UFC 105: I Would Have Penalized Randy for Being So Freaking Boring!

Share on Facebook posted 11-15-09 by John George

Last night I remembered why Randy “The Natural” Couture is not one of my favorite fighters. Couture (17-10-0) spent 90 percent of a boring-ass fight holding Brandon “The Truth” Vera (11-4-0) against the cage to eke out a decision win during their light heavyweight bout in the Ultimate Fighting Championship 105, broadcast on Spike from Manchester, England.

Couture is a master of hugging his opponents in a clinch and pressing them against the cage. While in the clinch, he lands punches, elbows and knees. When he has the opportunity, he takes his opponent down and pounds on him.

During his fight against Vera, Couture held Vera against the cage, but was unable take him down or do any damage to him. In fact, I think a good case could be made that Vera should have won the decision.

In the first round, Couture controlled throughout and neutralized Vera’s striking. I would have given that one to Couture. Most of the round was the same, except that Vera managed to land a few big strikes, including a body kick that knocked Couture down. Vera got down on top of Couture but was unable to do more damage. In the third round, Couture again pressed Vera against the cage for most of the round, but Vera again managed to land a hard body kick in the same spot, and he even scored a takedown.

Hugging and Rubbing Like a Creep in a Crowded Subway

Now, it’s clear that Couture controlled the fight and frustrated Vera, but I would say that Vera did more damage and should have scored the more meaningful points on the judges’ cards. He landed harder strikes in the second and third rounds, and he had both a knockdown and a takedown. I never felt like Vera was in any real danger during the fight, and I would have penalized Randy for being so freaking boring!

I hope the next couple of guys Randy fights are able to keep him from hugging them, and I hope they knock his ass out so that he retires again. I also hope Vera comes back from this disappointment stronger than he was before. He’s an exciting fighter who has a great future and who deserves better opponents who will stand and fight him instead of hugging and rubbing up against him for three rounds like a creep in a crowded subway.

Luckily for everyone, the other UFC 105 fights were more exciting.

“The Outlaw” Outguns Swick

Hard-hitting Brit Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy (23-6-0) decisively defeated Mike “Quick” Swick (14-3-0) in a unanimous decision during a welterweight bout. I was expecting this fight to be a stand-up war between two expert strikers, but Swick used a Couture-like strategy and tried to keep Hardy pressed against the cage. The first round was pretty even, but as the fight wore on Hardy began to dominate. Hardy landed harder punches that did more damage. Swick connected quite a few times, but Hardy wasn’t fazed at all.

“The Count” Punishes Kang

In a middleweight match-up, another British fighter, Michael “The Count” Bisping (18-2-0) returned to his winning ways by turning in a dynamite performance and earning a technical knockout win over experienced Canadian Denis Kang (32-12-1). In the first round, Kang knocked Bisping down with a right hook and followed him down to the mat to finish him. Bisping, however, showed tremendous defensive jiu jitsu skills by holding Kang in his guard and preventing any damage. Kang made numerous attempts to pass the guard and gain either a full mount or side control, but Bisping prevented this. In the second round, Bisping took Kang down and launched a campaign of ferocious ground-and-pound that seriously punished Kang and caused referee Dan Miragliotta to step in and stop the fight.

Five-seven Brown Slays a Giant

Matt “The Immortal” Brown (11-7-0) turned in an impressive performance to earn a technical knockout win over James “Lightning” Wilks (6-3-0), a former member of Team U.K. on The Ultimate Fighter reality show. The six-foot-one Wilks looked much, much bigger than Brown, who stands only five-foot-seven, but Brown was able to overcome the size advantage and decisively defeat Wilks after the bigger man ran out of steam in the second and third rounds. The fight ended with Brown in the full mount, pummeling Wilks until referee Leon Roberts stepped in and put a stop to it.

“Real Deal” vs. Riley: Smashed Nose and a Doctor’s Visit

Another British fighter, Ross “The Real Deal” Pearson (10-3-0), looked very tough in a lightweight fight against Aaron Riley (28-12-1) that ended by doctor stoppage in the second round, after Pearson lands some fearsome knee strikes that smashed Riley’s nose and cut open his brows. Pearson was strong and dominant throughout the fight, and I think he’ll be a real threat in the lightweight division. I look forward to seeing him go against all the great fighters in the division, including Kenny Florian, Joe Stevenson, Diego Sanchez and Clay Guida.

Winner a Winner, Swede Stays Perfect

The final British fighter featured on the broadcast was Andre Winner (10-3-1) who landed an overhand right to knock out Roli “The Crazy Cuban” Delgado (6-5-1) in the first round of their lightweight fight.

The Brits weren’t the only Europeans to enjoy success during UFC 105 in Manchester. Swedish fighter Alexander Gustafsson (9-0-0) kept his perfect mixed martial arts record intact during his UFC debut by knocking out American fighter Jared Hamman (10-2-0) in the first round of their light heavyweight fight.

It’s good to see that mixed martial arts are continuing to grow in popularity in England and throughout the rest of Europe. Based on the skills displayed during UFC 105, the Europeans will certainly be a force to be reckoned with in the years to come.