UFC 79: "Nemesis" Results
by Robert Sargent
In the best UFC event of the year, Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida vanquished "The African Assassin" Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou, Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell defeated "The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva and Georges "Rush" St. Pierre dominated Matt Hughes.
The event was the first top-notch UFC show in quite some time, and ended 2007 on a great note.
UFC Interim Welterweight Championship
Georges "Rush" St. Pierre vs Matt Hughes
With Matt Serra forced to pull out of this fight after a back injury, we were treated to part three of the trilogy of St. Pierre vs Hughes. However, this was a highly lopsided battle, with St. Pierre completely dominating Hughes.Matt Hughes came out in the southpaw stance and tried for an early takedown, with no success. St. Pierre landed jabs for a minute and stuffed another takedown attempt. St. Pierre missed a high kick, then stuffed a third takedown attempt from Hughes, before taking Hughes down to the ground. Hughes went for elbows from the bottom, but St. Pierre retaliated with repeated left hands from the top as he muscled Hughes into the cage. Hughes tried to stand, but St. Pierre put him on his back once again. St. Pierre moved to side-control and landed solid right hands and elbow strikes. St. Pierre moved to full mount and, since he could not strike Hughes's face, simply slammed Hughes's head down to the mat repeatedly with his chest. Just before the end of the round, St. Pierre began raining down punches, then took Hughes's back and went for an armbar. Hughes was potentially saved by the bell, as the armbar could have finished it.
Hughes again came out in the southpaw stance in round two, with St. Pierre attempting kicks early on. From the clinch, St. Pierre scored another takedown and moved to half-guard. Hughes managed to get back to guard, but St. Pierre got back to half-guard seconds later. Hughes again regained guard and landed elbows from the bottom, while St. Pierre struck from the top. After a minute of exchanging strikes, Hughes briefly attempted a triangle and St. Pierre moved to half-guard once again, then mount. St. Pierre took Hughes's back, then let it go and pushed Hughes against the cage. Hughes rose to his feet and tried for a takedown, but could not get St. Pierre down. St. Pierre countered with a beautiful judo throw takedown and landed in side-control. He moved for a reverse triangle choke, then went for a Kimura and finally an arm and shoulder lock. Hughes verbally submitted soon after and St. Pierre is the winner by Verbal Submission (arm and shoulder lock) at 4:52 of round two and becomes UFC Interim Welterweight Champion.
After the fight, Hughes hinted at a possible retirement from the sport, but he is a bonafide UFC Hall Of Fame candidate and has accomplished more at the welterweight level than anyone else in MMA. However, after a dominating loss such as this, a retirement does not seem entirely unreasonable. St. Pierre will face Matt Serra for the UFC Undisputed Welterweight Championship in 2008.
Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell vs "The Axe Murderer" Wanderlei Silva
Fans had to wait over six years for this fight to finally take place, but it was worth every minute of waiting to see this amazing light heavyweight showdown.After a typically instense stare down from Silva, the battle began and the fighters cautiously circled each other for the first minute. Silva landed two quick punches, then a brief flurry ensued between the two. Liddell landed a combination and Silva retaliated with a leg kick. Liddell landed a quick one-two combination and Silva back-pedalled to the cage. Liddell, believing Silva was hurt, went in for the finish, but Silva dodged Liddell's follow-up punches and fought back with hard, wild punches of his own. Silva smiled as Liddell came in and threw a combination, with Silva retaliating with more hard strikes of his own in a very entertaining exchange. Neither fighter went down, despite the ferocity of the strikes. Liddell landed a head kick and Silva countered with another punch.
Another punching exchange ended with Liddell missing a haymaker. The two exchanged leg kicks and more strikes. For each punch landed by one, the other would counter. Liddell landed another one-two combination, then another pair of punches and Silva replied with more strikes of his own. Two more brief punching exchanges saw Liddell landing punches and Silva countering with more of his own just before the bell. A very close round, but probably 10-9 for Liddell because he landed a few more strikes and pushed the pace.
