UFC 72 was a very pedestrian affair. It wasn’t horrible yet only one fight was stellar. With no title matches on the line and a main event that was a snooze fest until the third round, the whole card seemed lifeless and devoid of meaning. The crowd was magnificent in spite of the inaction and even erupted in soccer chants especially during the Forrest Griffin fight. The seats were full even in the prelim’s which bodes well for Zuffa’s pocket book.
Ed Herman vs. Scott Smith
The first fight of the night shown on TV was Ed Herman vs. Scott Smith. Ed Herman and Scott Smith are both TUF alumni. Ed Herman recently won on an Ultimate Fight Night by a sick armbar and Scott had recently won by KO against Pete Sells after Sells had knocked him down with a massive hit to the ribs. Ed talks about standing with Scott but nobody believes him.
Round one starts with Ed proving himself wrong by immediately shooting in for a double leg takedown. Ed then proceeds to throw some short elbows to Scott’s face in a foreshadowing of what is to come later in the match. This forces Scott to roll and Ed then takes Scott’s back. Scott stands back up and they clinch with Ed throwing knees while in the clinch. Ed again shoots in and goes for a double leg but Scott pulls a guillotine which Ed subsequently slips. Ed sits in guard lulling Scott to sleep and then all of a sudden throws an overhead wind-up elbow that lands on Scott’s nose on the bridge and splits it wide open, causing the blood to run into his eye, and forcing the doctor to stop the match briefly and look at the damage. The doctor doesn’t see it as much of a danger and lets the match continue. They continue in the same position and Scott has to roll giving up his back. Ed tries to take his back and misses causing Scott to get top position. Both go for toe folds with Ed breaking off first and diving in to finally get Scott’s back for an attempted Rear Naked Choke. Scott flips the choke and manages to get back into guard and the bell rings to end the round.
Second round starts and Ed yet again jabs and goes straight for a takedown but Scott gets a Guillotine in tight. Ed survives for a little bit in this position then pops out of it after Scott’s arms get tired. Ed continues to utilize the overhead elbows but Scott uses his forearm to block them having learned from his first run-in. Scott eventually has to give up his back trying to stand up and Ed immediately pounces, slips in his forearm, and gets the Rear Naked Choke.
Ed Herman wins by Rear Naked Choke in the second round.
Tyson Griffin vs. Clay Guida
This match ended up being the fight of the night. Both were energetic in the match, utilizing good wrestling skills, yet sloppy JJ skills. Tyson was strong in round one, Clay seemed to take round two and three, but looks can be deceiving sometimes. Goldberg revealed how horrible a wordsmith he was by using “tireless, tireless...” in a sentence.
Round one starts with Tyson hitting first. Clay shoots in and gets a single but Tyson balances well on one foot and stays in an upright position. Tyson then pulls a guillotine so tight that Clay’s face goes red and you can hear him gurgle. Clay toughs it out and eventually slips the choke. A scramble ensues with Tyson landing in back position with a body lock. Clay drops and tries a toe fold reversing positions when Tyson has to respond. They eventually get up and Clay pins Tyson against the cage throwing some nice knees. Tyson then tees off and clay responds with some nice hand combos. Clay then shoots again and Tyson sprawls effectively forcing Clay to stand and trade jabs with him. Tyson then opens up and throws a left-right-head kick combo forcing Clay to shoot. Both exchange blows and a scramble ensues to end the round.
Round two starts with Tyson throwing a nice overhand. Clay responds with a high kick that misses and some hands which land. Clay then gets a single and Tyson blocks with a cross-body grab across the back. Clay gives up the leg and Tyson remains in a top gator roll position. Tyson breaks the hold by throwing an uppercut that seems to originate at the floor. Both let their hands go with some hits scoring and others not. Guida then throws a head kick and shoots. Tyson demonstrates his flexibility and almost does the splits to escape the single leg. Tyson scrambles and gets Clay’s back with a body lock. He powerlifts Clay into the air and attempts to suplexes him but Clay’s butt lands on top of Tyson’s head. Clay scrambles and gets a knee bar that is in deep but can’t finish it off because of the flexibility of Tyson and the inability of Clay to arch his back enough to hyper-extend the joint. Tyson tries a heel hook to free his leg and Clay scrambles and ends up getting Tyson’s back with both hooks. Tyson tucks his chin and stands up with opponent on his back. Clay can’t seem to slip the arm under the chin and eventually Tyson rolls forward suddenly slamming Clay’s head into the mat. Tyson then starts to slip out back when the bell rings.
Round three begins and Tyson again initiates the action with his hands. Tyson closes the distance and gets a good knee in followed by a great hand combo. Clay is again forced to shoot in for a single. Tyson stuffs and answers but Clay is countering well. Guida shoots after throwing a jab but doesn’t sell it enough and allows Tyson to react and stuff. Clay eventually gets Tyson down but they soon spin. Tyson throws some nice elbows and another scramble happens with Clay ending the sequence with two nice back fists as Tyson holds onto one of his legs. Clay then proceeds to eat Tyson up. No matter how Tyson squirms, Clay lands on top. Clay tries to get mount but can’t quite get it and Tyson pushes him off with his legs and throws some nice upkicks. Clay throw his hips up and over trying to pass and they both scramble but Clay again lands on top continuously using GNP. The round nears the end and Clay is raining down hits on Tyson with no responses from Griffin. The round ends and both fighters come to the center for the decision.
