I finally finished the writeup of UFC 49, some commentary on the fights plus a round by round, blow by blow recap of every single fight on the card, plus notes on the press conference. Check it out by clicking on READ MORE below.
UFC 49: Unfinished Business
MGM Grand Garden Arena
August 21st, 2004
-Paul Erickson, TXMMA.com
Now in the books, UFC 49 was a sleeper card on all accounts, delivering a night filled with fairly active fights and few decisions. Due to several very short bouts, all the preliminary bouts received airtime to help fill the PPV time slot, so this was one UFC where everyone got plenty of exposure and none of the arguments over swing matches mattered in the end.
The focus of the night was of course going to be the rematch of the match that never was, the fluke eye-scrape defeat of Randy Couture by Vitor Belforts Ouano glove in their last bout. Besides the long awaited rematch of the man who defies Father Time and the Phenom, there were other interesting questions to be answered in the matches featuring up and comer David Terrell, perennially-overlooked Vernon White, and the UFC debut of Ron Jhun. Even more interesting was going to be the “unofficial” lightweight championship, a matchup between Yves Edwards and Josh Thomson.
Full round by round commentary is at the end of this article, but ill summarize some of my thoughts about the individual matches below.
Yves Edwards vs. Josh Thomson
Rumors continue to fly among insiders about what the UFC is going to do about the lightweight division, as it faces the same type of mainstream popularity/profitability problems that plague lighter divisions in the boxing industry. Regardless of whether or not the UFC shelves the division for possible later resurrection (a scenario thats almost a given, given the current info), this match was one that needed to happen in order to clarify the pecking order among the lightweights. I felt that Thomson did a competent job trying to take Edwards to the ground and bottle him up, and was doing fairly well until he gave a few openings that the capable Edwards quickly capitalized on. Edwards didnt lose his cool and seemed to be biding his time for the most part, even while Thomson seemed to be in control. Overall it showcased Edwards dangerous capability to quickly turn a match, and if the UFC LW division does indeed go away in the near term, this victory serves as a good jumpoff point from which Edwards can potentially continue his quest in Bushido, K-1 Romanex, or other Japanese promotions that can fully support lightweight divisions.
Nick Diaz vs. Karo Parisyan
Close match, depending on your judging philosophy you could have called it either way. Diaz proved that his previous win was no fluke, as he gave Parisyan all he could handle. Parisyan proved he is not the best person to try and work open guard on, as he repeatedly exited and entered Diazs unlocked guard to throw bombs. Diaz has lots of potential as an exciting submission fighter (with decent hands to boot), the guy the UFC originally hoped Iha would have been, as he was very active in shifting his hips, looking for angles, and going for submissions from the bottom. A rematch might do well to settle who is better, but on this night Id say it probably should have been a draw even though Parisyan got the nod. Overall a good back and forth battle.
Ron Jhun vs. Chris Lytle
I feel for Jhun, the guy is someone you can always count on to come in and give it everything, but he needed a victory here to finally put himself into the first tier. That being said, Lytle showed he just plain outclasses Jhun, as basically anything Jhun could do..Lytle could do way better. Lytle outstruck him on the feet and ran game on him when it transitioned to grappling. I hate to see Jhuns potential for exciting fights get completely snuffed in this fight by Lytles skills, but im also enthused about seeing more of Lytle. The guy shows multi-range competence and maturity in the Pat Miletich vein – only, apologies to Pat, people are potentially going to find him more exciting to watch in my opinion.
Justin Eilers vs. Mike Kyle
The battle of the heavyweight up and comers. Well, its good to get some exciting newcomers in the UFCs sparse heavyweight division, and theres a lot of promise in the hard-charging Eilers. Kyle was game, but only briefly, as Eilers fists made short work of him. As for Kyle, well, im not sure how many things have to happen before “where theres smoke, theres fire” begins to apply, as he racked up a groin shot and some petulant postfight attitude in this one. Does Kyle really need to be brought back? This one was almost too short to really judge Eilers on, but it should be fun to see how he develops. At the very least he deserves more of a push than Kyle.
