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FRANK HYDEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST (6.0)
Best Fight: Marquardt vs. Sonnen
Worst Fight: Maia vs. Miller
I wasn't expecting much from this card so my expectations were slightly surpassed. Randy is just Randy. It's crazy how he just keeps on being what he is. As good as his performance was, it's important to remember that it was against Mark Coleman, not Lyoto Machida. Randy's amazing, but I don't think anybody should jump the gun and think about putting him in there with the elite fighters in the Light Heavyweight Division. It'd be a great story, but this is the real world.
Matt Serra had a great performance, but Frank Trigg just needs to give it up. The guy can't win anymore, at least not against good fighters. Nate Marquardt and Chael Sonnen had a good fight. I thought Marquardt would win, but Sonnen dominated him. Paulo Thiago should now be given consideration to at least be in a number one contender's bout, if not be given a shot at Georges St. Pierre.
All in all, this was a slightly above average show, definitely missable. The only people I would recommend this to would be hardcore Couture fans. Everyone else could skip this, and see any of the highlights on Spike later.
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BOB TEAL, MMATORCH SPECIALIST (7.0)
Frank Trigg put up almost zero fight against Matt Serra. I would have to assume he is now likely to retire based upon statements he made after the Josh Koscheck loss. He seemed slow and stiff compared to Serra.
The Maia versus Miller fight was pretty much a snooze fest all the way through with neither fighter really proving anything. If I were Dana, I would not be too thrilled with the prospect of airing any of Maia's fights on pay-per-view form this point on. His striking was slightly improved, but then again he was not in there against a skilled striker like Marquardt. He was rarely able to take Miller down and, even when he did, Dan was able to get right back up. Six months ago we were thinking perhaps Maia could be the solution for the problem that is Anderson Silva in the Middleweight Division. After Saturday I would say he definitely is not.
Paulo Thiago had the most surprising showing all night. I thought he would struggle against the hand speed of Mike Swick, but he was patient in his stand up game and waited for his openings. When Swick looked like he was making some head way, Thiago floored him with a counter shot then subsequently put Swick to sleep. Thiago is a solid, game fighter and I am sold on him. At this juncture I would definitely be excited for a rematch between him and Koscheck.
That brings us to Chael Sonnen vs. Nate Marquardt. Chael's performance to me was absolutely the most impressive of the entire evening. He was able to take some shots, including sustaining a nasty cut, and yet he still took Marquardt Down and controlled him while delivering punishment throughout the fight. His performance was masterful and dominating in every way. He executed his game plan to perfection. We have always known Chael was a solid Team Quest fighter with a lot of heart, but it always seemed like he would find a way to lose a fight. It looks as though he has turned a corner in his career and I definitely believe he deserves a shot at the Middleweight Title after what we saw on Saturday night.
Finally Randy Couture vs. Mark Coleman pretty much went the way I thought it would. Mark was stiff and one-dimensional and Randy took full advantage. Couture was able to dominate things on the feet. He caught Coleman and shook his tree a couple times. From there Randy was able to play his game which is getting Coleman into the clinch against the cage and delivering all kinds of punishment with his dirty boxing. Finally and mercifully Randy was able to take Coleman down and finish him with a rear naked choke. A good performance from Randy without a doubt, but not a surprise for me.
The show was definitely worth the buy for Thiago and Sonnen's virtuoso performances. But as for the overall quality of the fights, I would give this show a 7. It was not the among the worst cards I have seen by far, but not among the best either.
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BJORN HANSEN, MMATORCH COLUMNIST (6.0)
UFC 109 was all about Respect. Some of the most overlooked, underappreciated, and disrespected fighters in the UFC got their chance to figuratively and literally bitchslap their respective counterparts and disrespectful naysayers.
Matt “Napoleon Complex” Serra forced critics to rewatch his UFC 69, Welterweight Championship win. Maybe he does have power at 170lbs after all?
Damien Maia showed he could be a bully too. Sort of.
Paulo Thiago continues to quietly float under the radar while beating game opponents one after the other (including 2-1 against the AKA boys).
Chael Sonnen! Wow, what can I say? I’m sorry for picking against you the last, what is it now? 3-4 fights?
Can we finally coin “Couture years” as the official MMA equivalent of dog years? Buzz sawing through the aged, confused Neanderthal of a cagefighter in Coleman, Couture proved he certainly doesn’t fight his age. At least not in human years.
Fight of the Night: Couture-Coleman. Seeing Capt America look as great as he did is always going to get my nod. The only question now is, was this more because Coleman is as Dana described “done”, or is Randy’s resurgence real enough for a legitimate shot at the title?
Worst Fight: Damien Maia against Dan Miller was, as I initially believed it would be, a very yawn-inducing bout. Instead of seeing a formidable wrestler trying to grind it out on the ground against a BJJ world champion, we were forced into watching a tentative, sloppy boxing match. Both guys needed a win, and neither felt like rolling the dice on the ground, and I consequently felt as this was a rare poor match made by Joe Silva.
Three out of five fights delivered, including the Main Event, so that’s more than enough to qualify as an orderable PPV in my opinion.
Jamie Penick, editor-in-chief
(mmatorcheditor@gmail.com)
STAFF COLUMNISTS: Shawn Ennis - Jason Amadi
Frank Hyden - Rich Hansen
Chris Park - Matt Pelkey
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