KELLER'S UFC 103 BLOG
SEPTEMBER 19, 2009
DALLAS, TEX. AT AMERICAN AIRLINES CENTER
LIVE ON PAY-PER-VIEW
RANDOM THOUGHTS IN CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER
-Did they actually leave out Mirko Cro Cop's loss to Gabriel Gonzaga in the pre-game show? That's one of those moments where you understand why UFC wouldn't want to shine a spotlight on it, but it's so well known that so many UFC viewers will notice and wonder what else UFC is "conveniently" leaving out of other profiles of fighters they don't know as much about. It's an integral part of Cro Cop's UFC history, and I don't care what's happened since or where or for whom Gonzaga has fought since, that clip needs to be in there.
-The first sign of acknowledgment of the Floyd Mayweather fight opposing UFC 103 was Mike Goldberg, during the first Spike TV prelim fight, telling people to be sure to check their programming guide "because there may be different channels" carrying tonight's event. On my Comcast system, Mayweather's fight got the primary 501 PPV channel, but UFC got 502 and 503. He said in the second round, "If you haven't ordered the pay-per-view yet, do it. The channels may be different."
-Steve Lopez was showing real signs of maybe pulling that fight out until the shoulder dislocation or separation. I dislocated my shoulder sparring when I was 16 and it was the most excruciating pain and discomfort I've ever felt and seven weeks later I was still feeling the effects during my black belt test. Unfortunately, Jim Miller was ahead in the fight and still seemed the more likely to win, but this win has that pesky asterisk next to it.
-Joe Rogan did a nice job setting up the storyline of the Tyson Griffin-Hermes Franca fight, mentioning that fans on the Internet rag on Griffin for not finishing fights, and then he goes and finishes a fight against someone who never gets finished.
-The letdown of the night was Josh Koshcheck vs. Frank Trigg. Not only was it too short to learn much of anything, but it was arguable whether the ref stepped in too soon. My view is the ref stepped in too soon, but barely, and Trigg has to know as a veteran that if you end up in that position, you are at risk of an early stoppage because the ref has the heavy burden of protecting fighters. Trigg was taking shots more to the chest than the chin, at least according to the clearest camera angle, but he did seem just seconds away from a devastating loss (but others have been in that spot and come back to win). Because of the controversial finish, Trigg deserves and will receive another shot, but in that 1:25 Koshcheck did seem to be a level better than Trigg. He'll have to overcome that perception with a great performance next time. It was telling how Rogan corrected Goldberg after Goldberg said Trigg was close to beating Matt Hughes years ago. Rogan pointed out that Hughes was nearly defeated by Trigg only after Trigg "kicked him in the balls."
-It's time for Koscheck vs. Matt Hughes. It's an intriguing match-up of two world class wrestlers, but with completely different bodies and at very differently places in their careers. Those are the match-ups that I like because we learn something from the result and either a torch is passed or a veteran reasserts that he's not done yet.
-The Martin Kampmann vs. Paul Daley finish was more controversial than the Trigg stoppage if only because Kampmann was still standing and had his hands up protecting his face when the ref stepped in. He didn't seem out on his feet - at least not by the definition that is usually used for ref stoppages in that situation. Daley looked really good, though, and it's too bad there's any controversy here because he really made an impression. If you want to feel the ref stepped in, watch the finish in slo-mo. If you want to understand why the ref stepped in, watch it in regular speed. Daley's power and dominant position at that moment was amazing. I still would argue, though, the ref stepped in a second too soon. Let the fighters fight until one gets knocked down or his arms have dropped. Neither was the case there.
-I'd rate the Cro Cop vs. Dos Santos fight higher than the two stars Jamie Penick gave it in his report. I'd have it at **+ and maybe ***-. The finish didn't bother me much because it was an offensive blow that caused Cro Cop to lose his vision and verbally submit. I thought there was enough drama throughout the 2.5 rounds to move it above two stars, especially with the "historical significance" factor. The fight was a letdown overall, but we learned a lot about both fighters in this one and we saw enough of a fight to be sure that Dos Santos can take a punch, has good cardio, and has enough power to cause Cro Cop to throw in the towel.
-Rich Franklin vs. Vitor Belfort was one of those no-lose situations for UFC. They knew going into it one fighter would be knocked out of immediately title contention, but they also knew another would likely end up with a marketable title fight. They got the better of two options, as Anderson Silva is more in need of a marketable fight than Lyoto Machida, who has a number of big name candidates. The nature of Vitor's win and given that it was against Franklin makes him the most marketable opponent UFC could hope for in the Middleweight Title fight for Anderson. Vitor's got a great story, he's a legend at 32, and unlike someone like Cro Cop or Nogueira, he doesn't seem to be spent.
