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by Shawn Ennis, MMATorch Senior Columnist RECOMMENDATION: Great night of fights tonight, and definitely worth the price of admission.
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Hit F5 throughout the evening for updated results starting at 10:00 Eastern Time. Also be sure to check out Wade Keller's ongoing live coverage from the Target Center in Minneapolis.
Ladies and gentlemen, it is now 10:00 in the eveningtime here in the Eastern Time zone, and you know what that means. Cue the horrid gladiator footage! Hear the black and white interviews! See the sepia highlight reel! Recoil at the annoying generic metal background music! It's time for UFC 87: Seek and Destroy! Wait…that must have been all in my head, because I have no signal on my satellite receiver. You see, there's a thunderstorm going on right now, so hopefully I'll get a picture soon. And as I type that, I get intermittent Goldberg and Rogan. So I have some signal.
I am really excited for this event, so let's get this show on the road. Our esteemed Editor-in-Chief and Supervising Editor are live in person at the show, and I'm here on my couch being envious. But that's alright. We've got at least three awesome fights on paper tonight, and there's no telling what the rest of the bouts will bring. Let's do this.
So during the hype, they just said that Jon Fitch's guard has never been passed in the UFC. That is insane. And then my signal goes out. But it's back in time for the…
FIRST FIGHT: JASON "THE ATHELETE" MACDONALD vs. DEMIAN MAIA (Middleweight)
Round 1: We're getting right to the action here, and MacDonald is the aggressor starting off. He goes for the clinch early, which seems odd given his pronounced reach advantage. Maia pulls guard and the fight goes to the ground. Maia pretty easily grabs a triangle choke, and MacDonald is hanging in there. It seems like a pretty tight choke, and Maia is dropping elbows. Rogan said that it was over when Maia got the triangle, but Maia rolls and MacDonald escapes. MacDonald takes his back and almost gets a rear naked choke, but Maia is able to roll him back into full guard. Great sequence. MacDonald stands up, then heads back into the guard. Very impressive movement by MacDonald, and he is not scared of Maia. He tries to grab a guillotine from the top position, and it's tight. MacDonald attempts to get full guard, but Maia passes. Another impressive sequence as Maia scrambles and takes MacDonald's back. He works the rear naked choke with a tight body triangle, but MacDonald defends well. Maia continues to work and MacDonald pulls the hand away as the round ends. That was a fantastic, fantastic round. I have no idea who won it. If I had to score it, it'd probably be 10-9 for MacDonald by a hair due to more effective striking.
Round 2: Maia catches MacDonald on the ear with a nice right hand to start, and MacDonald shoots. They clinch against the fence, and Maia lands some knees in the clinch. Maia ends up taking the fight to the ground in top position, and he quickly passes to mount. He lands a punch, and MacDonald starts to roll. Maia lands some nasty left hands as MacDonald is moving, and it's back to the mount. Elbows by Maia. MacDonald looks to roll again and almost gets caught in an arm triangle, but Maia pushes him back and lands more elbows. Maia lands punches, but MacDonald defends. The punches aren't doing much damage at all. MacDonald tries to push Maia into the guard unsuccessfully, then he pops out of the position, but MacDonald has an arm. MacDonald escapes and gets into the guard of Maia with 15 seconds left. MacDonald moves to half guard as the round ends. That one clearly goes to Maia. Great crowd so far tonight, by the way.
Round 3: MacDonald's corner tells him not to take the fight to the ground again. MacDonald looks to strike, but Maia gets a takedown. MacDonald grabs a guillotine and Maia escapes. MacDonald then moves into Maia's guard and escapes a guillotine of his own. Maia tries to move, and MacDonald takes his back briefly. Maia escapes, however, and moves into side control and then the mount. Maia is tired, but lands some elbows. MacDonald spins and takes some punishment as Maia takes his back. Maia sinks a choke, and the fight is over.
RESULT: Maia by submission at 2:44 of Round 3.
STAR RATING: (***+) Great fight to start us off. Lots of back and forth action, and that first round was a classic.
RAMIFICATIONS: Maia takes a step up the ladder, and he'll probably get a tough fight his next time out. They're surely grooming him to fight Anderson Silva, along with Rousimar Palhares. MacDonald was hardly a slouch here, though. He'll surely have to stay around in the UFC despite the loss. He could fight an Alan Belcher in a loser leaves town match, or something, though I like both fighters.
