UFC 79 Review

The three main fights everyone wanted to see at UFC 79 were St. Pierre-Hughes III, Liddell-Silva, and Sokoudjou-Machida. GSP (St. Pierre)-Hughes was a rubber match for the interim 170 lb. championship. St. Pierre is considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and maybe the best athlete in all of MMA, and Hughes is the most dominant champion in UFC history, having defended his title many times over the years. Liddell-Silva was a long awaited fight between the most dominant 205 lbers in history. The fight also had great historic significance, with the fighters representing the two best organizations in MMA history, Liddell’s UFC and Silva’s Pride Fighting Championships. For years fans and experts alike had speculated on who was better and who would win their match-up, but even though the fight often seemed close to happening, one thing or another always stood in the way. Sokoudjou-Machida was an intriguing fight between a young, powerful fighter with consecutive stunning knockouts over top contenders (Sokoudjou) and one of the most technical, well-rounded fighters in the division. The heretofore unknown Sokoudjou’s victories over Rogerio Nogueira and Ricardo Arona in Pride made many feel he may be a future champion, while Machida’s masterful outings against strong opposition had purists feeling the same way about him.
I had a feeling people were thinking (or wanting to think) the GSP-Hughes match-up would be more competitive than it would be. I felt GSP was better in every area; some people gave Hughes the advantage in wrestling whereas I felt GSP had demonstrated he was the better wrestler. Some seemed to give Hughes the edge in strength and I’ve always thought GSP was as strong and possibly stronger than him. The belief that Hughes is the strongest 170-lber in the world is an outdated one; he’s strong, but the landscape has changed and with the addition of better and better athletes into MMA, I think Josh Koscheck is stronger than him also, and may be the strongest of them all. Hughes looked ready and in better shape than in their previous fight as he entered the Octagon. But Georges looked ready and in better shape than he’d been previously also. Except for a Matt Serra moment, which I didn’t see happening to St. Pierre again (he seems smart enough to have learned his lesson), I didn’t see how Hughes could win this fight. There was no question he was outclassed in standup, and badly so. He’d depend on taking the fight to the ground and with St. Pierre’s tremendous TDD (takedown defense) I didn’t see him being able to do that either. I doubted he’d be able to secure a single takedown, and even if he did, I could see St. Pierre either reversing him or getting back up; he’s too strong and athletic for Hughes to be able to physically control for any given time. And I COULD see GSP taking him down and dominating him with GnP. So I saw the fight as a slam dunk; St. Pierre would beat him in standup, or from top position on the ground if he so chose, while Hughes wouldn’t be able to execute his game-plan at all. I heard the betting opened with St. Pierre as a 2.5 to 1 favorite but I probably would have had him as a bigger one. I felt people that thought Hughes had a good chance were either not very knowledgeable, putting too much emphasis on Hughes’ longtime run as champion, or trying to make the fight appear more competitive than it was to create more anticipation.
As the fighters paced during the intros I notice how it’s funny that St. Pierre always seems to look a bit like a kid; even when he’s getting pumped up he never looks truly dangerous or mean-spirited, he exudes a certain naivete… And then he goes out and destroys his opponents. He’s always impeccably tanned also; they must have great tanning salons in Montreal, it’s another thing that puts him in contrast with the “Midwest-pasty” Hughes ☺. The fight begins and Hughes quickly attempts a takedown about fifteen seconds in. GSP, always very light on his feet, shrugs it off easily as he circles away. The fighters clinch with about 3:20 left in the first round and St. Pierre gets a takedown, and moves Hughes up against the fence. He’s basically controlling Hughes and out-muscling him, while landing strikes when openings present. With around 2:15 left, Hughes is basically fetal, as he receives a couple good head punches and some elbows. He is able to gain a respite by securing his guard and wrapping his arms around St. Pierre’s torso. St. Pierre then begins what became the most talked about move of the night; he raises up and begins slamming Hughes’ head into the canvas with his chest, repeating the move several times. “I decided to play basketball with his head,” he would say politely in a post-fight interview. The slams make Hughes slide further down St. Pierre’s torso allowing GSP to get a higher, much more secure mount. St. Pierre goes for an arm-bar and seems like he might be close to finishing the fight but the round ends. In Hughes’ corner Jeremy Horn is giving him instructions and ends by saying “You’re alright.” “I know I am,” Hughes replies, but the look on his face tells a different story. I think he and everyone else knew the score; what were they supposed to tell him, “Stop getting your ass whipped?”
