Post by gregthebunny on Jul 16, 2007 17:31:47 GMT -5
The following is compiled from the articles on UFC.com:
First-Half Upsets of The Year
5 - UFC 71 - May 26 – Quinton Jackson TKO1 (1:53) Chuck Liddell
Maybe this isn’t the best pick, considering Jackson’s pedigree as a fighter and his previous victory over Liddell in PRIDE. But to the casual fan or the person drawn to UFC 71 because of all the pre-fight hoopla - which included a Sports Illustrated cover and Liddell on the cover of ESPN magazine and in HBO’s Entourage – Jackson’s first round stoppage of Liddell may very well have been the upset of the century. To my eyes, the upset here has to do with the way Rampage ended the fight – with a single right to the jaw in the first round followed up by a couple of ground strikes. We’ve never seen Liddell go out like that, and it shocked many in the fight game. But what it also did was excite the MMA fanbase for the reign of the new king, Quinton Jackson.
4 - UFC 71 - May 26 – Houston Alexander TKO1 (0:48) Keith Jardine
Practically no one knew who Houston Alexander was when he stepped into the Octagon against Jardine at UFC 71 other than the fact that he was a radio DJ on the side, and a father of six. But everyone knew who he was after his 48 second blitz of the highly-regarded Jardine, who was bludgeoned into defeat with a high-impact assault that electrified the packed house at the MGM Grand. And now everyone wants to see ‘The Assassin’ fight again.
3- UFC Fight Night – January 25 –
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Jake O’Brien W3 Heath Herring
No, it wasn’t the most compelling fight you’ll ever see, but in terms of having a gameplan, sticking to it, and executing it flawlessly, Jake O’Brien was spectacular in defusing the attack of PRIDE and K-1 star Heath Herring, who came to the Octagon with plenty of fanfare, but who instead was soundly outpointed by O’Brien, a veteran of only 10 pro fights.
2 - UFC 70 – April 21 – Gabriel Gonzaga KO1 (4:51) Mirko ‘Cro Cop’
Sure, Gonzaga was an underdog against the feared Croatian striker, but there were more than a few people (including UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture) who figured the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt had the right stuff to beat Cro Cop – on the ground. Beating Cro Cop with a single kick to the head? Those are the kinds of odds that wouldn’t even show up in Vegas. But Gonzaga pulled it off, earning himself a shot at Couture’s crown and a permanent spot in UFC highlight reels.
1 - UFC 69 – April 7 - Matt Serra TKO1 (3:25) Georges St-Pierre
It’s been a year of upsets so far, but when it comes to a fighter who was given virtually no chance to take down a champion expected to reign atop his division for as long as he chose to, Serra’s stoppage of GSP takes the cake and will be hard to top. And in the great scheme of things, it’s been nice to see a longtime vet like Serra finally get his just due and for the rest of the world to see the personality of someone we’ve been covering here on the east coast for years. Will he get by his Ultimate Fighter 6 coaching counterpart Matt Hughes later this year? One thing’s for sure, we won’t be counting him out.
Honorable mention – Randy Couture W5 Tim Sylvia, Yushin Okami W3 Mike Swick, Josh Koscheck W3 Diego Sanchez
First-Half Knockouts of The Year
5 – UFC 71 - May 26 – Houston Alexander TKO1 (0:48) Keith Jardine
At around 4:30am on Sunday, May 27, the morning after he took out Keith Jardine in just 48 seconds, Houston Alexander was getting the rock star treatment, signing autographs, taking pictures and shaking hands with well-wishers while waiting for his ride to the airport. It’s what you get when you enter the Octagon for the first time and knock out a contender who was a couple wins away from a likely title shot. And that’s what Nebraska’s Alexander did, actually stunning Jardine with repeated right hands at close range and then unleashing the finisher with a couple vicious right uppercuts that put ‘The Dean of Mean’ down and out in under a minute. It was a spectacular debut to say the least, one of the most memorable in some time.
