Anyway, here are my thoughts on tonight's event to the best of my recollections. Keep in mind that I don't know much about some of these fighters, so I may make some statements that seem inaccurate, naïve, or ridiculous to the more seasoned MMA fan.
*****
Stefan "The Skyscraper" Struve vs. Chase Gormley
This was a rather weird but entertaining fight with a spectacular finish. After the bout gets taken to the ground early on, the fighters end up not once but twice in a position where each of them has a hold on the other's leg. More skilled submission artists may have been able to finish it there - the first time around Struve gets what looks like a pretty good a heel hook on Gormley, but this somehow fails. Then Gormley attempts a toe hold, which Struve easily gets out of. The second time, both guys look tired and awkwardly do nothing, but then Struve gets into a good position, gets some good shots in, then rolls beautifully into a triangle choke.
Struve defeats Gormley by submission (triangle choke, Round 1, 4:04)
*****
Yushin "Thunder" Okami vs. Chael Sonnen
I don't know much about Yushin Okami other than that he was the last person to "beat" the UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva (Silva got disqualified for using an illegal kick that also knocked Okami out ice cold. Why an upkick to the face of an opponent who has a knee or a hand on the ground is illegal is puzzling to me.) and that he had been on a bit of a roll in the UFC, going 7-1 and arguably being a top 3 middleweight. Chael Sonnen I know is also up there, so why this fight was not only put in the undercard but also not televised on the Spike broadcast baffled me - until I read on Tony's blog that Okami has a reputation for being a boring fighter. Anyway, this fight was eventually aired in between fights during the main event, and let me tell you that Tony's description was 100% correct.
Okami plays a very careful game throughout, oftentimes backing up and looking to counter punch. Sonnen also fights without too much aggression, but outclasses Okami the entire time. Sonnen is able to grab a hold of Okami's back multiple times, where he is able to land knees to the leg at will, as well as employ one of the most dreaded moves in MMA - stomping on their toes. Just kidding. Really though, I think this may be the first time I've seen someone try to stomp on their opponent's toes in MMA. But then again, Anderson Silva punched Thales Leites in the thigh in UFC 97, so hey, anything can happen. Anyway, Sonnen gets a clear decision victory after 15 minutes of non-action.
Sonnen defeats Okami by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
*****
Antoni Hardonk vs. Patrick "HD" Barry
This fight was actually the fifth of the night, but was the first one to air on the TV broadcast. The fight wasn't exactly electrifying, but it was a great way to start off the night, and ultimately won the "Fight of the Night" honor. Hardonk basically controlled the beginning first round with some devastating leg kicks. It was clear that these were doing some real damage to Barry's knees, as he continually had to switch stance. I was waiting for Barry to just collapse kind of like Dan Severn did in his pathetic showing against Pedro Rizzo in UFC 27. But somehow Barry survived and was able to actually control the latter half of the round.
In the second round, Hardonk looked either a bit winded and disoriented, and Barry seemed to really find his range and rhythm, getting more confident with his punches. At one point, Barry was able to knock Hardonk down three times in succession - though in all three cases, Hardonk went down because he was always caught while in an awkward position and then lost balance. Eventually Barry landed a huge right hook that knocked Hardonk down, then sealed the deal with two beastly punches. After the second punch, Barry knew the fight was over and spared Hardonk's head further damage.
Barry defeats Hardonk by TKO (strikes, Round 2, 2:30)
*****
Ryan "Darth" Bader vs. Eric "Red" Schafer
This was a pretty solid matchup between the wrestling specialist Ryan Bader and the BJJ specialist Eric Schafer. It was clear that neither one of them wanted to take the fight to the ground, which can often be the case with wrestling vs. BJJ matchups, and so we basically got a 15 minute boxing match. Bader came out strong and laid the smackdown on Schafer in the first round, and the fight was pretty close to being sealed there. Schafer's chin held up though, and he had a great recovery after that brutal beating.
