UFC 90 Results & Recap
by Robert Sargent
Though featured bouts featuring Thiago Alves, Josh Koscheck, Sean Sherk and Tyson Griffin were very entertaining, UFC 90 was largely a disappointment, and concluded with an unfortunate injury to Patrick Côté that prevented him from continuing.
A lightweight bout between Gray "The Bully" Maynard and Rich "No Love" Clementi proved frustrating, as Maynard was booed loudly after employing "lay and pray" tactics.
UFC Middleweight Championship
Anderson "The Spider" Silva vs Patrick "The Predator" Côté
The only thing more disappointing than Côté's knee injury in this bout was Silva's complete lack of interest in doing anything, as he danced around Côté and showboated for most of the first two rounds, and put on one of the worst performances of his career.Côté landed a pair of leg kicks in the opening minute, while Silva was content to dance around as he usually does. However, rather than opening up with strikes, Silva continued to dance and evade as the minutes ticked by, and Côté was the only one landing strikes. Silva finally landed a checked leg kick nearly two minutes into the fight, then two more seconds later. Silva landed a pair of lunging crosses, and Côté replied with two kicks. Silva drilled Côté with a huge head kick, but Côté remained completely unfazed and landed a solid hook. A massive jumping knee landed for Silva, which would have instantly knocked out 90% of the middleweight division, but Côté just smiled and continued pressing forward. Côté, though cut on the forehead, landed more leg kicks as Silva literally walked away from the fight. Silva continued to dance away in the final minute, but took the round 10-9.
Silva became more active early in round two, and countered a leg kick from Côté by landing a hard left cross to the face and a grazing jumping switch kick. Côté landed a spinning back fist and Silva clinched against the cage. Côté separated with a punch, and Silva came back with body and leg kicks. Côté leapt for a takedown, but was immediately spun and reversed. Little happened on the ground and Silva stood up, offering his hand to Côté, who refused. After getting up, Côté lunged awkwardly forward to throw a punch, and jammed his knee as Silva landed a counter. Immediately, Côté shook out his knee and was clearly thrown off slightly. Little happened until Côté landed a pair of leg kicks, then caught Silva's leg and looked for a takedown with 40 seconds left. The round ended in a clinch, with Silva taking it 10-9.
Sadly, what could have turned into a lengthy war ended prematurely, as Côté's knee buckled ten seconds into round three. Seconds later, as Côté tried to loosen out the knee by bouncing his weight on it, his right knee gave out completely in what appeared to be a meniscus or ligament tear, and he fell to the mat in great pain. The referee was forced to stop the fight, as Côté tried but could not continue. A heartbreaking end to the fight for Côté, and also a very poor performance for Silva, whose defensive tactics were not popular with the crowd.
Winner: Anderson Silva by TKO (Knee Injury) at 0:28 of round three. He improves to 23-4-0 and remains the UFC Middleweight Champion.
Thiago "Pitbull" Alves vs Josh Koscheck
Though the main event ended in disappointment, this welterweight #1 contender's bout was a great show for the fans, as Alves dominated Koscheck like no one else - even UFC Welterweight Champion Georges "Rush" St. Pierre - has done before, en route to a lopsided Unanimous Decision victory.Alves began establishing quick left-kick, left-jab combinations right from the bell, and showed no fear of Koscheck takedowns by throwing a trio of leg kicks. Alves rocked Koscheck with a left hook as Koscheck stepped in, and Koscheck fell to the mat. Koscheck dove for a leg and ate a series of punches. Alves stood up and landed a big head kick, but Koscheck somehow managed to recover from the strikes and looked for a takedown. Alves continued to press forward with strikes and landed another head kick, but Koscheck gamely returned punches of his own. Koscheck landed a big hook and a body shot, while Alves fired away with more of his famous leg kicks. A knee in the clinch landed for Alves, and Koscheck could not take him down. Alves teed off with leg kicks until the bell, taking the round 10-9.
Alves wasn't even breathing out of his mouth to begin round two, displaying much-improved cardio. He again employed the left-kick, left-jab combination and landed more leg kicks. Koscheck began to look for knockout haymakers, but none landed solidly. A head kick landed for Koscheck, but again had no effect. Koscheck caught a kick from Alves, then landed a spinning back kick and a body kick. A hard leg kick landed for Alves, and the fighters exchanged kicks to the body. Alves unleashed a quick combination of kicks to the legs and body, then a pair of punches. Koscheck tried unsuccessfully for a takedown, as Alves's vastly-improved takedown defence began to shine. The close round ended in a clinch, with Alves narrowly taking it 10-9.
