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MMA News : UFC
KELLER'S UFC 113 BLOG: Ongoing random thoughts in chronological order (including MMALive on ESPN2)

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May 8, 2010 - 11:00:07 PM

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KELLER'S WWE UFC 113 PPV BLOG
MAY 8, 2010
LIVE FROM MONTREAL, QUEBEC AT MOLSON CENTRE
AIRED ON PAY-PER-VIEW


By Wade Keller, MMATorch Supervising Editor

MMA LIVE ON ESPN2

-It's quite a strange feeling seeing a live pre-show on ESPN2 for this event. It's crazy, as Joe Rogan might say, how far MMA has come since those first shows in Alabama with 500 people in the crowd and PPV clearance problems and zero media coverage and not even a name for the sport (it was "No Holds Barred Fighting" or "Ultimate Fighting" back then).

-There will be a post-event show on ESPN2, also, right after the show ends at 1 a.m. ET. The "MMA Live" show is also airing Thursday nights at 1 a.m. ET / 10 p.m. PT throughout May. On the pre-show the host said they're relying on the West Coast viewers to deliver for them, and encouraged East Coast viewers to DVR it if they can't stay up. From talking to someone involved with the show back in March, it's pretty clear this month is "make or break" in terms of viewership numbers they need to reach to be renewed beyond May.

-"MMA Live" included Kenny Florian and Rashad Evans as cohosts. Dana White and Georges St. Pierre (including his smile) were guests.

-They listed all-time attendance records for UFC, with 21,451 for UFC 97 and 21,390 for UFC 83, both in Montreal, Quebec were the top two. UFC 68 in Columbus, Ga. (19,049), UFC 110 in Sydney, Australia (17,831), and UFC 103 in Dallas, Tex. with 17,423 round out the top five. (Brock Lesnar's home town fight at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minn., UFC 87, drew 15,082 paid for $2.25 million in ticket revenue, a building record, but it fell short of the top five.)

-GSP said there's a lot of pressure fighting in front of the home town fans, but he is better under pressure. Said the host, Jon Anik, in response: "Me, pressure, not good at all, as we could tell by the first half of the show." He did just fine, but clearly everyone involved with the "MMA Live" show feels a ton of pressure right now to deliver and earn repeat viewers and a renewal beyond May. Anik posted on Twitter earlier today: "Feel like I got a fight tonite!" And earlier in the week he said, "Hope to do the MMA community proud."

-Dana said during his interview, "It's about time, ESPN" at the very end of his interview, a reference to his wanting more and better coverage of MMA by ESPN.

-GSP said he would have given the first Shogun Rua-Lyoto Machida fight to Shogun. He said he wouldn't bet his house on either fighter tonight.

-Gareth A. Davis was a guest analyst from the Daily Telegraph in the U.K. gave his take on the fights. Also, John Brenkus from Sports Science was a guest late in the show. Brandon Vera demonstrated a Machida karate-style kick with 66Gs of acceleration. Then he demonstrated a Muay Thai-style kick like Shogun uses, which generated 80Gs of acceleration. They pointed out that the karate kick is much faster, though, by 27 percent. Florian said fighters make tough choices between speed and power throughout every fight.

-Florian and Rashad gave their predictions. Both picked Alan Belcher over Patrick Cote. Florian went with Kimbo, which surprised Rashad who picked Mitrione. The both picked Josh Koscheck over Paul Daley. Florian picked Machida, Rashad picked Shogun.

-Good show, and historic as it's ESPN's first dedicated TV coverage before a live MMV event. It was good that they were on site.

UFC 113 PPV

-After fighter trash-talking and a pre-event video package, Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan introduced the show from ringside. They stressed that Koscheck and Daley do not like each other.

1 -- PATRICK COTE vs. ALAN BELCHER -- Middleweight

ROUND ONE: Early low kick by Belcher... Crowd very vocal for Cote... At 3:00 Cote went for an arm submission. Belcher slipped out 30 seconds later, but it looked dangerous... They remained on the mat for the rest of the round... Belcher jumped up at the end and raised his arm to influence the judges since he ended the round with control...

