UFC 76: Knockout
Saturday, September 23, 2007

The card for tonight seems to be a tweener, of sorts. No titles are on the line, but there are some key matches to play out the title picture in the light heavyweight and welterweight divisions. Let's get started.

Tyson Griffin vs. Thiago Tavares
Lightweight

Round 1
Both fighters seem kind of nervous. After dancing around the octagon for a little longer than any reasonable feeling-out period, the crowd starts booing. Griffin throws a leg kick followed by a single-leg. Tyson lands a few hard punches from the top. Back on their feet, Thiago throws a nice knee and gets a takedown. Tavares goes for a leglock a couple times but is unsuccessful. Griffin scrambles on the ground and lands a hard right. On their feet once again and Griffin gets another clean right hand. Tavares makes a single leg attempt as the round comes to a close. I give the round to Griffin as he was tenacious on the ground and landed more strikes. 10-9 Griffin.

Round 2
Tavares tries a flying knee early on that catches Griffin fairly hard. Tavares follows up with a takedown, and lands some hammerfists in Griffin's guard. Tavares passes to side control and then to a mount. Griffin gives up his back and Tavares slaps on a body triangle. Griffin carries Thiago as he stands up. Tyson twists and drops and lands in Tavares' guard. He throws a few fists but gets caught in an armbar. A slippery escape from a good submission by Griffin. Griffin lands a few more strikes from the top. They fall to the ground and Griffin sinks a guillotine in half guard that he loses. He gives up his back in the process and Thiago is in with another body triangle. Tyson is on his feet and Thiago is still holding on. Griffin takes a few shots and then drops Tavares HARD underneath him. The round ends and it is incredibly tough to call. Griffin landed more strikes, but Tavares was all over him with submissions. I'll have to give it to Tavares, by a slim margin. 10-9 Tavares.

Round 3
Griffin comes out with some aggressive grappling. Thiago lands a few knees then scores a takedown. He makes a good omoplata attempt but miraculously Griffin is able to free himself and spin out. Rogan hypes the smart fans and how they respect the technical positions of these two fighters. It's hard not to respect two guys who are all over each other and maintaining this kind of a pace into the third round. Griffin gets dropped on his face from a Tavares takedown. Another scramble and they are back on their feet. Griffin lands a nice short elbow. Thiago shoots with 1:45 remaining. Rogan and Goldberg mention potential flaws in the scoring system. This is a very important point that bears more detailed discussion. Griffin lands a good knee that sends Thiago to the mat. Thiago is looking for another submission with :30 left. Griffin lands a clean hammerfist and the round is over. This is another tough call, but I have to laud Tavares for his grappling and octagon control. 10-9 Tavares.

These guys put on a hell of a show to open the PPV broadcast. Griffin was an escape artist for three rounds and landed some good strikes. Tavares was relentless with submissions, however, and had Griffin on the defensive the whole fight.

And the judges deliver yet another shocker.
Tyson Griffin by Unanimous Decision

And did I hear a 30-27 in there? I think this goes back to Joe Rogan's discussion of how the UFC scoring system, in its current form, may be flawed.

Lyoto Machida vs. Kazuhiro Nakamura
Light Heavyweight

Nakamura makes a very flamboyant entrance to the octagon, bringing a parasol which gets a nice reaction from the crowd. What a wacky Japanese fighter he is. Machida's entrance is lacking the levity of his counterpart.

Round 1
Nakamura dances a bit and then they touch gloves. Lyoto throws a body kick then presses Nakamura to the cage. Machida gets reprimanded for holding Nakamura's trunks. Machida continues his offense with knee strikes from the clinch and a body kick. Nakamura attempts a judo throw but fails. They fall to the ground and Machida is in half guard. As Nakamura manages to stand up he takes a knee from Machida. Nakamura tries a leg kick and throws a high kick that is blocked. With 1:30 remaining Nakamura takes a fall. On the ground Machida is landing good elbows. He passes to half guard and attempts a few punches as the round ends. No close calls here. 10-9 Machida.

Round 2
Machida starts with some good punches when Nakamura takes a fall. Machida drops into guard, and passes quickly to side control then to mount. Nakamura panics and gives up his back. Nakamura tries to spin, but Machida maintains. Machida fires off a few shots, then works in his arms for a rear naked choke, but he loses it. Nakamura scrambles with 3:00 remaining. Machida gets a mount again, postures up and tees off. Nakamura somehow is able to stand and they are battling in the clinch. Nakamura sweeps and is in full guard. Machida transitions to butterfly guard and is ready for an opening, but the round is over. 10-9 Machida.

