UFC 81: "Breaking Point" Results
by Robert Sargent
One night after twin brother Rogerio was victorious, Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira came back from the brink of defeat at UFC 81 to submit Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia in round three and become UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion.
In the co-main event, Frank Mir survived an early onslaught from Brock Lesnar and, after a bizarre timeout from referee Steve Mazzagatti, submitted Lesnar in the first round.
UFC Interim Heavyweight Championship
Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira vs Tim "The Maine-iac" Sylvia
As in many of Nogueira's fights, including all of his recent ones, he was badly rocked in the first round, but came back from the brink of defeat to submit Sylvia with an arm-in guillotine choke in round three.Nogueira landed two leg kicks in the early stages of round one, but Sylvia countered with punches and kept Nogueira at a distance. Nogueira pulled Sylvia to the ground, in guard, but Sylvia quickly escaped and got back to his feet. Sylvia continued to land jabs and crosses, while Nogueira countered with quick punching combinations. Sylvia landed a left hook and a hard right to the jaw of Nogueira, which sent Nogueira crashing to the canvas. However, he survived the barrage of follow-up strikes from Sylvia on the ground.
Cut next to his left eye, Nogueira wearily got back to his feet, and was met with another combination from Sylvia. Another right hook from Sylvia seemed to further daze Nogueira, who managed to get a partial takedown of Sylvia by once again pulling half-guard. However, though Nogueira took a few elbows on the ground from Sylvia, his legendary rapid-recovery kicked in and he seemed to be fully recovered as the fight returned to the feet. Both fighters traded strikes for the next minute, and Nogueira finished the round by scoring with one of his famous leg-sweep takedowns just before the bell. Despite this, Sylvia definitely took round one.
Round two was much closer, with Sylvia continuing to try to keep Nogueira at a distance and Nogueira attempting a series of takedowns. Although he could not take Sylvia down, Nogueira had much more success with his striking in round two, and managed to land a number of jabs and other punches throughout the round. The striking battle late in the round was very even, but Sylvia countered a right hook from Nogueira with a right of his own, which momentarily staggered Nogueira. Both fighters landed good punches at the end of the close round, that could have easily been scored either way.
Nogueira landed an inside-leg kick to begin round three, but Sylvia countered with a stiff right cross that rocked the head of Nogueira. Nogueira got a Thai clinch seconds later, and did land one knee to the ribs, but Sylvia quickly escaped. Shortly thereafter, Nogueira pulled guard and got Sylvia to the ground, where he briefly worked for a Kimura and then pulled off an incredible sweep to take top position. From there, it was truly only a matter of time before the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu master finished the fight, which he did seconds later when he caught Sylvia with an arm-in guillotine choke as Sylvia tried to get back to his feet.
With the victory, Nogueira becomes the first man to ever be champion in both PRIDE and the UFC. He also makes it a clean-sweep weekend for his family, after his brother Rogerio's impressive victory the night before. After the fight, Rogerio, who had flown in from Calgary early in the morning, came into the ring to congratulate his brother.
Winner: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 1:28 of round three. He improves to 31-4-1, 1 NC and becomes the new UFC Interim Heavyweight Champion.
Frank Mir vs Brock Lesnar
Former UFC Heavyweight Champion Mir managed to survive the relentless attacks of Lesnar in the opening minute of round one, and locked in a kneebar that finished the fight and put him back in line as a possible future contender in the heavyweight division.Mir went for a leg kick early in round one, and Lesnar instantly caught it and took him down. From Mir's half-guard, Lesnar begain furiously raining down elbows and right hands, but a number of them hit Mir in the back of the head and neck. Referee Steve Mazzagatti stepped in and halted the action, in what originally appeared to be a stoppage victory for Lesnar, and deducted one point (with no warning) from Lesnar from illegal strikes to the back of the head. Lesnar did not protest, so perhaps it was something Mazzagatti had addressed in the pre-fight instructions in the locker room.