Matt Lindland vs. David Terrell
Great upset. Actually for those who have been more active in following the scene, and Terrells exploits, than I have this past year, this wasnt a surprise at all. Well, hopefully Terrells status as legit contender or hype-child was settled. We never even really got to see his potential on the ground, as Lindlands dangerous habit of having his arms extended and leaving his head open was a big “Hit Me” sign right off the bat for Terrell. The dazed Lindland should have used both hands, clamped up and held Terrell tight to recover, but didnt contain Terrell in time and got pasted inside his own guard. Lindland probably just got caught, and is a competent veteran who is not going away anytime soon, but this fight helps showcase Terrell as an exciting X-factor to shake up the division.
Chuck Liddell vs. Vernon White
Well, we all knew the Iceman and the Tiger didnt get along. I thought, along with most, that Chuck was going to blast Tiger outright. Well, he did indeed blast Tiger several times on the way to victory but that wasnt the interesting part – we found out Tiger has a good chin and tons of heart. just not enough tools to deal with Chuck. Tiger showed he was game all the way, but Chuck is still a level above. Like past fights, Chuck took this fight when he had no reason to, against Danas advice, and with nothing to gain – and again proved that he is serious about wrecking all comers in the LHW division. A rematch with Couture should be damn interesting IF Chuck can solve the riddle of Randy and the Fence, something no one in the division seems to be able to do.
Joe Doerksen vs. Joe Riggs
Again, some good heavyweight prospects here, and a good battle, but Riggs proved dominant. He simply got away from Doerksens guard and inflicted damage too many times for Doerksen to overcome. Even if Riggs had not been able to pass to sidemount to do the damage that set up his final offensive series of blows, I didnt see Doerksen being able to win the match using a guard that Riggs seemed to be able to mount offense within at will. Riggs shows promise. Provided Zuffa gives guys like Riggs and Eilers a few more matches before throwing them up against Mir and other vets, they should develop well in a division sorely needing more depth.
Randy Couture vs. Vitor Belfort
What else can you say? Randy executed a clear and consistent game plan and Vitor seemed powerless to really stop him with the exception of some armbar attempts. This one helps cement Randys legend, as if it needed any more help, and also raised some interesting questions. First, just as with Tito, if you watch Couture you know the fence is a crucial part of his game and tools. Yet, Vitor seemed to concentrate more on using his raised legs to look for subs against the fence instead of using them to spin/rotate himself away from the fence first – and away from Randys specialty; GNPing a guy jammed against the fence. Vitor also could have used some good boxing footwork to move laterally in the ring instead of squaring off only to get taken down. I dont get it. maybe Vitor is still slightly spooked by Randy, I dont know. Either way the other big question is – whoever fights Randy next is going to have to figure out some way to deal with being clinched, taken down, and slowly GNPed to death against the fence. Tito, Chuck, and Vitor have yet to figure out a way to address this crucial part of Randys game. The fact that Randy is also great at executing this strategy is a strong part of it, of course. Until someone in the weight class comes up with a new way to counter him, Couture is going to impose his will on this division for a while or at least until Father Time finally notices that he is not supposed to be doing this at 40+ years old.
Additional Notes, Announcements, Postfight Press Conference, Etc.
Pride middleweight champion Wanderlei Silva was in attendance, along with Pride/DSE USA representatives Yukino Kanda and Hideki Yamamoto. Silva served as the nights lightning rod, as Coutures victory speech in the ring culminated with a hopeful unification challenge to Silva, and both he and Liddell issued challenges to Silva in their postfight press conference speeches. Dana White also called upon Wanderlei and Pride to finally match Whites moves in sending UFC fighters to Pride, by sending some Pride fighters to the UFC. im not sure if it will ever happen since Pride probably wont risk any of their marquee talent to the extra variables presented by a cage. If they do, I think it would be terrific, I just dont see it happening anytime soon unless they get Pride rules in the bargain. Which by extension means that probably the only place it is going to happen will be in Japan.
