UFC 86 Results & Recap
by Robert Sargent
In a night filled with upsets and close decisions, the main event of UFC 86 concluded with highly controversial scoring from the judges, as Forrest Griffin was awarded with a Unanimous Decision victory in a fight that he had clearly lost.
Though extremely humble and gracious after the fight, former champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson stated in his post-fight interview backstage that he believed he had won.
UFC Light Heavyweight Championship
Forrest Griffin vs Quinton "Rampage" Jackson
While the nine-month layoff from competition had clearly affected Jackson, he seemed to have done enough to win at least the first and fourth rounds, as well as the third and/or the fifth, but the judges apparently saw things very differently, in a very controversial decision that once again brings the credibility of the sport into question.Jackson came out aggressively in round one, landing punches while Griffin replied with numerous leg kicks and counterstrikes. Jackson landed two hard punches, then followed it up with a combination and an uppercut, forcing Griffin to clinch and knee. Griffin continued to land kicks to the legs and body, but Jackson came back with a quick barrage of punches, punctuated by a left hook that rocked Griffin. Griffin rushed forward with punches of his own, then landed more jabs and kicks. Jackson dropped Griffin with an uppercut with just over one minute remaining, then landed more punches on the ground. Griffin managed to get back up, but ate another uppercut. Jackson takes round one handily, 10-9.
Griffin hurt Jackson's left knee badly with a kick early in round two, then used a guillotine choke and knees to take Jackson to the ground. Griffin remained in half-guard for quite some time, landing weak elbows from the top. Eventually, Griffin moved to side-control and looked for a keylock, to no avail. Griffin went back to elbow strikes and two more keylock attempts, but could do little damage. He managed to get to mount and landed punches and elbows, but Jackson held on and survived the final minutes until the bell. Griffin dominated the round, possibly enough for a 10-8.
Griffin threw more kicks to open the third round, with Jackson replying with punches but limping on his left leg. Jackson landed a four-punch combination and evaded kicks from Griffin. A quick one-two from Jackson staggered Griffin. Another quick flurry from Jackson sent Griffin retreating, but he came back with a series of low kicks. Both fighters scored with solid punches, with Jackson doing the most damage and landing a hard body shot. A left hook from Jackson late in the round stunned Griffin, but Griffin landed a kick and a quick combination. Jackson replied with a flurry of his own before the bell. A very close round that was either 10-10 or 10-9 for Jackson, due to damage dealt.
Jackson's leg seemed to be fine in round four, and he rocked Griffin with punches early, on two occasions. Griffin tried for a takedown, but failed and wound up on the bottom, and was also cut in the process. From top position, Jackson landed weak strikes to the face. Griffin locked on a triangle choke, so Jackson did as he always does and stood up, then slammed Griffin down, breaking the hold. Griffin briefly locked Jackson in an omoplata, but was drilled with an uppercut as he stood up. At this point, Joe Rogan stated that Griffin was winning the fight, which was ridiculous to the point that even Mike Goldberg disagreed. Truly sad. Jackson landed more hard punches in the final minute of the round, securing the close round in the process. 10-9 Jackson.
Griffin landed more kicks early in round five, with Jackson coming back with sparse hooks. Griffin landed a hard leg kick as Jackson countered with a hook. Jackson landed two more hard punches, then another flurry. A punch-kick combo from Griffin scored. Griffin managed to land a stiff jab with two minutes left and followed it up with more punches and kicks. Jackson replied with two punching combinations and a hook that sent Griffin backwards. Another hook from Jackson landed, then another flurry. Jackson threw a punch and his knee buckled, but he kept pressing forward in the final 30 seconds, landing punches as Griffin countered with knees and punches of his own. A very close round, but a slight edge to Jackson due to more damaging strikes. 10-9 Jackson.
At best for Griffin, this fight was a 47-47 Draw, but I scored this as a one-point victory for Jackson. He came back strong after round two and landed all but two or three of the significant punches in the fight. Leg kicks should not be enough to capture a world title.
Sadly, mere months after controversy plagued EliteXC, it was the UFC's turn, as the judges somehow managed to score the bout 48-46, 48-46 and, most ridiculously, 49-46, all in favour of Griffin. There is absolutely no way that Griffin won this fight by more than one point, if at all, and this is a sad state for the UFC's light heavyweight division. This all reeks of a setup to get Chuck Liddell back as the champion so he can retire with the belt, and save face after the losses to Jackson and Jardine. Extremely disappointing outcome for MMA in general, as there's enough controversy already.
