UFC 102: Couture vs. Nogueira Report
'Minotauro' Dominates Dangerous Opponent
Two legends collided in Portland, Oregon as Randy 'The Natural' Couture faced off against Antonio 'Minotauro' Nogueira. Couture had the hometown advantage, but this didn't matter in the end as 'Big Nog' won via unanimous decision.
Couture vs. Nogueira: A Back And Forth Fight
The opening round of the fight was fairly even until Nogueira dropped his opponent with good hooks to the head. 'Big Nog' tried to capitalise by sinking in a D'Arce choke, but the experienced Couture pulled through and survived the round.
At the start of the second, Couture was getting the better of the stand up, but he was once again rocked, and resorted to taking the BJJ black belt down. Here, Nogueira nearly finished him again with an arm triangle, bur Couture was determined not to lose in front of his home town fans without putting up a fight.
Couture was put down again at the start of the third, and this was the heaviest knockdown. Nogueira tried to finish Randy with some brutal ground and pound, but the veteran once again pulled through. Couture lasted until the bell, but only just.
'The Natural' showed a ton of heart in this fight, but unfortunately showed an equal amount of war wounds. The real 'Minotauro' Nogueira is definitely back now, and he could pose a serious threat to current UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar somewhere down the line.
Jardine Blasted By Silva
In the co-main event, unorthodox American Keith Jardine fought the tough Thiago Silva, who's only loss is to Lyoto Machida. Jardine opened well, utilising his versatile striking, but out of nowhere, Silva unleashed a massive right straight which sent Jardine to the canvas. Silva followed up with ground and pound and took the victory.
Thiago Silva reasserted himself as a quality operator in this fight, as Keith Jardine is a well respected fighter. He may get another title shot sooner rather than later. As for Jardine, his career at the top level is by no means over. He has faced tough opposition for a long time now, and despite this quick loss, is an established high calibre talent.
Marquardt Shines On Undercard
Nate 'The Great' Marquardt registered an unbelievable knockout victory over the previously undefeated Demian Maia on the undercard. Just seconds into the fight, Marquardt blasted Maia with a right hand which sent him out cold before he hit the canvas. By doing this, he has sent a strong message to Anderson Silva, and fans will be salivating at the prospect of a rematch between these two.
Chris Leben uncharacteristically lacked firepower against Jake Rosholt, and consequently lost via submission in round 3. Leben couldn't get going, and Rosholt took advantage, hitting and moving, and occasionally using takedowns. An arm triangle put Leben to sleep, and where he goes from here is unknown.
Brandon Vera defeated the game Krzysztof Soszynski on points.Soszynski was brave, but Vera was too classy and seemed to be better everywhere.
UFC 102: The Best Event In A While
UFC 102 was packed with good fights, and the main event was a match that die hard MMA fans had wanted to see for years. This was a very good event, and the UFC will be looking to build on this at UFC 103, when Rich Frankin and Vitor Belfort headline.
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