UFC 47: It's On

[the pinjockey 0]

At first I thought it was a little odd how he went down. But when they showed one of the replays it looked like a shot snuck through and caught him clear on the chin.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

WHOOOO HOOOOOOOOOO~!

 

I think my best prediction was this one:

 

"‘cause when it delivers, it’ll stay with you." cause I'm feeling good tonight!!! UFC 47 went beyond my expectations and on the ride home I was yellin "WHOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO" quite frequently. I love this high, it's a great feeling and it was a kick-ass show.

 

I missed the first match between Kyle and Sims because of the damn leafs game (1 for 1 btw). I went to an Italian Restaurant/Take-out joint called "San Franseco's" 9I believe, GREAT "HOT" Chicken Sandwiches) where it was being shown on the ~BIG SCREEN~ but the downside was the leafs game took precidence over UFC so they put it on late (I'd gladly give up 1 fight for a free show ). The upside was that I was basically the only one there (~!). I, personally, LOVE watching fighting and wrestling alone because I can focus my attention completely on the fight. The only fight where people were watching on the Big Screen (they had TV's in the back) was Ortiz/Liddell and all the staff (half a dozen) came out and watched. Anyways, it was turned on right at the beginning of Lawler/Diaz

 

Lawler/Diaz

 

Really fun fight with Diaz taunting Lawler throughout and pushing the fight forward standing (~!!!). He caught Lawler a few times and Lawler caught him and so went the first round. The highlight was Lawler getting dinged and then getting JACKED up and PISSED and came back with a flury of his own. Second round was much-the-same and just as Lawler was beginning to take over ~DING~ Diaz hits a short right hook and hit Lawler on the button. The best part here was Lawler slowly falling face-first to the canvas after a delay. A beautiful image. I laughed pretty hard (a HO HO HO HO! kinda laugh, one of disbelief) after that shot. (2 for 2)

 

Arlovski/Cabbage

 

I loved the shit out of this fight. Arlovski kept pressuring Cabbage with low kicks to the right thigh and picked his shots to Cabbages enormous head. Very awesome stuff by Arlovski as the sound of the shots sent chills up and down my spine. I didn't think Arlovski could put Cabbage down but dammit, he did and it was with the upper cut. I think Joe Rogan is an awesome commentator, he says everything that I'm thinking, but I thought the fight should have been stopped there. With Cabbage, any time he goes down is a time where the fight should be stopped simply because of the amount of shots he took. Shit, my preview was slanted more towards Arlovski and I should have went with my gut there. I underestimated his striking and overestimated Cabbages (Arlovski fluttering at the end was a nice touch IMO as he looked a bit worried, as if to say "what do I have to do to beat him?!"). Either way, it ended with a nice finish so I'll take the misfire and smile (2 for 3).

 

Edwards/Franca

 

I was a bit disappointed with Edwards' performance here as I expected him to press it standing and set up more shots (I don't think he set up any...) and I was very impressed with Francas work (Sudo/Franca MUST BE DONE!). I enjoyed this match, and I think I'd go as-so-far as to say it was MOTN (though it does have stiff competition). The ground work was superb by both men and I think Franca should have won it given the fact that he initiated all contact and attempted to finish the fight more. HOWEVER, that's more of a PRIDE mentality. In the UFC, they seem to prize getting out of submissions more than putting them on. Plus, I think Zuffa wanted Edwards/Thompson and the judges knew that, so they leaned it in Edwards favour. (3 for 4)

 

Lytle/Tiki

 

Pretty fun fight that I didn't care about whatsoever but still enjoyed. They were trading shots for the first round, it looked like Tiki broke Lytles rib with a kick or really hurt it. Active stand-up with some combinations thrown. This is kinda what I expected Edwards/Franca to be like. The first thing that went through my head after him getting that side headlock/choke was "Newton" and Rogan hit it shortly after. Good stuff. (No prediction; prelim. Though I probably would have guessed Lytle simply because of Tikis Octagon Curse)

 

Liddell/Ortiz

 