ROUND TWO: Cote scored with a number of punches early... Belcher tapped Cote with a rear naked choke after lifting him and slamming him hard face-down on the mat. Cote immediately even before getting up complained about being dropped on his head purposefully. Rogan said Belcher dropped him on his face which is legal, adding: "To do a piledriver like in pro wrestling is technically illegal." He said what happened wasn't technically spiking, but it sure looked close.

WINNER: Belcher at 3:25 in round two via tapout.

STAR RATING: (***) Exciting fight with a decisive, if not slightly controversial, finish. There was a very good mix of both stand up and ground fighting.

POST-FIGHT: Belcher said he's happy that he fought a smart fight and didn't just swing away. He said he wants Anderson Silva because he can take it to him. At first he didn't say he was talking about Silva, but he said everyone knows who he was talking about. Rogan said he didn't know and he pressed him for a name. It's always good when interviewers actually listen to the answers of fighters and ask good follow-ups. Rogan did what viewers wanted him to do and press him on specifics.

2 -- KIMBO SLICE vs. MATT MITRIONE -- Heavyweight

ROUND ONE: Rogan said Kimbo may be the only fighter who uses a gimmicked name... Mitrione was dancing and running all over the cage early, smiling, also, showing great confidence... Mitrione went for a high kick early. Kimbo threw a punch and landed it. Mitrione smiled. Kimbo picked him up and slammed him hard to the mat. Mitrione tried to escape. Kimbo slammed him again. Mitrione got a very close triangle leg choke. Kimbo powered out and got into side control after a dramatic minute.... Loud chant of "Kimbo! Kimbo!" followed... Fun opening 90 seconds... Rogan said Mitrione believes you can break Kimbo if you put relentless pressure on him... Mitrione got up at 3:00, but Kimbo slammed him right back down, showing great power and a sense of leverage. He didn't do much damage, though, on top. Mitrione again tried for a triangle choke... Kimbo backed off at 3:30 and let Mitrione stand. Mitrione smiled and went for another high kick. Kimbo stepped away. Mitrione landed a knee and a leg kick... Mitrione swept Kimbo's leg and took him down. Mitrione then went for another submission on the mat, wrapping Kimbo's head with his arm and leg with 20 seconds left with a gator roll. He survived the round... Entertaining round. Kimbo looked very winded afterward... The ref warned Kimbo that he can't do another eye gouge when on the ground...

ROUND TWO: It began to look like Jose Aldo kicking Urijah Faber with Mitrione kicking Kimbo repeatedly to the point Kimbo went for a takedown just to avoid it... Mitrione stood back up with Kimbo. Kimbo looked like he lost his will to fight a little as he was winded and lost his ability to push off his front leg. Kimbo held on and went for a takedown, but couldn't finish. Mitrione smothered Kimbo against the fence. Rogan said this is what Mitrione predicted, that if he put pressure on him Kimbo would wilt. He threw knees and had Kimbo down like Brock Lesnar had Frank Mir down against the fence. Mitrione got Kimbo's back. Rogan said Kimbo had almost given up at this point. Kimbo had no explosion left to escape. He was on his back, gasping, and eating some punches,m but still defending himself with his arms. After 15 seconds of throwing punches, Mitrione got punched out a bit and took a break and checked the clock. He decided to shift to a submission attempt. He almost twisted his arm off, then went back to punches. Kimbo showed no sign of life, so the ref finally stepped in with about 30 seconds left... Rogan was very impressed with Mitrione's progress. "A very, very impressive performance," he said...

WINNER: Mitrione at 4:30 of round two.

STAR RATING: (**+): Not all that competitive. Mitrione seemed in a class above Kimbo in most every category. Borderline embarrassing performance for Kimbo, but he kept hanging in there even if he was winded way sooner than a pro fighter should have been. Maybe Mitrione is just that good. We'll better be able to judge Kimbo's performance here after Mitrione fights another couple legit heavyweights. Not sure if Kimbo will get another PPV fight after this.

POST-FIGHT: Rogan told Mitrione how much he impressed him. Kimbo walked into the interview and thanked Montreal and wished mothers everywhere a Happy Mother's Day. Kimbo then left. Mitrione said he's up for whatever UFC throws at him next.