Round 3
Machida misses a spin kick and Nakamura lands a left. Nakamura is turning up the intensity after obviously losing the first two rounds. He gets a takedown and lands a knee. Back on their feet and they are in the clinch. Machida lands some good knees then sweeps Nakamura. In Half guard and Machida shows dominance in how quickly he seems to transition to a mount. Nakamura spins and stands. Machida lands a good right hand. With 2:00 remaining Nakamura's nose is bleeding. Another failed judo throw attempt from Nakamura, and he is met with short elbows and knees. The crowd boos after a short stall, and they trade elbows to close out the fight. 10-9 Machida.

No surprises here.
Lyoto Machida by Unanimous Decision

Nakamura looked overmatched here, as it was obvious Machida was able to control the pace of the entire fight. Nakamura's biggest strength, his judo, was rendered useless either due to ineffective technique (which I highly doubt), or Machida's impenetrable defense.

Diego "Nightmare" Sanchez vs. Jon Fitch
Welterweight

Goldy gives Jon Fitch the dubious honor of being the greatest fighter in the world that not too many people have heard of.

Round 1
Sanchez is motionless before the bell, but sprints at Fitch once the round starts. Fitch whiffs a kick and Diego counters. Goldberg says something about Fitch being unflappable. They trade knees and punches in the clinch. Sanchez nails a takedown, but Fitch counters with a takedown of his own. Sanchez attempts a triangle and armbar from the bottom, but Fitch collapses it. At the final minute and Sanchez attempts another armbar. Fitch squashes the attempt yet again, spins, lands a few good strikes, and the round ends. 10-9 Fitch.

Round 2
They lock up and Sanchez pulls guard. He makes a sweep attempt, but Fitch maintains his position. Fitch tries to stand as Sanchez sprawls. Fitch picks up Sanchez over his head, then gets Diego's back with one hook in. Fitch is looking for a second hook, but Sanchez spins out into guard. Fitch gets between Diego's legs underneath him and picks him up yet again. He drops Diego hard to the ground under him. He is positioned between Diego's legs yet again, but they scramble and Fitch is in butterfly guard. With 1:00 remaining, Diego tries to grab a triangle, but eats some hammerfists. As the round ends, I give this one to Fitch, 10-9.  

Round 3
They trade a few jabs, and Sanchez blocks a high kick. Sanchez locks in a deep guillotine. This looks bad for Fitch, but somehow he is able to pop his head out. Fitch is working in guard. With 3:00 remaining you can hear Diego's corner screaming for him to work. Sanchez looks for a kimura, but Fitch breaks free. Sanchez is using the rubber guard, stalking another submission. He gives up, and with 2:00 left, Fitch is controlling the position. Sanchez goes to a butterfly guard and Fitch makes a pass attempt. Sanchez scrambles. A few more submission attempts from Sanchez in the last minute. Diego gave a great effort this round and gets the nod, 10-9.

Another fight left in the hands of the judges. Based on how they scored the Tavares/Griffin fight, they will probably score unanimous 30-27s for Fitch.

Jon Fitch by Split Decision

I wonder why they credited Diego's submission attempts more than Tavares'?

Forrest Griffin vs. Mauricio "Shogun" Hua
Light Heavyweight

Another Pride debut in the UFC that seems like a walk in the park. Nevertheless, both men need a victory here to cement a place in the 205 lb. weight class.

Round 1
Forrest starts off with a leg kick, and Hua shoots. Griffin defends, and throws a few strikes. Hua tries an armbar, and twists around a bit. The crowd starts chanting for Forrest. Hua gets a takedown and is in half guard. Griffin moves to full guard. Shogun tries to posture up, but Griffin controls. Forrest has a tight closed guard. Griffin stands and lands an uppercut. Forrest throws a few more leg kicks, and they knee in the clinch. Forrest sweeps and is in full guard. Hua stands, and Forrest lands a nice left high kick. Hua gets a takedown, but Forrest is back on his feet. Another takedown attempt from Shogun, but Forrest ends up on top. Griffin lands a good falling punch from the top as the round ends. Griffin 10-9.

Round 2
Shogun has a nice shiner on his forehead to start this round. Hua tries a takedown and Griffin tries a guillotine. Hua wiggles himself free and is in full guard. Nice elbows from the top from Shogun open up Griffin's face. They are back on their feet and Forrest gets another takedown. They squirm and vie for position and get back to their feet. Shogun tries a single leg and gets stuffed. They have a good exchange mid-ring and Hua gets rejected on another takedown attempt. They throw hands and Hua looks to be landing shots cleanly. Hua shoots again and Forrest ends up in Shogun's guard. Forrest throws shots from the top and lands some good elbows. Forrest gets his back and controls for the last 15 seconds to finish the round. It's close, but Shogun takes the round 10-9.