Regardless, the fight quickly went back to the ground after a right hand from Lesnar dropped Mir. Again, Lesnar began furiously striking with hammerfists from half-guard and side-control, but Mir gamely defended and went for an armbar. Lesnar escaped, then landed strikes from the top and a big elbow, but he then made a crucial mistake by standing up. The opportunity was all that Mir needed, as he scissored Lesnar's right leg and grapevined the knee, then locked in a combination heel hook and kneebar, forcing Lesnar to submit.
While Mir will certainly need to compile at least one or two more victories against top competition before he's back in title contention, his victory - which was largely survival - against Lesnar does reinforce that Mir is back at or near the level that he was competing at before his motorcycle accident years ago. Lesnar, to his credit, looked very impressive in defeat, and could easily pose major problems for many fighters in the heavyweight division.
Winner: Frank Mir by Submission (Heel Hook & Kneebar) at 1:30 of round one. He improves to 11-3-0.
Nate "The Great" Marquardt vs Jeremy "Gumby" Horn
Horn could never really find a rhythm in this fight, with Marquardt dominating most of the striking exchanges, then catching Horn in a tight guillotine in the second round.Marquardt scored a takedown early in round one and began working from top position in Horn's guard. Marquardt began to land some hard punches and an elbow from the top, but Horn held on and pulled guard once again. After landing more elbows against the cage, Marquardt stood up and the fight returned to the feet. Horn clinched and went for a takedown, which was partially successful, but Marquardt rolled and took top position in Horn's half-guard.
Back on the feet, Marquardt landed a solid knee and follow-up punches, then dropped Horn with a standing elbow to the temple. Marquardt briefly looked to lock in an anaconda choke, but let it go and continued to strike from the top. Horn fought back with up-kicks from the ground, then went for two gogoplata attempts on Marquardt's right arm, which came ever so close to completion, but Marquardt managed to keep Horn's ankle from getting underneath his jaw. Horn transitioned to an omoplata shoulder lock, but Marquardt got out. Horn ended up in top position just before the bell, but round one went to Marquardt.
The fighters traded leg kicks to begin round two, but Horn caught the kick from Marquardt and pushed him to the ground. Horn landed a couple of strikes from the top that cut Marquardt beside the right eye. Marquardt managed to scramble to his feet and, as Horn rushed in to attempt another takedown, caught Horn's neck in a tight standing guillotine. Horn used a unique twisting manoeuvre to try to escape, but the choke was too deep and Horn could not escape. He tapped out, and Marquardt gets back into future title contention down the line at 185.
Winner: Nate Marquardt by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 1:37 of round two. He improves to 26-7-2.
Ricardo "Big Dog" Almeida vs Rob "Monster" Yundt
Yundt took the fight on just a few days' notice, after Alan Belcher pulled out of the fight with a severe case of bronchitis. Unfortunately for Yundt, Almeida was in the same top form as when he originally retired from the sport in 2004, and Almeida came away with a quick submission victory.Yundt pushed the pace early, forcing Almeida to evade strikes as he moved around the cage, but Almeida used a beautiful fake to set up a double-leg takedown and quickly got the fight to the mat. Almeida sunk in a guillotine choke within seconds, but Yundt tried an incredibly unique escape by literally doing a front flip and landing on his back. However, Almeida did not break his grip on Yundt's neck, and Yundt was forced to submit to the guillotine choke just over a minute into the round. Almeida looked incredibly impressive, and could very easily challenge for a title by the later stages of 2008.
Winner: Ricardo Almeida by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 1:08 of round one. He improves to 9-2-0.
Tyson Griffin vs Gleison Tibau
As expected, Tibau made Griffin - who is a large lightweight himself - look like a bantamweight, but Tibau could not use his size advantage effectively enough, and Griffin emerged as the winner after three rounds.All three rounds of this battle were very similar, with the pace considerably subdued compared to Griffin's previous UFC bouts. Tibau scored takedowns throughout the fight, but was unable to mount much of any offence on the ground. Griffin won nearly all of the striking exchanges, and landed some hard shots throughout the fight, but nothing that hurt Tibau badly. In the third round, Tibau began to control position more frequently, and it seemed as if he had done enough to at least take the round, but the three judges disagreed and awarded all three rounds to Griffin.