3 -- SAM STOUT vs. JEREMY STEPHENS -- Lightweight

ROUND ONE: Stephens rocked Stout with a left early and then dropped him with a right. Stout came up bleeding from his nose but otherwise seemed okay. Stout had a better second half of the round. Very competitive and high-energy, almost all as expected on the feet.

ROUND TWO: Stevens took Stout down at 1:00, but Stout nearly got a kimura from his back. Stephens got up by 1:30 and it was back to exchanging punches and kicks... Stephens clearly had more power and dished out more damage, but Stout looked strong at the end of the round...

ROUND THREE: They opened up even more early in this round, but it seemed clear this was probably going to the judges with neither fighter showing the power to finish the other as Stout had a good chin and good endurance while Stephens just wasn't showing effects from Stout's punches or kicks... At 2:15 Stephens landed a knee... Well, Stout stunned Stephens with something, perhaps a body shot. Stephens leaned on his knees. Stout then moved in aggressively and had the best flurry of the fight that was the closest anyone came to finishing, it seemed. He mounted Stephens and threw some punches and elbows. Rogan was told it was a leg kick that hurt Stephens lead leg... At 3:30 they were back on their feet and Stephens seemed to have recovered for the most part and threw some big swings. Rogan was surprised Stout didn't throw more leg kicks to try to drop Stephens again... Stephens took Stout down at 4:45. Stout got right back up, but that could play into scoring the round... Close fight and very good start to finish... Both fighters showboated for the judges, trying to sell their confidence that they won the close fight. It'd be interesting to know from judges on some sort of truth serum if that ever affected their decision...

WINNER: Jeremy Stephens via split decision (30-27, 29-28, 28-29). Stout applauded immediately, accepting the decision. Not sure about the judge who gave Stout that final round.

STAR RATING (**+): Good fight. There's something about Stout's fights that often leaves me a little flat, as when it seems he's not going to have the knockout power to finish a fight, but has a good enough chin to avoid getting knocked out, a little bit of that edge that makes a fight really exciting goes away and it feels just a notch above a sparring match. But you can't knock the effort and energy of either fighter, and it was far from a bad fight.

POST-FIGHT: Rogan told a very happy Stephens he thought his power was the difference. He agreed.

A -- JOE DOERKSEN vs. TOM LAWLOR

ROUND ONE: Lawlor looks like a mini Don Frye... Lawler dropped Doerksen with a right at 1:45 and threw a barrage onthe mat. Back on their feet, Lawlor scored more. Doerksen showed some signs of life, but Lawlor then dominated again. Doerksen seemed on the verge of being done, but he fought back, ate more punches, and then kept swinging. Rogan wondered if Lawlor punched himself out. Doerksen bled from the nose... Doerksen survived and Lawlor looked exhausted at the end, even though he won the round decisively...

ROUND TWO: Doerksen came out looking the fresher of the two... At 2:00 Doerksen locked on a rear naked choke for the win. Lawlor frantically tapped as he didn't want another split-second of that once he decided there was no getting out...

WINNER: Joe Doerksen at 2:10 of second round via tapout.

STAR RATING (***): Another slugfest. Good stuff, and strong finish.

POST-FIGHT: Doerksen said he was rocked early, but he kept fighting. He said it could easily have been either of them standing there with a win. He sent love to Winnipeg...

4 -- PAUL DALEY vs. JOSH KOSCHECK -- Welterweight No. 1 Contendership At Stake

PRE-FIGHT: Man, there was some nasty trash-talking in the pre-fight video package. Either of these guys is going to be a fun contrast to GSP on The Ultimate Fighter... Koscheck got his "we still hate you" boos from the crowd... Rogan raved about being able to watch Koscheck's path from an elite amateur wrestler to a full-fledged well-rounded MMA fighter... Goldberg named the UFC fighters with more wins than Koscheck. It's a short list: Randy Couture, Tito Ortiz, Matt Hughes, Chuck Liddell, and George St. Pierre. Wow. Rogan said he likes to fight and he'll fight anyone anytime... Koscheck is 32, Daley 27. Koscheck has a one inch height advantage...

