UFC 100 Recap

July 12, 2009 | Tim | Comments 0

lesnar-100

UFC 100 was the biggest event in the company’s history, and it lived up to the hype. Yoshihiro Akiyama and Alan Belcher opened the televised card in style with a back-and-forth three round war that had Akiyama as the split-decision victor. The two “Ultimate Fighter” coaches were next up. Michael Bisping looked timid and pretty afraid of Dan Henderson’s right hand, and rightfully so. However, he kept circling to his left, which left him wide open for Henderson’s right. Henderson landed one flush in the middle of the 2nd round, and it was lights out for Bisping. A completely unnecessary follow up shot from Henderson on an unconscious Bisping wasn’t needed, but Henderson claims he was trying to “shut him up a little bit.”

Georges St. Pierre continued his dominance in the welterweight divison with a lopsided decision win over Thiago Alves. Alves never got on track with his striking, and it was mostly because every time Alves tried to strike, GSP took him down. St. Pierre struggled a little more with his takedowns than he had in the past, but he still landed enough of them to take Alves completely out of the fight. Considering St. Pierre also pulled his groin in the third round, it maks his performance even more impressive. The next challenger for GSP will likely be the winner of the Martin Kampman/Mike Swick fight at UFC 103, but there will be inevitable calls for St. Pierre to move up in weight to take on someone like Anderson Silva for a superfight.

Brock Lesnar proved that he is the most dominant heavyweight in the UFC with his mauling of Frank Mir. He was much more patient in this fight and used his solid wrestling base to put Mir in a position on the ground where his Brazilian Jiu Jitsu skills wouldn’t be effective. All the short, powerful blows took their toll on Mir. The 2nd round started a little better for Mir, but a jumping knee attempt from Mir enabled Lesnar to put Mir on his back again, where he soon finished the fight. His post-fight antics aside (I’ll have more on that later), it was a very impressive performance by Lesnar.

Unfortunately for Jon Fitch and Paulo Thiago, their welterweight showdown would take place after the main event to a half-full arena. Fitch was able to grind out a decision victory, and he’s looking to get back into the title hunt soon.

On the undercard, Mark Coleman shocked many, including me, with a decision victory over Stephan Bonnar. Bonnar’s future with the company is very much in doubt. Also in doubt is the future of former “Ultimate Fighter” champion Mac Danzig. He fought gamely and bravely, but lost a unanimous decision to Dan Miller. That’s three losses in a row for Danzig, and it may be time for him to move down to 145lbs in the WEC.

Former “Ultimate Fighter” runner-up C.B. Dollaway got submitted quickly by Tom Lawlor in their preliminary fight. Dollaway needs to work on his submission defense as it appears to be an ongoing issue. Light heavyweight prospect Jon Jones continued his impressive run with a submission victory over Jake O’Brien. Jones is now 3-0 in his UFC career, and looks to start getting bigger fights soon.

Official Results:
Jon Fitch def. Paulo Thiago via unanimous decision (30-27, 29-28, 29-28)

Brock Lesnar def Frank Mir via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 1:48 to retain UFC heavyweight title

Georges St-Pierre def. Thiago Alves via unanimous decision (50-45, 50-44, 50-45) to retain UFC welterweight title

Dan Henderson def. Michael Bisping via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 3:20

Yoshihiro Akiyama def. Alan Belcher via split decision (30-27, 28-29, 29-28)

PRELIMINARY CARD RESULTS

Mark Coleman def. Stephan Bonnar via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)

Jim Miller def. Mac Danzig via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)

Jon Jones def. Jake O’Brien via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 2, 2:43

Dong Hyun Kim def. T.J. Grant via unanimous decision (30-26, 30-26, 30-26)

Tom Lawlor defeats C.B. Dollway via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 0:55

Shannon Gugerty def. Matt Grice via submission (guillotine choke) – Round 1, 2:36