4 – UFC Fight Night – January 25 – Rashad Evans KO2 Sean Salmon
In the lead-up to his main event bout with Sean Salmon, Rashad Evans started going by the moniker ‘Sugar’. Well, the former MSU Spartan showed a little spice in this fight, battling through a sluggish first round to put an emphatic end to Salmon’s UFC debut in the second with a picture perfect right kick to the head. Salmon was out on impact, and he hit the head with a thud as the fans in attendance gasped. Thankfully, Salmon was all right, but if you needed any reminders that this is a contact sport, Evans’ spectacular knockout win provided all the proof you needed.
3 – UFC 69 – April 7 – Matt Serra TKO1 (3:25) Georges St-Pierre
As far as aesthetically pleasing knockouts go, the three high-impact honorable mention candidates listed below belong somewhere in the top five, but sometimes, you have to give a nod to a knockout that belongs strictly for its historic and shock value, and Matt Serra’s upset of the seemingly unstoppable GSP definitely applies. A hard right hand that clipped a ducking St-Pierre took the champion’s equilibrium, and as he tried to get his legs under him, Serra was calm, cool, collected, and sending bombs down
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the pipe that were keeping the Canadian from getting back into the fight. Finally, a series of unanswered shots on the ground forced a halt to the bout, and the MMA world had a new champion in the charismatic New Yorker, Matt ‘The Terror’ Serra.
2 – UFC 71 – May 26 – Quinton Jackson TKO1 (1:53) Chuck Liddell
Back when I was young and stupid and thought I could win the New York Golden Gloves, I tried throwing a shot to the body from three feet away and wound up getting knocked out in 63 seconds. UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell did the same thing at UFC 71 but lasted a little longer, getting stopped in 1:53 of the first round by Rampage Jackson, who made it 2-0 against ‘The Iceman’ in the biggest UFC event of the year. Jackson’s right to the jaw of Liddell was a thing of beauty, dropping the soon to be ex-champion hard to the mat. The follow-up barrage by Jackson was just a formality, and a new 205-pound king was crowned at the MGM Grand.
1 - UFC 70 – April 21 – Gabriel Gonzaga KO1 (4:51) Mirko Cro Cop
As I noted in the Upsets of The Half-Year section, there were many who felt that Gonzaga’s ground game was good enough that if he could take Cro Cop to the mat, he had a chance to win. Well, Gonzaga followed that plan and grounded and pounded Cro Cop for much of the opening round. Unfortunately for the Brazilian, his efforts seemed for naught when the fight was stood up with 35 seconds left in the round. Suddenly, Gonzaga was going to face the wrath of the most feared striker in the game. But then a funny thing happened, and Gonzaga whipped a right kick to Cro Cop’s head, and the Croatian fell like he was shot, grotesquely twisting his knee and ankle in the process. Not only was it shocking, it was spectacular, and the rest of 2007 will have a tough time coming up with a knockout to top this one.
Honorable Mention – Terry Martin KO1 Jorge Rivera, Drew McFedries KO1 Jordan Radev, Anthony Johnson KO1 Chad Reiner.
First-Half Submissions of The Year
5 – UFC Fight Night – April 5 - Kenny Florian WSub1 (3:57) Dokonjonosuke Mishima
Using his solid Muay Thai game, Florian built an insurmountable lead against Japanese standout Mishima and was on his way to a comfortable decision victory. ‘KenFlo’ kept pushing the pace though, and Mishima capitalized, locking in a kneebar that almost snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and which would have earned him a spot on this list. Instead, Florian escaped, and not wishing for anymore mishaps, he sunk in his own submission lock, forcing Mishima to tap from a rear naked choke with just 1:03 left.
4 – UFC Fight Night – April 5 – Joe Stevenson WSub1 (:27) Melvin Guillard
Melvin Guillard is able to put opponents to sleep with his fists. Joe Stevenson can do the same thing with submissions, and in this clash of rising lightweight stars, it was the grappler, Stevenson, who emerged victorious, as he threw the MMA equivalent of a perfect game, rocking Guillard with a left hand, and then using ‘The Young Assassin’s subsequent aggressiveness against him as he sunk in a guillotine choke that produced a tap out just 27 seconds into the fight. It was Stevenson’s second straight win by guillotine, and maybe a nickname change from ‘Joe Daddy’ to ‘The Executioner’ wouldn’t be entirely out of the question if he keeps this up.