Speaking of Japan, that leads me to another announcement that was made, which was that there will be a December 21st UFC in Japan. White made the announcement at the postfight press conference, as part of his speech that led into asking when Pride was going to send representatives to the UFC. It wasnt just about that, though – White was trying to stress several positive things happening with the UFC. One was the reality show deal with SpikeTV, where the final selection would take place early next month and begin production shortly thereafter. Another was the disclosure that another TV deal is in the works. Last but not least, was announcing that the event posted a solid 12,000+ attendance and over $2 million in live gate revenue. Other tidbits from the press conference:
Vitor and Tito are tentatively scheduled to meet in Japan at UFC 51
Vitor found out his wife was pregnant right before he got to Big Bear to train
Vitor was supposed to go to the hospital ASAP for his cuts but decided to stay at least long enough to do the press conference
Riggs could not attend as both he and Doerksen had some injuries to get looked at
Lytle won the Tapout Submission of the Night award for his guillotine on Jhun
Dana White said that they were honored that Wanderlei was there, and did not question that he would fight anyone, but that it was “the wussies” at Pride, the suits, that were in the way of him (or other Pride fighters) taking on a UFC fighter in the UFC
Chuck pointed and said with a smile to Wanderlei hed be happy to take him on
Randy felt it would be good for the sport to have some sort of “unification” match between he and Wanderlei for their division.
NO mention really of what was going on with the lightweight division
Well, thats it for now, in my opinion UFC 49 was a damn good event, a little something for everyone. For now we have UFC 50 to look forward to, with Ortiz-Mezger III headlining, Matt Hughes taking on Georges St. Pierre, and a bunch of matches TBA.
Looking ahead, im pretty interested in seeing what transpires on the way to setting up the card for UFC 51 in Japan, as theres an overload of lighter weight talent there.. And a lightweight division in the UFC.that seems like it may be swept under the rug at any time. Personally I hope they keep it around at least long enough to give Edwards a match at UFC 51 against a top Japanese talent – it probably still wont be for the title, but if the lightweight division disappears in the UFC, this match will be a strong launching point for what seems the only logical place for Edwards to continue his career: Japan. And, with all the challenges being thrown around, will Chuck or Randy actually get to take on Wanderlei? well just have to wait and see.
ill close with a comment on the upcoming UFC 50 event. A lot of people have been wondering if Guy vs. Tito III is even going to be competitive. All I know is that Guy has, in recent history, really only expressed serious interest in continuing to fight if he can get a rematch against Tito. This is one that Guy has wanted for a long time, and is serious enough about to take himself out of his normal comfort zone for a whole lot of supplemental training in California with a few big names, Erik Paulson being one of them. I think itll be pretty interesting to see what kind of fight we end up with – Tito is hungry to get back into title contention, and this is THE fight that Guy will be up for to likely end his career on. My suspicion is that Guys ultimate revenge would probably be to get a win over Tito and then retire – dropping Titos resale value *and* giving him no rematch for redemption in the process. Can he pull it off? well find out in October. And dont forget, Texans, that youve got Paul Buentello, Tra Telligman, and Evan Tanner on the card as well, for one of the more Texas-infused cards in recent history.
