UFC 83 Serra VS St. Pierre 2

Introduction

Mixed martial arts clearly became a significant form of both mass entertainment and - as Bruce Lee put it - an expression of the human body, the latter being, no doubt, the original field of operation of these ancient traditions, now living and breathing through competitive events around the world. Though many may consider men who enter the proving grounds little more than hired human pitbulls to rip each other apart for hard cash and radical amusement, I tend to utterly reject this rudimentary view, concluding that professional level mma is the combat of highly disciplined human spirits, opposing each other for the duration of the bout, probably ending up as unified in the process as we could conceive, simply through their magnificent shared experience of being in a cage where the damage one suffers is the wit one failed to exhibit. That is how, in my opinion, the mma fighter fights against herself/himself.

Japanese people compete to gain an insight of their own current abilities through the collision process of their skills with that of other's. To me, the ultimately glorious moments of mixed martial arts are not of those of KOs and submissions. They are of those of hugging the formal rival at the end of the bout, circulating the most honest, uncompromised, pure respect each fighter deserves simply by stating themselves on the proving grounds, regardless of the results. The ensuing peace between fighters after a good collision is such a palpable, legit sensation that it never got old so far - and won't ever will.

This here is a review of the UFC event UFC 83 Serra vs St. Pierre 2, time to punch that Read more button, baby!

Introductory thoughts about the more significant lineups

I assume it will shock you considerably that the focal point of this night concerns reigning UFC Welterweight Champion Matt "The Terror" Serra and Georges "Rush" St. Pierre, the latter being not only a native of Canada where this event takes place for the very first time in the history of the organization, but also many - including illustrious UFC Referee Big John McCarthy and those who do but do not admit - consider GSP the textbook ideal of modern day mixed martial arts warrior.

The two had some decent trash talk going on between them prior this night when they are to face off again, feeding off of their mutual history which they developed in form of quality mma entertainment back from the days when a welterweight trio of Hughes, Serra and St. Pierre seemed to have the potential to characterize the division.

Serra had his tremendous moments and unfortunate downs in the UFC, coming back to the elite in the Ultimate Fighter Reality TV Show where he exhibited a charismatic personality and a widening array of mma tools. He earned himself the chance of going for the belt which have been held by GSP at the time, coming to this bout - as many claimed - with ridiculously shallow chances to go away with a belt and a W. Serra loves to be underestimated, he prefers to be an underdog, though: his biggest success so far was evidently the upset he delivered by that particular night, beating GSP in UFC 69 Shootout prior you would have had the chance to confirm it is popcorn you try to confuse with your jaws hitting the floor, stopping the precious feed in consensus mid-air.

These two great warriors behaved as gentlemen after the match - for a while, at least. From a certain point on GSP offered - in my opinion - not particularly offensive comments about how he was not 100% at the match, yet Serra regarded these statements as cheap excuses, nevertheless - so the rematch between the two seemed to be more and more imminent as in the period to follow up their first collision GSP casually crushed Matt Hughes for a second time and all other opposition whom have been put in the ensuing way between him and the belt.

GSP is as athletic of an mma fighter as you have ever witnessed, has truly immense skills on the ground, controlling and defeating such talented fighters in this form of combat as Josh Koscheck let alone Matt Hughes whom GSP submitted in a quite dominating fashion, while standing up with this contender is similarly a risky business to do as he seems quite comfortable on his feet as well. They don't call you modern day mma fighter ideal for nothing. He got caught hastily in his loss against Serra so GSP is now aware that The Terror can be a potential threat in the stand up. This latter notion originating from Serra gains a supportive comment to build extra anticipation factor as Matt assures us that he is more than ready to wage war on feet with GSP or be taken down, as he has stuff in his ground arsenal he is dying to show.

Serra is among the best of Jiu-Jitsu practitioners and has not much if anything against coming forward, yet his considerable reach disadvantage against St. Pierre has not been exploited by the French Canadian so far. Let us see if it remains a tradition or will GSP introduce a first stepping stone to start marking a way leading for an entirely different one.