At this point I must confess a bias; I don’t know Hughes, and hell, he may be a much cooler person than I think, but from what I’ve seen of him, he rubs me the wrong way. He comes off as close-minded and somewhat arrogant, a person who often doesn’t treat people the way he would like to be treated. I’ve noticed it in everything from the comments he made about Canadians (“They don’t seem to have a fighting spirit” and “It’d be embarrassing to lose to a Canadian in a street fight”) to what he said about GSP in particular (when they were on The Ultimate Fighter: “Hey Georges, are you gonna avoid me the whole time?”, and smugly saying “I can beat Georges anywhere, on the ground or standing” before their second fight, a statement which, especially concerning standup, was blatantly false). He was clearly enjoying St. Pierre getting TKO’d by Serra as cameras showed him laughing, clapping his hands and saying “I love it…” And then he doesn’t seem to acknowledge his behavior, when a reporter asked him how come he’d shown more respect to St. Pierre leading up to this fight than in their last one he snapped, “I didn’t know there was ever bad blood between me and Georges…Where are you from, by the way?” So I’ve developed a feeling that he’s kind of a prick. Just felt I should confess that…
Anyway, the second round begins and GSP gets a takedown 30 seconds in. He quickly gets half-guard and it seems like the first round all over again, with him landing some good elbows. Hughes is simply being overwhelmed, and has no answer to him. With 2:15 left St. Pierre gains side control. However Hughes is able to scramble later and with 1:20 left, Hughes has his best chance for a takedown, getting a good hold around St. Pierre’s shins with very good positioning and a low center of gravity. But St. Pierre’s able to spread his legs, maintain his balance, and manipulate Hughes’ upper body until the position is neutral. It was at that moment that I realized Hughes was pretty much done, he wasn’t gonna get a better chance than he’d just had, and St. Pierre had even thwarted him on that. A few moments later St. Pierre executes a beautiful judo trip. He has control of Hughes’ upper torso and goes for a kimura and with the arm isolated, transitions into a deep arm-bar. Hughes screams out the tap and the fight’s over.
I lost $10 (and what is way more important, bragging rights with a friend) on the Liddell-Silva fight. I felt Silva was the more versatile striker and had more ways to win. Even though both had two-fight losing streaks I thought Silva had lost to better opposition, and that his ten month layoff would be great for him as he would have time to regroup and return refreshed, with his head on straight. I thought he looked at coming to the UFC as being the next step of his legendary career, and that he’d be very fired up to show the all the anticipating American fans what he could do. My feelings were reinforced when I watched “UFC All Access” and saw the ridiculously tortuous training he was putting himself through. And I was wrong, all wrong. Despite having some moments, in general Wanderlei fought this fight more passively than I can ever remember him. It was as if he spent much of it waiting for opportunities, without realizing those opportunities weren’t going to just appear; he’d have to create them. He seemed hesitant to engage, like he respected Liddell’s power too much. It seemed like Wandy…’gasp’…didn’t want to get hit, and when’s the last time anyone can remember that? In short, “The Axe-Murderer” wasn’t Axe-Murdering. Rampage may have gone through something similar in his first UFC fight, he admitted he was nervous and didn’t come out with his usual aggression. It’d be interesting if Silva felt similarly, especially since both had been competing for years against what many felt were the world’s best fighters in front of huge crowds in Japan for Pride.
I had my first shadows of doubt when Wandy came out to euro-club music. That music is far too upbeat for fighting; I couldn’t see how that was a good sign ☺. He also warmed up by moving side to side and casually stretching his knees up to his torso; with his music blasting it could appear that he was limbering up for a night of dancing, like he was going to a disco instead of a fight, which I took as bad sign number two.
