Fighters Only

Issue 030

October 2007

Mandalay Bay Events Centre, Las Vegas, August 25^th 2007

Report by Daniel Fletcher, Images © Josh Hedges / Zuffa LLC.

Hardcore Ultimate Fighting Championship fans will be forgiven for their impatience in awaiting this event. The five events they held in the space of six weeks will have satisfied event the most rabid of fans' hunger for mixed martial arts (MMA) action.

But then all of a sudden, they leave us starved for six whole weeks before delivering one of their tastiest dishes yet – the continued renaissance of Randy Couture.

The Natural does it again

The age difference, the size disparity, the danger of the killer roundhouse kick and the threat of world-class jiu-jitsu skills; Randy Couture was certainly up against it in his fight with Gabriel Gonzaga, but as ever he showed the world why he is one of the most respected fighters in the world.

The chunky Brazilian fighter Gonzaga had gone from being a B-level mid-roster heavyweight to one of the most respected fighters in the world when he dismantled (and almost decapitated) Mirko Cro Cop back in April. As an opponent he posed a serious danger to Randy; bigger, younger, and evidently very hungry, he could be counted on to go in and try to take Randy’s belt with serious intent.

Randy’s status as a legend was secure, but legends can fall far quicker than they take to become. Going into the fight one might say that the odds against seemed overwhelming, and opinions were split down the middle as to whether Couture might pull it off or not. If Gonzaga could steamroll his way through Cro Cop, an elite level fighter, Randy would be in for a tough night.

But Couture’s determination and willpower are like no other. You don’t become a champion at 44 years of age by luck, you do it with a relentless drive that sets you apart from other men, and it was this drive that Randy used to tame the beast that was Gonzaga.

In the energetic opening seconds of the fight, it was clear that neither man was looking to cruise to victory. Couture showed sharp striking and stunned Gonzaga with a left hook, and his phenomenal wrestling came into play as he took down and tied up Gonzaga against the fence. The Brazilian wasn’t easy to keep down, yet Couture kept him pinned on the fence for much of the round. A huge slam caused a clash of heads that all but destroyed Gonzaga’s nose, and the injury would go on to bother him throughout the rest of the fight.

Though Couture was clear in control throughout the entire fight, Gonzaga would not be subdued. On every break he struck with precision and hurtfulness, though Randy showed an iron chin and absorbed some thunderous elbows and even a massive kick to the head, a reminder of Cro Cop’s earlier demise.

The dirty boxing was the key factor in this fight, always Couture’s strength (along with his ground and pound). Randy can box, but he is a wrestler heart and soul, and 30 years of Greco Roman training was put to good use. Short punches and elbows, tight underhooks and tie ups were all utilised in taking away Gonzaga’s chances of victory, and when Randy scored the final decisive takedown in the third, it wasn’t long before referee Herb Dean was pulling him off. A steady stream of punches from half guard had Gonzaga helpless, and Couture walked away with yet another title defence under his belt.

The heavyweight title in any combat sport has always had a mystique about it, an air of reverence. When inferior athletes have the belt they are merely titleholders. When a real fighter, one who the world looks to in awe of their abilities and with respect for their heart, has that illustrious piece of metal and leather around their waist, then they are classed a true champion. Couture is just that – a true champion.

St Pierre returns stronger than ever

‘Return’ fights are never easy. Bouncing back from defeat takes a lot of soul searching, something Georges St Pierre took to heart in preparation for this fight. Winning the welterweight championship title by taking out Matt Hughes in spectacular fashion, the 26 year old lost the belt in equally amazing circumstances to Matt Serra earlier this year. His six-fight winning streak came to an abrupt halt, and he was left back in the ranks of a division many thought he ought to rule.

Shedding his manager, changing training camps and refocusing his energies, St Pierre went into the Octagon against the formidable Josh Koscheck with one thing in mind – getting back in the running for the title he lost. Serra and Matt Hughes will duke it out for the belt in December, and the winner of this fight would be the natural choice of challenger for the title next year. Koscheck’s mouth went into overdrive talking up how he would go through St Pierre (“I’ve been wrestling since I was five years old, he’s gonna take me down?”) but once in the Octagon it was a totally different story.