I was surprised at how hyped I was for this as they both entered the ring. I didn't really know how much I wanted this, but I did. First round was uneventful right up until the last 10 seconds when Liddell went for a combination and Ortiz blocked a high kick. Ortiz seemed fired up (and almost surprised) that he "took" Liddells stand up and stayed standing at the end, which was a neat visual. Second round was fucking AWESOME. Liddell went BALLS OUT and threw everything he had at Ortiz. He caught him initially with a left hook that put Ortiz back against the fense on the defensive and Liddell smelled blood and kept throwing until Ortiz fell. This was one of those moments that you'll see over and over and over again and you'll still love it. Ortiz was all class at the end there putting over Chuck huge ("This man is the baddest motherfucker in the world right now") and the crowd who booed him (traitors, they were chanting his name 3 minutes earlier) cheered him again. Ortiz is a great promo man and hyped up a fight vs. Lee Murray. If that happens in June, SHIT, UFC 48 will be fucking DOPE.(4 for 5)

 

Sudo/Brown

 

Awesome. Amazing. Stunning. Wonderful.

 

But enough about Sudos entrance

 

Good fight, ended with a sweet triangle armbar and Brown tapped. Bastard wouldn't let Genki play around, so I'm happy he lost. Nothing more to say, really. Gotta love Genkis post fight celebration with the flag.

 

Overall Thoughts:

 

Really good show; big thumbs up, best of the year so far. I can't believe they got me hyped for fucking Shamrock/Kimo. The summer for MMA is going to be HOT. Rogan/Goldberg are by-far the best announce team today. I didn't like the "On the mat", it just ruined the pace of the show. I think they took too long in between some fights, I still hate hearing celebs make predictions, and I loved Rogans "the internet is probably going to be pissed about this" (Franca losing). Cause it's true

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Ortiz was legit KO'd. It wasn't fixed, they were just being cautious. Ortiz's face was banged up after the series of punches.

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

Ortiz was legit KO'd. It wasn't fixed, they were just being cautious. Ortiz's face was banged up after the series of punches.

Who the hell thinks the fight is fixed? This isn't PRIDE (RIMSHOT~!)

 

Awesome card. Couture had line of the night when asked about their KO power: "Well, Chuck never really hit me, but you can tell from his OTHER fights that he has great KO power." Rogan: "What about Tito?" Couture: "Nah, he never hit me either."

 

The main event proved two things; Ortiz is overrated, and simply isn't a great LHW. Chuck's wrestling is better, and his stand-up is worlds apart. Not to mention that Tito's "Submission Grappling" skills have never really been used. Who was the top opponent he beat, a green Wanderlei whom he layed and prayed for the victory. He would kill him in a rematch, but I digress. He doesn't excel in anything really, and he's the most hyped fighter ever. Who has he beaten? Evan Tanner? Ken Shamrock? The best was Yuki Kondo, and even that one was way too close and Yuki is not a top ten LHW.

 

Liddell has figured out what made him lose his last two fights; his lack of agression. Think about it, he has made his career out of counter-punching, and he never pressed the fight in either of those two. Guy Mezger looked more dominant than Tito did yesterday because of this. Obviously Tito is better than Guy, but Chuck dictated the pace of the entire fight. Anyways, Chuck wasn't the Iceman yesterday, he was smiling all the way through, he actually looked to be getting up and down during his entrance, seemed really pumped, he showed emotion and was pissed off. If he can be as agressive in all his fights, I think he'd beat both Couture and Rampage in a rematch, although it wouldn't be nearly as dominant as yesterday. Anybody care to disagree? By the way, so does Liddell get a shot with Belfort, or the winner of Belfort/Couture III? I am sure though that his next fight will be for the LHW Title.

 

Couture is good with the stick, as is Rogan. I hate Goldberg though.

 

Franca won that fight. He pressed the fight and looked like he was the one that was trying to finish, I know the Judges' rule differently but it was plain as day who deserved the decision.