Afterwards, Griffin expressed discontent at the fight going the distance, but said that he would take the win anyway. With victories against everyone he has faced, except for Frankie Edgar, Griffin will likely get a title shot sometime in 2008. He will probably be matched up against Roger Huerta in his next fight.
Winner: Tyson Griffin by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 11-1-0.
Chris "Lights Out" Lytle vs Kyle Bradley
The lights were definitely out for Bradley at the end of this fight, after Lytle completely mauled him and knocked him out with strikes just over 30 seconds into round one.One of the very first punches from Lytle had Bradley's legs wobbly, though it appeared as though Bradley had come into the fight with a right knee injury - likely a ligament or meniscus tear - as he had a brace on the knee and did not seem to be able to push off from his back foot at all. Regardless, it really made no difference because Lytle hit Bradley so many times in short succession that his knee would have been the last thing on Bradley's mind.
After an initial exchange that staggered Bradley, Lytle went into attack-mode and unleashed a relentless flurry of rights and lefts, then held Bradley behind the head and teed off with rights to the temple. Bradley went down to the ground on his back, where Lytle continued to punch away until referee Yves Lavigne stepped in to rescue Bradley. Bradley was so dazed that he pulled guard on Lavigne and thought that the fight was still ongoing.
After the fight, Lytle promised to be ultra-aggressive from now on, and said that he didn't want any more fights ever going to the judges. He has still yet to ever be knocked out or submitted in his entire lengthy career, with his only two non-Decision losses coming by way of unfortunate cuts. However, Lytle has fallen short in most of his high-profile battles, and will need to string together a series of impressive victories in order to ever vault up the division.
Winner: Chris Lytle by KO (Punches) at 0:33 of round one. He improves to 25-15-5.
Marvin "The Beastman" Eastman vs Terry Martin
In the only fight which did not air on the telecast, this battle of strikers turned into a clinch war, with Eastman prevailing in the end after Martin gassed, as he usually does.The first two rounds were nearly identical, with the fight fought in the clinch for the vast majority of the time. Both fighters landed knees in the clinch, but Eastman landed numerous elbows late in the round. The second round saw Eastman score with a throw takedown late in the round, which put him up two rounds to none.
Martin started to strike better in the third round, but, as he usually does, fatigued badly near the end. Eastman landed a head kick in the middle of the round, and the fight went to the ground soon after. Back on the feet, Eastman continued to press the action with high kicks and punches, and Martin was too tired to do anything to stop him.
Winner: Marvin Eastman by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 15-7-1.
Tim "The Barbarian" Boetsch vs David Heath
Boetsch came into the fight as a near-unknown late-replacement for the injured Tomasz Drwal, but got his seventh stoppage win - with his only career defeat to Vladimir Matyushenko in the IFL, who is one of the greatest mixed martial artists of all time - in an extremely impressive display against Heath.Heath, the striker, was expected to dominate the stand-up exchanges, but it was Boetsch who picked Heath apart with a wide variety of strikes - including the underused front push kick - throughout the fight. After circling each other for the first minute, Heath landed a good combination, but Boetsch countered with a kick to the body. Boetsch then landed a leg kick, front push kick and overhand right in short succession, which was the beginning of his domination for the rest of the fight.
Boetsch briefly tried for one takedown, then abandoned it and landed an elbow to the head of Heath. Another front push kick from Boetsch was followed up by a solid right hook to Heath's jaw. Boetsch landed a hard body kick and a knee to the head soon after, and Heath seemed to be out of ideas for countering Boetsch's strikes. More punches and a third successful front push kick from Boetsch sent Heath backwards.
With just over a minute left, Boetsch dropped Heath momentarily with a right hook to the temple, then followed it up with a knee to the head and more right hands. Heath held on, but Boetsch landed two more front push kicks and assorted punches before Heath could retaliate with one punch of his own. Boetsch got two Thai clinches, and landed a series of knees to the jaw both times, then followed it up with a left to the body and another succession of Thai clinch knees. Heath seemed to be in big trouble as the round neared completion.