The second round was one of the greatest rounds of any fight in this entire year. It began with Silva landing a series of punches, with Liddell trying to counter but missing. Silva landed a hard right at the end of the exchange and Liddell backed up. Silva was now pushing the pace. Another exchange seconds later saw Silva again get the better of it, landing two punches at the end which pushed Liddell back. Silva followed up with three more quick one-two combinations and Liddell continued to circle in retreat. Another punching exchange once again saw Silva getting the best of it, and Liddell seemed to be slightly jarred by the final shot. Silva landed three more hard punches, then ducked a punch from Liddell and landed another one-two combination. Liddell continued his circling.
Kicks and punches were exchanged, then a battle in the centre of the cage saw Liddell fall down on what was partly a slip and partly from a grazing punch, but he quickly rose back to his feet. Silva continued to land kicks and hard punches on Liddell, who could not seem to find his rhythm. A punching exchange against the cage saw Silva land five hard shots in short succession, and Liddell was dropped by the final punch, though Silva did not go in for the finish and Liddell quickly got back to his feet again. More kicks and punches were exchanged, then Liddell landed a hard right hand to the right eye of Silva, which badly cut him. Silva began bleeding all over Liddell's back and the mat, but continued fighting back with strikes of his own.
Liddell landed a combination of punches against the cage, and Silva fought back with harder strikes and again seemed to briefly stagger Liddell at the end. Silva cut Liddell on the left cheek with a punch, then bombarded him with another huge combination and Liddell backed up. Liddell then landed a huge right that pushed Silva back into the cage and seemed like it may be the beginning of the end. More brutal punches from Liddell followed, and it seemed as if Silva's night was done. Amazingly, not only did he continue but he fought back even harder, and landed a flurry of punches that forced Liddell to go for the unthinkable: a takedown. The round ended with Silva nearly drilling Liddell with an illegal upkick on the ground (which were very much legal in PRIDE), but he stopped short just before impact. An absolutely thrilling round of nearly non-stop action. Silva takes it 10-9.
Round three began with Liddell again going for a takedown. He got Silva down briefly, but Silva quickly rose back to his feet. Liddell landed a punch and Silva retaliated with a low kick and a head kick. Two more striking exchanges ensued, then Liddell stopped Silva short with a jab as he moved in. More striking exchanges occurred, with little damage being dealt, but Liddell landed a spinning backfist (with his forearm) with three minutes left in the round, and Silva retreated to the cage wall. Liddell went in for the finish, much like he had tried to do in round one, and was again met with extreme resistance as Silva answered each of Liddell's punches with punches of his own. Towards the end of the exchange, Liddell was landing most of the shots, but Silva ducked three consecutive punches and fought back with his own again.
Liddell was visibly exhausted, and spent much of the rest of the round backing up and trying to coast to victory, which was disappointing after the incredible two-and-a-half rounds of action. One more striking exchange saw Liddell land solid shots at the beginning and Silva counter with retaliatory punches at the end. Liddell again retreated. Silva landed two more punches near the end of the round and Liddell took him down. The fight ended with Liddell landing strikes from the top. A fairly close round, but Liddell takes it 10-9 after rocking Silva three times, despite coasting for much of the final three minutes. Liddell should win 29-28 on all cards, or by Split Decision if a judge saw round one for Silva.
Instead, in typical UFC fashion, two judges (Dave Hagen and Adelaide Byrd - Byrd being widely known as one of the worst judges in MMA, along with Cecil Peoples) somehow scored the fight 30-27 for Liddell, with only Tony Weeks scoring it 29-28 Liddell. The only other negative about this legendary battle was the incredibly biased commentary from Mike Goldberg, who repeatedly insists on only announcing selective parts of fights where his friends or favourite fighters are doing well. He and Joe Rogan were raving and proclaiming Liddell as the winner minutes before the decision was read, and the first round had been very close. Nevertheless, despite frustrating commentary and questionable scoring, this was probably the best UFC fight in 2007. Finally, a fight lives up to all of the hype.