Nate Quarry vs Kalib Starnes

Ultimate Fighter 1 veteran Nate Quarry is coming back to the fray from a back surgery and the corresponding pause period in his mma career, facing off Kalib Starnes, a fervent fighter of quite promising qualities himself. Strangely 'nuff, Starnes is unable to dictate the pace and fruity tenaciousness he is recognized of, as Quarry's vicious leg kicks seem to claim a rigorous toll on the opponent's composure while the relentless stand up attacks Nate unleashes on Kalib causes a rather interesting phenomena one could regard as MMA 10 Meters Dash. The match pretty much plays out with Kalib effectively running away from Nate's attacks, offering some unconvincing counter resistance which is easily avoided and even punished by the veteran.
The match therefore has it's immense, though, in my opinion absolutely uncalled for "BOO!" periods delivered by the Canadian audience, whom, in the end, do exhibit truly great mass personality as we will see into this aspect later on.

As hinted, this collision truly boils down to the current inability of Starnes to offer noticeable answers or punishment for his opponent, even a hilarious, absolutely memorable moment occurs when Quarry grows completely fed up with Starnes's relentless, even highly skillful runaways. Quarry takes the positional stance of a professional dasher, miming the wide movements utilized by top level runners in an absolutely humorous fashion, surely mocking all dignity out of his opponent momentarily. Starnes gives the finger and the consecutive run-away period, while the match comes to a conclusion with Quarry demonstrating an Amazing Special Move! in loop format, one that is guaranteed that no one ever saw before.

Quarry of course goes away with a tremendously high point-based victory, as noted by commentator Mark Goldberg: probably the most immense point difference ever to occur in the UFC so far. Some aftermath does occur yet, namely neither the corner of Starnes nor Starnes himself is pleased with Quarry's clearly humorous behavior, yet I can surely understand that they feel as Quarry would stomp on the dignity of Kalib. Well, what one can say beyond what Quarry does in the interview: it is quite hard to deal with when you came here for a fight, and you can't connect because the opposition makes a sport of running meters away from you.

Kalib does some trash talk on live feed just to earn himself consensus disrespect of the crowd he himself, as Canadian is representative of, and: all of a sudden Quarry is in favor, while Kalib has to face evident dislike concerning his behavior. The veteran proves to be a quite sober and charismatic personality at the post fight octagon interview, stating how absolutely everyone have BOO-d him here and how grateful he is for the crowd that they awarded him the credit even against a native when they witnessed their mutual performance, one in which Quarry fought in a quite integral manner, delivering a neat extra via voicing the highly rare channels
of potential, and, quite frankly: in my opinion absolutely proper octagon humor. Quarry even offers a nice thought about the process he was winning over the crowd by. He states this, simply: If I can change, and You can change, then Everyone can change.

Travis Lutter vs Rich Franklin

Rich "Ace" Franklin held the middleweight belt for a period of more than a year - it is NOT like he was holding it above his head all the while, mind you - he was Champion, you see - when Anderson "The Spider" Silva came and crushed The Ace's nose from his now-legendary Muay Thai Clinch. Almost the exact same event happened the next time they faced off to deliver a rematch opportunity for Franklin so belt-reclaim could have been committed, yet The Spider defended his belt in a way very reminiscent to the results of the occasion they first collided by led to.

Franklin is a very mature fighter, a true professional from whom I never ever heard a bad word neither about Silva or how he was drugged and, in fact: been blindfolded with an invisible bandana when faced off with The Spider on both occasions. Instead, Franklin handles his losses in an absolutely professional way, now facing off Travis Lutter, who himself had the chance to confront Silva before, too. And HE lost, too. Even worse: he failed to weight in according to the demands of the weight class on a Championship Bout he would have earned himself back in UFC 67: All or Nothing. Thus it was a match without stakes beyond win or loss. Travis had his moment, nevertheless: he mounted Silva at a certain point and delivered some bombs, yet The Spider's chin seemed to be made of granite, as it looked like Lutter might as well just continue pounding him, Silva truly never could care less. He escaped, caught Travis in a funky quasy-triangle leglock and elbowed out a victory.

Now it is a question who should face Anderson next, as he defeated all whom he confronted in a quite convincing manner. Travis Lutter though tells us this: he might lose again, but he will never, ever lose again against Silva. Well, that might very well be the case indeed as there are no guarantees as of the day of UFC 83 that he will have yet another chance either to lose, or to win against The Spider at the firs place. Nevertheless, Lutter clearly voices his intention and desire to face the Middleweight Champion again. If intentions are this clear, though: then he should have no problem to destruct Rich Franklin's butt, yes?