Now, on to the blow by blow recaps of each fight:
Preliminary Card
Fight 1 Lightweight: Yves Edwards vs. Josh “The Punk” Thomson
Round 1
Thomson comes out throwing a few leg kicks while Yves seems happy to take them and stalk Thomson, waiting for his chance. Thomson chases Yves across the ring and clinches with him against the fence, and is able to drop level and elevate him for the takedown. Edwards works from the closed guard, mostly tying Thomson up, and then switches to open guard and is able to switch his hips and stand back up, where he and Thomson begin to scrap from the clinch. Thomson pulls off a throw on Yves, which Edwards quickly recovers from, and the two are back to a standing clinch, trading round knees and punches inside. Thomson tries to pull guard near the fence and Yves hams him, pushing him up against the fence while in mid-guard-pull and punching him. Thomson goes back to standing and they resume infighting inside the clinch next to the fence. They break and go back to center ring, They trade a couple of shots and clinch, Yves takes his back and tries to suplay him. Thomson recovers back to standing and as he breaks away from yves grip and turns around, Yves launches an off-balance high kick and connects shin-to-neck as Thomson goes for a backfist that misses, and Thomson drops like a sack of bricks. Edwards pounces on the dazed Thomson and unloads, and the ref steps in at 4:32 of round 1. Edwards wins by KO.
Fight 2 Welterweight: Nick Diaz vs. Karo “The Heat” Parisyan
Round 1
The two quickly clinch and Parisyan is able to take Diaz down near the fence, but Diaz gets back up and the two clinch up again. Diaz figure-4s Parisyans arm to go for a kimura from standing, they go down to the ground where Parisyan defends the lock, Diaz transitions to a kneebar which Parisyan escapes and then hits Diaz with a bomb as he re-enters Diazs guard. They go back to standing clinch, where Diaz is able to take Parisyan down and after a few punches to Parisyan, Diaz stands up where they trade briefly as Parisyan rushes him to the fence and takes Diaz down with a double, ending in Diazs guard. Parisyan pulls out and throws several bombs at Diazs head as he tries to pass guard. Parisyan continues this tactic, pulling out of guard and then nailing Diaz, until Diaz capitalizes on one of these attempts and is able to switch his hips and escape back to standing. They go back to striking on the feet, each landing a few blows but neither taking significant damage. Diaz seems to get the better of Parisyan at the end of the round though, getting a clinch and connecting with some solid shots and a knee. Parisyan is tired/dazed somewhat, leaning on the cage after the round ends.
Round 2
They quickly clinch again as Diaz takes Parisyan down and ends in his guard. Parisyan quickly scrambles and the two both scramble looking for position, neither being able to capitalize until Parisyan is able to get to standing clinch with Diazs head down, and nails Diaz with a knee. They break and shortly thereafter Parisyan clinches again and they go to the fence, where they trade knees and punches, Diaz landing more. Parisyan breaks away from the clinch and seems to be tired, the Ref stops them temporarily as he seems to toss a dropped mouthpiece out of the ring, they resume, and stalking each other with strikes on the feet. Diaz seems more accurate in this part of the fight, as Parisyan seems to be doing a good job striking but is more concentrated on closing the gap and turning it in to a grappling match. Diaz seems to get into the groove and begins to dominate the striking pace, making Parisyan regularly give ground. Parisyan for his part does connect with a few good shots, and is finally able to clinch up near the fence and elevate Diaz for the takedown as the round ends.
Round 3
They come out striking again, and Parisyan is able to grab a leg, drive Diaz to the fence, and take him down. Diaz works from open guard, goes for a triangle unsuccessfully, and is trying to create opportunities. Parisyan strikes a few times and lets Thomson up, only to take him down again. They stalemate and the ref stands them up. The ref stops the fight for Karo’s mouthpiece? Anyway they resume and Parisyan takes Diaz down again. Diaz is active switching his hips creating openings but Parisyan avoids them all and takes Diaz down yet again in the scramble. Diaz goes for rubber guard but Parisyan pulls out. Nick is able to stand up and they clinch on the feet, break, and Parisyan takes Diaz down again as Diaz still tries to shift his hips and create openings for submissions. Parisyan falls for none of it and resumes trying to GNP Diaz from inside his guard. Close fight. Split decision for Karo Parisyan.