Soa "The Hulk" Palelei vs "The Manic Hispanic" Eddie Sanchez
Although we are nearly at the end of 2007, the year of the upsets continued in this fight. While not well-known in North America, Palelei should have steamrolled through Sanchez, who was truly outmatched in size and skill in this fight. However, Palelei mounted essentially zero offence in this entire battle, and Sanchez miraculously won the fight by TKO.Sanchez came out swinging to begin round one, but Palelei muscled him up against the cage and held him there as he peppered him with knee strikes in the clinch. Palelei spent the next minute trying to get Sanchez down, but could only get a partial takedown. Sanchez eventually got back to his feet and landed a knee to the groin of Palelei. After a minute of delay, the fight restarted and the two clinched against the fence again. Sanchez landed a series of knees and left hands which seemed to frustrate Palelei. The two exchanged knees and small strikes before the referee separated the fighters. Palelei ducked a wild hook from Sanchez and the fight went back to the clinch in the corner. Palelei landed a knee and Sanchez replied with punches. Palelei went for a massive haymaker and missed so badly that he fell. Sanchez continued to pepper Palelei with strikes for the final 40 seconds of the round, with Palelei missing another haymaker. Sanchez landed a solid uppercut just before the bell.
Sanchez landed leg kicks and punching combinations to begin round two. The fight again went to the clinch against the cage. Palelei landed knees and Sanchez replied with punches and knees of his own. Back in the centre of the ring, Sanchez landed jabs and Palelei finally connected with one of his haymakers. Against the cage, Sanchez bizarrely began yelling, "Yeah, boy!" as Palelei hit him. Sanchez landed an elbow, a knee and scored a takedown. Palelei quickly got back to his feet and Sanchez continued to outpoint him with jabs and hooks. Palelei missed another huge haymaker attempt. Sanchez landed another solid uppercut and Palelei's knees buckled. Palelei was bleeding badly from the nose, and Sanchez landed two more hard uppercuts and a knee before the end of the round.
Sanchez again came out swinging in round three, but the fight quickly returned to the familiar clinch against the cage. Sanchez broke free and began teeing off with punching combinations. Palelei began bleeding even worse from the nose, which now appeared to be broken. More punches and an uppercut from Sanchez followed. Sanchez continued to land punches and knees in the clinch, and Palelei could not do anything to retaliate. Sanchez landed more uppercuts and Palelei's right eye began to swell badly, as blood from his nose and face streamed into both of his eyes, clouding his vision. Another combination from Sanchez saw the referee call a stop to the fight at 3:24 of round three, with Sanchez declared the winner by TKO (cuts and accumulated eye damage).
Lyoto "The Dragon" Machida vs "The African Assassin" Rameau Thierry Sokoudjou
Machida executed the perfect game plan in this fight, as he neutralised the incredible punching power of Sokoudjou by keeping him on the mat for much of the fight and skilfully evading strikes when on the feet.Sokoudjou attempted to land a short right hand early in the fight, similar to the style of punch he had used in knocking out Antonio Rogerio Nogueira and in the combination which took out Ricardo Arona, but Machida's extremely good striking defence easily evaded the punch, which was a sign of things to come. Sokoudjou went for a high kick and did land a solid right hand, but Machida backed up to the cage. Sokoudjou scored a takedown and Machida immediately reversed. Sokoudjou went for a Kimura briefly, so Machida replied with a Kimura attempt of his own. However, Sokoudjou's immense strength prevented Machida from locking it in, and Sokoudjou kept Machida in half-guard for the next few minutes, though he looked very uneasy on his back with Machida on top. Machida rained down sparse punches and elbows and went for a kata-gatame side arm-triangle choke. Sokoudjou briefly countered with a guillotine choke, and the referee stood the fight up just as Machida tried for another kata-gatame. Machida landed kicks on the feet, with Sokoudjou countering with punches and taking Machida down briefly. Back on the feet, both fighters exchanged knees in the clinch before the end of the round.