The fight starts with both men being pretty hesitant, and it isn’t until two minutes in that there’s the first big exchange, which chuck gets the better of, as Silva is knocked backwards with his back against the cage. I notice Liddell is throwing more kicks than we’ve seen in awhile. With about a minute and a half remaining, both have a big exchange again, with Chuck again landing the more solid shots. In the second, Silva comes out more aggressively and we have another good exchange, with Wanderlei landing some shots. The pattern continues, with Liddell using his reach and more accurate punching to generally get the better of the exchanges. With around one minute left in the second, Liddell cuts Silva with an elbow and we have maybe the best exchange of the fight as Wanderlei fires back fiercely and Liddell’s longer-range punches find their mark. Then comes the most surprising move of the night as, ‘gasp’…Liddell takes Silva down! Who would’ve thunk it? It was the first takedown I’d ever seen Liddell execute; I’m guessing he hadn’t attempted one in years. He doesn’t really seem to know what to do with Silva once he’s there but hey, the point’s been made, Liddell can take people down. The round ends soon after.
When the third starts we’re treated to the second most surprising move of the night, as…Liddell takes Silva down, again! This one seems purely to keep Silva guessing with new things to think about as Chuck makes absolutely no attempt to inflict punishment, and almost immediately gets right back up. There are some good exchanges, though none with the second round’s intensity. With three minutes left, Liddell, who’s clearly breaking out all the stops tonight, lands…a spinning back-fist! Somewhere, UFC veteran Shonie Carter smiles… However, Wandy doesn’t, and there’s another good exchange right after, which, following the night’s pattern, Liddell gets the better of. Silva is missing a lot, and isn’t being as aggressive as he needs to be. Not finished yet, Chuck gets another takedown, but the fight’s over. Liddell receives the unanimous decision.
I was looking forward to Sokoudjou-Machida being one of the more interesting fights of the night. I think it would’ve gotten much more hype if it wasn’t on a card with GSP-Hughes III and Liddell-Silva. I reached two basic conclusions after the fight: Sokoudjou seems to have good potential but needs to work on his ground skills from his back and his TDD, and Machida is deserving of a title shot…Now. He may not get the next couple of cracks at it; he doesn’t have a big name, and fans often consider his style boring. But he’s beaten every one placed in front of him, including Rich Franklin, an undersized BJ Penn, and game veterans such as Vernon White, Stephan Bonnar, David Heath, Sam Hoger, and Kazuhiro Nakamura, and has beaten most of them decisively if not dramatically. His southpaw, Shotokan Karate style with signature leg sweeps and back kicks is very hard to prepare for and everyone looks bad against him. When you add the fact that he’s very well-rounded he becomes a potential nightmare match-up for the 205 lb. elite. I’d love to see him against Rampage; it might be a good clash of styles.
As the fight starts they soon clinch, and Soko gets a takedown but is immediately reversed. Machida gets half-guard and goes for a kimura. Soko doesn’t seem to know what to do, and Machida lands punches and elbows, even though he doesn’t seem to do much damage. Soko is not trying to sweep, and Rogan notices he looks a little lost. Soko (sorry for all the “Soko”s by the way, but “Sokoudjou” is simply too d*mn long ☺) gets a takedown with twenty seconds left, but Machida gets back up soon. The second starts with Machida continuing to land nice low kicks. A good left knocks Soko down, and Machida rains down punches. Soko just doesn’t seem to have answers for Machida’s technical skills. Machida tries for an arm triangle with 2:15 left, then tenders up Soko’s thigh with elbows. Machida goes back to the arm triangle and sinks it in good with about 30 seconds left, and Soko seems to lose consciousness somewhat as he taps meekly. He still seemed a good deal out of it minutes later as his corner men were helping him. Post-fight, Machida proclaims himself ready for a title shot and he’ll get no argument from me.

WRAP-UP THOUGHTS

The fights reinforced something I’d seen evolving for awhile: the growth of the UFC’s 205 lb. division. In basically a year it’s gone from a division with Liddell as champion with few if any contenders who could genuinely give him significant trouble to a stacked division where the top ten guys may each be able to beat the others on any given night. With Rampage, Shogun, Liddell, Machida, Forrest Griffin, Wanderlei, Rashad Evans, Tito, and Keith Jardine, not to mention Dan Henderson coming back soon, there are tons of exciting fights to be made. If Brandon Vera gets over his aversion to cutting weight, 205 could be officially off the hook. The 170 lbers have long been the UFC’s most talented division, but the light-heavyweights may soon give them a run for their money. Given that 205 is also the most marquee division from a popularity standpoint, this is good for the UFC and good for us fans!

