What went wrong? UFC 102

Went 2 of 5 this weekend, not very good. Time to see what really happened.

 

Heavyweight bout:  Randy Couture vs.  Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira

Well, I got the Nogueria almost subbing out Randy part right. But Minotauro was more than up to the task in the striking department. He rocked Randy several times. Big Nog looked really good. Still, it was a very solid fight and these two guys let the leather fly early and often. I had Randy losing all 3 rounds. The bigger story is Randy signing a 23-month, 6-fight deal? WTF? I hope that's not true.

 

Light Heavyweight bout:  Keith Jardine vs. Thiago Silva

What can I say, the Jardine roller coaster continues. Thiago was clearly motivated to prove himself after losing to Machida. Not a bad guy to have your only loss against. I'll give Silva credit, he gave the Mean One a beatdown.

 

Middleweight bout:  Chris Leben vs. Jake Rosholt

I got this one right. But it was noteworthy because Yves Lavine missed the tap of Leben, and the huge home crowd got to see him go unconscious and convulse. Nice job Yves.

 

Middleweight bout:  Nate Marquardt vs. Demian Maia

Marquardt made a fool of Maia's standup game (or lack thereof). A spectacular KO, given that Maia had changed directions in mid-air.

 

Light Heavyweight bout:  Brandon Vera vs.  Krzysztof Soszynski

Vera fought a very smart fight and picked apart Krzysztof. The Truth was just too fast, stepped away from any punches and didn't let Soszynski take him down. Kinda boring, but a well executed gameplan. Vera kept the fight going his way for 3 rounds.