 

Marked for the "Fighter/trainer" appearances. Rampage won't be fighting in the UFC anytime soon, but I hope that ALEX STEIBLING~! comes in. He's a great fighter, I really think he would make an impact in the LHW division. I don't know who to match him up with first though. As soon as I heard Lytle was from Indianapolis I knew we'd be getting an appearance from the Brazilian killer or whatever his nick is.

[Guest krazykat72]

No, there is no way the main event was fixed.

Ortiz has not shown he can take blow after blow and is more known for that fact. Also, as pointed out in other posts, Chuck tagged him several times in the last barrage and if you look closely, Tito looks a combination of disoriented and terrified. He also was bloodied from the blows as well. I think it's obvious Chuck was in his head as he didn't try to take him down and essentially fought the fight Chuck wanted to fight. Tito's not the greatest striker, and he certainly was not it Chuck's league, so I'm surprised it was all stand up.

 

 

Paul Jacobi

[the pinjockey 0]

I think you have to have Belfort/Couture before any other fight for that belt. Then after that figure the winner fights Chuck, unless they get the Silva vs. UFC champ fight. But chances of that are slim and none with the Sakuraba and Fujita bullshit.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

I think he'd beat both Couture and Rampage in a rematch, although it wouldn't be nearly as dominant as yesterday. Anybody care to disagree?

 

Rampage and Couture destroyed Chuck the first time around, nothing in his performance last night showed that he'd be able to beat them again as Tito never once pressed the fight towards him nor did he do any counter punching.

 

Marked for the "Fighter/trainer" appearances. Rampage won't be fighting in the UFC anytime soon, but I hope that ALEX STEIBLING~! comes in.

 

Ah MAN! I completely forgot about that! That was a fucking sweet moment.

[Styles 0]

WOW! What an awesome show.

 

Kyle/Simms: Simms is the fucking man for taking this fight on 1 day's notice, and staying in there for most of the first round. He nearly had him a couple times with those head and arm chokes (Im sure there's another name for it, but that's my analysis). Knockout combination was sick and was like Wanderlei Silva with the knees and then the knockout punch. That bite mark was glaring though, and Kyle loses some cred for that, that's just low. It was nice to see the crowd totally behind Simms after the fight and booing Kyle. Simms is turning into an Austin like anti-hero on UFC, just a fucking badass who will fight anyone, doesn't care about the rules and plays to the crowd constantly. Now, he just needs to win 1!

 

Diaz/Lawler: Match of the night here! Diaz was totally feeling it here. I was marking out big time for his taunting and "Bring it on" mentality. Both guys were just throwing bombs at each other, a total slugfest, it was just the question of who would go down first. I expected like everyone else for Diaz to take it to the ground, but he never did so it was even cooler. Knockout shot was right on the chin and Lawler dropped like he was doing a Flair Flop!

 

Arlovski/Cabbage: Oh god, is Cabbage a beast or what? I couldn't believe how he just took those barrage of shots from Arlovski and then would just back out slowly and stalk him like nothing had happened. It was like the Terminator, or old school Undertaker. Arlovski had this "oh shit, now what?" look on his face. I would have liked to have seen if Cabbage could have continued after the knockdown, but I guess he wasn't complain about it so it's all good. Second best match of the night here. So, any chance Arlovski/Sylvia happens at UFC 48? They both trained for each other tonight and would have a couple months to retrain, could it happen? I don't understand why it takes so damn long in UFC to put matches together. It's like they avoid having more than 1 "main event" match per show if they can help it. I don't know why...

 

Edwards/Franca: Probably the "slowest" fight of the night and certainly the longest. But it provided a different pace than the previous slugfests. Franca's kicks and takedowns are just crazy. I would have given it to Franca since he seemed to be on offense more and trying for the submissions while Edwards seemed to be on the defensive and just reacting most of the time. Hopefully both of these guys will be back.

 

Lytle/Tiki: I guess this wasn't a prelim afterall. Another straight up slugfest basically. I find it funny that Lytle got the tapout on basically a side headlock when in wrestling a move like that is just a rest/transition spot. Decent filler match.