Reconsider, OH! UFC fans. Rich Franklin looks amazing in the fight, even better: exhibits very sympathetic octagon behavior, keeping himself from annihilating Lutter with sheer aggression and raw power - traits he could easily rely on, seeing how this match turned out as in the second round. Lutter has one particular moment earlier in the match, a very nice armbar that does seem inescapeable, yet Franklin rolls out of it and dominates the octagon by integral skills and sobriety from that point on. A precise knee and consecutive kick connects on Travis's head whom noted, current weakness of lack of conditioning kicks in just for a third aspect to strike him.

While Franklin fights on as fresh and sober as he was in the first round, Lutter is easily in a Championship Bout, threading the last minute of the Fifth period. Immense phase delay here between the fighters regarding conditioning. Completely gassed and having no power left to offer integral defense let alone opposition, this time Rich takes Travis apart in calm, evenly paced attacks that eventually prove both too hard and too futile to take further on - a Referee stoppage earns Franklin the victory, letting us wonder what is next to The Ace who have just proven that there are falls that can be taken, and falls that can make one shine even more noticeably if one uses ones demons as tools opposed submitting to them as nutrition.

Matt Serra vs Georges St. Pierre

According to Serra, there is ONE thing better than to shock the world: to shock it twice. I apologize for spoiling this account of the event in this here second sentence of it but let me tell you this: Serra lost this match by the moment he approached the octagon. Serra is not a fighter, first and foremost. Instead, Serra is an excellent actor, first of all. AND and excellent fighter, as well. But he can not hide tension once it builds up in him to peek levels, and you can see it in the look in his eyes that he has an immense amount of it, controlling it with iron determination - yet the tension is there, no matter how good he controls it. Tension ideally should not be there, as such immense amount of it consumes more of it's possessor than it does consume opposition. Easy to say, I assume, once you approach the octagon to compete against the Arena Favorit, especially when he goes by the name of Georges St. Pierre.

It seems that Serra stumbles, though it is barely noticeable, when he approaches the proving ground. In the consecutive moment he secretly takes a glimpse if anyone noticed that among the 21.000 thousand people watching PLUS the casual millions witnessing the event on TV. No, I don't think Serra believed he will be victorious here. Not after he showed up before the audience. As implied, my personal impression is that The Terror was immensely suspenseful, an inner composure he tries to hide masterfully, but ironically: this masterful concealment is the sheer hint to give him away.

You need an element though to defeat a tense Serra: you need an elite fighter who performs masterfully. And there is nothing less than these what and how GSP delivers this night. Folks, I think it is safe to say that Serra had not one, not ONE particular moment he could shine in by the night. This was GSP's game right from the very start, and remained so to the point where he banged out the victory over The Terror with vicious knees to the ribs. The match boiled down to St. Pierres's masterfully executed gameplan of disorienting Serra with swift changes between brief stand up periods, takedowns, and ground and pound sequences, aspects St. Pierre is equally superb at. What is to remain then? A good question. Now this St. Pierre is the same St. Pierre that crushed Matt Hughes, disposing quickly and convincingly from Serra, too. Let me emphasize this: I am a fan of both dudes, - meaning Serra and GSP, have not much against Hughes but I do think he needs a smaller head - yet I think now it is safe to conclude that St. Pierre's athleticism is supported by a rare degree of versatility composed of pretty much immaculate elements. Even better: this particular "pretty much" is subject to evolving even more I guess as GSP trains on with his rigorous regime intact. Also never forget how young this man is. 26 years by the day he reclaims his title.

Now a sequence to account The Terror. I absolutely remain a fan of him, and can't wait to see what others have said about him, in fact, I will do that once I wrap this up and finish off my coffee with the ruthless efficiency I tend to approach coffee with. In my opinion, it would be immensely false to regard Serra or Hughes as not that great fighters: they are absolutely elite fighters, evidently at the top of this game, it is more like that GSP stands out with his cited, almost superhero-like cartoon-athleticism, supported by the ever-increasing degree of maturity and versatility he exhibits and commands as a warrior.