Fight 3: Ron “Machine Gun” Jhun vs. Chris “Lights Out” Lytle
Round 1
They touch gloves and begin to trade a few punches and kicks to get the range, when Lytle drops Jhun with a good punch. Jhun balls up in guard and catches his wits, then goes for an armbar which Lytle rolls with and evades. Lytle is able to pass to side and scissor one of Jhun’s arms with his legs, and begins to grind Jhun with punches from side mount. Jhun recovers back to half guard but is mostly defensive as it seems that Lytle is dictating the pace. Lytle continues to try and GNP Jhun from inside his half guard, as Jhun tries to create space to escape to no avail. Finally Jhun is able to get back to full guard, as Lytle continues to work GNP. They stalemate from this position and are stood up. Lytle nails Jhun in the chin with a good punch. Jhun clinches up with Lytle near the fence and takes him down, only for Lytle to roll and reverse, ending in Jhuns guard.
Round 2
Lytle again seems the more comfortable of the two on his feet, forcing Jhun to try and clinch up to attempt the takedown. Jhun drives Lytle to the fence and clinches up, only for Lytle to pull guard to work a guillotine, and roll Jhun over, Jhun rolls to reverse, only to end in Lytles guard again where Lytle is able to finish him with the guillotine at 1:14 round 2. Lytle was just too well-rounded and competent at both ranges for Jhun to handle.
PPV Main Card
Fight 4 Heavyweight: Justin Eilers vs. Mike “Cannibal” Kyle
Round 1
The two feel each other out on the feet, with Kyle trying to flurry and clinch, Kyle knees Eilers in the groin during the clinch and the fight is stopped for a minute. They resume and Eilers nails Kyle with an overhand right and hurts him, Eilers sees his chance and goes after Kyle. Eilers shoots, Kyle sprawls, they clinch again and Kyle tries to throw back.. but eats another solid shot and goes down flat on his back, Eilers pounces on him, drills his face with a followup, and the ref stops the fight for a KO at 1:14 of round 1.
Fight 5 Middleweight: Matt “The Law” Lindland vs. David “The Soul Assassin” Terrell
Round 1
They touch gloves, Lindland tries a few probing jabs, and immediately Terrell opens up and drops Lindland with a huge left hook. He pounces on Lindland who tries to pull guard but weakly holds Terrell behind the neck with one hand – Terrell breaks loose inside his guard and starts throwing bombs at Lindlands face, knocking Lindland out at 25 seconds of round 1. Lindland, as seen other times with Baroni, again left arms extended without the head protected, and this time finally paid the price.
Fight 5 Light Heavyweight: Chuck “Iceman” Liddell vs. Vernon “Tiger” White
Round 1
They probe with a couple of skirmishes, then both take their turns going after each other, Vernon clinches and pulls guard, Chuck gets up and dares him to stand, they go back to standing and Vernon lands a low kick which Chuck tries to check. Vernon eats a good shot and Chuck pounces on him and flurries but can not finish him. Vernon tries to recover and gets up, where he is hurt by Chuck again, and again Chuck cant finish him. Vernon lands a shot or two here and there and seems to recover somewhat , however he is still feeling the effects, as he tries to open up on Chuck, takes another shot and is dazed, Chuck goes after him and he curls up near the fence in turtle position with Chuck at his side landing shots, Vernon makes it back up and tries a spinning back kick which connects but doesnt seem to hurt Chuck. Vernon is game enough, but it isnt enough as he tries to pursue Chuck and throw a right cross.and eats a Liddell right counter for his trouble, crumpling to the canvas for the last time at 4:05 of round 1. Vernon hung tough and proved that he had heart, but Liddell again proved that he is one of the top 5 guys around 200lbs. and simply at a different level than White.
Fight 6 Heavyweight: Doerksen vs. Riggs.