3 – UFC 73 – July 7 - Chris Lytle WSub1 (2:15) Jason Gilliam
At this level, if you have stellar technique and can get a well-trained mixed martial artist to make enough of a mistake where you can capitalize and submit him, it’s safe to say that you’re a pretty good fighter. Lock your opponent up in two submission holds at once? That’s off the charts. But that’s what Lytle did in his highly impressive win over Gilliam, catching his foe in a triangle and an armlock to get the
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tap out and the submission of the night bonus in one of those sequences you have to see to believe.
2 – The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale – June 23 – BJ Penn WSub2 (3:01) Jens Pulver
Let’s just call this an accumulative honor, since Penn showed off a number of impressive jiu-jitsu moves throughout his rematch with Pulver, with only ‘Lil Evil’s submission defense and heart keeping him in the fight as long as he was. By the second round though, Penn’s ground wizardry had taken its toll on Pulver, and the Iowan was finally forced to succumb to a rear naked choke.
1 – UFC 71 – May 26 - Din Thomas WSub2 (2:44) Jeremy Stephens
Want to show a casual fan what a solid submission game can do, put this fight on. Thomas was facing an aggressive and hungry youngster in the debuting Stephens, and despite his unyielding will to win, Thomas had an answer for everything and transitioned beautifully from position to position, almost submitting his opponent with a rear naked choke in the first round. In the second though, Thomas finished the job with an armbar that was in so tight even a slam by Stephens couldn’t break it. Stephens’ arm wasn’t going to be as lucky, but referee John McCarthy wisely halted the bout. Said Thomas, “He probably didn’t tap, but I was gonna break his arm and take it home with me.”
A knockout? You’ll feel it for a couple of days. A broken arm? Getting over that will take a little longer.
Honorable Mention – Anderson Silva WSub2 Travis Lutter, Martin Kampmann WSub1 Drew McFedries, Marcus Davis WSub2 Pete Spratt
First-Half Fights of The Year
5 – UFC 70 – April 21 – Michael Bisping TKO2 (1:20) Elvis Sinosic
I don’t know how it looked on Spike TV, but in the MEN Arena in Manchester, England, this fight almost tore the roof off. From the moment Bisping entered the Octagon to the strains of Blur’s Song 2, the atmosphere was electric and ‘The Count’ responded in kind with an all out assault that had Sinosic in trouble. But just when things were bleakest for ‘The King of Rock and Rumble’, he turned the tables in round two, dropping Bisping with a knee and then locking in a tight kimura that silenced the crowd. After some tense moments, the Ultimate Fighter 3 winner escaped reversed position and grounded and pounded his way to victory and firmly established himself as the charismatic type of star that will appeal to fans on both sides of the Atlantic.
4 – UFC 68 – March 3 – Randy Couture W5 Tim Sylvia
What can you possibly say about this one that hasn’t already been said? Turning back the clock after a one year retirement and knockout losses in two of his last three fights, Couture cemented his legendary status by dominating 6 foot 8 Tim Sylvia for 25 minutes en route to taking the UFC heavyweight title for an unprecedented third time. What made this one even more special was that from the first right hand Couture landed (dropping Sylvia in the process), the packed house of 19,000 fans in Ohio stood, roared, and didn’t sit down for the rest of the five round bout. It was a special night for Couture, but even more memorable for everyone who was watching it.
3 – UFC 69 – April 7 – Roger Huerta W3 Leonard
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Garcia
From start to finish, this one was fought at a breakneck pace, and Latin warriors Huerta and Garcia did their combat sports predecessors – like Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Bobby Chacon, and Bazooka Limon – proud with an all-out war that may have been one-sided in Huerta’s favor on the scorecards, but that had no one in the arena complaining.
2 – UFC 72 – June 16 – Tyson Griffin W3 Clay Guida
The next time one of your Neanderthal buddies thinks ground fighting is just two guys laying on each other, pop this fight in the DVD player and let them see what happens when two skilled and aggressive fighters lock horns and battle it out on the mat. Another fight fought at a torrid pace for practically all three rounds, there was some dispute about the final decision in Griffin’s favor, but this was the type of bout where there truly were no losers.