I do have suspicions though concerning future events: in UFC 85 Bedlam, Matt Hughes will face off Thiago Alves. Now events tell us clearly that Hughes has absolutely nothing to be ashamed of, as GSP crushed Serra in a similar fashion he crushed the UFC Hall of Famer before. A match should have been happened already between Hughes and Serra, but The Terror had to withdraw due to a back injury. This was the event GSP jumped in to substitute Serra back in UFC 79 Nemesis. Now it seems safe to conclude that Hughes vs Serra should be realized, even safer to state that it WILL be.

As for this Championship Match wherein GSP rises to reclaim the belt from Serra: complete domination in which the French Canadian never offered, more precisely: denied chances for and from The Terror to make any notable statement or move whatsoever. Credit for all two fighters, can't wait to see who GSP will face with next, not to mention my curiosity of how Serra will handle the defeat and what kind of a fighter he comes back as.

Mark Bocek vs Mac Danzig

Winner of the Ultimate Fighter 6 Reality TV Show Mac Danzig is a seasoned veteran of the sport who exhibits a sober, calm behavior both in the octagon and as a personality. This attitude is subject to change without notice - OR in fact, with QUIE some notices - when in competition. I am yet to see Danzig in a situation where he would look clueless or desperate, a quite mature yet quite young veteran we do talk about who now faces Canadian native Mark Bocek, an immensely talented takedown artist who plans to claim a victory over a now-noted face of the UFC.

Bocek looked good with his relentless takedowns, many of which he could utilize decent foams of downward attacks from, yet hurting Danzig proves to be a task not easily achievable even when Mac occupies the lower position. But mild, bothered frustration is implied by Danzig's facial expressions of how he would prefer to wrap this up on feet, one could not say he would have been in desperation for any of the down-periods. Demonstrating tremendous defense skills and relentless counter maneuvers he manages to offer decent ground opposition, connecting though with a blatant knee on the jaw in the second round. Yet another one of those opens Bocek up on the brow, eventually leading to a doctor check and a consecutive choke-out from Danzig - affecting of course Bocek, not the good doctor in question.

Michael Bisping vs Charles McCarthy

The British favorite Michael Bisping transitioned down a weight class and now looks for yet another rampant run, following a - naturally - highly successful winning streak that have been compromised by Rashad Evans in UFC 78 Validation, though many - me = included - do think that Bisping's latest victory against Matt Hamill was an arguable decision. Bisping already faced and took the not particularly warm mass input for this though, and now looks quite good in the weight class which he states is the most natural for him.

Charles McCarthy is not impressed by Bisping, the Ultimate Fighter contestant with the Hardcore Mood Swings in his specials-arsenal does state that he considers Bisping to be the worst of the most hyped warriors. The collision between them boiled down in relative haste: McCarthy performed in a quite mediocre manner, delivering one truly impressive moment to claim a brief period of brilliance in the octagon: a quite exquisite, multi-stories takedown he punishes Bisping with, solidifying an armbar in the consecutive period. A tight one it is, as well, and you do not want to underestimate McCarthy's submission tool set and test your suspicion in the next moment, as this here warrior have all his wons via submissions. Bisping has an evident hard time releasing his arm, yet he manages to do so.

A mildly, but evidently frustrated McCarthy then offers glimpses of below-average psychological warfare, making immensely silly faces at Bisping whenever the British Bulldog - I do know about the WWE cross-reference, please ask me in comments if I do care - connects. And let me tell you this: Michael "The Count" Bisping does connect on numerous occasions, even to the point when McCarthy is forced to defend his head from a thunder of knees with his lower arms. No point letting these rampant attacks to flow on, a stoppage puts an end to the contest. Intense period that asks us the question how one could escape from such situation, also a conclusion to a match that had evident character but also had considerable skill set differences in the stand up game it is, as my personal impression is that McCarthy made the silly faces to substitute the tools he currently was lacking against the Count. In the end, they fortunately chose to consider personal differences to be settled, giving mutual hugs and good wishes. Tender is the world of mma.

Of the remaining bouts I had not bear much interest, therefore I wrap this up, having the definite focal points of the night accounted on. Hope you had a fine evening and found the review useful - thank you for reading it, and see you next time.

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