-Franklin seems like a seriously nice person. Rogan and Goldberg sure tout how nice he is. And I'm all for good sports and gracious losers. But I have to admit I'd like to see Franklin seem a little more upset after his losses. He just takes everything so in stride that if you're a Franklin fan, you almost wonder why you invested so much emotion in wanting to see him win if he doesn't seem to care. As an NFL fan, I've been irked many times by players on the sidelines laughing with each other late in the fourth quarter when it's clear they're about to lose. My weekend is ruined and they seem ready to party. Rich isn't that bad, but is it too much to ask him to be a little dismayed or at least dejected after a loss. He reacts to losses like he just lost a casual game of Saturday afternoon tennis to his son.
-With Rich coming off a devastating loss, it does set up a perfect backstory for a potential match against Forrest Griffin. They're both popular fighters with title reign histories, but coming off of losses that make fans question whether they are ever going to be title contenders again. It's a fight that both would be motivated for as both want to redeem their recent respective performances.
-Class Act Watch: I've given Goldberg a hard time for handing out the term "class act" like candy on Halloween, and tonight he resisted until the very end when he talked about how "classy" both Rich and Vitor are. Not too bad, and at least in this case it seems deserved... Speaking of Goldberg, "anti-climactic" has a "ct" sound in it. It's NOT "anti-climatic"... And we all learned that gonad is a "medical term" and that Goldberg thought it was slang and told Rogan it was banned by UFC. Rogan stuck to his guns and in the end was right. You have to love his added detail that he learned "women have them, too"... Goldberg sure gave the impression he didn't like working with Kenny Florian. He said several times how much he missed Rogan. I didn't notice any tension during Fight Night other than a couple times Florian ignored Goldberg comments or questions. I also might just be trying to stir trouble...
-In the post-event wrap-up, Rogan's suggestion that Cro Cop move to 205 is intriguing. Cro Cop is just a year old than Couture when he first fought in UFC, so it's not as if Cro Cop couldn't conceivably go on. The problem with that logic alone, though, is that it ignores the mileage that those Pride fights, especially the multi-fight tournaments, put on the fighters from the glory days of Pride. I'd rather watch old Cro Cop fights right now than a new one. That said, I would like to see Couture vs. Cro Cop at any weight. Even at this stage of their respective careers, it just seems like a fight that should happen. Cro Cop showed enough against Dos Santos that he shouldn't be totally written off. In fact, in a year or two it may turn out Cro Cop lasted nearly three rounds against the UFC Heavweight Champion who beats everyone else in round one. It's all relative, and so far we don't know just how good Dos Santos is. We do know he took a lot of punches from K1 great Cro Cop and didn't seem fazed.
-After tonight, I'm less interested than ever in seeing Cro Cop against the winner or loser of the Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin fight. Had Cro Cop won, he might have been in line for a fight against the winner. Had he lost by decision in a close fight, a fight against Lesnar if he lost to Carwin would be marketable and worthwhile from a rankings standpoint.
-Who's next for Dos Santos? The loser of Lesnar-Carwin? Cheik Kongo? Frank Mir? Someone who comes out of The Ultimate Fighter looking good? Kimbo Slice?
QUOTEBOOK
Josh Koscheck: "There are a couple things Frank Trigg is good at. One is giving up his back. And two is tapping out. It's simple."
Rich Franklin on Vitor Belfort: "What we did to get ready for him is we watched a lot of his tapes in fast-forward so that he looked faster on the tapes than [in person]. I hope so, anyway."
Mike Goldberg: "He literally exploded on Cole Miller."
Joe Rogan: "Jim Miller, I can see where his reach comes from. It's those long chimpanzee arms."
Mike Goldberg on Frank Trigg: "We remember years ago he came within a whisper of his life totally changing, defeating Matt Hughes almost to become Welterweight Champion."
Joe Rogan in response: "Well, sort of. Let's be realistic. First of all he kicked Matt Hughes in the balls. That's what started it off."
Joe Rogan a minute later: "I like Frank. I'm happy to have him back."
Mike Goldberg on Tito Ortiz's wife, Jenna Jameson: "His wife, the beautiful Jenna James [sic]."
Joe Rogan as Mirko Cro Cop came out to "Wild Boys": "I've said this before. Mirko is the toughest man to come out to Duran Duran music."
Joe Rogan on Cro Cop's future: "I think Mirko might want to wrap it up. It all depends on whether he has the desire to continue and go on. But the guy's achieved so much in his career and he's 35 years old. The guy was a member of the Parliament, head of the Croatian anti-terrorist squad. Or not! Who am I to tell him to stop fighting?"
Joe Rogan: "People Twittered me and they said that gonad is a real word and it's a medical term and women have them, too, apparently... I'm not a doctor but I know people on Twitter who know things."
Mike Goldberg in response: "It's been a long night."