1 – UFC Fight Night – June 12 – Spencer Fisher W3 Sam Stout
When the rematch between lightweight standouts Fisher and Stout made their exciting first fight look like a boring three round waltz, you know it was good. Think of Forrest Griffin-Stephan Bonnar I sped up and with even more flush shots landed. Both fighters left it all in the Octagon that June night in Florida, and had the bruises and cuts to show for it. Thankfully for fight fans, Fisher’s win - which evened his score with Stout at 1-1 – is the perfect segue into a third fight, something no true fight fan would complain about.
Honorable Mention – Frank Edgar W3 Tyson Griffin, Karo Parisyan W3 Josh Burkman, Eddie Sanchez TKO2 Colin Robinson.
First-Half Fighters of The Year
5 – Matt Serra – The winner of season four of The Ultimate Fighter reality show, Serra was given little chance to unseat the seemingly unstoppable UFC welterweight champion, Georges St-Pierre, at UFC 69 in April. But Serra was loose and well-trained entering the biggest bout of his career, and he showed it as he stood in the pocket and traded with GSP on even terms in the early going. Of course most expected St-Pierre to get in gear and eventually end the bout, but that never happened, as Serra clipped the champion with a right hand that took his legs away, and subsequently went to work with a controlled abandon, eventually halting St-Pierre to win the 170-pound title in one of the year’s great upsets and stories. Gameplan, attitude, and execution – Serra has shown it so far this year, and he’s earned his spot here.
4 – Gabriel Gonzaga – The Brazilian powerhouse was expected to be a test for Mirko Cro Cop’s second bout in the Octagon at UFC 70 in April, but not enough to derail the Croatian from his road to the UFC heavyweight title. But Gonzaga apparently didn’t know that he was expected to lose, so he came out of his corner at the opening bell and unceremoniously dropped Cro Cop to the mat and proceeded to pound him on the ground for much of the opening round. A questionable standup with under a minute left in the stanza appeared to be the respite Cro Cop needed to get back on track, but instead, ‘Napao’ showed his underrated standup game when he drilled Cro Cop with a kick to the head that ended the bout for all intents and purposes, and upset the apple cart for all expecting Cro Cop to have smooth sailing on his way to a title shot. Now Gonzaga’s got an August date with Couture, and if he pulls off the win, he’s got to be considered a frontrunner for Fighter of The Year honors.
3 – Anderson Silva – Seen as a standup assassin after his first round stoppages of Chris Leben and Rich Franklin,
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Silva has impressively shown the other facets of his game in his 2007 wins over Travis Lutter and Nate Marquardt. In February, Silva was taken to the mat by his fellow Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, and had some early difficulties with Lutter. But in the second, Silva was back on track and he submitted Lutter in impressive fashion. Five months later, ‘The Spider’ was expected to face one of his toughest tests in Marquardt, but instead, Silva was brilliant in a first round victory, ending matters with strikes on the ground after a beautiful sweep that put Marquardt in deep and fight-ending trouble. Hard to believe, but Silva’s getting better with each fight.
2 – Randy Couture – It was the most emotional victory of the year thus far, and maybe of the last few years, as Couture returned from a one year retirement to win the UFC heavyweight crown from Tim Sylvia at UFC 68 in March. Using textbook technique and a disciplined gameplan, ‘The Natural’ dominated the bout from start to finish en route to a shutout five round decision, and made any skeptics believe that when it comes to Couture, everything is possible and that age ain’t nothin’ but a number.
1 – Quinton Jackson – A tough, tough call between Couture and Jackson, but with two wins in the Octagon in 2007, including a first round knockout of Chuck Liddell to win the UFC light heavyweight crown at UFC 71 in May, ‘Rampage’ gets the nod here. At UFC 67 in February, the former PRIDE standout kicked off his UFC career with a second round knockout of the first man to beat him, Marvin Eastman, and in May, he repeated his 2003 win over Liddell in even more emphatic fashion, dropping ‘The Iceman’ with a right hand and finishing the bout off on the ground at the 1:53 mark. There will be no rest for ‘Rampage’ though, as he will put his belt on the line in a unification bout against PRIDE champion Dan Henderson in the headliner of UFC 75 in London in September.
Honorable Mention – Sean Sherk, Rich Franklin, Jon Fitch, Kenny Florian, Roger Huerta
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For the most part I would agree with these awards. In particular I would switch Gonzaga and Serra in the fighters or the half-year list.
