UFC 105 - The Brits and Captain America

It was definitely a night for the British to celebrate.
Of the 8 matches with Brits in them (excluding Taylor and Hathaway who are both from the UK), 6 of them beat their opponents.
It feels like TUF 9 all over again.
Too bad Hendo wasn't there...


Ross Pearson defeats Aaron Riley via TKO

I think the ref saw what I saw and mercifully stopped this fight early.
Pearson was using Riley as his own personal punching bag. Everything he threw connected with relative ease: knees, punches, kicks, rinse and repeat. He also exhibited some nice moves in his Thai plum and can add the flying knee onto his highlight reel.
On the other hand, Riley played his part as the human punching bag. All he did was back up and throw a couple one's and two's, when he wasn't getting tagged or bullied in the clinch. These things and him being super tentative cost him the match and probably some of his dignity.


Matt Brown defeats James Wilks via TKO

I think Wilks had "Fight of the Night" bonus on the brain. Based on his performance, I don't see why he didn't just immediately take it to the ground and constantly go for various sub attempts. It's blatantly obvious by his previous losses and his TUF matches that the key to beating Brown is submissions. Instead, Wilks preferred to grit it out with "The Immortal", get beat down, lose the match and a few brain cells in the process. The last sub attempt, before the match was called, probably would have been successful executed if he could have held onto his focus and technique.
I gotta hand it to Brown - What the man lacks in a ground game, he makes up for it with a decent chin and resilience. It also helps that he doesn't give a crap about getting tagged so he can dish out some punishment.


Michael Bisping defeats Denis Kang via TKO

The only Brit that I didn't want to win, of course, HAD to win. With his shoddy standup and meh takedowns, he beat Kang to a helpless pulp. He does get props for his active ground game, even though he sorta looked like a white belt flailing on the mat against a brown belt at certain points. I still think he's highly overrated and should be nowhere near a title defense. Isn't Cote returning soon?
I'm sad to see another Pride import implode in the Octagon.
Other than the right hook he threw, Kang has nothing else to be proud of. He couldn't make use of his superior ground game, other than some fleeting moments in the mount and in side control. The combination of his impetuous ground game, weak will under pressure, and disappointing losses probably means this was a short lived trip to the UFC.


Dan Hardy defeats Mike Swick via Decision

I see this match as a parallel to the Kampmann/Daley and Okami/Sonnen matches. Each loser was incredibly close to title shots and blew it against a relative UFC noob.
Swick probably had the roughest challenge of the three incumbents, given Hardy was riding a decent win streak against some exceptionally game opponents. The last time "Quick" was roughed up this badly was against Okami, who coincidentally, was recently roughed up by Chael Sonnen. Swick also looked very lost in the Octagon after getting rocked in the 1st round. If recent history is any indicator for this type of fighter, Swick may not see a title opportunity in a while.
Let's just call Hardy the new King of Thieves because he straight stole the next WW title shot. His strong punches should give GSP fans a cause for concern but I'm not so sure his hooligan, brawlin' style will make the difference. He should also re-evaluate his gameplan for his next match, since his clinch is a bit suspect for his size and strength as a WW.


Randy Couture defeats Brandon Vera via Decision

This was definitely a Couture crowd and I wouldn't be surprised if the judges fell into that category as well. The match was Octagon control vs. damage to your opponent. Aggression would have to be my toss up category given the styles of each fighter and how they affected their opponent. Randy dominated the entirety of the match, just bullying Vera up against the cage fence for minutes at a time.
Vera spent little time engaging with his patented Muy Thai striking but when he did, he maximized every bit of output he could. The key shots were the ones that dropped and nearly put Couture down. It also helped that the "The Natural" looked slower and less agile than "The Truth". It also wasn't clear to me if he was trying to take Vera down, or just pin him against the fence.
People can argue that Couture unfairly won the match, but it still doesn't take away from the fact that if you don't beat the man standing directly across from you, you might now have 3 extra opponents to deal with when the bell sounds.

Next up, WEC 45.

Love the mid-week cards!

~S