ROUND ONE: No glove touch before the fight. Not even a thought. Koscheck looked at the ref during pre-fight instructions as Daley stared him down... Daley leaped at Koscheck with a flying knee at the very start... At 1:00 Koscheck took Daley down. Daley fought his way back up, but Koscheck slammed him back down and wrapped him up in side control. That was a bit humbling for Daley, taking him out of his game at will early... Koscheck pushed Daley against the fence and looked to throw punches to the head. Daley maneuvered into a better position and defended so he took no punishment. Koscheck smothered him, though, and it was clear Daley was going nowhere. The crowd booed as they wanted action, but it's smart for Koscheck to go for a round one win just from controlling the fight, although the ref could stand them up if he didn't keep working. Daley kicked Koscheck away, but Koscheck moved right back in and then got his back. Rogan said it was bad and called "check" at 3:15. Koscheck patiently tried to wrap his legs around Daley and lock in the choke. Daley was fresh, but not very sweaty yet. With 1:00 left, Daley looked to be in big trouble, but then he powered out. As Koscheck was getting up, Daley nailed him in the eye socket with an illegal knee. The ref stepped in and deducted the point immediately. Koshcheck sold it big-time, but there was a good chance he'd sell it whether he was hurt or not based on his past. A replay indicated that Daley barely grazed him. The crowd erupted in boos. "Josh Koscheck might want to take a look at that and stand up," Rogan said. Goldberg pointed out the eye poke situation. Rogan said he saw the eye poke with another replay angle. Rogan then said Koscheck took a toe to the eye and agreed it barely hit him. However, a slo-mo replay showed the knee barely grazed him and there was no eye poke. Rogan said: "And the Oscar goes to..." Koscheck ducked a big Daley swing and went for another takedown. Goldberg and Rogan wondered if the ref would still deduct a point. Goldberg found out officials in Quebec can't look at replay to decide whether to deduct a point. Rogan said Koscheck played it smart by selling it and getting a point taken away from his opponent. Fact is Daley threw an illegal knee, and whether it landed or just grazed him, it was illegal. The ref, though, said no point was taken away because it never hit him. "Craziness," said Rogan. As if Koscheck needed to give fans another reason to despise him...

ROUND TWO: Koscheck took Daley down again early. Rogan said only Chael Sonnen takes people down like Koscheck does... The crowd chanted, "GSP! GSP!" Rogan said a Koscheck vs. GSP rematch would be interesting. He said Koscheck took GSP's wrestling skills lightly as no one took Koscheck down like GSP did in that fight... Rogan was impressed with Daley's ground defense... Koscheck kept working from the top, which kept the ref from even considering standing them up, so he racked up points in the eyes of the judges in terms of Octagon control... He got Daley's back at 3:45, but Daley continued to defend himself. With 45 seconds left Koscheck went to his back and patiently waited for a chance to choke Daley from behind. The ref warned them he'd stand them up if he didn't work. Rogan didn't agree with that threat... Another round to Koscheck... They showed GSP after the round. The crowd roared their approval. The announcers talked about GSP, although I'd have rather heard what Daley's corner told him. They finally gut to Daley's corner, but whatever pep talk and strategy suggestions he was given had already been given...

ROUND THREE: Koscheck teased engaging in stand-up with Daley. Rogan said the strategy of Koscheck's trainers was for Koscheck to lure Daley into thinking he was going to engage in stand-up, then take him down. The hope was Koscheck would stick to that plan and not actually engage in stand-up... Koscheck 1:30 Koscheck got Daley down... More of the same, with Daley trying to find an answer to Koscheck's dominance on the ground. Koscheck just waited to see which side Daley was going to give him and then scored some points from that position with punches... There were scattered boos in the final minute of the round. Daley did some trash-talking from his back, but what can he say? Koscheck dominated him in an aspect of MMA that Daley is far behind in...

HOLY SHIT: After the fight, Daley went after Koscheck and punched him. I've never seen that ever. He's done. I'm not sure if he should be allowed in UFC again. I don't care what the official suspension is, he should be done. You cannot allow that. Koscheck wasn't hurt badly by the punch, but he could have been as his guard was down. The ref restrained Daley and said, "Are you kidding me?" He actually made him promise not to do anything else if he let go of him. Koscheck threw a verbal "f--- you" at him from across the Octagon. I get that Daley spent months wanting to punch Koscheck and didn't get a chance to, but that's what happens. Rogan said, "That was the best shot he landed in the whole fight." The only sympathy Daley deserves for throwing that punch is that Koscheck appeared to once again fake or exaggerate the effects of an illegal blow in the first round. What Koscheck did was lame and unsportsmanlike, but Daley was way more out of line. This isn't an NBA fight or a batter charging the mound after an inside pitch. This is a lethal puncher taking a blind shot at an unsuspecting opponent because he got dominated on the mat against a better MMA fighter. UFC needs to make it as clear as clear can be that something like that is not tolerated even a little. Anything less than a one year suspension is way too little. This gives the ESPN2 "MMA Live" team something to really talk about in their 30 minute post-PPV show...