First-Half Upsets of The Year
5 - UFC 71 - May 26 – Quinton Jackson TKO1 (1:53) Chuck Liddell
Maybe this isn’t the best pick, considering Jackson’s pedigree as a fighter and his previous victory over Liddell in PRIDE. But to the casual fan or the person drawn to UFC 71 because of all the pre-fight hoopla - which included a Sports Illustrated cover and Liddell on the cover of ESPN magazine and in HBO’s Entourage – Jackson’s first round stoppage of Liddell may very well have been the upset of the century. To my eyes, the upset here has to do with the way Rampage ended the fight – with a single right to the jaw in the first round followed up by a couple of ground strikes. We’ve never seen Liddell go out like that, and it shocked many in the fight game. But what it also did was excite the MMA fanbase for the reign of the new king, Quinton Jackson.
4 - UFC 71 - May 26 – Houston Alexander TKO1 (0:48) Keith Jardine
Practically no one knew who Houston Alexander was when he stepped into the Octagon against Jardine at UFC 71 other than the fact that he was a radio DJ on the side, and a father of six. But everyone knew who he was after his 48 second blitz of the highly-regarded Jardine, who was bludgeoned into defeat with a high-impact assault that electrified the packed house at the MGM Grand. And now everyone wants to see ‘The Assassin’ fight again.
3- UFC Fight Night – January 25 –
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Jake O’Brien W3 Heath Herring
No, it wasn’t the most compelling fight you’ll ever see, but in terms of having a gameplan, sticking to it, and executing it flawlessly, Jake O’Brien was spectacular in defusing the attack of PRIDE and K-1 star Heath Herring, who came to the Octagon with plenty of fanfare, but who instead was soundly outpointed by O’Brien, a veteran of only 10 pro fights.
2 - UFC 70 – April 21 – Gabriel Gonzaga KO1 (4:51) Mirko ‘Cro Cop’
Sure, Gonzaga was an underdog against the feared Croatian striker, but there were more than a few people (including UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture) who figured the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt had the right stuff to beat Cro Cop – on the ground. Beating Cro Cop with a single kick to the head? Those are the kinds of odds that wouldn’t even show up in Vegas. But Gonzaga pulled it off, earning himself a shot at Couture’s crown and a permanent spot in UFC highlight reels.
1 - UFC 69 – April 7 - Matt Serra TKO1 (3:25) Georges St-Pierre
It’s been a year of upsets so far, but when it comes to a fighter who was given virtually no chance to take down a champion expected to reign atop his division for as long as he chose to, Serra’s stoppage of GSP takes the cake and will be hard to top. And in the great scheme of things, it’s been nice to see a longtime vet like Serra finally get his just due and for the rest of the world to see the personality of someone we’ve been covering here on the east coast for years. Will he get by his Ultimate Fighter 6 coaching counterpart Matt Hughes later this year? One thing’s for sure, we won’t be counting him out.
Honorable mention – Randy Couture W5 Tim Sylvia, Yushin Okami W3 Mike Swick, Josh Koscheck W3 Diego Sanchez
First-Half Knockouts of The Year
5 – UFC 71 - May 26 – Houston Alexander TKO1 (0:48) Keith Jardine
At around 4:30am on Sunday, May 27, the morning after he took out Keith Jardine in just 48 seconds, Houston Alexander was getting the rock star treatment, signing autographs, taking pictures and shaking hands with well-wishers while waiting for his ride to the airport. It’s what you get when you enter the Octagon for the first time and knock out a contender who was a couple wins away from a likely title shot. And that’s what Nebraska’s Alexander did, actually stunning Jardine with repeated right hands at close range and then unleashing the finisher with a couple vicious right uppercuts that put ‘The Dean of Mean’ down and out in under a minute. It was a spectacular debut to say the least, one of the most memorable in some time.
4 – UFC Fight Night – January 25 – Rashad Evans KO2 Sean Salmon
In the lead-up to his main event bout with Sean Salmon, Rashad Evans started going by the moniker ‘Sugar’. Well, the former MSU Spartan showed a little spice in this fight, battling through a sluggish first round to put an emphatic end to Salmon’s UFC debut in the second with a picture perfect right kick to the head. Salmon was out on impact, and he hit the head with a thud as the fans in attendance gasped. Thankfully, Salmon was all right, but if you needed any reminders that this is a contact sport, Evans’ spectacular knockout win provided all the proof you needed.