We get some hype now for the main event and UFC 88.
They're not joking around with fight order here, moving straight to Huerta-Florian.
SECOND FIGHT: KENNY FLORIAN vs. ROGER "EL MATADOR" HUERTA (Lightweight)
Huerta gets a hero's welcome on his way to the cage, and I'm happy to see that Clay Guida is in the front row again. He's always entertaining to have in the background. Florian doesn't get much of a reaction coming in. I think this is an incredibly scary fight for Huerta if he's looking to make his mark. Florian is so dangerous everywhere. I'm just not sure how Huerta would beat him. But hey – that's why this fight is exciting.
Round 1: Huerta lands a leg kick, and Florian answers. Another leg kick by Huerta. Florian throws a leg kick and Huerta misses a counter punch. They continue to feel each other out. Huerta fakes a Superman punch and lands a leg kick. He comes in and Florian grabs a big takedown, moving immediately into the mount. Huerta spins and Florian gets his back. Florian lands some punches underneath. Huerta impressively works his way back to the feet using the cage. Huerta misses a punch. Superman punch-head kick combination misses for Florian. Huerta shoots and florian looks for a knee, but Huerta backs off and lands some nice punches. They clinch against the fence. Huerta lands some punches, and Florian hits a standing elbow as they separate. Huerta is wild with some punches and eats one from Florian. Leg kicks by Huerta, and Florian lands a counter. Leg kick by Huerta, and a big left for Florian as the round ends. I think Florian took that one. Huerta has that caged animal look, and Florian is just waiting for him to make a mistake.
Round 2: Nice high kick by Florian to start, and a right hand lands. Body kick by Florian, and a head kick. Huerta throws an uppercut. Body shot by Florian, and Huerta fakes a Superman punch then lands a body kick. They clinch, and Huerta looks for the takedown. Florian steps back and avoids. Leg kick by Huerta. He feigns the Superman again, looking for a combination. That's not working all that well for him. Florian lands a couple of punches on the way in for a takedown, which is largely stuffed by Huerta. Huerta looks for a standing kimura as Florian hangs on to the leg. Florian eventually drags him down and gets side control. He moves to Huerta's back and lands punches underneath. He's high on the back of Huerta, and Huerta escapes. They're back on the feet. Leg kick by Florian, and another. He sweeps the leg of Huerta and puts him on the canvas. Huerta gets back up, and Florian continues to pepper him with punches. Huerta is getting frustrated here. Another Superman fake by Huerta, and he looks for punches but eats a knee. Leg kick by Huerta. They clinch after Huerta fakes the Superman punch again. Florian grabs the Thai plumb and lands some elbows. Right hand lands for Huerta, but he eats one from Florian. Left-right by Florian, and a body kick. The round ends with a flurry that Florian gets the best of. Florian takes round two.
Round 3: Huerta is visibly aware of his situation, as he has to finish the fight to win. Front kick by Florian snaps Huerta's head back. Florian gets a brief takedown and catches Huerta with a knee on the way up. Big flying knee and a punch by Florian. Another knee by Florian, and Huerta spits on the ground to show disdain (and show that he's hurt.) Florian takes it to the ground and looks for a leg submission, but soon moves to Huerta's guard. Huerta lands elbows from the bottom and eats a big left hand from Florian. They clinch their way back to the feet and separate. Huerta looks to land punches and is largely blocked. Florian lands a few shots and another nice knee followed by a head kick that's blocked. Big left hand by Florian. Florian almost catches an elbow and they smile at each other. Front kick snaps Huerta's head back again. Body kick by Florian. Jab by Florian. Huerta seems to be chasing him and just looking for an opening to knock him out. It's not working as Florian continues to pepper him. Huerta catches him finally with a left-right combo, but Florian is unfazed. Knee by Florian, and he moves away. Head kick by Florian, and Huerta falls ahs he looks for a body kick. Florian chases Huerta down and lands some big punches. Knees to the head and jabs by Florian as the fight ends, and it's a clean sweep for Florian. Huerta is visibly dejected.
RESULT: Florian by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (***) Florian put on a clinic against Huerta, playing not only to Huerta's style, but his personality as well. Brilliant gameplan by Florian. He catches some boos in the post-fight interview, but he's all class.
