Ulimate Fighting Championship Recaps

Submitted by : Julian McLeod, 1/18/10

UFC 108

From Carwin Vs. Lesner to Belfort Vs. Silva, this 2010 card had more changes on it than all of 2009's events put together. The 108 card was certainly shrouded in injuries, but it delivered big time in entertainment. This show had everything on it ; sweet knockouts, intricate submissions and even an Anderson Silva impression. Most of the fights on the card were quick but it was definitely worth the time.

1st Fight: Junior Dos Santos Vs. Gilbert Yvel

Remember who beat you!!

Nothing says I’m here to hurt people better than a dominant victory over Mirko Cro Cop. Junior Dos Santos is the future of the heavyweight division. Don’t believe me? Just ask Struve or Werdum or Geronimo Dos Santos. Even with Yvel’s record and experience, I picked Junior because the momentum he has obtained will give him confidence to the highest degree. The match was exactly how I expected. While I’m not too familiar with Gilbert Yvel, it was easy to see why he is considered an exciting fighter. After loosing up, Dos Santos managed to get a sweet counter punch along with rabid ground and pound to get the fight stopped. Some might call shenanigans for early stoppage but I couldn't see him coming back from that. In his post match interview it is clear Junior has gold in his sights and with a record of 10-1, who can blame him? 7/10

2nd Fight: Jim Miller Vs. Duane Ludwig

Welcome back Ludwig

Like Paul Buentello and Phil Baroni before him, I staunchly believe that Ludwig was brought back so that Miller could showcase his skills and build his record. Even though Ludwig is an intense fighter, I predicted that Miller would be too much for him. This was also a nice fight as long as it lasted. Ludwig was quite aggressive at the beginning but it seemed that Miller had little to no trouble as he knocked him down, cut through his guard like a knife through butter, and when Ludwig attempted the escape, he got caught with a technical armbar. For half a second I thought Miller was going give Ludwig a Sylvia but intelligently he taps. A very good outing for Miller. I didn't pay much attention to him before, now he has caught my interest. 7/10

3rd Fight: Joe Lauzon Vs. Sam Stout

Could use another Upgrade

Time for a quick lesson : Any fight that Stout is in is worth watching. His Kickboxing skill alone is simply energetic and technically sound while Joe Lauzon is a hurricane and would fight to the death if he had the chance. There was no doubt in my mind that it would go three rounds and be a contender for fight of the night (and it did, deservedly so). The first round was all Lauzon catching Stout with a Kimura early but Stout hangs on(which he does a lot) as Lauzon won’t stop coming for him. I would of thought with the injury recovery that Lauzon would be saving his energy, but what do I know, eh? The next two rounds were a boxing clinic courtesy of Sam ‘Hands of Stone’ Stout. Pummeling Lauzon like a punch bag, I was even already set for a judge’s decision when Lauzon pulls a guillotine from out of nowhere and it could have been all over. Stout once again saves himself a submission loss. This fight was a story of Joe Lauzon, who gave it over 120% and maybe a hundred more. However, Stout showed his prowess and dominance to get the unanimous decision in a fantastic showdown that had me at the edge of my seat. 9/10

Co-Main Event: Dustin Hazelett Vs. Paul Daley

Semtex showing love in his own way

KaBoom! Daley explodes on the scene by serving Kampmann a beating that he’ll probably forget, while Hazelett had me jumping out of my seat with incredible submission after incredible submission. Unfortunately, I choose McLovin over Semtex hoping to God that he scares Daley enough, then gets him down to the ground and ultimately pulls off a limb. Watching Hazelett's entrance, I think he was praying for that also. From the outset of the fight, Hazelett was being as unpredictable as possible with a WTH roll at the start and went toe to toe with Daley using his size to stop the Brit from coming on the inside. However ,just two minutes into it Paul Daley showed that he only needed one chance and caught Hazelett with a bomb, then proceeded to ground and pound Dustin into unconsciousness. Great showing by Daley. His post match antics on top of missing weight made him look like a jackass but at least he apologized to the fans and was the only fighter to invite them to the afterparty. I have no doubt in my mind that McLovin will continue to improve his stand up game to become a force in welterweight division, while Daley will continue to move through like a freight train ...provided that he makes weight. 7/10

Main Event: Rashad Evans Vs. Thiago Silva

Thiago, don’t call him Sugar…its SUGA

This was an electrifying match. Think about it - two guys that had been schooled by the almost invincible Lyoto Machida but are quite dangerous in their own right, with knockout power and rarely seen talent,(wrestling for Rashad and Jiu Jitsu for Thiago Silva). My prediction for this fight was that Thiago was going to keep his distance and draw Evans into a slugfest, then ceremoniously knock him out either first or second round. What we witnessed was Rashad Evans once again evolving his game and the tactical planning that is fast becoming synonymous with Greg Jackson’s Camp. Rashad utilized his wrestling skill throughout the entire fight, clinching up with Thiago and taking him down a lot. Thiago kept getting back up to his credit but he could not stop Evans from throwing him around like ragdoll, clearly winning on points. In the third round Thiago had advantage over Evans in the cardio department, managing to pull off a devastating combination, nearly finishing his opponent and was desperate to enter a striking battle, mocking Rashad in a display just one step above clucking like a chicken, but Evans rode out the clock to clinch the unanimous decision 29-28. Well deserved victory by Rashad. Unsurprisingly, he called out Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, adding fuel to the fire of their never ending feud. Anyway, the main event was quite a joy to watch despite the smattering of boos from the crowd. 8/10

Conclusion

UFC 108 was one of the highest performing cards that Zuffa had offered us in a while. It reminded me of early UFC events with the relatively quick fights and stylistic matchups. 109 : Relentless has a lot to live up to but I’m looking forward to it all the same. Many questions will come out of this, like,"Is Thiago Silva just a benchmark fighter?" and "Will the Rampage/Rashad rivalry will finally come to the end?