3 – UFC 69 – April 7 – Matt Serra TKO1 (3:25) Georges St-Pierre
As far as aesthetically pleasing knockouts go, the three high-impact honorable mention candidates listed below belong somewhere in the top five, but sometimes, you have to give a nod to a knockout that belongs strictly for its historic and shock value, and Matt Serra’s upset of the seemingly unstoppable GSP definitely applies. A hard right hand that clipped a ducking St-Pierre took the champion’s equilibrium, and as he tried to get his legs under him, Serra was calm, cool, collected, and sending bombs down
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the pipe that were keeping the Canadian from getting back into the fight. Finally, a series of unanswered shots on the ground forced a halt to the bout, and the MMA world had a new champion in the charismatic New Yorker, Matt ‘The Terror’ Serra.
2 – UFC 71 – May 26 – Quinton Jackson TKO1 (1:53) Chuck Liddell
Back when I was young and stupid and thought I could win the New York Golden Gloves, I tried throwing a shot to the body from three feet away and wound up getting knocked out in 63 seconds. UFC light heavyweight champion Chuck Liddell did the same thing at UFC 71 but lasted a little longer, getting stopped in 1:53 of the first round by Rampage Jackson, who made it 2-0 against ‘The Iceman’ in the biggest UFC event of the year. Jackson’s right to the jaw of Liddell was a thing of beauty, dropping the soon to be ex-champion hard to the mat. The follow-up barrage by Jackson was just a formality, and a new 205-pound king was crowned at the MGM Grand.
1 - UFC 70 – April 21 – Gabriel Gonzaga KO1 (4:51) Mirko Cro Cop
As I noted in the Upsets of The Half-Year section, there were many who felt that Gonzaga’s ground game was good enough that if he could take Cro Cop to the mat, he had a chance to win. Well, Gonzaga followed that plan and grounded and pounded Cro Cop for much of the opening round. Unfortunately for the Brazilian, his efforts seemed for naught when the fight was stood up with 35 seconds left in the round. Suddenly, Gonzaga was going to face the wrath of the most feared striker in the game. But then a funny thing happened, and Gonzaga whipped a right kick to Cro Cop’s head, and the Croatian fell like he was shot, grotesquely twisting his knee and ankle in the process. Not only was it shocking, it was spectacular, and the rest of 2007 will have a tough time coming up with a knockout to top this one.
Honorable Mention – Terry Martin KO1 Jorge Rivera, Drew McFedries KO1 Jordan Radev, Anthony Johnson KO1 Chad Reiner.
First-Half Submissions of The Year
5 – UFC Fight Night – April 5 - Kenny Florian WSub1 (3:57) Dokonjonosuke Mishima
Using his solid Muay Thai game, Florian built an insurmountable lead against Japanese standout Mishima and was on his way to a comfortable decision victory. ‘KenFlo’ kept pushing the pace though, and Mishima capitalized, locking in a kneebar that almost snatched victory from the jaws of defeat and which would have earned him a spot on this list. Instead, Florian escaped, and not wishing for anymore mishaps, he sunk in his own submission lock, forcing Mishima to tap from a rear naked choke with just 1:03 left.
4 – UFC Fight Night – April 5 – Joe Stevenson WSub1 (:27) Melvin Guillard
Melvin Guillard is able to put opponents to sleep with his fists. Joe Stevenson can do the same thing with submissions, and in this clash of rising lightweight stars, it was the grappler, Stevenson, who emerged victorious, as he threw the MMA equivalent of a perfect game, rocking Guillard with a left hand, and then using ‘The Young Assassin’s subsequent aggressiveness against him as he sunk in a guillotine choke that produced a tap out just 27 seconds into the fight. It was Stevenson’s second straight win by guillotine, and maybe a nickname change from ‘Joe Daddy’ to ‘The Executioner’ wouldn’t be entirely out of the question if he keeps this up.