Bader seemed like he was going for a knockout blow with every thrown punch and was thus playing a risky game. I had a gut feeling that a revitalized Schafer would catch him with a big counter punch in round 2, but neither that nor the knockout Bader was looking for happened. Instead, round 2 was a rather even boxing match. In the third round, again I had the feeling that Bader's overcommitting to his attacks would get him in trouble, but Schafer was never able to capitalize. Instead, Bader was able to land some pretty solid punches - enough to win the round - then take Schafer down and wait out the rest of the bout by getting a good position and playing it safe. The fight ends with an odd score, where one judge scored the fight 29-26 (presumably 10-8, 9-10, 10-8).
Bader defeats Schafer by unanimous decision (30-27, 29-26, 30-27)
*****
Anthony "Rumble" Johnson vs. Yoshiyuki "Zenko" Yoshida
Call me crazy, but I will say it now. "Rumble" Johnson is going to be UFC champion someday. Johnson has a couple of losses in his UFC career (one of which is controversial - some argue he should have gotten a DQ victory) that are keeping him from fighting the elite welterweights to get a shot at Georges St-Pierre and the UFC title. But after delivering knockout after knockout in convincing fashion, I am convinced that this guy has as good a shot as anybody at beating the seemingly invincible GSP.
This fight plays out a lot like Rumble's fight against Tommy Speer, with Johnson basically using his incredible speed, power, and reach (78" wingspan in the 170 lb division!), to basically dance around Yoshida and land some big punches in the face while also receiving minimal damage at the same time. Eventually the inevitable happens and Johnson lands a big right cross that knocks the lights out of Yoshida.
Ever since Matt Hughes's "decline," I've been searching for a new favorite welterweight - someone who could take down that certain GSP who defeated my boy Matt Hughes twice in a row. Anthony Johnson had been on my radar, and tonight's display just sealed the deal (though at the same time I am also excited to see Matt Hughes re-sign with the UFC!). From what I have seen so far, Rumble has displayed some pretty sound groundwork from the top as well as solid takedown defense in addition to his impeccable striking and athleticism. His next fight should probably be against an elite-level welterweight (unless he needs to move up to middleweight) and will be a real test. Can't wait!
Johnson defeats Yoshida by KO (Round 1, 0:41)
*****
Joe "Daddy" Stevenson vs. Spencer "The King" Fisher
I don't have much to say about this fight, as it was overall not too exciting. Round 1 was close for the most part, with both fighters exchanging blows and spending a lot of time clinched or on the ground in inaction. Joe Daddy opened up a cut above Fisher's eye, though this didn't turn out to be nearly as much of an issue for Fisher and his vision as it could have. In the second round, Stevenson took Fisher down, then was able to pin down Fisher's arms using a crucifix mount from side control. From here Stevenson rains down elbows onto his defenseless opponent's head for a TKO victory.
Stevenson defeats Fisher by TKO (elbows, Round 2, 4:03)
*****
Gleison Tibau vs. Josh "The Dentist" Neer
Interestingly, this fight was both entertaining and boring, and both satisfying and unsatisfying. Throughout a full three rounds, Tibau takes down Neer basically at will, and these are not just regular takedowns - they're power slams. If the floor were less cushiony, we may be talking broken ribs here. It seemed like Neer wasn't even making any effort to defend the takedowns. But as far as I remember, Neer was basically able to get into butterfly guard without too much difficulty after every single takedown, then take the fight back to the feet, and Tibau wasn't able to do anything from the top position.
I was waiting for Neer to unleash a flurry of strikes on Tibau to try to win the game on the feet, but it never happened. A few solid strikes should have balanced out the takedowns on the scorecards. But instead, Tibau is the clear winner of all three rounds because of his hard takedowns and because of Neer's inability to do much damage to his opponent while standing.
Tibau defeats Neer by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
*****
Cain Velasquez vs. Ben Rothwell
This was a great fight for Cain Velasquez and not much of a fight at all for Ben "Punching Bag" Rothwell. For essentially the entirety of a round and change, Velasquez was taking down Rothwell, getting into good positions, and hailing down undefended punches. Rothwell was lucky to get out of the first round and didn't survive long during the first minute of round two, where he sustained the same beating.