TYSON WINS BY SPLIT DECISION and CLAY IS ROBBED!
Rory Singer vs. Jason MacDonald
This fight looked like a gimme on paper. Jason is super athletic and a great fighter although he lost to Rich Franklin recently. Rory has been surprisingly game in his fights against ex-TUF alumni but has been pulled up short against top athletes like Yushin Okami. Jason is one of those top athletes so the cards appeared stacked against Rory.
Round one starts with a leg kick from Jason to a take down attempt. Jason pushes Rory against the cage and then proceeds to apply foot stomp after foot stomp.Rory flips the position and tries a whizzer but Jason has really good balance. Jason then gets a single leg but Rory applies the double underhooks to defend the takedown. Rory again reverses the position against the cage and throws some massive ands and a knee. Jason finally gets the takedown. Rory slaps on a high guard which Jason responds to with Shoulder shots. Jason gets in 2 good punches from up on top and Rory applies some good up-kicks forcing Jason to disengage. Jason tries to hit and shoot but misses. Rory gets up and throws some nice knees. Rory takes down Jason and gets mount and then the back with hooks as Jason rolls to avoid the hits. Jason reverses guard but is bleeding from a couple elbows. Jason stays in guard but Rory is using masterful JJ to control the action from bottom. Rory slips in a triangle as Jason tries to stack him for a pass and Jason is saved by the bell.
Round two has Jason kicking and then shooting for a single leg which succeeds. He ends in guard and starts to throw some great body shots to soften up Rory. Jason grabs Rory’s arm and puts it behind his own back in an effort to advance position Rory uses a body triangle instead of a closed guard to maintain control from bottom. Jason starts to drop heavy bombs and a couple of them are getting through. Jason then uses a can-open to pass to half guard and then mount. He continues to throw bombs and Rory turtles but doesn’t attempt to defend himself forcing the referee to step in and stop the match
Jason MacDonald wins by TKO - ref stoppage 2nd round
Forrest Griffin vs. Hector Ramirez
This match was very one-sided and boring from any other angle except as a clinic to see how far Forrest has improved. Forrest Griffin has come a long way since his brawling days and even picked up a new weapon, the kick. Hector Ramirez is relatively new to the UFC, with a loss against James Irving, who isn’t as good as Forrest and therefore should not even stand a chance against the TUF alumni.
Round one starts with Griffin foreshadowing the rest of the fight by throwing masterful kicks against the legs. Hector shoots off a kick and gets the takedown. He can’t pass and Forrest stands back up. The rest of the round has Forrest giving Hector a kicking clinic with kicks raining in from all directions, body, head, both legs, etc. He also mixes in the hands to keep things fresh. One impressive thing is that he is using angles and disengaging when Hector tries to advance. Repeat this and you have the rest of the round figured out.
Round two is much of the same with Forrest utilizing the double leg kicks effectively. He also mixes in a left cross-right uppercut into the mix to really throw Hector off. Hector never advances and when he does, Forrest backs off not allowing him to get into a rhythm. the leg kicks are starting to take their toll and Hector is slowing down. Hector tries a sorry takedown which doesn’t even come close and Forrest continues to pick him apart until the end of the round.
The third round has Hector’s legs looking like jelly from the repeated blows. Forrest continues to open up the combos and puts on a clinic for all those watching. The soccer chants start up in earnest and the crowd really loves Forrest. The round ends with Forrest hitting Hector so much that he is forced to turtle.
Forrest wins by Unanimous Decision
Rich Franklin vs. Yushin Okami
Rich Franklin is coming off a win against Jason McDonald and Yushin is coming off an impressive win against Mike Swick. Both are strong and they both know it. Rich is an ex-champion and is hungry to climb the ladder again. This match was boooorriiiing except for the third round. It is also one of the only ones on the PPV where the crowd actively booed because of the inactivity.
Round one and two of the main event are the most boring of the night. Both rounds have Rich advancing and Okami disengaging. Every time Yushin tries and advance, which isn’t many, Rich changes levels masterfully with his head and counters by hitting first. Repeat this for two rounds and you get the idea.
Round three starts a little differently. Yushin throws a kick that Rich grabs but he loses his grip and can’t take his opponent down. Rich lands a leg kick of his own, a body shot, and a body kick. Okami gets in range off the kick and finally gets a leg trip which lands him in side guard. Yushin then passes the guard and mounts successfully. Okami starts the GNP and Rich also works to get a butterfly guard back which he is eventually succeeds in doing. Rich escapes and gets a single which allows Okami to get a guillotine. Rich esscapes again and almost gets mount. Rich tries to stand up and throws punches down at Okami. Yushin tries for a Kimura and gets it in deep. Rich winces with pain as Okami gets half guard and starts to torque the shoulder. Rich eventually rolls and tucks his arm underneath his body. He then reverses his position and escapes the dangerous submission. Rich finishes with GNP and the bell rings.
Rich wins by unanimous decision
The best fight of the night was Tyson Griffin and Clay Guida. The crowd was extremely sparse at the BW3 where I was at and the combination of afternoon time and the pre-buzz of the lacking card must have kept the people home rather than purchasing. Thank goodness the next three cards look better than this one.