3 – UFC 73 – July 7 - Chris Lytle WSub1 (2:15) Jason Gilliam
At this level, if you have stellar technique and can get a well-trained mixed martial artist to make enough of a mistake where you can capitalize and submit him, it’s safe to say that you’re a pretty good fighter. Lock your opponent up in two submission holds at once? That’s off the charts. But that’s what Lytle did in his highly impressive win over Gilliam, catching his foe in a triangle and an armlock to get the
ad
tap out and the submission of the night bonus in one of those sequences you have to see to believe.
2 – The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale – June 23 – BJ Penn WSub2 (3:01) Jens Pulver
Let’s just call this an accumulative honor, since Penn showed off a number of impressive jiu-jitsu moves throughout his rematch with Pulver, with only ‘Lil Evil’s submission defense and heart keeping him in the fight as long as he was. By the second round though, Penn’s ground wizardry had taken its toll on Pulver, and the Iowan was finally forced to succumb to a rear naked choke.
1 – UFC 71 – May 26 - Din Thomas WSub2 (2:44) Jeremy Stephens
Want to show a casual fan what a solid submission game can do, put this fight on. Thomas was facing an aggressive and hungry youngster in the debuting Stephens, and despite his unyielding will to win, Thomas had an answer for everything and transitioned beautifully from position to position, almost submitting his opponent with a rear naked choke in the first round. In the second though, Thomas finished the job with an armbar that was in so tight even a slam by Stephens couldn’t break it. Stephens’ arm wasn’t going to be as lucky, but referee John McCarthy wisely halted the bout. Said Thomas, “He probably didn’t tap, but I was gonna break his arm and take it home with me.”
A knockout? You’ll feel it for a couple of days. A broken arm? Getting over that will take a little longer.
Honorable Mention – Anderson Silva WSub2 Travis Lutter, Martin Kampmann WSub1 Drew McFedries, Marcus Davis WSub2 Pete Spratt
First-Half Fights of The Year
5 – UFC 70 – April 21 – Michael Bisping TKO2 (1:20) Elvis Sinosic
I don’t know how it looked on Spike TV, but in the MEN Arena in Manchester, England, this fight almost tore the roof off. From the moment Bisping entered the Octagon to the strains of Blur’s Song 2, the atmosphere was electric and ‘The Count’ responded in kind with an all out assault that had Sinosic in trouble. But just when things were bleakest for ‘The King of Rock and Rumble’, he turned the tables in round two, dropping Bisping with a knee and then locking in a tight kimura that silenced the crowd. After some tense moments, the Ultimate Fighter 3 winner escaped reversed position and grounded and pounded his way to victory and firmly established himself as the charismatic type of star that will appeal to fans on both sides of the Atlantic.
4 – UFC 68 – March 3 – Randy Couture W5 Tim Sylvia
What can you possibly say about this one that hasn’t already been said? Turning back the clock after a one year retirement and knockout losses in two of his last three fights, Couture cemented his legendary status by dominating 6 foot 8 Tim Sylvia for 25 minutes en route to taking the UFC heavyweight title for an unprecedented third time. What made this one even more special was that from the first right hand Couture landed (dropping Sylvia in the process), the packed house of 19,000 fans in Ohio stood, roared, and didn’t sit down for the rest of the five round bout. It was a special night for Couture, but even more memorable for everyone who was watching it.
3 – UFC 69 – April 7 – Roger Huerta W3 Leonard
ad
Garcia
From start to finish, this one was fought at a breakneck pace, and Latin warriors Huerta and Garcia did their combat sports predecessors – like Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, Bobby Chacon, and Bazooka Limon – proud with an all-out war that may have been one-sided in Huerta’s favor on the scorecards, but that had no one in the arena complaining.
2 – UFC 72 – June 16 – Tyson Griffin W3 Clay Guida
The next time one of your Neanderthal buddies thinks ground fighting is just two guys laying on each other, pop this fight in the DVD player and let them see what happens when two skilled and aggressive fighters lock horns and battle it out on the mat. Another fight fought at a torrid pace for practically all three rounds, there was some dispute about the final decision in Griffin’s favor, but this was the type of bout where there truly were no losers.