When Georges St Pierre is on form, it seems like there isn’t a welterweight in the world who can touch him, and this is the Georges St Pierre we saw in this fight. The laser-like precision striking, the incredible athleticism and agility, the strength and suppleness that mark him out as one of the sport’s greatest athletes; we saw all of this and more.

Josh Koscheck was left with little answer – two of the judges were generous enough to award him one round, but it was the French-Canadian who was in charge throughout. Joe Rogan even described the second round as “humiliating” for Koscheck, who barely survived a kimura attempt and spent much of the round on his back.

St Pierre’s combination of surgically precise striking, amazing wrestling and sharp submissions make him a formidable enemy for anyone, so long as one factor is in order – his head. Having now enlisted the aid of a sports psychologist, expect a renewed, re-focussed GSP to dazzle with more displays much like this dismantling of one of the division’s toughest competitors.

Huerta lives up to the hype

Roger Huerta is in a predicament – his stock has risen so fast, he was in danger of keeping up with the hype machine that has built up around him. The young, handsome Mexican-American has amassed quite a following (not just of the female variety) since his appearance on the front cover of Sports Illustrated, and the UFC obviously have their interest in this very marketable talent.

Going out and being expected to live up to expectations of this magnitude could crush a fighter, yet it seems that Huerta is handling his ‘fifteen minutes’ with aplomb. True, his talent is undeniable, yet his path has so far been chosen with care, and he has been saved the trouble of encountering any of the particularly dangerous lightweights out there.

Alberto Crane wasn’t just an opponent picked to lose though, and the submission specialist gave Huerta a tough test in this pleasing punch-up. Huerta was at times twisted and tangled up in the sneaky grappler’s game, but his superior conditioning, heavy ground and pound and very effective use of the big screen would see him go on to claim victory by way of third round stoppage.

And here is where we must discuss Huerta’s use of technology to give him something of an advantage. Big screens are dotted around the arena to give fans a closer view of the action, and it is common for fighters to glance up at the clock midway through a fight to see how long is left.

Huerta’s use of the screen to line up punches on an opponent behind him is to my knowledge unprecedented. As Crane clung to his back Huerta would carefully pick his shots, and they definitely contributed to the subsequent stoppage he scored. Whether we will see future instances of this is uncertain, but for now it will be just one more thing to mark Huerta out as a star in the making.

Round Up

Joe ‘Daddy’ Stevenson showed solid all-round skills in his back and forth lightweight tussle with Kurt Pellegrino. The two traded regularly position as dictator of the pace of the fight but it was Stevenson who inflicted the more damage and came closer to finished the fight. Stevenson’s prospects seem bright, and with a few more fights he could well soon see himself in line as a potential challenger for the title.

Patrick Cote pulled off something of an upset over rangy Hawaiian fighter Kendall Grove, spectacularly knocking him down with a perfectly placed right hook on a break from the clinch. Following up with ground and pound to finish, he set the TUF Series 3 middleweight winner’s career back a fair few steps.

Renato ‘Babalu’ Sobral earned a solid win but the crowd’s disdain after choking David Heath unconscious after Heath was clearly seen to tap. Babalu held the choke on even as the referee intervened, causing an already bloodied and beaten Heath to go out. The Nevada State Athletic Commission has reportedly withheld half of Sobral’s purse until an investigation into his conduct is complete.

Frank Mir returned to winning ways by tapping out the woefully overmatched Antoni Hardonk. This was something of a gift match for poor Mir, who looked in better shape than recent appearances but was still fed a substandard opponent with far inferior grappling ability.

Thales Leites took out Ryan Jenson with a first round armbar and hyper-energetic fan favourite Clay Guida would outpoint recent signing Marcus Aurelio in a typically entertaining fight.