UFC 129 – St. Pierre vs. Shields
April 30, 2011
Rogers Centre,
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
UFC Welterweight Championship
Welterweight (170 lbs)
Welterweight kingpin Georges St. Pierre (22 – 2 – 0) handed Jake Shields (26 – 5 – 1) his first defeat in 15 fights and 5 1/2 years via unanimous decision. St. Pierre, who has gone to decisions in 5 of his last 6, sustained an eye injury during the 2nd round (according to him in the post fight interview). St. Pierre also stated that he was surprised with the striking acumen that Shields brought to the fight. Shields certainly exceeded expectations in the striking department, bloodying GSP’s face and coming out looking less worse for wear. Shields tried a few times to get the fight to the ground, but GSP stuffed the feeble takedown attempts and kept the 25 minute contest on the feet. GSP used his jabs, as well as frequent spinning back kicks to vex Shields during much of the bout. GSP, who said he could not see out of his left eye following the bout, did not answer questions about who he believes he should fight in the future. The superfight between GSP and [#1MW] [#1DD] Anderson Silva always looms on the horizon. However, since Anderson will be facing [#3MW] Yushin Okami at UFC Rio in August, it looks like that fight would not happen until late 2011 at the earliest. In the meanwhile, the time seems just right to make a fight between GSP and red hot Strikeforce welterweight champ [#3] Nick Diaz. Jake Shields should face the winner of the upcoming [#12] Thiago Alves/[#23] Rick Story bout, or perhaps [#6]Josh Koscheck. Both GSP and Shields hold their rankings at [#1] and [#2], respectively. GSP moves up 1 spot from [#3DD] to [#2DD] in the Division Dominance rankings. Previously ranked at [#9DD], Shields falls off the Division Dominance “Top 10.” GSP, who has not lost in 4 years, extends his winning streak to 9.
UFC Featherweight Championship
Featherweight (145 lbs)
Jose Aldo (19 – 1 – 0) defeated Mark Hominick (20 – 9 – 0) by unanimous decision. Aldo blasted Hominick early and often with a left body hook-right outside low kick combination. Hominick did not check most of the kicks from these combos, leaving red welts about his thigh and calf. Aldo was able to land 5 of his 9 takedown attempts. Aldo also scored a knockdown in the 4th round and followed Hominick to the floor, landing a massive elbow that caused a gigantic hematoma to form on Hominick’s head. The doctor looked at the wound on two separate occasions, but allowed the fight to continue. Throughout certain parts of the fight, Aldo looked winded; no more so than he did in the 5th round. Hominick scored a takedown and controlled Aldo on the floor with strikes for the entire 5th frame, but Aldo had won too many rounds for it to make a real difference. Aldo is most likely going to face [#2] Chad Mendes at UFC 133 on August 6th, 2011 in Philadelphia, according to UFC president Dana White. Aldo holds both his featherweight ranking at [#1] and his Division Dominance ranking at [#4DD]. Hominick, who gained almost as much for his valiant performance as he would have from a victory, holds his ranking at [#14]. Many of the fighters in the UFC featherweight division are already booked in future fights, so a fight with [#35] Chan Sung Jung could prove extremely thrilling.
Light Heavyweight (205 lbs)
Lyoto Machida (17 – 2 – 0) defeated Randy Couture (19 – 11 – 0) by KO due to a “Karate Kid” style jumping front kick at 1:05 of the 2nd round. Machida stuffed all 3 of Couture’s clinch based takedown attempts throughout the fight. He kept Couture at a distance with straight lefts as well as kicks to the body. One minute into the 2nd round, Machida struck with a viper-like kick that put Couture down to the canvas. Following the bout, as expected, Couture announced his retirement. Randy will always be remembered as one of the pioneers of MMA and a living legend in the sport. UFC should use his recognizably and popularity and place him in a commentator role. Couture drops 3 spots in the ranks from [#8] to [#11]. Most fighters do not get the luxury to retire while just outside the “Top Ten.” Machida, who holds his ranking at [#5], should take his next bout to attempt to rectify one of his career losses, facing [#4] Quinton “Rampage” Jackson (should he beat [#15] Matt Hamill at UFC 130 on May 28, 2011 in Vegas).
Light Heavyweight (205 lbs)
Vladimir Matyushenko (26 – 5 – 0) knocked out Jason Brilz (18 – 4 – 1) with punches at just 0:20 of the very 1st round. Matyushenko landed a crushing left uppercut-right straight combination that sent Brilz crashing to the mat. The following punches from Matyushenko on the ground made Brilz temporarily lose consciousness, forcing the end of the bout. The 40 year old Matyushenko, who is 5 in his last 6 (2 stoppages in a row), should face [#24] Alexander Gustafsson on an upcoming international card; or he could take a big step up and test prospect [#9] Ryan Bader. Matyushenko climbs 7 spots up the ranks from [#29] to [#22]. Brilz, who has lost 3 of his last 4 inside the octagon, is in a must win position in is next fight. He should face [#39] Stephan Bonnar in what would be a guaranteed fireworks laden affair. Brilz drops 7 spots from [#33] to [#40].
Lightweight (155 lbs)
Former WEC lightweight champ Ben Henderson (13 – 2 – 0) defeated Mark Bocek (9 – 4 – 0) by unanimous decision. Henderson was able to completely control the fight on the feet, landing significantly more significant strikes on the feet in every round. Henderson completed 3 of his 4 takedown attempts during the fight, while Bocek finished 4 of 11 takedowns (2 in the 3rd round). Bocek attempted a tight anaconda choke in the second round, but was unable to keep the scramble-prone Henderson down. Henderson could face the winner (or loser) of [#15] Anthony Pettis vs. [#7] Clay Guida, who will fight at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale on June 4th, 2011. A [#19] Takanori Gomi bout could be useful in testing Henderson and finding out where they both belong in the overcrowded lightweight division. Henderson jumps 10 spots forward from [#26] to [#16]. Bocek, who is 2-2 in his last 4 inside the octagon (5-4 overall in the UFC), should look to rebound in a bout against [#56] Kamal Shalorus. Bocek falls 12 spots down the ranks from [#41] to [#53].