UFC 105 Review

Broadcast from Manchester, England, UFC 105 was televised in US on Spike TV and featured both winners of ‘The Ultimate Fighter: US vs UK’ making their post-TUF UFC debut.  The UK coach Michael Bisping was also on the card, taking on Dennis Kang and looking to rebound from the brutal knockout loss at the hands of Dan Henderson in his last bout.  The main event had Randy Couture returning to the light-heavyweight weight class against Brandon Vera, and Mike Swick took on Dan Hardy in the co-main for a shot at the UFC welterweight title.

Ross Pearson vs. Aaron Riley (155 lbs)

Round 1: After some initial circling, Pearson begins to find his striking range, and scores with punches and kicks.  Pearson clinches and pushes Riley against the fence, then unloads a series of knees.  Riley breaks free and tries to fire back but can’t get any offense going.  Pearson clinches again, punishing Riley with knees and elbows.  Pearson mixing up his striking and most attacks are right on target.  Round 10-9 Pearson

Round 2: Riley tries to be the aggressor early in the second but Pearson quickly forces another clinch.  Riley keeps trying to regain some distance but is being punished in striking range as well as in clinch.  Pearson lands a flying knee and Riley starts bleeding profusely.  The fight is stopped to check the cut and the ringside doctor calls an end to the bout.

Aftermath: A good post-TUF debut for Ross Pearson, completely shutting down a veteran opponent.   He should face Melvin Guillard in his next bout, to truly test Pearson’s impressive striking game.   Riley does not show much in the loss, and will likely be used as a fodder for other lightweight prospects.

Fight Grade: 3.5/5

Matt Brown vs. James Wilks (170 lbs)

Round 1: Brown leads with a kick and pushes Wilks up against the cage.  Wilks turns around and looks for a takedown.  Wilks jumps on Brown’s back but still can’t drag him down.  The ref breaks up the clinch and Brown rocks Wilks with a combination, forcing him to shoot in for a takedown.  Brown defends and its another stalemate in clinch.  Referee breaks them up again.  Wilks lands a kick then a punch and looks for another takedown.  Brown locks in a standing guillotine; Wilks escapes and finally gets the takedown but Brown scrambles right back up.  Round 10-9 Wilks

Round 2: Brown flurries then lands a flying knee that knocks Wilks down.  Brown jumps on top of Wilks, looking to finish.  Wilks regains his composure and looks for a leg lock.  They get up and Brown lands knees and elbows as Wilks presses him against the fence looking for a takedown.  Brown separates and drops Wilks with a combination.  Brown follows Wilks to the ground.  James sweeps and ends up in Matt’s guard.  Brown locks in a triangle but the round ends.  Round 10-9 Brown

Round 3: An even exchange on the feet starts the final round.  Wilks looks tired.  Wilks clinches and attempts a standing kimura.  Brown takes him down but Wilks holds on to the submission.  Wilks tries to finish the kimura; it’s very tight but Brown rolls with it and eventually escapes to his feet.  Wilks with another takedown attempt; Brown reverses and ends up in full mount.  Wilks rolls over giving up his back.  Brown punches away from the top until the referee stops the fight.  It appears Brown has broken Wilks’ nose with the final flurry on the ground.

Aftermath: James Wilks has had what was probably the toughest debut bout of any ‘TUF’ winner to date, giving a fair performance in an enterntaining fight.  Matt Brown continues his slow ascent up the ranks with third straight win in the UFC.  He should rematch Chris Lytle, who defeated Brown in Matt’s last bout prior to his UFC debut.

Fight Grade: 4/5

Roli Delgado vs. Andre Winner (155lbs)

Round 1: Delgado opens the fight with a high kick which is blocked by Winner.  They trade and Winner drops Delgado with a right hand.  Winner jumps into Delgado’s guard but then thinks better of it and stands up.   Delgado clinches with Winner and throws knees.  Winner breaks free and lands a right hook that knocks Delgado out cold.  Winner follows up with two more strikes as the referee rushes in to stop the bout.

Aftermath: A solid performance for Andre Winner, who was the runner up of the ‘Ultimate Fighter: US vs. UK’, losing to Ross Pearson in the finale.  Delgado looks undersized for 155 lbs; he should move down to WEC’s featherweight division.

Fight Grade: 4/5

Alexander Gustafsson vs. Jared Hamman (205 lbs)

Round 1: Heavy striking exchanges early as both fighters are looking to land a haymaker.  Gustafsson accidentally pokes Hamman in the eye, briefly halting the fight.  They go back to trading on the feet and Gustafsson catches Hamman with a right hand that floors Jared and sends his mouthguard flying.  Gustafsson follows him to the ground and lands several punches for a TKO finish.

Aftermath: Gustafsson remains undefeated with a successful Octagon debut.  Hamman is dealt the second loss in his pro career in this matchup between two UFC newcomers.

Fight Grade: 4/5

Michael Bisping vs. Denis Kang  (185 lbs)

Round 1: Bisping throws a high kick for the first significant offense of the fight.  Kang lands several punches and kicks.  Bisping catches a body kick but is unable to capitalize.  Bisping walks right into a big right hand, and is knocked down in a moment reminiscent of his fight with Dan Henderson.  Kang jumps on top and looks for the mount but Bisping recovers and regains guard.  Bisping attempts an armbar and Kang mounts him off a reversal but Bisping quickly regains guard again.  Kang in dominant position for the remainder of the round, as Bisping threatens armbars off his back.  Round 10-9 Kang

Round 2: Kang is looking to repeat the right hand from Round 1 but Bisping evades and shoots for a takedown.  Bisping stands over Kang and pounds away.  Kang stands up, eating punches as he does.  Bisping with another successful takedown.  Kang is cut on his nose and looks very tired.  Kang absorbs a lot of punishment but eventually works his way back up.  Kang is unsteady on his feet and Bisping slams him back down.   Kang covers up, rolls over and tries to get up as Bisping peppers him with strikes.  Kang falls to his knees and the referee steps in to stop the bout.

