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UFC 92 Results:
Forrest Griffin vs. Rashad Evans
Forrest Griffin, Minotauro Nogueira and Wanderlei Silva, all fan favorites, had their respective tickets punched. Rashad Evans, Frank Mir, Rampage Jackson, C.B. Dollaway, all fighters often considered arrogant defiantly take the spotlight away from the ‘nice guys’. It was a night of excitement as the UFC closed out 2008 with a skull-cracking “bang”. Cheick Kongo defeats Mostapha Al-Turk by technical knockout
(Round 1 – 4:37; Heavyweight)
Thankfully for Mostapha Al-Turk, this was not a body-building contest. But, he didn’t have much of a chance of winning at MMA either. Cheick Kongo demonstrated his much-improved takedown defense in this bout. I don’t blame Mostapha for wanting to take the fight to the ground because he was getting outclassed on the feet with Kongo skillfully delivering elbows to the side of Mostapha’s head when his back was against the cage. There was also an amusing side plot involving dueling low blows. Mostapha Al-Turk struck first but he got his comeuppance shortly afterwards. Bottom line – don’t knee Cheick Kongo in the groin. I loved Joe Rogan’s awkward delivery of referring to it as getting hit on the…button. Yea, that’s what we’ll call it. The late stoppage was really hard to watch. Poor Mostapha Al-Turk was on his back taking dozens of shots before old Steve decided to step in. I like the slogan “Herb Dean says you’ve had enough” almost as much as the new one devised here – “Steve Mazzagatti says: just keep hitting him”. (The UFC pimped their next show in Ireland as “the dream card fans have been waiting for” but isn’t that what this one was? Does that make UFC 93 the SUPER-Ultimate 2009?) Quinton “Highway Rampage” Jackson knocks out Wanderlei “Needs More Concussions” Silva
(Round 1 – 3:21; Light Heavyweight)
Rampage thankfully reminded us before the fight that he has unlimited strength when he’s angry. It’s too bad that he doesn’t get unlimited green lights too! Yves Lavigne gave these two the option of touching gloves, which they both declined. There were shades of Forrest Griffin in how his teammate Wanderlei utilized leg kicks in the early goings of the fight. Just as it was shaping up to be a competitive classic, “Rampage” Jackson delivered a left hook that knocked Wanderlei Silva out cold. It’s scary to fight a guy with that kind of power since you never know when you’re going to feel it and when you do it’s too late to do anything about it. Joe and Rampage hammed it up in the post-fight interview. They briefly touched on Quinton’s “personal problems” but only as a distant memory. I guess those felony charges got tossed out. After this performance Dana will most likely push for Quinton to get a title shot. As for Wanderlei, I agree with Joe’s theory that you can only have your ticket punched so many times. The
Chris Benoit tragedy
is a potent example of what can happen to a man when his brain has been shook beyond repair. Pat Barry defeats Dan Evensen by technical knockout
(Round 1 – 2:36; Heavyweight)
Joe Rogan was so enthralled by the star power in this fight that he went off explaining the theory behind the perfect leg kick. Apparently if you hit the bone of the knee just right it makes no sound. That sounds very stealthy. Pat Barry demonstrated that theory by chopping down the leg of his opponent. Sure enough, it made next to no sound! Also, as Rampage showed us while losing to Forrest Griffin at UFC 86, you’re never too experienced to learn the importance of checking leg kicks. Dan Evensen’s leg was firmly planted and the knee buckled like the U.S. economy. Pat “HD” Barry came across as being friendly in his post-fight interview. If he had confirmed that the HD indeed stands for high-definition, he could say that he delivered a high-resolution knockout. Yea, that’d be dynamite. C.B. Dollaway defeats Mike Massenzio by technical knockout
(Round 1 – 3:01; Middleweight)
Joe speculated that Mike Massenzio had an injury coming into this fight due to his leg being taped up to a ridiculous degree. Perhaps it’s a bit of deception? CB Dollaway might have fallen for it but we never got to see that happen. CB Dollaway was very aggressive in this fight, even kicking the fence at one point. He almost got chocked out. But once CB got on top, Mike didn’t have much chance for survival. Both of these guys come from a wrestling background and we all know how wrestlers do fighting from the bottom. CB Dollaway eventually got Mike’s back as he pounded his way to victory. Mike Massenzio was pissed off at the stoppage but he only had himself to blame. When you’re flattened out like that you need to at least do some squirming to show the ref you’re still alive. Ultimately it was a solid victory for CB Dolloway. I gained some respect for him. I might even be willing to shake his hand. Matt Hamill defeats Reese Andy by technical knockout
(Round 2 – 2:19; Light Heavyweight)