With 15 seconds left, Boetsch semi-hip-tossed Heath to the ground, and Heath landed directly on his head up against the cage. He was clearly completely out of it following the throw, and Boetsch followed up with a series of after-the-fact punches before referee Herb Dean could stop the fight. The official result may be victory by TKO (Strikes), but the true method of victory came with the throw from Boetsch. It was easily one of the most unique finishes to a fight in recent memory, and Boetsch definitely established himself as a legitimate fighter in the UFC.
Winner: Tim Boetsch by KO (Throw) at 4:52 of round one. He improves to 7-1-0.
Rob "The Saint" Emerson vs Keita "K-Taro" Nakamura
Notoriously terrible judge, Adelaide Byrd, struck again in this fight, as she and an equally visually-impaired judge somehow scored this fight 30-27 for Emerson, when there isn't even the slightest chance that he won round three, and was knocked down by a brutal knee from Nakamura in round one.Nakamura, a southpaw, came out swinging early in the fight, but Emerson began to land numerous combinations of varied strikes, which kept Nakamura off-balance throughout most of the round. Nakamura landed many punches, but Emerson landed punches, leg and body kicks, knees and other strikes, and dominated the striking for the first half of the round. With just over two minutes left, Nakamura landed a hard left hook that sent Emerson backwards, but Emerson quickly recovered. Emerson continued to land varied strikes for the next minute, with Nakamura countering with a few punches and a knee.
With 40 seconds left, Nakamura dropped Emerson with a knee and briefly landed some ground and pound before Emerson got back to his feet. Nakamura scored a takedown just before the bell. Depending on how heavily the knockdown was scored, one could easily make a case for either fighter winning round one. Emerson landed far more strikes, and far more varied strikes, but Nakamura landed the hard left and got the knockdown with the knee, then scored the takedown at the end of the round. At this stage, it is either 1-0 for Nakamura or 1-0 for Emerson. I would score the round 1-0 Nakamura, due to more damaging strikes, the knockdown and the brief takedown, despite Emerson's striking prowess.
Round two definitely went to Emerson, as he once again landed more varied strikes. Nakamura's footwork was far better than in round one, but Emerson out-struck him and threw him to the mat at one point. In the later stages of the round, Emerson began to land numerous punches to the face of Nakamura, and added in a few stiff left leg kicks, and Nakamura's face began to swell up. Nakamura scored a takedown with just under a minute left, but Emerson got back to his feet almost immediately and cut Nakamura below the right eye with a reverse elbow strike on the way up. Emerson landed more punches and a leg kick before the bell, and definitely won round two.
Round three was where the judging nonsense was most obvious, as there was absolutely no way that Emerson won the third round. Emerson did land a series of punches in the opening 30 seconds, but Nakamura countered with a knee and punches of his own. Nakamura scored a leg-sweep takedown and worked from top position in Emerson's guard. Emerson quickly got back to his feet, but he was starting to tire and Nakamura began winning the striking exchanges. Nakamura continued to mix it up with punches and knees, and cut Emerson below the left eye.
As the fight entered the final minute, both fighters began landing some hard punches, but Nakamura was still getting the better of most of the exchanges. With 30 seconds left, Nakamura got another takedown and landed a couple of big strikes from the top. Even though the striking battle on the feet was again quite close, the two takedowns, the ground and pound and the more damaging strikes on the feet have to give this round to Nakamura. However, using whatever (non-)logic they had, Adelaide Byrd and one other judge both scored round three for Emerson, who was awarded with a highly controversial - and unpopular - Split Decision.
Winner: Rob Emerson by Split Decision (30-27, 30-27, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 7-6-0, 1 NC.
The judging in the undercard fight aside, UFC 81 was a very solid event. Both Frank Mir and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira put on impressive comeback performances in their fights, and a congratulations goes to Nogueira for becoming the first-ever champion of both PRIDE and the UFC.
Dan Henderson will have an opportunity to become the second person - and the first to be a dual PRIDE champion and also a single UFC champion - to do so at UFC 82 in his battle with Anderson Silva.
