**UFC 102**
- Thread starter hamato_yoshii
- Start date
And here we go......
holy s***, Maia and Todd Duffee!
this is the best site i've seen for up-to-date results: http://promma.info/
this is the best site i've seen for up-to-date results: http://promma.info/
Thoughts:
Randy Couture Vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - This was a great fight and a dream match-up that a ton of mma fans have been waiting to see for a long time. I was very surprised how much Nog took it to Randy in the stand-up. I knew that Nog would be better on the mat, at least in the BJJ dept. (Randy can still wrestle well), but on their feet I really thought that Randy would have an edge. I think that I base some of that on the performance Nog had against Mir where he was basically was a punching bag, and I thought that was how Nog was going to look on his feet from now on. That wasn't the case at all. Nog didn't exactly look faster on his feet, but he did look like he was more crisp, and that he had better timing. It just looked like Nog was to big for Randy to push around, especially on the mat, but it's weird because Randy normally doesn't have trouble pushing guys around, even when they are bigger. This was a nice win for Nog, and one that keeps him near the top in the Heavyweight ranks, I wonder what is next for him, and I think that a rematch with Cro Cop could be in order if Mirko can get past Dos Santos.
Keith Jardine Vs. Thiago Silva - Thiago Silva really proved to me that he is a serious fighter in this fight. It's not so much that he beat Jardine, but that this was a measuring stick fight for Silva, and he went out and showed that he is much better than Jardine. His stand-up is very good, and he looked more patient in this fight, which serves him well. We got to see a little of his ground game in this fight, but not much. I like what Thiago brings with his size and his (supposed) above average BJJ. It will be interesting to see what Silva does against another high level opponent, I think that maybe Vera will be that next guy for him.
Chris Leben Vs. Jake Rosholt - This was surprising for me. Leben looked pretty lost out there in this fight. Jake is obviously a better wrestler than Leben, but on their feet Leben should have had a bigger advantage. In this fight, Leben had no advantage, anywhere. This was a very disappointing loss for Leben, and maybe a "turn the corner" fight for Rosholt.
Nate Marquardt Vs. Demian Maia - There isn't a ton to say about this fight because it was so quick. I like that Nate said that he and his camp noticed a pattern in Maia when he threw his kicks, and thats where Nate jumped in a ripped that straight right. It's great to hear guys talk about how much goes into these fights, and Nate's camp is one of the big reasons why I like him so much as a fighter, and as a guy who has the ability to take down Silva. It will be interesting to see now if Nate gets his shot, or if he'll have to fight Henderson first. I hope he gets his shot, because I think he's earned it, but I wouldn't be surprised if Nate/Hendo happens first.
Brandon Vera Vs. Krzysztof Soszynski - Despite the boo's and the bad press, I thought this fight was pretty good. It could be because I like both of these fighters, but I thought this was a great match-up. After 3 rounds, it was pretty apparent that K-Sos just doesn't do anything better than Vera right now. People are on Vera for being too tentative in this fight, but I think that K-Sos is a better, and more troubling match-up for Vera than people realize. K-Sos is a big, strong light-heavyweight with a somewhat unorthodox stand-up. I thought that Vera did a good job combating K-Sos's advances when K-Sos realized that he couldn't strike with Vera. He was better in the clinch even though K-Sos is stronger, and did a good job with his takedown defense. Vera is capable of a lot more than he showed here, but I think that match-up had a lot to do with it.
Tim Hague Vs. Todd Duffee - Just wow. Duffee is a beast. We get caught up in the moment with knockouts like these, and think that Todd Duffee can beat Brock Lesnar, but I will say that Duffee's size and speed are very intriguing, and I am certainly looking forward to seeing him in the cage again, and hopefully very soon.
Randy Couture Vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira - This was a great fight and a dream match-up that a ton of mma fans have been waiting to see for a long time. I was very surprised how much Nog took it to Randy in the stand-up. I knew that Nog would be better on the mat, at least in the BJJ dept. (Randy can still wrestle well), but on their feet I really thought that Randy would have an edge. I think that I base some of that on the performance Nog had against Mir where he was basically was a punching bag, and I thought that was how Nog was going to look on his feet from now on. That wasn't the case at all. Nog didn't exactly look faster on his feet, but he did look like he was more crisp, and that he had better timing. It just looked like Nog was to big for Randy to push around, especially on the mat, but it's weird because Randy normally doesn't have trouble pushing guys around, even when they are bigger. This was a nice win for Nog, and one that keeps him near the top in the Heavyweight ranks, I wonder what is next for him, and I think that a rematch with Cro Cop could be in order if Mirko can get past Dos Santos.
Keith Jardine Vs. Thiago Silva - Thiago Silva really proved to me that he is a serious fighter in this fight. It's not so much that he beat Jardine, but that this was a measuring stick fight for Silva, and he went out and showed that he is much better than Jardine. His stand-up is very good, and he looked more patient in this fight, which serves him well. We got to see a little of his ground game in this fight, but not much. I like what Thiago brings with his size and his (supposed) above average BJJ. It will be interesting to see what Silva does against another high level opponent, I think that maybe Vera will be that next guy for him.
Chris Leben Vs. Jake Rosholt - This was surprising for me. Leben looked pretty lost out there in this fight. Jake is obviously a better wrestler than Leben, but on their feet Leben should have had a bigger advantage. In this fight, Leben had no advantage, anywhere. This was a very disappointing loss for Leben, and maybe a "turn the corner" fight for Rosholt.
Nate Marquardt Vs. Demian Maia - There isn't a ton to say about this fight because it was so quick. I like that Nate said that he and his camp noticed a pattern in Maia when he threw his kicks, and thats where Nate jumped in a ripped that straight right. It's great to hear guys talk about how much goes into these fights, and Nate's camp is one of the big reasons why I like him so much as a fighter, and as a guy who has the ability to take down Silva. It will be interesting to see now if Nate gets his shot, or if he'll have to fight Henderson first. I hope he gets his shot, because I think he's earned it, but I wouldn't be surprised if Nate/Hendo happens first.
Brandon Vera Vs. Krzysztof Soszynski - Despite the boo's and the bad press, I thought this fight was pretty good. It could be because I like both of these fighters, but I thought this was a great match-up. After 3 rounds, it was pretty apparent that K-Sos just doesn't do anything better than Vera right now. People are on Vera for being too tentative in this fight, but I think that K-Sos is a better, and more troubling match-up for Vera than people realize. K-Sos is a big, strong light-heavyweight with a somewhat unorthodox stand-up. I thought that Vera did a good job combating K-Sos's advances when K-Sos realized that he couldn't strike with Vera. He was better in the clinch even though K-Sos is stronger, and did a good job with his takedown defense. Vera is capable of a lot more than he showed here, but I think that match-up had a lot to do with it.
Tim Hague Vs. Todd Duffee - Just wow. Duffee is a beast. We get caught up in the moment with knockouts like these, and think that Todd Duffee can beat Brock Lesnar, but I will say that Duffee's size and speed are very intriguing, and I am certainly looking forward to seeing him in the cage again, and hopefully very soon.
I really hope Hendo and Nate both get a shot at Anderson instead of them fighting first. I'd still even like to see Maia and Silva, but it'll probably end almost exactly the same way. For me, I think Silva should have a few more fights at 185 before going back to 205.