1 – UFC Fight Night – June 12 – Spencer Fisher W3 Sam Stout
When the rematch between lightweight standouts Fisher and Stout made their exciting first fight look like a boring three round waltz, you know it was good. Think of Forrest Griffin-Stephan Bonnar I sped up and with even more flush shots landed. Both fighters left it all in the Octagon that June night in Florida, and had the bruises and cuts to show for it. Thankfully for fight fans, Fisher’s win - which evened his score with Stout at 1-1 – is the perfect segue into a third fight, something no true fight fan would complain about.
Honorable Mention – Frank Edgar W3 Tyson Griffin, Karo Parisyan W3 Josh Burkman, Eddie Sanchez TKO2 Colin Robinson.
First-Half Fighters of The Year
5 – Matt Serra – The winner of season four of The Ultimate Fighter reality show, Serra was given little chance to unseat the seemingly unstoppable UFC welterweight champion, Georges St-Pierre, at UFC 69 in April. But Serra was loose and well-trained entering the biggest bout of his career, and he showed it as he stood in the pocket and traded with GSP on even terms in the early going. Of course most expected St-Pierre to get in gear and eventually end the bout, but that never happened, as Serra clipped the champion with a right hand that took his legs away, and subsequently went to work with a controlled abandon, eventually halting St-Pierre to win the 170-pound title in one of the year’s great upsets and stories. Gameplan, attitude, and execution – Serra has shown it so far this year, and he’s earned his spot here.
4 – Gabriel Gonzaga – The Brazilian powerhouse was expected to be a test for Mirko Cro Cop’s second bout in the Octagon at UFC 70 in April, but not enough to derail the Croatian from his road to the UFC heavyweight title. But Gonzaga apparently didn’t know that he was expected to lose, so he came out of his corner at the opening bell and unceremoniously dropped Cro Cop to the mat and proceeded to pound him on the ground for much of the opening round. A questionable standup with under a minute left in the stanza appeared to be the respite Cro Cop needed to get back on track, but instead, ‘Napao’ showed his underrated standup game when he drilled Cro Cop with a kick to the head that ended the bout for all intents and purposes, and upset the apple cart for all expecting Cro Cop to have smooth sailing on his way to a title shot. Now Gonzaga’s got an August date with Couture, and if he pulls off the win, he’s got to be considered a frontrunner for Fighter of The Year honors.
3 – Anderson Silva – Seen as a standup assassin after his first round stoppages of Chris Leben and Rich Franklin,
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Silva has impressively shown the other facets of his game in his 2007 wins over Travis Lutter and Nate Marquardt. In February, Silva was taken to the mat by his fellow Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, and had some early difficulties with Lutter. But in the second, Silva was back on track and he submitted Lutter in impressive fashion. Five months later, ‘The Spider’ was expected to face one of his toughest tests in Marquardt, but instead, Silva was brilliant in a first round victory, ending matters with strikes on the ground after a beautiful sweep that put Marquardt in deep and fight-ending trouble. Hard to believe, but Silva’s getting better with each fight.
2 – Randy Couture – It was the most emotional victory of the year thus far, and maybe of the last few years, as Couture returned from a one year retirement to win the UFC heavyweight crown from Tim Sylvia at UFC 68 in March. Using textbook technique and a disciplined gameplan, ‘The Natural’ dominated the bout from start to finish en route to a shutout five round decision, and made any skeptics believe that when it comes to Couture, everything is possible and that age ain’t nothin’ but a number.
1 – Quinton Jackson – A tough, tough call between Couture and Jackson, but with two wins in the Octagon in 2007, including a first round knockout of Chuck Liddell to win the UFC light heavyweight crown at UFC 71 in May, ‘Rampage’ gets the nod here. At UFC 67 in February, the former PRIDE standout kicked off his UFC career with a second round knockout of the first man to beat him, Marvin Eastman, and in May, he repeated his 2003 win over Liddell in even more emphatic fashion, dropping ‘The Iceman’ with a right hand and finishing the bout off on the ground at the 1:53 mark. There will be no rest for ‘Rampage’ though, as he will put his belt on the line in a unification bout against PRIDE champion Dan Henderson in the headliner of UFC 75 in London in September.
Honorable Mention – Sean Sherk, Rich Franklin, Jon Fitch, Kenny Florian, Roger Huerta
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For the most part I would agree with these awards. In particular I would switch Gonzaga and Serra in the fighters or the half-year list.
with the Duck.