RAMIFICATIONS: As long as Huerta's contract negotiations go well, he'll be in the UFC forever regardless of wins and losses. I'd like to see him fight Matt Wiman after Wiman's out-of-nowhere win at UFC 85. I would imagine (again, given that the negotiations go well) we'll see Huerta sooner rather than later. It could be a while for Florian, since BJ Penn seems intent on fighting the welterweight champion. I can't figure out why he's being allowed to do so after only one title defense at 155 (other than the "he's BJ Penn" reason), but that's just me.
We get lots of promos for upcoming events, and we get the somehow-on-the-main-card Gamburyan-Emerson fight.
THIRD FIGHT: MANVEL "THE ANVIL" GAMBURYAN vs. ROB EMERSON (Lightweight)
Round 1: Manvel comes out swinging wildly, and Emerson catches him early with a big right hand and puts him down, then follows up with another left that puts him out. Gamburyan protests briefly, but eventually just looks upset that he lost.
RESULT: Emerson by KO at 0:12 of Round 1.
STAR RATING: (*+) Not much to it.
RAMIFICATIONS: Not too many, quite honestly. I guess Emerson gets to stay in the UFC…he's one of those guys that I've never been overly impressed with, but he just keeps hanging around. Maybe he'll fight Nate Diaz or something next. I don't know. Gamburyan could perhaps fight someone like Clay Guida. That'd be a fun fight to watch.
FOURTH FIGHT (prelim): CHEICK KONGO vs. DAN EVENSEN (Heavyweight)
Evensen is a big dude. And so is Kongo. That's all I have to say. I think Kongo wins this one pretty handily. But that's knowing nothing about Evensen. There's some deep analysis for you. Bruce Buffer gives us some material by saying that Kongo holds a perfect record of 21-4-1.
Round 1: They circle to start out, and Kongo throws a leg kick, then another. Body kick by Kongo. Body kick by Evensen. Evensen charges and they clinch. Kongo looks for the takedown and gets it. Evensen pushes him away, but Kongo kicks the legs. Axe kick by Kongo is caught. More leg kicks by Kongo. Yves Lavigne lets Evensen up. They clinch again against the cage. Evensen looks for a standing guillotine, but lets it go. Inside knee by Kongo. Evensen looks for a guillotine again and he cranks it. Kongo pops out and lands more knees to the legs. Evensen seems a bit tired, and Kongo is really looking for the leg here. He gets the takedown and looks for some ground and pound. He stands back up and kicks the legs again, then Evensen is allowed to stand. High kick misses for Evensen and Kongo hits a liver kick, then another body kick, and he puts Evensen down with a right hand. He follows Evensen down and finishes him with eight seconds left in the round. I always wonder why Kongo looks for takedowns so much when he's got such devastating strikes.
RESULT: Kongo by TKO at 4:55 of Round 1.
STAR RATING: (**) Not a great round up until the finish, but the finish itself was nice, and Kongo showed good aggression and nasty strikes.
RAMIFICATIONS: I'd be surprised to see Evensen back any time soon, but Kongo got a great reaction from the crowd, which shows that he's got a pretty strong following. If he can win a couple of big fights, I wouldn't be surprised to see him in a title fight, since the division is so thin.
FIFTH FIGHT: HEATH "THE TEXAS CRAZY HORSE" HERRING vs. BROCK LESNAR (Heavyweight)
Herring says he's fought bigger and stronger and better wrestlers than Lesnar, which is debatable. There's Tom Erikson, I suppose, but other than that I don't know. Which is not to say that Herring shouldn't be the favorite here, because he should. (Lest we forget, Herring has 40 more fights than Lesnar.) Anyway, Lesnar gets a nice reaction from the crowd as expected, and Clay Guida is on his second outfit for the night. I really don't understand why the crowd isn't mic'd better than this, though. It makes for a lot more exciting event when you can feel how excited the crowd is. This is a chronic thing for UFC events, so hopefully they'll figure it out some time. I think the question mark here, as we all know by now, is whether Lesnar can take a punch. I would imagine that he's got a pretty good chin, but you never know. If he doesn't, this one could be over pretty quick.