Winner: Forrest Griffin by Unanimous Decision (49-46, 48-46, 48-46) after five rounds. He improves to 16-4-0 and becomes the new UFC Light Heavyweight Champion.
Patrick "The Predator" Côté vs Ricardo "Big Dog" Almeida
While certainly not an overly impressive performance for either fighter, this was a close but typical battle of striker vs grappler, with Côté managing to do just enough to edge out a close Split Decision.Following an early clinch, Almeida pulled jump guard, taking Côté down and immediately using rubber guard to trap him. Côté got back up and Almeida tried a jumping kick. After a lengthy clinch against the cage, Almeida scored a takedown and moved to half-guard. He stood up and began to punish Côté with strikes from above, as Côté scrambled to defend. Almeida continued to land strikes until the bell, easily taking round one.
After a lengthy delay to fix a tear in Almeida's glove, round two began with Côté pushing the pace and landing a solid uppercut. Côté defended a takedown attempt, but Almeida pulled guard and got Côté down. Almeida locked on full rubber guard, but Côté got back to his feet. The fighters exchanged weak strikes and clinched against the cage. Eventually, Côté broke free with an elbow, then landed a quick combination. More punches from Côté landed as Almeida began to tire and retreat. A takedown attempt from Almeida failed and Côté landed a low kick. Côté escaped a takedown attempt and a guillotine choke, then dropped Almeida with three seconds left in the round. Côté takes round two.
Almeida, clearly fatigued, continued to retreat in round three, with Côté stuffing a takedown and landing strikes. Côté pushed forward with pawing strikes and vicious leg kicks. Almeida seemed to have no answer for the strikes, backing up continuously. Finally, after doing almost nothing for two minutes, Almeida landed a hard punch and a follow-up combination. Côté came back with punches of his own and Almeida scored a takedown with 35 seconds left. However, Côté used his legs to keep Almeida from doing anything and Almeida wound up on his back. Côté takes the close round and the fight. Barely.
Winner: Patrick Côté by Split Decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-29) after three rounds. He improves to 13-4-0.
Joe "Daddy" Stevenson vs Gleison Tibau
As per usual, the one-trick arsenal of Stevenson managed to save him from a lopsided beating at the hands of Tibau, as Stevenson locked on a guillotine choke - a tactic which appears to be his only way of finishing fights - in the middle of the second round to secure an unimpressive victory.Tibau, dwarfing Stevenson in size and looking eerily similar to teammate Thiago Alves, who weighs upwards of 185 pounds when he fights, used his size advantage early on. Tibau landed a solid punch and fell into Stevenson's patented guillotine, but escaped. Tibau took Stevenson's back and Stevenson squirmed free to his feet. After a brief takedown by Tibau, Stevenson rushed forward and took Tibau down, but Tibau locked him in an omoplata shoulder lock. Though Tibau was unable to finish the fight with the hold, he held Stevenson in it for the remainder of the round. Tibau easily takes round one.
Tibau landed good strikes early in round two and Stevenson clinched, looking for a takedown. Tibau scored the takedown, however, but could only hold Stevenson down for a second. Tibau scored another takedown and moved to side-control. He quickly moved to mount, but foolishly went for a triangle from top position, costing him the position. The fighters stood and traded strikes. Tibau went for a takedown and found himself trapped in Stevenson's guillotine, forcing a tapout. Stevenson really needs to learn more tactics, but it was Tibau's fault for falling into it.
Winner: Joe Stevenson by Submission (Guillotine Choke) at 2:57 of round two. He improves to 29-8-0.
Josh Koscheck vs Chris "Lights Out" Lytle
In one of the bloodiest fights in MMA history, Koscheck opened up numerous cuts on the head and face of Lytle, but Lytle survived until the final bell, losing a clear-cut decision.Lytle came forward aggressively, landing a variety of punches and kicks in the opening two minutes, while Koscheck literally did almost nothing. Koscheck slipped throwing a high kick, then went back to doing nothing but evading. Lytle landed another punch-kick combination, forcing Koscheck to go for a takedown. Koscheck escaped a guillotine choke attempt from Lytle and landed weak strikes from the top. Koscheck finally managed to land a few solid elbows and held top position for much of the rest of the round. A close round that could have gone to either fighter.