WINNER: Koscheck 30-27, 30-27, 30-27. Why was Daley even allowed to stand in the ring for the announcement? He should have been escorted out of the building by security. That's just totally not acceptable, even slightly.

INTERVIEW: Koscheck told the booing Montreal fans that the Pittsburgh Penguins are going to kick their ass next week. He said GSP is next. Koscheck plugged his after party. Rogan tried to get him to commend on Paul Daley, but Koscheck apparently considers him yesterday's news.

VOTE IN OUR POLL: What should Daley's punishment be?

STAR RATING: (**-) This was a great wrestler dominating a great stand-up fighter in another display of why a wrestler wrestler beats a great striker the vast majority of the time. Yeah, with the bad blood, it was disappointing for fans, but Koscheck fought a smart fight and maybe shouldn't have stood as much as he did with Daley before going for the takedowns.

5 -- LYOTO MACHIDA vs. SHOGUN RUA -- LIght-Heavyweight Title Fight

PRE-FIGHT: They thought long and hard about a pre-match glove touch, but finally Rua offered it and Lyoto accepted. Pretty funny, actually.

ROUND ONE: This started at 21 minutes into the third hour of PPV time. If a fighter needed five minutes due to an infraction and the fight went the distance, this would push their limits of PPV time... At 1:30 Machida took Shogun down. Up until that point both were tentative yet active. Shogun escaped and got back to his feet... Shogun landed a left and a right as Machida backed up and Machida wobbled. Machida went right back at him, though, closed the distance, and took him down... Goldberg said there have been 28 rematches in UFC history, and the results of those are 13-13-2, where the winner and loser of the previous fight wins exactly half the time each. Crazy stat, but it shows UFC makes good decisions on booking rematches... Shogun ate a knee to the body, but then landed a big right and a bartage of punches. Machida tried to hug him and close the distance, but Shogun shoved his head down with is left, landed two rights, missed with a left, and landed another right, knocking Machida out cold. "No doubt about it this time," said Rogan. True. Decisive big win for Shogun. Machida stayed down for a while after the fight. It doesn't seem he knew where he was or what happened...

WINNER: Shogun Rua at 3:35 of the (very) first round to capture the UFC Light-Heavyweight Title. I guess now the question is whether Shogun should be considred 2-0 against Machida (if not officially, for all intents and purposes) since this solidifies that Shogun should have won that first one. He is back. He is the class of the division. Machida looked spectacular until running into Shogun...

STAR RATING (****-): This had everything a four-star fight should have, short of being very long with a lot of that back and forth drama. It had a lot of drama packed into three-and-a-half minute, major ramifications in that it was a title change, it was historical in that a legit top-tier fighter from Pride finally worked his way to the top of UFC, and featured a memorable decisive KO finish. Machida showed signs of life early and Rua came back for a decisive KO win. Both fighters were aggressive. Machida paid a price for deciding to go for broke and not leave any doubt about a winner or loser. He probably won't do that again, as his style is better suited for a conservative approach and picking spots instead of leaving himself vulnerable for a big punch from a powerful striker such as Rua. Rua had a great gameplan.

POST-FIGHT: Rogan asked Shogun if he felt any added pressure to finish this fight due to the controversial judges' call in the last one. As Shogun answered, Machida got to his feet. The camera showed his face and the arena "ohhed" and "ahhed" at the site. Shogun said Machida is a very good fighter, but this time he worked on his punches instead of his kicks and he is happy with his strategy. Shogun was all smiles. He was about as happy as any fighter has looked after a big UFC win. He sent a hello to his wife, celebrating her first mother's day. The crowd gave him a very big ovation... Great shot by the camera team of Machida walking to the back, head down, ice pack pressed against a huge welt above his left eye... Machida hasn't come across as especially likable since becoming champion. Rua seemed very charismatic and likable here. Good trade from a business standpoint for UFC. Machida just seemed kind of boring as a person, so it was tougher to sell him the centerpiece of a huge division in UFC history...