The evolution of Matt Hamill continues. At this point his striking is effective but sloppy. You can only get away with relying on raw power against amateur strikers like Reese Andy. Matt Hamill would have the same troubles with Rich Franklin if they fought again. Matt Hamill needs to work on keeping his hands up and his chin tucked in. He has an ugly habit of sticking his head out when throwing punches. However he did finish the fight. I liked the way he snuck in the occasional body punch that Reese never defended. When Reese Andy was in the fetal position moments before the fight ended, I was begging Matt to take his back and choke him. Instead, Matt just kept on throwing punches like it was the only thing he could do. It was funny watching him waiting patiently to throw a clean strike. Joe Rogan made a good point about Reese Andy being too stiff in his stand-up game. Although, the way he continuously ate strikes and didn’t retaliate was the bigger problem. The highlight of the match was the profanity-laden pep talk that Matt Hamill got from his corner before the second round. It was enough to make Dana White blush like an Elementary school teacher.(We were then treated to an interview segment with “The Champ” Brock Lesnar. Big props to him for wearing a mustard colored sport coat on live television. It was crazy to see Brock being so humble while Joe was pushing for him to be called “The Real” Heavyweight champion. What’s next – Frank Mir winning a striking match with Nogueira? Uh-oh.) Frank Mir defeats Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira (The Nogueira that fights as a heavyweight in the UFC) by technical knockout
(Round 2 – 1:54; Interim Heavyweight Championship)
In the pre-fight interviews, Nogueira came across as overconfident in himself as he was with his fighters on the Ultimate Fighter 8. He wasn’t prepared for Frank Mir to come out and give him competition. The big surprise was Frank Mir winning the entire match while standing even though Nogueira was thought to be the better striker. This was as lopsided a match as you could imagine. Frank knocked big Nog on his back several times but wisely didn’t waste time grappling. It was so staggering seeing Frank Mir as a technical striker. He showed great head movement, uppercuts and knees…it’s like he’s a complete MMA fighter! Somebody really should have told Nogueira that. Sadly for his fans they got to see their hero finished for the first time in his career. Much like Wanderlei Silva, Nogueira is suffering from the effects of a long and brutal career. He may only be 32 but his brain is ready for prune juice at the retirement home. Rashad Evans defeats Forrest Griffin by technical knockout
(Round 3 – 2:46; Light Heayweight Championship)
Speaking of heroes falling, “Sugar” Rashad Evans knocked out another man who is supposed to have better striking. Surely, after the way Forrest Griffin nullified Rampage’s offence, he’d be able to handle the shorter Evans, right? Well, for the first two rounds it look like Forrest Griffin’s yeoman’s work ethic was going to carry him to another victory. Forrest Griffin was using his leg reach quite effectively, much like he did against Quinton Jackson. The problem is that Forrest Griffin doesn’t have 1-punch KO power like most of his opponents do. Rashad Evans even threw a few good leg kicks of his own. So, Forrest Griffin didn’t have a monopoly on any one facet except for being the most self-deprecating. After watching the fight for the second time, it’s apparent that his tentativeness was what hurt him the most. There was one infuriating moment where Rashad Evans, after getting beat up stops fighting, kisses his own hand and taps it on his penis. Forrest Griffin just...watched it happen. Here’s a tip – hit him when he does that! For whatever reason, Forrest Griffin just wasn’t quite ready for his first title defense. Given that he never walked around with the belt it’s easy to see that Forrest Griffin was never comfortable with the idea of being the best in the division. It’s bittersweet to note that his role as the underdog will always be there for him. Antoni Hardonk defeats Mike Wessel by technical knockout
(Round 2 – 2:09; Heavyweight)
Antoni Hardonk showed some good clinch work in this fight, but he still has problems defending takedowns. If Cheick Kongo can get takedown defense, anyone can. That’s my inspirational message of the night. Credit to Mike Wessel for taking a break from his career at the donut shop and taking this fight on short notice. Apart from a couple of takedowns his best offence was a head butt that reminded me of the old UFC days. Guys these days have to make it look accidental, which makes it that much more impressive. Also, no offense to Mike Wessel but if you get swept by Antoni “the kick boxer” Hardonk you need to really work on your ground game. If Antoni Hardonk can continue to develop his overall game (just look at how Kongo did tonight!) he’ll be a force to be reckoned with.This PPV should have been called UFC 92: Where Heroes come to die (Forrest Griffin, Wanderlei Silva, Nogueira...).
It sounds morbid but it’s still better than what they ultimately went with. Yes, pun intended. It’s definitely worth watching as it showed us a lot about what’s to come in 2009. In the heavyweight division we’ll see Brock Lesnar’s peculiar fashion sense versus Frank Mir’s super model haircut. The 205 title picture will involve some “black on black crime” since Forrest Griffin lost. Now if only we can get some better PPV names we’ll be all set.
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UFC 92: Forrest Griffin vs. Rashad Evans
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