UFC 110 Nogueira VS Velasquez review

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Though many may consider men who enter an mma proving ground little more than hired human pitbulls ripping each other apart for massive money and radical amusement, I tend to reject this view via a yawn of black hole, concluding that professional level mma is the combat of highly disciplined human spirits, opposing each other for but 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. The reaction of one's opponent is the reaction to whatever one could offer as offense.

Notice that 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, pure respect spirit and related (?) intelligence may come upon, the limitless respect each fighter deserves simply by making an attempt of expressing themselves thoroughly, honestly on the proving grounds. The biggest respect one could give is the assumption that one needs every skills- and wits to neutralize the rival. A fight is nothing less than the expression of these skill sets, put though to the test utterly and completely, instead of infinitely theorizing about them. The most glorious moment of the bout emerges in the form of the ensuing peace between the fighters, a legit, palpable sensation, unifying the former enemies and the grateful audience once the collision reaches its conclusion.

This is a review of the latest UFC event to date, UFC 110 - Nogueira VS Velasquez.



Introductory thoughts about the more significant lineups

UFC 110 marks the moment of the contender collision, as exceptional heavy weight talent Cain Velasquez steps up against Minotauro Nogueira to compete for the privilige of being the replacement fighter for an upcoming superbout. This latest sentence requires evident clarification, so here it goes: Frank Mir and undefeated Shane Carwin will collide in the near future to earn the right to face UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar. The hulkian Defendant comes back to the Octagon following his fortunate and miraculous recovery from a - logically - previous illnes. The UFC wanted to make sure that the organization will be able to deliver a decent challenge for Brock AND a decent matchup for the fans, so, if the worst case scenario would be in effect and the winner of the Mir VS Carwin bout is unable to compete at the time of the Championship Collision, then the winner of Nogueira VS Velasquez should earn the privilige of facing Belt Defendant Lesnar.

The co-main event gives you Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva, on the hunt for none less of a prey than Brit mma gem Michael "The Count" Bisping, who has significantly less than zero intention of being a notable trophy in the collection of the former Pride! legend. Bisping comes to the Octagon after an impressive comeback victory he recently delivered, planning to assuage the memory of the radical knockout he suffered - oxymoron? - from the fist of Dan Henderson. A win over Wanderlei Silva would be highly relevant for the Brit, regardless of the fact that The Axe Murderer is a more calmer-, more strategic fighter now and has a solid, strict control of the ultraviolence he was - IS? - prime expresser of in the Pride! era.

Anthony Perosh VS Mirko Crocop

Local prospect Anthony Perosh takes this fight on short notice to face legendary Mirko Filipovic who had little success in the UFC so far. Crocop dominates both the first and second round via sheer control of the standup position, up to the point from which Perosh's resistance shallows down into the repetitive, constant urge of propelling himself forward with desperate hopes of taking down the opposition in the process. The Aussie always finds himself in Cropop's grasp though, and finally a position change costs him a short-, yet very efficient elbow strike to the head. Perosh shows respectable fighting spirit by completing the second round, but fortunately the doctors prevent him from entering the third round. This time, Crocop delivered the kill he promised he would when he joined the UFC, but he is yet to prove himself against a game opponent the organization puts in front of him.

Ryan Bader VS Keith Jardine

Keith Jardine states that being undefeated in this sport - as Bader is - means that you did not fight the right guys yet. In the first round Bader is able to command Jardine to the ground, but remains unable to subject his opponent to notable damage on the canvas. The second period gravitates around Jardine's unique standup style and unorthodox timing, which seems capable to confuse Bader on quite a few occasions. After a strong first round going for Bader and a second one to Jardine, the third-, and final round shows a well balanced pace with Jardine inviting his rival to engage. Bader accepts the invitation, landing a solid right on The Dean of Mean which is enough to stun him for a brief moment. Though Jardine is quick to recover, he finds himself in front of a Ryan Bader who flies through the air to state a final verdict. A flying knee connects on the chest, followed with a combination of which one element is pixel perfect, and that is more than enough to seal a victory for the talented prospect. This is how it is going with Keith Jardine, really: either he wins, or he is getting put away utterly and thoroughly.



Joe Stevenson VS George Sotiropoulos

Local favotire George Sotiropoulos greets Stevenson with strict readiness and effectiveness on the feet, having no problem at keeping Joe Daddy outside the danger zone. The match is quick to reveal its primal characteristic though, when the two fighters reach ground level to entertain the crowd with high level Jiu-Jitsu. Though Sotiropoulous' skill set is much more versatily in that department, Stevenson does a nice job of defending the constant, continuous submission attempts George is throwing at him. Finding no antidote in the standup position and being unable to break out of the role of the stalked when on the ground, Joe Daddy eventually fails to come up with a desperation move that which with he could steal a win tonight. George Sotiropoulos scores an unanimous decision victory in this quality third round ground grinder by outclassing his rival by efficient use of a more intricate level of Jiu-Jitsu than what Stevenson brought to the Octagon tonight.

Wanderlei Silva VS Michael Bisping

This collision of great promises validates all of those and then some more. Both warriors bring an intelligent fight, thus the bout is quick-, and persistent to reveal its balanced character. Bisping forms clever and efficient initial advantage on the judges' scorecard by delivering a couple of sound takedowns, while Wanderlei seems to be gaining a sear upper hand in the standup exchanges by relying on leg kicks, also scoring the more solid and more inventive of the shots. The Axe Murderer remains truthful to his notoriety in the culmination of the first round, as he initiates a flurry of moderately successful attacks, neverhtheless solidifying his position as the aggressor of the opening sequence. The second round shows similar characteristics, with an increased level of urgency on Bisping's part to build an advantage out of the takedowns. As result of this intention and a consorting, successful ground invitation, The Count finds himself in Wanderlei's guillotine choke, yet is saved by the bell. In the third and final round, some unintentional moves cause little spikes of interruptions, then, right after the final ten second is underway, The Axe Murderer switches into Axe Murderer mode. Silva is coming forward like a proper maniac, evidently without any concerns about his defense or safety. This vulgar-, nevertheless epical display of relentless aggression manages to catch Bisping pretty much defenseless against it tonight: Wanderlei connects with a huge haymaker and drops the Brit, who, though is about to recover, has no chance to offer subsequent actions, as the third and final round reaches its conclusion: Wanderlei "The Axe Murderer" Silva by decision.





Minotauro Nougeira VS Cain Velasquez

Cain Velasquez displays economical/optimal destruction, as he lands around eight-nine consecutive bombs of laser precision on Minotauro. Nogueira's punishment resistance truly is unrivaled, as even this series of successive strikes were not enough to invite him for a nap. Complete domination by Velasquez, and, the fact that he accomplishes this against someone of Minotauro's caliber, clearly shows that this heavyweight prospect is indeed forged of unique talents. In the prefight intverviews, UFC President Dana White states that if Cain Velasquez will able to stop Minotauro Nogueira, then he - Cain - is ready to face anyone in the heavyweight division. Who do you give for a guy who destructs Nogueira this way? Surely, you give him a challenge - but this gives YOU a challenge.



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