UFC 104 Recap

Dominant Victories, Top Heavy Weights Square Off, and A Controversial Decision

Written by: D.Wash.


Lyoto Machida vs Mauricio “Shogun” Rua

When this fight was announced, many people were outraged. Shogun getting a title shot already? What had he done recently to earn it? His only UFC wins were against the should-have-retired -years-ago hall of famer Mark Coleman and a quickly aging Chuck Liddell. That’s clearly not worthy of a chance at Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida’s belt right? Regardless of what the fans thought, Shogun got his chance at UFC 104 and provided quite a surprise for most everyone in the Staples Center. Shogun came out not overly aggressive as he usually is, but at the same time not passive like Rashad Evans looked during his fight against Machida. He utilized kicks, especially leg kicks, throughout the fight and by the third round it was clear that the damage had taken its toll on Machida as the quick karate expert lost some of his explosiveness. Though the first two rounds were quite questionable, third round was definitely Machida’s. When it came to the announcement of the final decision, many people expected to hear that it was Shogun who pulled out the victory, tainted “The Dragon’s” unbeaten record, and stolen Machida’s belt. When the decision was announced that it was Machida who won the 48-47 unanimous decision, there was a mixture of shock, outrage, and joy throughout the Arena. After the fight even Dana White went into the ring to exchange words with Shogun (possibly to tell Shogun that Dana thought Shogun won the fight). Machida’s post fight comments were overshadowed by a deafening chorus of boo’s from the crowd, while Shogun post fight interview was met with cheers and applause. Though I am among those who believe that the judges made right call by granting the decision to Machida, I know that there are many more people out there who will now consider Shogun Rua a “dragon slayer”.

Cain Velasquez vs Ben Rothwell

It was clear coming in that this fight would have huge implications in the heavyweight title picture. Velasquez, who came in with all but one win by TKO, has looked very impressive throughout his career. Rothwell has a wealth of experience that could not be overlooked. The winner of this fight would almost definitely be considered next in line for the title after the UFC 106 match between Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin. So how did it go? Well, let me just say that calling it “one sided” would be an understatement. Velasquez came in firing and repeatedly hit Rothwell with blows all over. Rothwell looked completely unable to stop Cain, and the fight was somewhat reminiscent of a school yard bully beating on a large but unathletic bookworm. After barely escaping the first round, Rothwell came out in the second hoping that perhaps Cain had tired himself out in the first. Unfortunately for Rothwell, Cain looked even more energized in the second round than he did in the first. Less than a minute into the second, Cain had Rothwell pinned up against the cage and was mercilessly beating on his face, causing Herb Dean to stop the fight. Though Rothwell was upset and Velasquez said that the fight could have gone longer, it was clear who the victor would be, as Rothwell didn’t even look to be in the same league as Velasquez. Next for Cain, a title shot against the winner of the Lesnar-Carwin fight. It should be quite entertaining, as regardless who wins between Lesnar and Carwin, it will be against somebody extremely violent and brimming with potential.

Gleison Tibau vs Josh Neer

Honestly, this fight didn’t deserve to be on the main card. Both of these fighters are young guys with some potential, but have yet to really step their game up to the point where they are pay per view material. Throughout the fight, Gleison took down (often via slam) Josh Neer, but wasn’t able to keep Neer on the ground or advance his position any further than the up down. Neer was able to get a few punches in, but the pure volume of takedowns from Gleison was enough to get the judges to give him the decision. Gleison will still have to prove himself to be considered a good lightweight in my eyes, so he’ll have to fight someone who has shown more than just potential before anyone will take him seriously.

Joe Stevenson vs Spencer Fischer

Both of these lightweight are guys that like to stand on the feet and put on a show for the fans and for the majority of the first round they did just that. The fight began very even and, though the general consensus was that Stevenson won the first round, it seemed as if it could go either way. Once the second round began, Stevenson began to pull away. After again starting with some good striking from the stand up, the two 155 pounders sprawled, with Joe Stevenson landing on top. Not looking to waste any time, Stevenson slowly progressed from the half guard to the side control and eventually the crucifix position. From there, Joe repeatedly dropped elbows on Fischer’s face, eventually causing Fischer to tap out due to the strikes. While it may be a while for Stevenson to get a title shot in this competitive lightweight division, expect him to fight one of the top lightweights around such as Clay Guida or Frankie Edgar .

Anthony Johnson vs Yoshiyuki Yoshida

Anthony Johnson always looks big when compared to other welterweights (he cuts to 170lbs from 220 lbs), but against Yoshida (who, as many Japanese fighters, walks around near his fighting weight) he looked like a giant. Add in the fact that Johnson came in outrageous 6 pounds overweight and this fight seemed very unfair. Johnson came out extremely aggressive and less than a minute into the fight, he caught Yoshida with a powerful right hand that sent him into la la land. During the post fight interview, Johnson apologized profusely about not being able to cut weight, stating that a knee injury factored in to his inability to cut down to 170. He said that, while he does eventually plan to move up to middle weight, he will remain at welterweight for know. As a top prospect in the welterweight division, expect Johnson to get a much better opponent next time out, such as a Martin Kampmann.

Ryan Bader vs Eric Schafer

“Darth Bader” is a fan favorite. The winner of TUF 8, he was undefeated coming into the fight and looked like quite a force to be reckoned with. A knee injury sidelined him for a while, but he came back against Eric Schafer on Saturday night. Showing no hesitation, he charged Schafer repeatedly throughout the fight, throwing the wild punches and using the aggressive style that has made him so beloved by the fans. Though he seemed to slow down about halfway through the second round, bringing some questions about his conditioning, Bader was dominant throughout the fight and won every round. Look for him to make his way onto main cards soon, but if he can’t condition better later on, he won’t be able to last very long in this very deep light heavyweight division.

Yushin Okami vs Chael Sonnen

Okami was at once considered one of the best middle weights in the world. He’s one of only four men to have a win against Anderson Silva (Okami’s was controversial, but a win is a win), and was at one point contending for a middle weight title shot in the UFC. Now, it looks like he may be on his way out. Never an exciting fighter, Okami had only one thing going for him, he could win. On Saturday night however, he wasn’t able to win a single round against Sonnen and lost the fight 30-27. It’s hard to say that a 28 year old is over the hill, but if Okami wants to continue to be competitive, he may have to drop down to welterweight.

Jorge Rivera vs. Robert Kimmons

This fight was short, sweet, and to the point. Rivera hit Kimmons early, causing a cut to open on Kimmons’s head. Seconds later, Kimmons was bathed in blood and Jorge was using dominant ground and pound, forcing the referee to stop the fight. A former TUF member, Rivera is much beloved by the fans, and wins like this will help to move him onto the main card for future fights.

*All photos courtesy of Sherdog.com*