Issue 049
May 2009
UFC 95: SANCHEZ vs STEVENSON
O2 Arena, London, 21 February 2009
The naysayers came out in force prior to this packed card, claiming that the level of talent on offer befitted that of an Ultimate Fight Night rather than a fully-fledged ‘numbered’ UFC event.
Diehard fans claimed the UK were being short-changed, with the event sandwiched between 94 (GSP vs Penn) and 96 (Jackson vs Jardine). True enough, maybe Sanchez and Stevenson aren’t of quite the same calibre as St Pierre or Jackson, but this was more an event than a fight. When attention is paid to the card as a whole, it is easier to see what the UFC were trying to achieve. In a nutshell, this was about laying foundations for the future.
The UFC have affirmed their commitment to the UK. For too long, their presence in the country was linked to Michael Bisping, and to try to sell an English event without him seemed foolish. With Bisping in Vegas coaching on TUF 9, the show saw the main event supported by three fights featuring legitimate British fighters, one of whom appeared in no less than the co-main event. This was a card for the British fans, bolstered by three fights that had serious ramifications for their divisions.
As if the lightweight division wasn’t stacked enough, it got another injection of talent when TUF1 winner Diego Sanchez announced he would drop to 155lb. His first outing was against the perennial Joe Stevenson, not quite a contender any more (crushing losses to Penn and Florian put paid to that) but a tough test for anyone not on top of their game.
Sanchez looked physically fit and perfectly prepared, but a tough test was exactly what he got. They engaged in a measured yet energetic first round. Sanchez employed some fast and varied hand combinations to pressure Stevenson, but the stocky submission grappler displayed excellent footwork and boxing defence in avoiding any damage. Sanchez knew that with the height advantage Stevenson would duck under the combos, and he had his rear knee and uppercut waiting, but ‘Daddy’ was wise to the set-up and avoided taking any damage.
The second round saw the best of the grappling exchanges, with the two men going move for move with attacks, reversals and submission attempts. Sanchez kept pressing but found it hard to penetrate Stevenson’s tight cover, who would answer with precise double and triple jabs. Sanchez tried to take it up a gear in the third, but Stevenson slowed him down and even turned things around. It had been Sanchez on the offence until then, but Stevenson went on the march, pressing forward and forcing Sanchez to dance out of harm’s way. The judges were unanimous in their assessment of the result of the bout. Sanchez dominated on the judges scorecards with only one judge awarding a solitary round to Stevenson.
Best of British
Not since Michael Bisping has a UK fighter enjoyed such support, but Dan Hardy is fast catching him up. Following in Bisping’s footsteps, Hardy even featured in this card’s co-main event (Bisping did the same in three of his four UFC outings in this country).
Hardy’s had no easy fights since joining the UFC last October. He impressed when faced with Akihiro Gono in October, but his fight with Rory Markham would prove to be very different. Both guys like to bang, but Markham provoked Hardy by claiming the Brit had “no punching power”.
A picture-perfect left hook to the temple put Markham down, and a follow-up right hand sealed the deal. Hardy left the cage without a scratch on him, and with the adulation of many thousands of fans both in attendance and watching from home.
Terry Etim notched up his second straight win in the UFC, stopping wrestler Brian Cobb with a vicious kick to the jaw after battering him with low kicks, while Paul Kelly relentlessly pounded the tough Hawaiian Troy Mandaloniz with body shots and elbows, en route to a three-round decision. Etim looked classy in his outing, picking apart Cobb with strikes that had Joe Rogan comparing him to Anderson Silva, while Kelly showed he’s got skills to match his heart by nullifying Mandaloniz’s improved ground game and cutting him up with sharp forearm strikes.
Maia and Marquardt add heat to the middleweight division
Brazilian submission ace Demian Maia and Greg Jackson-trained powerhouse Nate Marquardt look set to square up in the future. Maia showed off his world-class jiu-jitsu against Chael Sonnen while Marquardt smashed Wilson Gouveia from pillar to post with every attack possible.
Maia looked more aggressive in the stand-up than usual, a product of his training with Wanderlei Silva, no doubt. He pressured Sonnen until he could get him on the mat, and once he landed on top, it was all over. Marquardt found Gouveia a tough nut to crack, hitting him with everything in the book. He dug deep and launched a spectacular combination, akin to the video game Tekken, that put Gouveia away for good. That win will raise Marqaurdt’s stock and possibly elevate him back into title contention, but it would make sense for him to square up with Maia to see who gets the pop at title holder Anderson Silva.
UFC 96: JACKSON VS JARDINE
Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio, 7 March 2009
You can’t help but admire Rampage Jackson’s turnaround. Since losing his title to Forrest Griffin in a close decision last year, he’s sorted himself out by hooking up with a new team and exorcising the demons of the past by knocking out nemesis Wanderlei Silva.
Similarly, Keith Jardine commands equal respect for his accomplishments in and away from the Octagon. Training partner to 205lb champ Rashad Evans, Jardine suffered a bad loss against Wanderlei but has solid wins over the likes of Forrest Griffin, Chuck Liddell and Brand Vera.