Round 3
Griffin's cut is pretty severe. Griffin shows good aggression to start the round and you have to admire his cardio. Hua gets a takedown and Griffin looks for a triangle. The crowd gets a bit restless and starts to get loud. Forrest tries an omoplata but Shogun pulls away. Forrest takes his back and lands a nice knee to the body. Hua stands back up. Forrest shoots and lands in half guard. He throws some punches and elbows. 2:00 remaining and Forrest keeps piling on the offense. Hua has looked pretty winded this round, while Forrest manages to keep going. Shogun gives up his back and Forrest takes it. Forrest stays active and sinks in a rear naked choke. He tightens it up in the final seconds, and Hua can hang on no longer. Unbelievable.

Forrest Griffin by Tapout due to Rear Naked Choke at 4:45 of Round 3.

Forrest gives a great promo ladened with humor. Funny how he can so lighthearted at such a huge moment for him. This is yet another example of a Pride debut gone completely haywire. Hua can still come back from this loss and make a good name for himself in the UFC. Forrest, however, has just placed himself firmly in the top tier of the Light Heavyweight decision.

"The Dean of Mean" Keith Jardine vs. Chuck "The Iceman" Liddell
Light Heavyweight

When this fight was announced, I was not sure why Jardine got the call after the thrashing he took at the hands of Houston Alexander. My guess is that matchmakers were looking for a credible fighter, who would stand and bang with Liddell, to hopefully set up more highlight reel material from the Iceman. Sometimes the best laid plans...

Round 1
Jardine comes forward in his usual bouncy style. He lands a mean leg kick and a left hook. Liddell goes on the offensive and starts chasing Jardine. Keith lands a sharp left hook while he's backpedalling. Jardine continues throwing leg kicks, and starts eating counterpunches on the exchange. Liddell is looking throw calculated strikes, but Jardine seems content spamming the leg kick, left hook combination. Jardine gets confident and goes for a superman punch that only nicks the Iceman. Liddell is pushing the pace in short bursts. After a few exchanges, Jardine waves in Liddell. Don't get ahead of yourself, Keith. Liddell closes the round with a good flurry. 10-9 Liddell for his effective counterattacks.

Round 2
No change in strategy from Jardine as he continues firing leg and body kicks. During one short combination, Jardine levels Liddell with a right hook. Jardine moves in and continues the attack, scoring a few more kicks, a hook or two, and a nice straight right. Jardine's plan is not rocket science, but Chuck has no answer. Chuck finds a response and finally gets the better of an exchange with Jardine, but nothing life-threatening. A spinning backfist attempt from the Iceman is blocked. Jardine lands a straight left. At the final minute, Jardine is starting to bleed from what looks like his left ear. Jardine fires off a few more combos and the round is finished. 10-9 for a very diligent Keith Jardine.

Round 3
Jardine continues coming forward with his bread and butter, and Chuck looks visibly shaken. Keith lands a good left hook, followed by another kick/hook combo. A few more well placed left hooks from Jardine, and with one minute left Chuck is being overwhelmed by a very simple strategy. The crowd is on their feet for the last thirty seconds, as Liddell whiffs a spin kick. The bell rings and this third round was an embarrassment for the former champ. 10-9 Jardine.

Vanderlei looks a bit miffed at Chuck's performance, and the face of the UFC gets booed upon raising his hands after the fight. No one in the audience could believe what they saw out of Chuck Liddell tonight. This was going to be a standing fight, there was no doubt about it. The fact that Chuck was beaten cleanly standing really calls into question the "unorthodox striking" method that had met with so much success in the past. Jardine came forward with a very basic muay thai combination and Chuck looked confused. There should be no doubt about it.

Keith Jardine by Split Decision.

Before completely trashing Liddell on his loss, there are a few positives to note. It is amazing that Chuck was able to stay on his feet after withstanding a constant barrage of hard punches from an explosive striker. Also, Liddell did what he does best. The overhand counterpunch has scored big victories for him in his pursuit and defense of the title. Jardine took the best Chuck had and kept coming after him. Chuck was 0/life on checking leg kicks in this fight, and that allowed Jardine to bring Chuck within striking distance and let loose the leather. A lot of these punches landed, and those that didn't, kept Chuck tentative and off-balance for most of the fight.

Post-Fight Comments

For a "tweener" fight card, this PPV certainly had its share of fireworks. It also raised a lot of important issues that are of recent interest in the UFC. Each requires more attention that I can give here. First, as Joe Rogan mentioned, there are criticisms of the current scoring system in the UFC that seem to preclude failed submission attempts, and how they can be scored objectively. Or, put more simply, how many punches is a failed submission worth. Second, why are Pride fighters losing in the UFC? Why has CroCop been beaten down so severely when he dominated what some considered to be the strongest fighting organization in the world? Finally, who are the top 5 fighters in the light heavyweight division? Who will fight Wanderlei Silva in December? Who gets the next shot at Rampage? Things have been shaken up on this night alone, not to mention the past 3-6 months. I encourage anyone with any thoughts on these subjects to head over to the message board and share.