UFC 91 Results & Recap
by Robert Sargent
While the card was filled with mostly meaningless fights, UFC 91 did provide a series of entertaining bouts, capped off by Brock Lesnar capturing the UFC Heavyweight Championship by defeating Randy "The Natural" Couture in the second round.
Elsewhere, Kenny "KenFlo" Florian destroyed Joe "Daddy" Stevenson, while Dustin "McLovin" Hazelett submitted Tamdan "The Barn Cat" McCrory with an impressive omoplata armbar.
UFC Heavyweight Championship
Brock Lesnar vs Randy "The Natural" Couture
Making the most of an opportunity that he probably didn't deserve, Lesnar defeated Couture with a second-round TKO to become the new UFC Heavyweight Champion.The fighters clinched immediately and Lesnar landed knees to the body of Couture from against the cage. Lesnar reversed and landed knees to the legs, but Couture scored with a big right hand as the two separated. Lesnar shot in for a takedown, which Couture defended for a while, and eventually slammed Couture to the mat. Lesnar moved to mount, but Couture got back to his feet and briefly took Lesnar down, then leapt onto his back. Lesnar grabbed Couture's leg to reverse and wound up on top again. Lesnar landed punches from the top, but Couture again squirmed free and got to his feet. The fighters exchanged knees to the legs as Couture looked for a takedown. Lesnar grabbed the cage repeatedly to avoid the takedown, and was warned as the bell rang. 10-9 Lesnar.
The fighters exchanged jabs to begin round two and Lesnar scored with a big elbow that rocked Couture. However, Couture smartly clinched and kept the fight against the cage, which gave him time to recover. Couture scored with a knee to the head from the clinch, and Lesnar replied with one of his own. Couture landed a pair of big punches as the fighters separated. A punch from Couture cut Lesnar above the right eye. Lesnar looked for a takedown, but was unsuccessful. Couture then went for a takedown himself, but was also unable to get the fight to the ground. Both fighters landed knees as they separated, and Lesnar scored with a big right hook to the temple that dropped Couture. Lesnar followed up with dozens of hammerfist strikes on the ground, then switched to elbows and the referee was forced to stop the fight.
Full credit must be given to Lesnar for making the most of his golden opportunity, but the fact that he was given the title shot in the first place was really nothing short of a farce. Regardless, Brock Lesnar is the new UFC Heavyweight Champion.
Winner: Brock Lesnar by TKO (Strikes) at 3:06 of round two. He improves to 3-1-0 and becomes the new UFC Heavyweight Champion.
Kenny "KenFlo" Florian vs Joe "Daddy" Stevenson
This #1 contender's bout for the UFC Lightweight Championship ended quickly and emphatically, as Florian steamrolled Stevenson and earned a first-round submission victory.Florian's vastly superior footwork was on full display early in round one, as he picked his shots with kicks to the legs and body and drilled Stevenson with a pair of hard hooks. Florian landed a jumping knee and a kick, but Stevenson came back with a flurry of punches that forced Florian to dodge to the side. Stevenson tried for a takedown, but could only keep Florian down for a second. Eventually, Stevenson managed to score a takedown, but Florian got right back up again. Florian scored with more punches and kicks, then took Stevenson down and quickly moved to mount. After landing big strikes from the top, Florian locked on a guillotine choke as Stevenson tried to roll over, and Stevenson was forced to submit. An impressive showing for Florian.
Winner: Kenny Florian by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 4:02 of round one. He improves to 11-3-0.
Dustin "McLovin" Hazelett vs Tamdan "The Barn Cat" McCrory
In a battle of two future stars in the UFC's welterweight division, Hazelett overcame McCrory's striking and got the fight to the ground, where he locked on an extremely impressive omoplata armbar that forced McCrory to submit.McCrory came rushing forward with a flurry of nearly a dozen punches just seconds into round one, but Hazelett held strong and survived the early onslaught. Hazelett landed a kick that sent McCrory off-balance, then leapt in with a flashy flying knee. The fighters exchanged kicks and McCrory landed a quick combination. Hazelett rocked McCrory with a big right hook, but McCrory evaded follow-up strikes and landed a pair of crisp kicks. More kicks landed for McCrory, and Hazelett narrowly missed a head kick in return. Hazelett pulled guard and trapped McCrory in an omoplata. McCrory rolled to escape, but found himself in another omoplata. After another unsuccessful escape from McCrory, Hazelett grabbed McCrory's trapped arm and torqued it forward, almost in a modified Kimura fashion. McCrory, in great pain, was forced to submit as his arm was bent forward at a nasty angle. Another highly impressive submission from Hazelett.