Round 1: Lesnar charges out with a flying knee that misses, and he lands a big right hand on Herring that puts him down. Holy smoke. Herring gets back up and Lesnar grabs a standing guillotine. Herring is landing some punches from the position. They separate, and Herring lands a parting shot. Lesnar backs up and then charges in for an easy takedown. He stands up, throws Herring's legs aside, and pushes Herring against the fence, almost taking his back. He lands some punches from underneath. These are some big punches. Herring tries to roll into guard, but Lesnar keeps him where he is. Herring is complaining about something, but the shots are legit. More punches underneath by Lesnar, and a big knee to the body. Elbow by Lesnar, and Herring lands an elbow from all fours. Herring looks to spin again, but Lesnar stays on his back. Herring continues to try to escape, but Lesnar is controlling the position and continuing to land punches. It looks like Herring's eye is swollen shut. Lesnar milks the crowd then lands more big knees to the side. The round ends, and Lesnar shoves Herring as he gets up. Big round for Lesnar.
Round 2: Left hand by Lesnar, and Herring lands a body kick. Lesnar shoots and is thwarted. Leg kick by Lesnar. Herring looks for a judo trip, but he's unable to leverage Lesnar and we're in the same position as round one. Lesnar moves into side control. He looks for a kimura briefly. Herring escapes, but ends up in the same position as before. Lesnar snaps into mount, but Herring escapes again. Lesnar looks again to take Herring's back. Herring rolls and Lesnar lands big knees to the side. Lesnar is in good position for an arm triangle, but he moves into side control. Herring looks to roll, but Lesnar continues to control the positioning. Herring is finally able to get to the feet. They clinch, and Lesnar lands two big knees to the body. The second one seemed to hurt Herring. Herring lands a knee to the body, then almost lands an uppercut as Lesnar takes him down again and the round ends. Lesnar takes round two.
Round 3: This is the round that should remind us why Herring is so dangerous for Lesnar. Lots of fighters would be mentally out of the fight right now, but Herring will not. Lesnar lands some punches, and Herring pushes Lesnar against the fence. Body punch lands for Herring, and Lesnar lands a knee to the body. Another knee for Lesnar. Herring answers in kind, and Lesnar moves again into position behind Herring on the ground. Lesnar lands more knees to the body. Lesnar looks for a kimura underneath, but Lesnar spins into a mount. Herring spins out and we're back to the familiar position. More big knees by Lesnar. Lesnar takes Herring's back and almost looks for a rear naked choke. Herring escapes and works back to the feet, landing some shots on the way up. Lesnar chooses not to get punched anymore and takes Herring back down with authority. They jockey for position and Lesnar is back on top. They transition again from Lesnar taking the back to taking the mount. The fight ends as Lesnar taunts Herring, and he gets a clean sweep of his own.
RESULT: Lesnar by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
STAR RATING: (***) Lesnar put a tremendous beatdown on a guy with more than 10 times his MMA experience. Great performance by Lesnar, and Herring as always showed a lot of heart.
RAMIFICATIONS: Ladies and gentlemen, Brock Lesnar is for real, and that should be very scary for the UFC heavyweight division. There was a big difference between this Lesnar and the one that fought Frank Mir. There are still some gaping holes in his game, but if he keeps improving at this rate, that is not good news for any potential opponent. I'm not sure who's next for Lesnar, but it should be a good one. Herring is still a great fighter to have around, so hopefully he'll get some more good fights. Maybe against some more potential up and comers.
SIXTH FIGHT: GEORGES "RUSH" ST. PIERRE (Champion) vs. JON FITCH (Welterweight Championship)
I love this fight. St. Pierre is a monster, as we know, but Fitch is no one to be taken lightly. He is a beast, and he's one of the more well-rounded fighters you'll see. He's a black belt in Dave Camarillo's Guerilla Jiu Jitsu, which is an unorthodox judo/jiu-jitsu hybrid. Of course, he's also a very good wrestler, which we already knew. That having been said, GSP is the antidote for good wrestlers. He gets a great ovation from the crowd.