Lytle landed punches early in round two, so Koscheck scored with a takedown. Lytle quickly got back up, only to be taken down again. Koscheck escaped another guillotine choke, then proceeded to maul Lytle from top position for the rest of the round. An elbow from Koscheck opened a cut above Lytle's right eye, which began to bleed badly. More elbows from Koscheck opened a cut on Lytle's forehead, between the eyes. Blood from Lytle's eye sprayed onto the camera, as Koscheck teed off with punches and more elbows. Lytle tried for a kneebar with one minute left, but Koscheck easily escaped and continued the punishment. Lytle, massively bleeding from a second cut above the right eye, managed to survive until the bell. 10-8 for Koscheck.
Round three closely resembled the preceeding stanza, with Lytle landing an uppercut as Koscheck tried for a takedown. Koscheck eventually got Lytle down and twisted to escape yet another guillotine, as the crowd cheered wildly for Lytle's efforts. From then on, Koscheck resumed the barrage of strikes from round two, opening the cuts above Lytle's eye once again. With 90 seconds left, the referee brought the fight back to the feet and Lytle looked like a murder victim from a horror movie. Barely able to see through the blood, Lytle continued to press forward with strikes, landing a few good ones. With the crowd firmly behind him, Lytle drilled Koscheck with nearly a dozen punches right before the bell, but it was too late.
One judge apparently scored round one as a 10-10 Draw, which isn't supposed to be permitted but apparently is, with another giving the round to Lytle. Koscheck took the decision.
Winner: Josh Koscheck by Unanimous Decision (30-26, 30-28, 29-27) after three rounds. He improves to 11-2-0.
Tyson Griffin vs Marcus "Maximus" Aurelio
This was Aurelio's fight to lose, and he did just that, as he failed to display the aggressive nature that has recently brought him success and could not keep Griffin in submissions, despite Griffin putting himself in an endless series of triangles and armbars.Griffin dominated the striking early on with a very impressive variety of strikes, alternating between punches and kicks to the head and body. Griffin tossed Aurelio to the ground with just over three minutes left, landing strikes from Aurelio's guard. Aurelio went for a triangle and an armbar, both of which Griffin basically put himself in. More submission attempts from Aurelio were unsuccessful, with Griffin continuing to strike from the top. Aurelio got back to his feet, with his right eye swelling. He finally began to land some effective strikes, but Griffin's varied arsenal allowed him to dominate the remaining exchanges. Griffin takes round one.
Both fighters landed strikes early in round two, with Griffin continuing to use varied punches and low kicks to keep Aurelio off-balance. After more exchanges, the fighters clinched against the cage and Griffin landed knees to the legs and body. Griffin finally managed to take Aurelio down, but Aurelio reversed position and took Griffin's back. Griffin twisted and wound up in Aurelio's guard. Griffin escaped a triangle choke, then hilarity ensued as commentator Joe Rogan, who believes he is an expert due to his friendship with Eddie Bravo, began critiquing Aurelio's rubber guard technique. This despite Aurelio being one of the most decorated Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belts in the sport. Genius, Joe. Marijuana does you wonders. Meanwhile, Griffin takes the round.
The final stanza saw Aurelio begin to slow and tire, while Griffin pushed the pace with more of his varied striking arsenal. Griffin continued to wear Aurelio down with kicks to the left leg, and Aurelio failed in a takedown attempt. Griffin came forward with a flurry of punches that rocked Aurelio. More punches and kicks landed for Griffin. He scored a takedown and Aurelio once again tried for triangles and armbars, as Griffin basically put himself in the holds. Griffin escaped the numerous submission attempts and won the close round.
Winner: Tyson Griffin by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 12-1-0.
"The Young Assassin" Melvin Guillard vs Dennis Siver
To Guillard's credit, he has matured a lot since his last foray into the UFC and antics outside of the cage, and he made extremely short work of the vastly-overmatched Siver on this night.Guillard dropped Siver with two quick looping right hooks, but Siver locked on an armbar on the ground. Guillard escaped and stood back up, letting Siver get to his feet. Two more brutal right crosses from Guillard dropped Siver in a heap, and Guillard finished the fight with a lightning-fast combo of devastating punches to his downed opponent. A very impressive victory for Guillard, who was uncharacteristically humble after the fight.