Winner: Dustin Hazelett by Submission (Omoplata Armbar) at 3:57 of round one. He improves to 12-4-0.
Gabriel "Napćo" Gonzaga vs Josh "Heavy" Hendricks
In what had to be one of the worst UFC debuts ever, Hendricks literally mounted zero offence in the entire minute-long fight and was promptly finished by a looping punch from Gonzaga.Hendricks came forward to clinch, but could do absolutely nothing. Again, he tried to clinch and was met with a knee and a big punch for his troubles. Gonzaga landed a knee and a punch to the face, then a solid hook to the body. Hendricks looked for another clinch and found himself caught in a headlock, with Gonzaga landing knees as the fighters stood up. More knees to the body landed for Gonzaga, and he followed it up with a big looping right hook that dropped Hendricks. Two more punches on the ground sealed the deal and the referee stopped the fight. A horrid performance by Hendricks, but a decent stoppage win for Gonzaga.
Winner: Gabriel Gonzaga by TKO (Punches) at 1:00 of round one. He improves to 10-3-0.
Demian Maia vs Nate "Rock" Quarry
Quickly taking the fight to the mat to avoid the punching power of Quarry, Maia transitioned to mount and secured a rear naked choke that ended the fight early in round one.Maia landed a pair of punches, then pulled half-guard to get the fight to the ground. He then used a sweep to move to top position, then went straight to mount. Quarry nearly got to his feet, but gave up his back and was dragged back to the mat by Maia. After landing a series of small punches, Maia eventually locked his arm below Quarry's chin and secured a rear naked choke, forcing Quarry to submit. After the fight, Maia suggested a fight with Michael Bisping.
Winner: Demian Maia by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 2:11 of round one. He improves to 9-0-0.
Undercard Fights:
Aaron Riley defeated Jorge "JG" Gurgel by Unanimous Decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) after three rounds. As usual, Gurgel swore off his incredible jiu-jitsu skills and engaged in a striking war, which he excelled in for one round, then found himself outstruck in rounds two and three. Riley, who has competed in most of the top promotions in the world, scored his first UFC win in his third try. This all-out war won Fight of the Night honours, and with good reason. Riley improves to 27-10-1 with the win.Jeremy "Lil' Heathen" Stephens defeated Rafael dos Anjos by KO (Punches) at 0:39 of round three. Despite handily losing the first round, Stephens came back strong in round two and finished the fight with a massive uppercut in round three that will live on in highlight reels for quite some time. Follow-up punches after the uppercut were not even remotely necessary, and the referee quickly stopped the fight. Stephens then ran head-first into the cage, presumably for fun. Stephens improves to 14-3-0 with the win.
Mark Bocek defeated Alvin "Kid" Robinson by Submission (Rear Naked Choke) at 3:15 of round three. After controlling the fight from start to finish and transitioning from submission to submission throughout, Bocek finally locked on a choke that Robinson could not escape from in round three. Robinson gamely defended the submissions throughout the fight, and was saved by the bell while trapped in a North-South Choke at one point, but Bocek's ground dominance was too much. An excellent fight overall. Bocek improves to 6-2-0 with the win.
"The Immortal" Matt Brown defeated Ryan "The Tank Engine" Thomas by Submission (Armbar) at 0:55 of round two. This fight was painful to watch and reaffirmed that Thomas had no business being in the UFC. Despite dominating position over Brown, who also should not be in the UFC to begin with, Thomas repeatedly put himself in submissions and eventually couldn't escape from an armbar. A very unimpressive performance from both fighters, and hopefully that will be the end of Thomas's tenure in the UFC. While he rebuilds his record, perhaps he can also consider a change of nickname. Brown improves to 11-7-0 with the win.
Though the night was filled with entertaining fights, the undeniable fact is that most of the card was meaningless filler before the UFC Heavyweight Championship main event. Fortunately, UFC 92 should be the best card of the year, so fans can end 2008 with a great event.