ON A SIDE NOTE ☺

Have others noticed GSP’s Octagon wardrobe changes since his loss to Serra? He’s been sporting skin-tight “Hiney-Hugger” shorts; they’re like a male version of Daisy Dukes. He had fire engine-red ones on for Koscheck, and toned it down (a little) with a navy blue version for Hughes. I’m sure chicks dig it, but when a fighter’s dressed like a Chippendale’s dancer the UFC puts itself in rocky territory. Considering he’s had positions in both fights where he’s literally sitting on his opponent’s head, is this a wise choice? What if a testicle or something pops out? MMA has gotten enough grief, can you imagine the public reaction on seeing a ripped French-Canadian dry-hump an All American farm boy’s head? Perhaps Dana White should have a talk with him. Then again, he has done very well in the fights mentioned, maybe if it ain’t broke, he shouldn’t fix it…
When talking with a friend a few days before the fights and breaking down the fighters we got on the subject of St. Pierre and I started realizing there’s an aspect of his game that may not be as noticeable up front, and that’s how fundamentally sound he is. For all his athleticism and explosiveness he also fights the way you’d teach a beginner; in a very textbook manner. You can see it in everything from how he holds his hands, to his footwork, to his sprawl technique. If someone built a machine to fight MMA they couldn’t have done much better. Because his style can be flashy I think people sometimes forget that. It makes me look forward to a potential rematch between him and BJ Penn even more; they’re the two best pound-for-pound fighters I’ve seen. I think some experts would pick Penn but right now I’d go with GSP. Penn is a freak of nature but I feel GSP is more well-rounded overall and would physically overpower him in the long run. St. Pierre against an in shape, motivated BJ Penn should truly be a fight for the ages…
One last thought about St. Pierre, there’s something I’ve been wondering for awhile, where has his back-flip gone? The back-flip used to be an integral part of his post-victory celebrations (there’d be a back-flip and then his corner would carry him, and he’d pantomime placing the championship belt on his waist, then give an unintentionally hilarious, polite, French-accented interview with Joe Rogan). He’d break-dance sometimes also; in an inspired moment after fighting Jay Hieron, I’m pretty sure he did a back-flip and break-danced! However, I haven’t seen the back-flip since Sean Sherk, and that was two years ago. He break-danced after the Hughes rubber match, but he may have only broken it out grudgingly, I heard a caller to a radio show ask him what happened to his celebrations and he said he’d do something after the Hughes fight. I get the feeling he’s toned them down ever since he became a top contender. That’s a shame though, sometimes he’d give a whole performance, I’d come to look forward to them. Bring back the flips, Georges!...
Watching Liddell fight made me wonder again, has any champion in MMA history had a more awkward-looking style that was very effective? Face it, NO Martial-Arts teacher would instruct students to use his form. He holds his hands very low, has absolutely no head movement, and his concept of defense seems to be to let his opponent hit him because that means they’re close enough to be hit in turn as he fires back with heavy counter-punches. He often circles well laterally, but his offense still looks very herky-jerky, with lots of awkward looking stops and starts. To me it resembles an intoxicated trucker trudging uphill through stiff winds at a rest stop. And he’s one of the few fighters who actually seems to throw his punches, like a baseball pitcher does, as if his fists aren’t attached to his body and are instead projectiles. When you add the fact that no matter how good of shape he’s in he always has a bit of a gut, and he just doesn’t look like a guy who is a world-class fighter (I think Couture said it best, “He’s got an…unusual build…”). I’m not trying to dump on the guy, he seems likeable, and he’s proven himself to be a world-class fighter whether he looks like one or not. He’s definitely one of a kind, one of those guys who doesn’t look like he should be able to do the things he does…
Anyway, all in all, it was a good night of fights. Hope you enjoyed them, and hope you enjoyed this!...E

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