Round 1
They feel each other out, Doerksen is able to shoot and take Riggs down. Doerksen tries to pick up Riggs for the slam but Riggs abandons guard and stands up. Doerksen takes him to the fence and takes him down again, tries a crank or guillotine and rolls, Riggs is able to escape and ends in Doerksens guard. Doerksen goes for an armbar and then a heel hook but Riggs pulls out and then dives back in and scores with a dive bomb punch to the head. Doerksen goes back to standing , clinched, with Riggs but Riggs takes him down with a throw and ends back in Doerksens guard. Riggs goes for another dive bomb punch but instead tries to pass Doerksens legs, Doerksen reverses and escapes to standing, then tries to take Riggs down from the clinch but ends up pulling guard as Riggs jams the takedown. Riggs escapes and gets warned by the ref for trying a stomp on the downed Doerksen. They clinch again, Riggs tries to take Doerksens back but Doerksen spins and takes guard, Riggs pulls out of guard and comes back down with a big punch. The round ends.
Round 2
Doerksen lands a LOUD kick to Riggs cup so a timeout ensues. Riggs seems energized, throwing harder punches at Doerksen, who clinches and pulls guard. Again, any time Doerksen opens guard Riggs tries to pull out and launch bombs down. Riggs tries to spin and pass to side but Doerksen follows. Riggs continues to land sporadic shots down at Doerksen, who tries unsuccessfully to set up submissions from open guard only to catch shots from the wary Riggs. Riggs passes to side and opens up, landing several good shots on Doerksen, fists and forearms, opening up a cut, before Doerksen regains guard. Doerksen is hurt, as Riggs turns it up a notch and begins to land some more, finally Doerksen taps, giving Riggs the victory at 3:39 of round 2. Doerksen leaves with a big cut above the right eye and what seems to be a broken nose.
Fight 7 Light Heavyweight: Randy “The Natural” Couture Vs. Vitor Belfort
Round 1
They come out and touch gloves. Randy closes under a lead hand and clinches up, driving Vitor to the fence. Randy works a few round knees to the outside, looks for an inside trip, tries a few knees on the outside over Vitors arms, going for his head. For the most part Vitor defends. Randy tries to spin and take Vitor down but Vitor defends well. They stalemate and are restarted. Randy closes again as Vitor tries to get off, he clinches and drives Vitor to the fence again where he again works some infighting. Vitor seems unable to get away from the clinch. Finally Randy is able to transition and take Vitor down. Randy tries to take Vitors back but Vitor evades, only to be crowded up against the fence where Randy is able to settle into sidemount. Randy tries to find space to punch and elbow but Vitor switches hips and tries to reverse, and is able to spin away and begin to work back to guard as the round ends.
Round 2
They trade jabs and again Randy closes to clinch and drives Vitor to the fence Randy tries to work down to take a leg for a takedown but Vitor blocks him. Randy continues to try and work some outside knees and dirty boxing, and is finally able to duck under Vitors arm to take his side and take him down next to the fence. VItor is stuck with his back to the fence and Randy lands a few short punches inside. Vitor is trying to pull guard but is jammed against the fence as Randy keeps trying to work short inside punches. Vitor goes for a sweep but Randy blocks it. Randy continues to keep him crowded against the fence and seems to land a few more punches and elbows, Vitor seems to have a cut. The fight is stopped to check the blood on Vitors face. The match is restarted in the same position, Randy goes back to the same formula, trying to keep Vitor from being able to shift away from the fence as he throws punches and forearms. Meanwhile Vitor comes close to taking an armbar from guard that Randy manages to pull out of. The round ends shortly thereafter.
Round 3
Randy again cuts off the ring and clinches and takes Vitor down, again keeping his back to the fence and throwing inside punches. Vitor did not try to move around the ring laterally at all. Randy starts to open up as the crowd screams his name and again Vitor almost takes an armbar, which Randy pulls out of. Vitor now ends up semi-jammed against the fence with Randy landing small shots. Vitor again rotates his hips looking to set something up but Randy continues to land as Vitor is unable to stay off the fence to avoid presenting a convenient target. Meanwhile, Vitors face is a mess. Vitor brings his legs up to try for another armbar as the round ends.
The docs check Vitors cuts and they call the fight for Randy Couture.