Round three was all Alves, as he opened up with quick kicks to the legs and follow-up punches to the face. A huge knee to the jaw badly rocked Koscheck, who was in even more danger than in round one. Big punches landed for Alves, as Koscheck slowly began to recover. Two more hard punches landed for Alves, prompting Koscheck to look for a takedown. Brief stoppages after both fighters were accidentally poked in the eye did not hinder the fight, and Alves continued his march forward with a variety of kicks and punches. A vicious leg kick nearly knocked Koscheck to the mat, but he stayed on his feet. However, Koscheck's mobility was noticeably lessened, as Alves began to land combinations at will. Koscheck threw back punches of his own, but Alves ended the round with a huge punch to take it 10-9.
Winner: Thiago Alves by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 16-3-0.
Gray "The Bully" Maynard vs Rich "No Love" Clementi
Though the fight was disappointing enough due to an extreme lack of aggression from Maynard, what proved to be even more frustrating was Chicago referee Todd Frederickson, who insisted on instructing the fighters, non-stop throughout the fight, to keep working. Even commentator Joe Rogan was audibly annoyed with the horrid officiating.Very little happened in the opening minute, as both fighters tried to find their range with quick punches. Clementi began to open up with leg kicks and combinations as the round neared the midway point, and seemed to have an edge in the striking. Maynard continued to throw punches himself, but few landed. With 90 seconds left, Maynard finally scored a takedown. Clementi briefly locked on a guillotine choke from the side, but Maynard easily got out as the referee insisted on telling the fighters to work harder. Maynard landed punches to the body as Clementi locked down his leg and looked for an armbar. Both fighters landed hammerfists before the bell. Clementi takes the close round 10-9, even though he ended up on his back.
Round two began similarly to the first, with both fighters throwing punches and few landing. Clementi again mixed up his strikes with kicks, and defended a takedown attempt from Maynard. However, Maynard scored a slam takedown just over one minute into the round and looked to move to mount. Clementi, a veteran of nearly 50 fights, quickly reversed and got back to his feet, but was soon taken down again. Clementi looked for a triangle, then a shoulder lock, but let both go. An armbar attempt from Clementi was unsuccessful, and Maynard placed himself in not one but four kneebar situations, of which Clementi could not capitalise on. Maynard maintained top control for the remainder of the round, but did absolutely nothing besides landing three weak elbows. Clementi was clearly more active, but Maynard takes round two 10-9 due to position.
Maynard scored a takedown early in round three and worked from the top, while Clementi looked for a Kimura from the bottom. Clementi tried to get back to his feet, but could only manage to regain guard. From there, he landed a series of hard elbows to the head of Maynard, who fired back with punches from the top. Clementi looked for a triangle, then a toe hold, but Maynard squrimed free. Maynard again placed himself in a textbook kneebar opportunity, but Clementi could not secure the hold. Clementi got back to his feet, only to be taken down again. He reversed position, however, and partially took Maynard's back while looking for a rear naked choke. Maynard spun and escaped, then scored another takedown and landed a few weak strikes from the top before the bell. 10-9 Maynard, but another terrible performance that earned many, many boos.
Winner: Gray Maynard by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27) after three rounds. He improves to 6-0-0, 1 NC.
Junior "Cigano" dos Santos vs Fabricio "Vai Cavalo" Werdum
After originally being scheduled to battle Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira for the UFC Heavyweight Championship before Randy "The Natural" Couture returned to the UFC, Werdum was instead cast aside from the title picture and forced to face total unknown dos Santos, who proceeded to land a vicious uppercut in round one that gave Werdum his first stoppage loss.Dos Santos, a student of Nogueira, looked for big punches to the body early on, while Werdum scored with leg kicks. Dos Santos landed a stiff leg kick of his own, then narrowly missed a hook after a clinch. Werdum landed another leg kick, but dos Santos drilled him with a vicious uppercut seconds later that sent Werdum crashing to his knees. After follow-up punches from dos Santos, the referee stopped the fight, giving dos Santos a huge upset and the biggest win of his career.