Round two began with low kicks and a high kick from Machida, with Sokoudjou countering with a kick of his own. Machida continued to evade Sokoudjou's punching attempts. Machida attempted another head kick, then dodged Sokoudjou's rushing punches. Two more kicks from Machida followed, then a combination right hand and low kick from Machida put Sokoudjou down and he appeared to be hurt. Machida unleashed numerous strikes from the top and went for another kata-gatame choke attempt on Sokoudjou's right side. Machida moved to mount and then went for another kata-gatame, this time on the left side. Sokoudjou escaped and threw elbows to the body. Machida landed a series of hard elbows from the top and went for one more kata-gatame choke on the right side, and this time it was successful. Sokoudjou tapped out and Machida is the winner by Submission (kata-gatame arm-triangle choke) at 4:19 of round two. Machida, now 12-0, could easily challenge for (and win) the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship in 2008. He is almost impossible to hit, and is one of the most well-rounded and intelligent fighters in MMA history.
Rich "No Love" Clementi vs "The Young Assassin" Melvin Guillard
In the epitome of grudge match, with these two men literally hating each other, this fight will be remembered more for the childish antics (which, particularly with Guillard, should come as no surprise) from both fighters than for the action during the fight itself.After exchanging obscene gestures before the fight, round one began with both fighters circling each other and Clementi landing a stiff inside-leg kick. Guillard attempted a trio of haymakers, with little success, and Clementi countered with a high kick and another inside-leg kick, which stopped Guillard's momentum. Clementi landed a body kick and another low kick, then evaded Guillard's rushing punching combination. Another leg kick from Clementi was countered by a punch from Guillard, but Clementi picked Guillard up, walked a few steps and slammed him down. Guillard tried to get Clementi in a bulldog, but Clementi took his back and worked for the extremely rare full nelson submission. Guillard escaped and Clementi took his back again, stood up and took Guillard down once more. A scramble led to the fight returning to the feet.
Guillard landed a haymaker and three follow-up strikes, but a knee attempt missed and Guillard settled for a takedown instead. However, Clementi went for an armbar from the bottom and then instantly transitioned into an incredible omoplata shoulder lock, which completely reversed position and had Guillard in trouble. Clementi took Guillard's back, flattened him out and sunk in a rear naked choke soon after. Clementi wins by Submission (rear naked choke) at 4:40 of round one. After the fight, more obscene gestures and trashtalk ensued, with Guillard trying to start another fight with Clementi. While Clementi's behaviour was hardly mature, it's almost to be expected when dealing with someone like Guillard, whose track record of class is probably the worst in all of MMA. Regardless, this fight did not mean much, aside from showcasing a feud which will likely continue to live on.
Nate Mohr vs Manny "The Pitbull" Gamburyan
Gamburyan came out with a punch and an immediate takedown attempt, but Mohr defended it and they clinched. A brief flurry separated the fighters and Gamburyan went for another takedown. After a few seconds, he got Mohr down and landed a few strikes from top position. Gamburyan pushed Mohr up against the cage and briefly continued striking, then quickly fell back and locked in a heel hook. Mohr gamely tried to fight out of it, but Gamburyan turned the heel hook into a combination submission, with a knee-on-knee pressure lock and a heel hook and ankle lock below. Mohr was in tremendous pain and immediately tapped out, likely having suffered severe damage to his knee, ankle and lower leg bone. Gamburyan wins by Submission (knee and ankle lock) at 1:31 of round one. Heel hooks and kneebars are the most dangerous submissions in MMA, and it is likely that Mohr will have a long recovery ahead of him.Undercard Fights:
James "The Sandman" Irvin defeated Luiz "Banha" Cane by DQ at 1:51 of round one after Cane knocked Irvin out with an illegal knee to the head when Irvin was down. That makes two fights in a row for Irvin where bizarre/fluke first-round incidents have prematurely stopped his fights. Cane suffers his first professional loss, in frustrating fashion.Dean "The Boogeyman" Lister put on another terrible showing in his Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) victory over Jordan Radev, in a fight with very little action and many boos from the crowd. Lister needs to dramatically increase the intensity in his fights or he won't be kept around for long.
Roan "Jucao" Carneiro defeated Tony DeSouza by TKO (strikes) at 3:33 of round two after taking DeSouza's back and raining down punches to the head.
Mark Bocek defeated Doug Evans by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) in a lightweight battle.
With Georges St. Pierre dominating Matt Hughes, and Chuck Liddell vs Wanderlei Silva living up to the hype and more, UFC 79 was surely the best event the Ultimate Fighting Championship put on in 2007.
