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Chuck defends title, Couture Retires.
By Rob Sayers | February 4, 2006
By Rob Sayers
UFC 57 will go down in history as the event where Randy Couture retired. Much to the disappointment of myself and many other fans, in his post fight interview, Couture stated this is the end of the road for him. Randy showed all of us what hard work and determination can accomplish despite all odds. His presence in the octagon will be missed.
My thoughts on the fights that aired:
Nick Diaz Vs. Joe Riggs
Had Riggs come out as his old self, My prediction of a Diaz victory would have been correct. However, tonight I think we say a smarter, more patient Riggs. He had a solid game a beat a good fighter in a solid decision. Wood work on his part. What lies ahead for Diaz is a bit cloudy now that he as lost to two fighters generally considered to be ranked under him.
Brandon Vera Vs. Justin Eilers
Brandon Vera brings a much needed spark of life to the UFC heavyweight division. He proved this one again by landing a brutal knockout victory over Justin Eilers with a highkick and knee which put Eilers to sleep in the first round.
There has been talk of Vera dropping to 205, but I think he should stay in HW for the time being. While I don’t feel he will beat Andrei Arlovski anytime soon, there are several good matchups for him in this division until he is ready for a shot at the champ.
Renato Sobral Vs. Mike Van Arsdale
Another impressive win for Babalu and I believe a secured shot at the title. Babalu has looked great in his last 3 fights, with all three wins coming by submission. I’m not sure when he’ll be facing Chuck, but you can bet this will be one hell of a rematch.
So where does Van Arsdale go from here? He has lost his first 2 fights in the UFC, although both fights have been against top contenders for the crown. Does he take a few tuneup fights and make another run for the title? Or is it to late for the mma veteran who is already 40 years old?
Frank Mir Vs. Marcio Cruz
In his post fight interview, Frank Mir stated he probably wasn’t as ready for a return to MMA has he previously thought. After his performance tonight, I doubt anyone disagrees with him. Cruz controlled the fight from the very start until the ref stopped the fight. Cruz is another fighter who could be a force in the UFC and lends to the possibility of several interesting matches.
Mir took the defeat with a good attitude. I really hope we see the former champ in his former condition soon. I think it was poor matchmaking on Zuffa’s part putting Mir in the cage with someone as dangerous as Cruz.
Chuck Liddell Vs. Randy Couture
Liddell proved that he deserves to wear that belt once again. After a first round which was controlled for the most part by Couture, Liddell landed a hook to the jaw of Randy in the 2nd putting him to the canvas where he continued to strike until Big John called a stop to the contest giving Chuck the TKO victory.
I think Randy looked great in the first round, he landed some good strikes, and his evasion looked sharp as ever. This round reminded me a lot of his performance in their first fight. I still don’t think age has caught up with him as much as some people think. I think plain and simple, Chuck has grown and become a better fighter. I feel that Couture would have lost this fight even if he were much younger.
Congratulations to Chuck Liddell on a well earned victory. Im not sure what Randy’s plans are for the future, but I’m sure I speak for everyone at Fight Opinion when I say good luck in all your future endeavors, and thanks for bringing us some of the greatest fights in mma history.
Topics: All Topics, MMA, Rob Sayers, UFC | 7 Comments » | Permalink | Trackback |
Completely agree Rob. Good luck Randy. You are a TRUE LEGEND~!.
“So where does Van Arsdale go from here? He has lost his first 2 fights in the UFC”
Van Arsdale is now 2-2 in the UFC with wins over Joe Pardo and John Marsh, so he hasnt “lost his first two fights”…
I stand corrected… I had meant to say first two fights since returning to the UFC, I forgot about his fight at UFC 52.
Dont want to sound like an arse, but in future, could you not post results in your headings! I’m in the UK and havent been able to watch this yet, but being subscribed to your RSS, i got the result ruined for me! Wasnt best pleased…
I don’t mean to be an arse either, but maybe looking through MMA headlines the day after an event isn’t the best idea if you don’t want to know who won. What did you think you would see?
Nice review. I wanted Randy to win but now we can move forward in the division and let guys like Forrest, Sakara, etc…, make a run at the top.
As i said, i didnt look through them – they pop up automatically in my client…
Ah, I apologize Andy, that didn’t even cross my mind. I’ll try to keep the headlines at least spoiler free from now on.