 

Now, I was watching this show on tape, but because of a power outage the VCR used was set to SP mode, meaning that the tape cut off after this match! GASP! Luckily, I called the cable company and stretched the truth saying the show itself cut off, so Im being comped the replay tonight, and hopefullY I'll get the tape in a couple days. But no way I was waiting until then to see the main event. A quick visit to the internet and within seconds I had the main event on my hardrive!

 

Liddel/Ortiz: OH YEAHHHH! I called a second round knockout by Chuck, and I was right. I had no doubt that Chuck would knock Tito out. Tito had been running his mouth while Chuck remained calm. You just knew he was prepared and that Tito was being talkative to compensate for his still existing anxieties. First round there wasn't any action until the last few seconds when Chuck landed a flurry including a high kick. I knew Tito was in trouble at that point. Second round was just beautiful as Chuck got in a few good ones, Tito covered up, Chuck smelled blood and just went to town on Tito's pretty face. To the guy who thought it might have been faked PUH-LEAZE. Chuck's punching power is immense and a gash was opened up on Tito's face. Joe Rogan was even commentating that Chuck screwed up Tito's face. And yeah Randy Couture was awesome on commentary here, bragging in such a matter of fact way! I was happy to see Chuck shut Tito up for good. I don't see why the fans were chanting for Tito though. He's more like a cowardly heel rather than someone like Wes Simms who's a badass heel. Anyway, Chuck will get the winner of Randy/Vitor (why couldn't THAT match happen at UFC 48? It's like they could have a freakin supercard in June if they wanted to, but I guess unlike Pride they like to have 1 match get all the attention. Is that it?)

 

As for Sudo/Brown I didn't see it because of previously mentioned tape problem, but I'll check it out as soon as I get my tape of the replay.

 

Big thumbs up for UFC 47, nonstop action from start to stop, some great knockouts and a really satisfying finish.

 

Shamrock/Kimo? I might need to be sold on that one though...

[Lei Tong 0]

In RE: to having "one main event per show," it's a matter of not many matches outside of title fights being considered main event material. And even if 3 of the 5 titles weren't vacant, the more title fights on a card greatly increases the likeliness that a few matches won't be seen, and in a worse case scenario (a la UFC 33's 3 titles fights) they actually go over their alloted PPV time before the main card is finished.

[Styles 0]

In RE: to having "one main event per show," it's a matter of not many matches outside of title fights being considered main event material. And even if 3 of the 5 titles weren't vacant, the more title fights on a card greatly increases the likeliness that a few matches won't be seen, and in a worse case scenario (a la UFC 33's 3 titles fights) they actually go over their alloted PPV time before the main card is finished.

But, it's like would it kill them to throw Couture/Belfort or Sylvia/Arlovski on 48's card just to give that extra incentive to order besides Ken Shamrock and Kimo which is a pretty fringe main event to me...

[Your Paragon of Virtue 0]

I think he'd beat both Couture and Rampage in a rematch, although it wouldn't be nearly as dominant as yesterday. Anybody care to disagree?

 

Rampage and Couture destroyed Chuck the first time around, nothing in his performance last night showed that he'd be able to beat them again as Tito never once pressed the fight towards him nor did he do any counter punching.

The reason Chuck lost those fights was due to his laidback style, and his lack of agression. Against Tito he pushed the fight and wasn't just relying on his counterpunching. Randy Couture made a similar statement, and it's true. What Chuck has to do to win those fights is just be more agressive and push the fight, give it to them. Look at how Wand beat Rampage; once they stood up again, he pressed on him and just went crazy with those knees until Rampage couldn't stand anymore. Chuck needs to show that kind of aggression.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Chuck wasn't aggressive in the first round of the fight, so it's not like he "learned" anything. (Fedor going straight to Goodridge showed he had learned something from his previous fight.) It was the same approach Chuck had for the Overeem fight (cept Overeem took it to him) and capitalized on a well placed strike. Simply put, the reason why Liddell lost against Randy and Quinton was because they were better strikers. Period.