This victory solidifies Velasquez's status as a top heavyweight, and there's a good chance he'll be matched up against the winner of Lesnar-Carwin, though I am curious to see how he'd do against someone like Mir or Nogueira. After the Cheick Kongo fight, there were some questions about Velasquez: his ability to finish the fight (through powerful strikes or submissions) and his chin. Here Velasquez proved that he has finishing ability to complement his outstanding, outstanding wrestling, but honestly tonight's fight lasted a lot longer than it should have. And after not trying any submissions tonight nor being threatened on the feet, there are still some unresolved questions - so I still haven't quite yet jumped on the Cain Velasquez bandwagon. Go Minotauro!
Velasquez defeats Rothwell by TKO (punches, Round 2, 0:58)
*****
Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Rua
The main event of the evening, a 5-round fight for the light heavyweight title that ended with a result that was controversial and surprising for even the winner himself. The fight was one of the most tactical battles I've ever seen in MMA, and was quite refreshing to see. Machida used his usual tactical karate style, making all of his shots count. However, while Machida is renowned for rarely being hit, it seems like Rua had him figured out and was landing clean hits all throughout. Oftentimes, both fighters landed clean hits at the same time, which wasn't something you'd see often in a Machida fight. Rua avoided chasing after Machida - something which caused the downfall of basically every Machida opponent to date - and played a game based on timing, range, and accuracy. Essentially, Rua became Machida #2, except with a Muay Thai stance instead of a karate stance. Both fighters were landing some pretty brutal kicks and then getting right out of the way, very much in the Machida style.
Every round was really close. First round could have gone either way. Second round was fairly even too, but I say Shogun takes it after getting in a clinch and landing a good series of knees to the leg. Third round was very close - I give it to Machida after a good flurry of powerful punches. Fourth round, seems like Rua is starting to land more strikes than Machida, so I give the round to him. Fifth round was also really close, could have gone either way like the first.
In the end, all three judges score the fight 48-47 for Machida, which puzzles basically everybody and makes a rematch all but imminent. I would have scored the fight 48-47 for Shogun, and it seems like most MMA writers seemed to also score the fight either 48-47 or 49-46 for Shogun, so why not a single judge thought he won the fight is a little weird. Are they using a different scoring system from the rest of the world? Anyway, even though this is disappointing for Rua, this fight shows that 1) Machida can be beaten and probably no longer can be called the #4 pound-for-pound fighter in the world (after Silva, GSP, and Fedor - he probably falls below the likes of Penn and Mike Brown now), and that 2) Rua is back in his PRIDE form and has what it takes to be the light heavyweight champio
Next for Machida might be a rematch with the winner of Rashad Evans and Thiago Silva, or perhaps even against Quinton Jackson if he ends up coming back to the UFC. It might even be an immediate rematch with Shogun if Shogun can beat a quality opponent in his next fight! It will be interesting to see what Lyoto's next opponent does after having seen this fight.
Machida defeats Rua by unanimous decision (48-47, 48-47, 48-47)
*****
Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with UFC 104. At the very least, it is a big improvement over UFC 103. Unfortunately the main event wasn't filled with fireworks like Couture vs. Nogueira, but I don't think anybody really expected it to be. Instead, we got a really great technical battle. There weren't really any memorable fights tonight, but with just a few exceptions the action was pretty solid, and the good televised fights from the undercards was a nice bonus.
The next major MMA event is Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Rogers on November 7, where the arguable #1 heavyweight in the world Fedor Emelianenko makes his debut on Strikeforce. A Fedor loss would be devastating for Strikeforce, and I hope this happens, as Fedor really should have signed with the more respectable UFC. Also on the card is a fight for the Strikeforce middleweight championship between Jake Shields and one of my favorite fighters to watch, Jason "Mayhem" Miller.
Then on November 14, the same night as the Manny Pacquiao vs. Miguel Cotto fight, is UFC 105, where the main event is Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera. There are no huge superstar vs. superstar matchups, but that's not so much of a problem. The UFC has good matchmaking and can always deliver an exciting card without having to rely on big names (like UFC Fight Nights).
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