Winner: Junior dos Santos by KO (Punches) at 1:19 of round one. He improves to 7-1-0.
Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk vs Tyson Griffin
While this bout won Fight of the Night honours, it paled in comparison to the Chris Lytle vs Paul Taylor fight at UFC 89, but credit must be given to Sherk for taking steps to improve his style and make it more entertaining to watch.Both fighters threw short, looping punches to begin round one, and Sherk scored a takedown. He took Griffin's back, but Griffin shook him off. Griffin landed a hard leg kick, but Sherk scored with a quick combination and looked for another takedown. He got Griffin down, but Griffin landed solid punches from the bottom that cut Sherk's nose. Both fighters scored with big punches as they broke from a clinch, and Sherk continued to land short left hooks. Sherk landed an excellent combination of punches and a leg kick, while Griffin seemed to prefer to throw power shots only. Griffin tried for a takedown and Sherk easily defended. Sherk took Griffin's back and locked in both hooks, but Sherk let it go after Griffin stood up. Both fighters scored with big punches and kicks in the final 20 seconds. 10-9 Sherk.
Sherk countered an early body kick from Griffin by scoring a brief takedown and landing strikes. Griffin got back up, only to be met with a knee and a left hook. The fighters traded punches and Griffin again landed a kick. Sherk scored with two quick combinations and surprisingly seemed to have a significant advantage in the striking. Griffin landed two hard leg kicks and a pair of stiff punches, and began to turn up the pace. Sherk replied with more combinations, however, and continiously found a home for his left hook. Sherk landed more big punches, but failed in a takedown attempt. Both fighters threw combinations and Griffin partially landed a head kick. More quick punches landed for Sherk before the bell, and he takes the razor-thin round 10-9.
Griffin rocked Sherk with a big right hook just seconds into round three, but Sherk came right back with hooks of his own. Griffin tried for a head kick and missed, and Sherk replied with two quick flurries. Griffin countered a knee with an overhand right, then looked for more haymaker rights. Sherk landed punch after punch with his left hand, as Griffin went back to kicks. Sherk started to land leg kicks as well, then scored with another quick one-two. Yet another combination landed for Sherk, and Griffin countered with a leg kick and cross. In the final 90 seconds, Sherk threw nearly non-stop combinations, while Griffin opted for big punches and leg kicks. Sherk takes the round 10-9 due to volume of striking.
Winner: Sean Sherk by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. He improves to 33-3-1.
Thales Leites vs Drew "The Massacre" McFedries
Though McFedries rocked Leites in the opening seconds, the fight was academic once Leites scored a takedown, as he quickly submitted McFedries with a rear naked choke.McFedries scored with two looping punches to begin round one, forcing Leites to immediately drop for a takedown attempt. McFedries initially defended, but was slammed to the mat. Leites took McFedries's back, then trapped McFedries's arms with his legs. Seconds later, Leites locked in a rear naked choke and McFedries was forced to submit.
Winner: Thales Leites by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 1:15 of round one. He improves to 14-1-0.
Undercard Fights:
Spencer "The King" Fisher defeated Shannon Gugerty by Submission (Triangle Choke) at 3:56 of round three. Gugerty managed to hold on for a very long time while trapped in the triangle, but was eventually forced to submit. Fisher improves to 22-4-0 with the win.Dan Miller defeated Matt "Suave" Horwich by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. The battle of former IFL Middleweight Champions saw the final champion, Miller, emerge victorious. Miller improves to 10-1-0, 1 NC, with the win.
Hermes Franca defeated Marcus "Maximus" Aurelio by Unanimous Decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. The grudge match was marred by pre- and post-fight antics from Franca, as well as a referee error in stopping the fight at one point due to an "illegal knee" from Aurelio that was a legal strike. Regardless, Franca improves to 19-7-0 with the win.
Pete "Drago" Sell defeated "The People's Warrior" Josh Burkman by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. Finally, for once, Sell did not throw away a fight that he was winning, while Burkman's plummet from title contention to imminent dispatching from the UFC is rather pitiful.
With an anti-climactic ending and poor performances from Anderson Silva and Gray Maynard, UFC 90 was arguably not even on the level of the free-broadcast UFC 89 event, but Thiago Alves's destruction of Josh Koscheck was a very entertaining fight.