Winner: Melvin Guillard by KO (Punches) at 0:36 of round one. He improves to 22-7-2, 1 NC.
Gabriel "Napão" Gonzaga vs Justin "The Insane 1" McCully
As expected, the vastly overmatched McCully quickly fell victim to Gonzaga, who looks to redeem himself in the UFC after two crushing losses.Gonzaga dropped McCully early on with a punishing leg kick, then dove directly into side-control. Gonzaga briefly took McCully's back, but McCully twisted to escape and Gonzaga wound up in guard. Seconds later, Gonzaga locked on a Kimura. McCully could not escape and was forced to submit.
Winner: Gabriel Gonzaga by Submission (Kimura) at 1:57 of round one. He improves to 9-3-0.
Cole "Magrinho" Miller vs Jorge "J.G." Gurgel
As usual, Gurgel insisted on engaging in a striking war in this fight, and actually managed to finally find some semblance of success in doing so, but Miller did the unthinkable when he locked on a triangle choke late in round three and forced the submission expert, Gurgel, to tap.After trading low kicks, Gurgel partially landed a head kick and Miller came back with a solid right hook. Miller, using his reach to pick Gurgel apart, landed two hard punches, but was drilled with a counterpunch from Gurgel. Miller fell and Gurgel leapt in to try to finish. Miller managed to hang on and survive, then got back to his feet and rocked Gurgel with a right. Gurgel came back with a combination later on and took the close first round.
Miller came out aggressively in round two, but Gurgel landed a series of unanswered low kicks, slowing Miller's charge. Miller scored a takedown and began unleashing a barrage of punches, seemingly aware that he was behind in the fight. Just as Miller had done in round one, Gurgel managed to survive and prevented Miller from attaining mount. Gurgel scrambled and escaped, but was trapped in a guillotine choke in the process. He got out, then worked from Miller's guard. Late in the round, Gurgel scored a takedown after a clinch, but it was not enough to steal the round. Miller takes round two.
Both fighters came out swinging in the final round, with Miller trying unsuccessfully for a takedown. Gurgel followed up a combination by taking Miller down. Miller got back up, only to be taken down again. Gurgel could do nothing on the ground, so he stood up. A fatigued Gurgel managed to trip Miller back to the mat, where Miller tried for an armbar. Though that didn't work, Miller locked on a triangle moments later, following a scramble, and Gurgel could not escape. Gurgel tapped out and Miller scored a huge upset submission victory.
Winner: Cole Miller by Submission (Triangle Choke) at 4:48 of round three. He improves to 14-3-0.
Justin Buchholz vs "The Real Deal" Corey Hill
While the Corey Hill hype train wasn't expected to last long, it's a bit surprising that Buchholz was the man to end Hill's ride, as he did so with a submission late in round two.Hill began round one extremely aggressively, landing two hard punches and pushing the pace. Buchholz retreated and tried to evade strikes, but Hill scored a brief takedown. Hill continued to push the pace of the fight at an extremely high rate, completely engulfing Buchholz with strikes. Buchholz managed to land two solid leg kicks, then pulled guard, but Hill got back up. From the clinch, Hill landed two hard knees that seemed to hurt Buchholz, but Buchholz was playing possum and loaded up a huge overhand right. The punch, as well as a follow-up body kick, missed, and Hill tossed Buchholz to the mat before the bell. Hill takes round one.
Round two was equally high-paced and aggressive, as Hill once again put relentless pressure on Buchholz, who seemed to figure out a counter to Hill's style. Buchholz landed a kick to the body, then a crushing head kick, and both fighters teed off with strikes. Buchholz pulled guard and tried for a gogoplata, to no avail. Hill managed to pass Buchholz's guard and briefly attained mount, but Buchholz escaped and the fighters scrambled. Buchholz took Hill's back and locked on a rear naked choke, forcing Hill to submit.
Winner: Justin Buchholz by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:57 of round two. He improves to 8-2-0.
It is unfortunate that the highly questionable scoring in the main event cast a dark cloud upon the rest of UFC 86, but the card did feature a number of quality fights, albeit not of the same calibre as recent events from other promotions.