On paper, both guys were solid title contenders, but as is life, things were a little more complicated than that. Jardine isn’t just friends with Rashad, he’s one of the main guys who gets him prepared for his fights. For all of Dana White’s proclamations that should Jardine win, he would have to face Evans, the look on Jardine’s face said otherwise.
Any questions of Jardine facing Evans were quashed, as Rampage cruised to a three-round decision victory over the gangly Greg Jackson-trained fighter. The Memphis, Tennessee native used smart Octagon control and his superior boxing skills to combat Jardine’s awkward, jerky style, dropping Jardine twice.
Credit must go to Jardine for his resilience and fortitude, as those big punches would have KO’d lesser men. He survived a trip to the canvas in the second and another late in the third, but Jackson says it was his fault he didn’t finish Jardine as he was over-trained going into the fight and felt flat. “I peaked too soon,” he said. “I was knocking people out a few weeks ago.”
Even though Rampage won, he’s drawn a tough card. He’s got the title shot he wanted so badly, but it comes at a price. He’s going to have to be ready to fight Rashad in May (due to the rescheduled Mir-Lesnar fight), which only gives him 11 weeks between fights to prepare. Rampage did a lengthy camp prior to his December 27th fight with Wanderlei Silva, with only a few weeks off before getting ready for Jardine. Put in a similar position now he’s due to face Evans, it will be interesting to see how Jackson’s body holds up after a solid six months of back-to-back training camps.
Carwin blasts Gonzaga
Shane Carwin pulled out an excellent come-from-behind win in this intriguing heavyweight clash. Gonzaga came out hard and fast, not wanting any part of Carwin’s infamously heavy hands. He popped Carwin in the face twice with right hands, stunning the giant wrestler and putting him on his back. Carwin wriggled to his feet and landed a short right hand (his only true punch of the fight) that caught Gonzaga on the chin. The Brazilian was out before he had even hit the canvas, victim to an inexplicably hard shot. Carwin’s power is simply scary, and though there are many factors working against him (he’s not young at 35 years old, and his limited stand-up could see him struggle with a polished striker) his physical attributes could make him a frightful test for any fighter in the UFC heavyweight division.
Muay Thai Madness
The undercard saw some clinical and devastating displays of effective Muay Thai, most notably Matt Brown’s mugging of Pete Sell, and Brandon Vera’s chopping down of Michael Platt.
Brown, who has been working with Forrest Griffin’s striking coach Mark Beecher, dismantled Long Islander Sell with a multitude of attacks, hitting the former middleweight with everything from punches and kicks to knees and elbows. In an uncharacteristically bad piece of refereeing, Yves Lavigne bizarrely stopped and restarted the fight when Sell went down for the first time, leaving a confused Brown to pick up where he had left off. It was less a fight and more a beating, as Sell stumbled about, soaking up punishment and offering nothing in return. “I wanted him to stop the fight because it was clear to me Pete Sell was pretty much done,” said Brown. “I didn’t want to inflict any unreasonable damage he didn’t have to take.”
The last two years have been pretty rocky for Brandon Vera, and going into this fight he was worried (and with good reason). He had become “one of those guys I used to talk shit about”. With a new team behind him, Vera looked more focussed than ever going into this fight, and he put on a clinic in how to take somebody’s legs out from under them with a sustained six and a half minute assault on Michael Patt’s lower body. Looking good at his ideal fighting weight of 205lb, should ‘The Truth’ keep up his momentum he could find could find himself in the top tier of light heavyweight fighters in no time.
UFC 95 FULL RESULTS
Paul Kelly def Troy Mandaloniz via Unanimous Decision
Mike Ciesnolevicz def Neil Grove via Submission (Heel Hook) 1:03 Rd1
Evan Dunham def Per Eklund via TKO (Punches) 2:13 Rd1
Junior dos Santos def Stefan Struve via TKO (Punches) 0:54 Rd1
Terry Etim def Brian Cobb via TKO (Head Kick and Punches) 0:10 Rd2
Paulo Thiago def Josh Koscheck via TKO (Punches) 3:29 Rd1
Demian Maia def Chael Sonnen via Submission (Triangle Choke) 2:37 Rd1
Nate Marquardt def Wilson Gouveia via TKO (Knee and Punches) 3:10 Rd3
Dan Hardy def Rory Markham via KO (Punch) 1:09 Rd1
Diego Sanchez def Joe Stevenson via Unanimous.Decision
UFC 96 FULL RESULTS
Shane Nelson def Aaron Riley via TKO 0:44 Rd1
Brandon Vera def Michael Patt via TKO (Leg Kicks) 1:27 Rd2
Jason Brilz def Tim Boetsch via Unanimous Decision
Kendall Grove def Jason Day via TKO 1:32 Rd1
Tamdan McCrory def Ryan Madigan via Submission (Punches) 3:35 Rd1
Gray Maynard def Jim Miller via Unanimous Decision
Matt Hamill def Mark Munoz via KO (Head Kick) 3:53 Rd1
Matt Brown def Pete Sell via TKO (Punches) 1:32 Rd1
Shane Carwin def Gabriel Gonzaga via TKO 1:09 Rd1
Quinton Jackson def Keith Jardine via Unanimous Decision
