport as unforgiving as they come.

While Nogueira clearly earned the decision—knocking Couture down twice and nearly submitting him on two other occasions throughout the fifteen-minute affair—there are no lingering questions left unanswered. Nobody is asking when Couture will retire because, quite plainly, there is no need for him to do so.

Not only was Couture competitive against a larger, more experienced—age notwithstanding—opponent, but he also delivered more than enough damage to warrant a second and third viewing of their titanic clash.

Some fans, myself included, were underwhelmed at the choice of a main event for UFC 102. Sure the two former champions deserve more than a nod of respect in their waning years, but buying into the UFC hype machine, which exhausted countless interviews and articles pouring on the unnecessary drama of a clash between two of the sport’s timeless wonders had been known to disappoint in the past.

Instead, the fight is already being hailed as one of the greatest—if not the greatest of the year thus far. The UFC 102 main event between heavyweight MMA legends Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira did not have to live up to an unreasonable amount of hype—as did the UFC’s two previous summer cards—but then again, there was never much hype to begin with.

In retrospect, last night’s battle could not have come at a better time, both where the future of the sport, and the future of these two classy legends are concerned. Couture may be on a two-fight losing streak, but it is still difficult to imagine a heavyweight alive that he would not give hell before going down, if he went down at all.

Nogueira, on the other hand, may have just earned himself a shot at the winner of the November title fight between UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar and top contender Shane Carwin, and he went a long way in erasing the specter of his December 2008 TKO loss to former champion Frank Mir.

No, the future looks very bright indeed for these two, and fans new and old alike should enjoy it while it lasts.

Leaving the main event behind, there were several key occurrences on the undercard of that contributed to the overall quality and fast pace of the event as a whole, making the UFC 102 results even more exciting.

Thiago Silva proved emphatically that he belongs with the upper echelon of the stacked 205lb division with a first round KO of perennial contender Keith Jardine. Jardine started aggressive, stalking the younger fighter and landing a punishing leg kick in the opening frame.

After tripping Jardine town around the one-minute mark, Silva allowed his opponent up and bided his time, sending The Dean of Mean stumbling with a counter left hook and finishing him with strikes on the ground.

With the win, Silva improves to 14-1, 5-1 in the UFC, and makes a serious case for a high profile match with the likes of a Rich Franklin or another top 205lb contender. Jardine, on the other hand, failed once again to live up to his supposed potential. He should now drop down to the absolute bottom of the Top Ten rankings, if not out altogether.

In a fight that most hardcore fans considered the unofficial main event of the evening, top middleweight contenders Nate Marquardt and Demian Maia locked horns with the possibility of a title shot weighing on their shoulders. The fight itself, however, proved to be rout.

Making the mistake of standing and trading with one of the best strikers in the UFC, even if it was for a measly 21 seconds, was Maia’s first, and only mistake, as he was flattened by a Marquardt counter right hand after attempting three slow kicks in a row.

While it is entirely probable that the fight would have gone much differently had Maia not come out with a false sense of security after training his striking with legendary brawler Wanderlei Silva, the fact remains that Marquardt is far and away the most impressive middleweight currently fighting on the UFC’s roster.

Here’s to hoping he bypasses Dan Henderson for a rematch with UFC Middleweight Champion Anderson Silva in the near future.

In other notable action, middleweight Jake Rosholt bounced back from the first loss of his professional career, a quick guillotine submission to Dan Miller back in February, to put the heavy hitting Chris Leben to sleep at the beginning of the third round with a tight arm triangle.

Brandon Vera improved his winning streak to two in a row with a solid, if unspectacular three round Unanimous Decision over TUF 8 veteran Krzysztof Soszynski after promising a finish, and former top heavyweight contender Gabriel Gonzaga bounced back from a March loss to Shane Carwin with a first round TKO over UFC newcomer Chris Tuschcherer.

Gonzaga finished the job after Tuschcherer was given a long reprieve following an inadvertent, but damaging kick to the groin at the start of the fight.

Todd Duffee made an impressive splash in the UFC’s heavyweight division and ran his unbeaten record to 5-0 with a seven-second knockout of Tim Hague in preliminary action, the fastest KO in UFC history.

All in all, UFC 102 was the best fight card the world’s top promotion has put on in quite some time, proving that hype is not a precursor to a spectacular night of fights.