-They went into a plug narrated by Goldberg for the June 20 WEC card on Versus in Edmonton, Alberta. Hey, the WEC name is logo is back!

-Goldberg plugged "MMA Live" on ESPN2. That will help the ratings for sure.

B -- MARCUS DAVIS vs. JONATHAN GOULET

ROUND ONE: Rogan noted that Davis looks like he's lost 10 pounds and thus added speed and quickness... Goulet went for an early takedown, but Davis slithered out and to his feet quickly. At 1:40 Davis locked on a guillotine, which Goulet somehow survived. "Woooowww!" said Rogan as Roulet powered out of it. The crowd cheered. Goulet went after Davis afterward, as Davis may have used a ton of energy in his arms. Goulet dominated the end of the round, dropped Davis and controlling him against the fence. Good round. Goulet set the pace after getting out of the guillotine... Davis's corner told him to sit low with his stance, outpunch him, stuff the head when he goes for a takedown, and don't worry about submitting him, try to punch him...

ROUND TWO: Rogan said Davis's low stance could leave him vulnerable for a right kick... Davis landed a big right early and dropped Goulet. He mounted Goulet and held him down as he tried to improve his position. Goulet got up again at 1:15. Davis KO'd Goulet seconds later with a right and a left. The ref stepped in immediately. Goulet was okay with the fall, sitting up quickly on his knees, but looking defeated. Rogan said, "That's a big victory for Davis right when he needed it." The replay got an "ohh" and "ahh" from the crowd. Very good refereeing, stepping in quickly as soon as it was clear Goulet was rolling over and giving up...

WINNER: Davis at 1:23 or round two.

STAR RATING (**+): Good fight for sure. Back and forth in that first round and a great KO finish by Davis.

-Goldberg and Rogan wrapped up the event at ringside. Rogan said Mitrione looked like a totally different fighter and outclassed Kimbo. Regarding Paul Daley's post-fight KO, he said he should be in jail. He said the phantom knee by Koscheck was unfortunate, but the post-fight punch was way worse. "I'm very curious to see what repercussions are gonna be because of that. Paul Daley clearly assaulted Josh Koscheck. Obviously that's very very frowned upon and highly illegal. Interesting to see what happens. Really, he should be in jail. That's assault." Goldberg said, "That's not what the sport is about." He said Koscheck has some of the best wrestling in the game and the best takedowns in the game. Rogan said Rua took what was rightfully his by decisively beating Machida. They replayed the KO punches by Rua. Rogan said Rua took a fight injured against Forrest Griffin because he needed the money, and that happens sometimes in "this crazy sport." He said Forrest did a fantastic job in that fight, but the Rua that showed up tonight is the one they expected when they acquired his services from Japan's Pride.

QUOTEBOOK

Paul Daley: "Josh Koscheck, as a person, in my opinion, he's just a dick."

Joe Rogan: "Paul Daley is one-dimensional, but God damn is he good at that one dimension."

Joe Rogan after a low kick: "If you've never been hit like that, you don't know what you've been missing."

Joe Doerksen: "I always tell my temmates students if he hit you and it hurts, you're still awake, so hit 'em back."

Mike Goldberg: "They always say somebody has to wear the black hat. Josh Koscheck and Paul Daley are fighting over it in this match-up."

===

MMATorch Supervising Editor Wade Keller has covered the sport of MMA dating back to before UFC's first PPV as it was emerging in Japan. He covered the early UFC PPVs for the Torch Newsletter, interviewed MMA's original match-maker Art Davie for the Torch back in 1995, interviewed Dana White in 2001, and has attended multiple UFC and other MMA events as credentialed media for more than a decade. The Torch was one of the first media entities covering all aspects of MMA dating back to UFC 1. He is a double-black-stripe belt in karate and has trained in judo and jiu jitsu at the North Star Martial Arts Academy. He has been a full-time journalist since 1990.

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