It’s been a while since I’ve done a UFC event review, so I’m doing one now since I was at the event and want to discuss about some of the fights.
Mark Coleman vs Randy Couture
Many fan will know that UFC’s fight cards have been lacking due to injuries. UFC 109 is one of those events that suffered from it. First let’s start off with the main event. Mark Coleman should consider retiring from MMA. Age has caught up with him and his ability to stay competitive have long left him since his PrideFC days. I’m not sure what the UFC brass was thinking when they decided to make this fight happen.
During the fight Mark Coleman looked horrible. He didn’t seem like he wanted to be there. His reaction to Couture’s punches were terribly slow. Coleman didn’t exude any inkling of his former self. Coleman’s glory days are behind him and any chance of him repeating any kind of success in an octagon have withered away. The same can not be said about Randy Couture. It is true that he gets better everytime he enters the octagon. It’s the experience that he has built, the strategies he has developed, and a great camp that he has created that enables him to excel where other athletes fail. Even with his recent wins and resurgence Couture can’t escape father time. You can see it in his fights that he is beginning to slow down. Strategy and experience can only get him so far. Even if his desire to compete is great his physical ability will be his Achilles heel. UFC is a marketing machine that will setup fights that fans want and create buzz for fights. With Couture v. Coleman bout it shows that not all fights are necessary . I hope UFC sees that Coleman is no long a threat in the division (or any) and concentrate on fights that matter and hopefully Couture doesn’t follow the same path.
Nate marquardt vs Chael Sonnen
Marquardt was a big favorite to win against Chael Sonnen. But that didn’t pan out like i had hoped. I’m not taking anything away from sonnen. Sonnen came in with an excellent game plan that stopped marquardt dead in his tracks. Marquardt has everything going for him. He has a great team, plenty of experience, and the skill to beat anyone in his division, yet he failed to get through Sonnen. I think Marquardt eyes was on rematching with Anderson Silva rather than concentrating on Sonnen. It’s easily to over look Sonnen’s ability since he’s not a flashy fighter with highlight reel potential. Sonnen’s style is ‘meat and potatoes’ where he utilizes his wrestling for control and solid ground and pound to crush his opponents. Now with a chance to get the title will his style be effective against the king of the division, Anderson silva?
Damien Maia vs Dan Miller
Dan Miller really impressed me. His ability to hold his own on the ground with Maia says a lot about his BJJ. Even though Miller loss it showed that he is a threat. If he works on his striking and polishes up his ground game he can makes some waves in the top 5 of the division, excluding Anderson Silva of course.
Melvin Guillard vs Ronys Torres
Melvin Guillard has all the physical attributes to be a devastating MMA fighter, but his lack of development to become more well rounded prevented him from escalating up the division. Watching him against Ronys Torres he showed poise and calmness something that was missing from his previous fights. Joining Greg Jackson’s camp have helped him. Let’s hope he continues to improve and move up the ladder.
Paulo Thiago vs Mike Swick
Paulo Thiago’s win against Koscheck didn’t impress me. His win against Volkmann didn’t impress me either, but his loss against Jon Fitch got me interested, and now his win against Swick did impress me. This fight showed that he has knock out power and quick submission skills. Putting Swick in that D’Arce choke immediately after dropping him show me that he’s a fast thinker and putting away Mike Swick says a lot which establishes him easily in the top 5 in my book.