Aftermath: A great fight, and a much needed victory for Michael Bisping greatly lessens the impact of his prior knockout loss, and Bisping is already talking about working his way up to a title shot.  With Dan Henderson out of the UFC for the time being, the road to the title has gotten quite a bit shorter, but Bisping needs another solid win or two.  A fight with Wanderlei Silva has been discussed in the past, and this may be a good time for it.

Kang once again manages to lose a fight that he seemingly had in the bag – in a very Kang-like fashion.  He is now 1-2 in the UFC, and looked a bit outsized in this bout.  Perhaps the welterweight division would be a better fit for Denis.  Both fighters earned a ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus for this bout.

Fight Grade: 5/5

Dan Hardy vs. Mike Swick (170 lbs)

Round 1: Hardy rocks Swick in an early exchange, forcing Mike to clinch.  Swick looks for a takedown but Hardy defends well.  Swick lands an accidental knee to Hardy’s groin, and the referee halts the bout.  They resume and Swick keeps looking for a takedown.  Hardy lands several solid knees to the body.  Swick responds with knees of his own.  Back and forth action with most of the round spent clinched up against the fence and Hardy taking a very slight edge.  Round 10-9 Hardy

Round 2: Hardy once again hurts Swick in an opening exchange.  Hardy flurries but Swick is able to recover and back to clinch they go.  Hardy with a half-hearted takedown attempt.  Swick answers with knees to the body.  Hardy lands several strong elbows to Swick’s head.  The action slows down and referee breaks up the clinch.  They trade punches from distance for the remainder of the round, with both fighters landing but Hardy seems to have more power to his punches.    Round 10-9 Hardy

Round 3: The fighters exchange kicks and punches to start the round.  Both land but Hardy walks right through Swick’s punches and sends Mike reeling against the cage with a counter.  Hardy follows up with a takedown.  Swick has a brief guillotine attempt but Hardy escapes and lands elbows from the top.  They stall out with Hardy in Swick’s guard and the referee stands them up.  Swick comes out aggressive but nothing significant lands, and they clinch again as the time runs out.   Round 10-9 Hardy

Dan Hardy defeats Mike Swick by unanimous decision with the scores of 30-27, 30-27, 29-28

Aftermath: Dan Hardy has earned himself a shot at the welterweight champion Georges St. Pierre, who came into the Octagon after the fight to congratulate his next challenger.  St. Pierre will be heavily favored in this matchup, but Hardy so far has performed above expectations in his UFC fights.   Mike Swick is dealt his first loss at 170 lbs, and there are plenty of potential ‘rebound’ fights for him in this deep weight class.

Fight Grade: 3/5

Randy Couture vs. Brandon Vera (205 lbs)

Round 1: Vera comes out swinging, forcing Couture to back up with a flurry of punches and kicks.  Couture quickly clinches up and pushes Vera against the fence.  Couture looks for a takedown; Vera defends and the action comes to a grinding halt.  Referee separates the fighters, and Couture scores a quick takedown as they restart,  but Vera pops up immediately.  Couture lands two good knees from the clinch.  Vera is not doing much other than defending the takedown.  Some dirty boxing from Couture but very low output from both fighters.  Referee separates the fighters again but Couture quickly forces another clinch.  Round 10-9 Couture

Round 2: Vera strikes aggressively and manages to kick Couture in the groin while simultaneously poking him in the eye.  The ref gives Couture a brief break to recover from the fouls.  As they restart Vera hurts Couture with a body kick then follows up with a knee to the sternum that makes Randy double over and fall to the canvas.  Vera jumps into Couture’s guard; Couture closes guard and they stall out on the ground until the ref calls for a standup.  Couture clinches again and lands several short punches as the round ends.     Round 10-9 Vera

Round 3: Couture is the aggressor in the final round, and forces Vera to cover up with a flurry of punches.  Couture clinches and dirty boxes Vera, landing several elbows and uppercuts.  They separate and Vera again hurts Couture with a couple of body kicks, but Couture keeps coming forward and landing punches.  Vera changes his strategy and goes for a takedown, completing and quickly moving to mount.  Couture gives up his back and escapes.  They trade punches in the center of the Octagon as the final round draws to a close.  Round 10-9 Couture

Randy Couture defeats Brandon Vera by unanimous decision: 29-28 from all three judges

Aftermath: Back at 205 lb, Randy Couture keeps on ticking, grinding out a win against a much younger and game opponent.  Though he did not look like a world beater, Couture showed that he still has a lot of fight left in him.  A bout with the winner of the upcoming Tito Ortiz – Forrest Griffin matchup would be a perfect marquee bout for Randy.

Vera has another disappointing performance – this has become the norm for the talented but underachieving fighter.  He should fight someone like Steve Cantwell next, or another striker who will not be afraid of trading with Brandon.

Fight Grade: 3/5

While both the main event and the co-main had significant lulls in action, and many fans disagree with the scoring of the Vera-Couture fight, an action-packed undercard made UFC 105 an enterntaining event.

Event Grade: 4/5