Round 1: St. Pierre takes Fitch down immediately. He works in Fitch's thus-far unpassable guard. Fitch does well controlling the hands. GSP lands a couple of nice shots. Elbow by GSP, and he moves into half guard. He's back into full guard, and he stands up and lands some punches to the head. Fitch gets back to the feet, but GSP grabs a leg and takes him down again. They stand up, and GSP lands a left hand. Leg kick by Fitch, and GSP counters with a big left hand that drops Fitch. GSP follows Fitch down and lands more punches from inside the guard. Elbows by St. Pierre. GSP is in the half guard, then back into the gull guard, and he lands some more punches. Fitch looks to scramble, and he eats some more shots. Fitch jumps back to his feet and eats some more stiff shots from the champ. They go back down and GSP is in side control. Fitch pulls him into the guard, but GSP lands some vicious elbows. GSP in the half guard, and he passes into side control. First time for everything. GSP mounts with 12 seconds left, but Fitch bucks him off as the round ends. Big round for GSP, but Fitch showed some real guts (not to mention ability to take some punishment.)
Round 2: Right hand lands for GSP, and a left jab. Fitch lands a nice body punch, and GSP lands a Superman/leg kick combo. Left-right combo for GSP. Head kick by St. Pierre. Body punch lands for Fitch, and GSP lands a jab and a leg kick. Fitch looks for some offense in the clinch, and they separate. GSP almost lands a spinning back kick, then lands a jab. Fitch looks for an overhand right. Leg kick by GSP. Big left hand lands for Fitch, and they clinch briefly. Right hand for Fitch. GSP lands a Superman/body kick combo, then shoots for a takedown. Fitch stuffs it and lands a nice combination. Left hand lands for GSP, and another. Round 2 comes to an end, and I believe GSP takes it but I'm not sure. Fitch acquitted himself very well there and could very well have taken it.
Round 3: Fitch is very confident and comes out swinging. Fitch lands a nice left and eats a huge counter right from GSP that puts him down. GSP takes his back and gets the hooks in. Fitch shows some amazing strength and spins into top position in GSP's guard. Fitch lands some nice punches to the body. Fitch looks to posture up, and GSP scrambles out and gets into Fitch's guard. Unbelievable quickness by GSP. Fitch tries to scramble, and they end up on the feet. Leg kick lands for GSP. Head kick is blocked by Fitch, and St. Pierre lands another leg kick. They clinch against the fence, and Fitch lands a nice punch, but then eats a couple for his trouble. St. Pierre lands a big head kick, and a knee to the head. Fitch is showing some real whiskers here. Left hand wobbles Fitch, and GSP gets a thunderous takedown. The round ends, and it's a big one for GSP. The replay shows that the big right hand from GSP knocked loose a gob of snot from Fitch, to which Goldberg says, "That's nasty." Great sequence in the booth.
Round 4: Right hand lands for Fitch. GSP lands a left hand and blocks a head kick. Right hook lands for GSP. Nice body kick by Fitch. Fitch wades in with punches, and St. Pierre evades. Fitch shoots and GSP says no thank you. Inside leg kick by GSP. Fitch lands a nice left hand, and another. Jab lands for GSP, and he continues to use it. Fitch shoots, and GSP refuses to go down. He hops around in a way reminiscent of BJ Penn in order to avoid the takedown. Fitch continues to work the single leg, but GSP eventually gets on top and takes Fitch down. Big elbow by GSP. As the round ends, GSP teases a leg lock. GSP takes another round in what could be the calm before the final storm.
Round 5: GSP lands a straight left hand. Inside leg kick for the champ. Right hand for GSP, and Fitch wings some punches. Spinning back fist lands for GSP and it backs Fitch up. He takes Fitch down easily and looks to punish. They work for position on the ground and eventually work their way back up. GSP snaps Fitch's head back with a jab, then takes Fitch down again. Fitch tries to scramble but GSP keeps him where he wants him. St. Pierre continues to work Fitch until the end of the fight. I've got it as 50-45, but I could see 49-46.
RESULT: St. Pierre by unanimous decision (50-43, 50-44, 50-44). Man, maybe I need to look closer for 10-8 rounds.
STAR RATING: (****) It gets more love for significance, for Fitch's guts, and for St. Pierre's dominance.
RAMIFICATIONS: BJ Penn comes into the cage and challenges St. Pierre, so it wouldn't surprise me if that fight happened. Fitch showed that he is absolutely the number two welterweight in the world with his performance, so he'll stay around. It's always a difficult situation for that kind of fighter, though, after they lose the title fight. (See: Rich Franklin, Dan Henderson, etc.) It's not just any fighter that takes GSP to a five-round decision, and it's also not just any fighter that can take the kind of abuse that Fitch took tonight without folding.
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STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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