Though UFC has put on much more than 100 events in its existence, UFC 100 was billed as an anniversary of sorts, with an appropriate amount of hype surrounding the event. Coincidentally, it happened to be the 100th UFC event produced by the Zuffa – the current owners of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The fight line up was highlighted by the conclusion of the heavyweight championship mini-tournament, with Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir rematching to unify the heavyweight titles. In addition, Georges St. Pierre defended his welterweight title against top contender Thiago Alves, and Dan Henderson took on Michael Bisping for a potential middleweight title shot. The main card was rounded out by the UFC debut of Japanese standout Yoshihiro Akiyama, and a welterweight bout between John Fitch and Paulo Thiago.
Yoshihiro Akiyama vs. Alan Belcher (185 lbs)
Round 1: Belcher starts out with leg kicks; several find their target but one is a bit off and lands squarely in Akiyama’s groin. After a brief rest they start back and exchange combinations; Akiyama catches a leg kick and answers with a big punch but Belcher comes right back and floors Akiyama with a big hook. Akiyama recovers quickly and catches another leg kick, throwing Belcher to the canvas this time. Round 10-9 Belcher
Round 2: Akiyama utilizes his judo background to score a takedown off a body lock early in the round. Back and forth action on the ground, with Akiyama in a controlling position but not able to do much damage to Belcher. Akiyama passes Belcher’s guard, which allows Alan to escape back to the feet, and the fighters close the round out with fairly even striking exchanges. Round 10-9 Akiyama
Round 3: Akiyama looks beat up, his eyes are swollen but he continues standing with Belcher. Belcher is winning most exchanges but Akiyama hangs in there and fires back, momentarily knocking Belcher off-balance. Akiyama gets a late takedown to make it a very close round. Round 10-9 Belcher
Akiyama wins a split decision with scores of 30-27, 29-28, and 29-28 Belcher
Fight Grade: 3/5
Aftermath: Though Akiyama did not dazzle in his UFC debut, a win is a win and a close fight with a very tough Belcher is nothing to sneer at. Expect Akiyama’s next opponent to be a mid-level fighter with a high level of name recognition; perhaps a former ‘Ultimate Fighter’ contestant such as Nate Quarry, Chris Leben, or Ed Herman. Belcher remains in a gatekeeper-like position.
Dan Henderson vs. Michael Bisping (185 lbs)
Round 1: After a bit of circling, Henderson rushes Bisping and rocks him with a right hand. Henderson swings for the fences but Bisping recovers and puts some distance between them. Bisping continues circling and firing jabs; Henderson is looking for another right hand but does not land anything. The clinch and Bisping goes for a futile takedown attempt; Henderson lands another big punch at the end of the round. Round 10-9 Henderson
Round 2: Bisping is elusive, circling and landing an occasional jab and kick. As the round wears on, Bisping starts landing more and is becoming more comfortable in his standup – until he gets caught with a huge overhand right that knocks him out cold. Henderson follows up with a flying forearm to his already unconscious opponent.
Fight Grade: 5/5
Aftermath: Dan Henderson punctuated a three-fight streak with a highlight reel knockout. He becomes one of the top contenders to Anderson Silva’s title, though he will most likely have to wait for the outcome of the upcoming bout between Nathan Marquardt and Demian Maia to find out whether he will get the next title shot. If not, Henderson will likely return to the light heavyweight division.
Bisping suffers a brutal knockout that will likely keep him out of action for some time. His next fight should be against someone like Alan Belcher to determine Bisping’s true standing in the division; however UFC is likely to want to rebuild their biggest UK start and will probably give him a presumably easy opponent for his next bout.
Champion Georges St. Pierre vs. Thiago Alves (170 lbs title bout)
Round 1: After a brief feeling out process, St. Pierre shoots for a takedown as expected, and succeeds. Alves quickly escapes, gets taken down again and escapes again. A brief exchange on the feet and Alves is taken down again; St. Pierre takes his back in a scramble and looks for a choke. Alves rolls over and gets back to his feet. Alves lands a good combination only to be taken down again, getting back up as the round ends. Round 10-9 St. Pierre
Round 2: St. Pierre uses his striking to set up another takedown, and this time Alves is not so quick to get back up as St. Pierre controls him and smashes him with elbows. Alves is bleeding from his nose and also appears to have a small cut near his eye. Alves finally gets up but not before absorbing a lot of punishment. St. Pierre finishes the round strong on the feet. Round 10-9 St. Pierre
Round 3: St. Pierre mixes up strikes with takedown attempts; Alves looks hesitant to unload as he is wary of being taken down. Alves sprawls but gets slammed quickly. Alves gets up and lands a few strikes; St. Pierre answers with several quick punches to Thiago’s bloody nose, one of which knocks Alves down. Georges punishes Alves for a dominating round. Round 10-8 St. Pierre
Round 4: An even exchange on the feet, then St. Pierre takes down Alves and takes his back. Alves rolls over and end up in Georges’ guard. Alves attempts some ground and pound; no significant damage is done but Alves is in a controlling position for a while until St. Pierre finally escapes. St. Pierre takes down Alves and takes his back again to steal the round. Best round for Alves so far. Round 10-9 St. Pierre
Round 5: Alves needs a knockout to pull off a victory at this point, and St. Pierre is playing it safe with another quick takedown. St. Pierre controls Alves for the remainder of the round, taking him down every time Thiago manages to get back to his feet. Round 10-9 St. Pierre
St. Pierre wins a unanimous decision with scores of 50-45, 50-44, 50-45
Fight Grade: 4/5
Aftermath: Another dominant performance from the champion, who has now completely cleared out the division. St. Pierre appears to have injured his groin in the third round, and will likely take some time off to either bulk up for a superfight with Anderson Silva, or wait for another welterweight contender to emerge. Alves should rematch John Fitch in a bout between two of the top dogs in the division who have both been dominated by the champion and are a long way from another title shot.
Champion Brock Lesnar vs. Interim Champion Frank Mir (HW title unification bout)
Round 1: Lesnar leads with a leg kick then drags Mir down to the mat. Mir attempts a leg lock but Lesnar defends and traps Mir against the fence, punishing Frank with short punches from half-guard. Mir is unable to escape or improve his position; he tries to go for a kimura to no avail, as Lesnar traps Mir’s arm and head and pummels him with the free arm. Mir’s face is bloody and battered by the time the round ends. Round 10-9 Lesnar
Round 2: Lesnar tosses Mir to the ground with a mighty shove, but does not follow him down. Mir lands a combination, clinches, and lands a flying knee as Lesnar takes him down. Lesnar traps Mir against the cage and smashes Mir’s face from half-guard. Mir’s head is bouncing off the cage and the canvas as referee Herb Dean steps in to stop the fight. Mir’s face looks like hamburger and he is disoriented as Lesnar gets in his face for a bit of post-fight trash talk.
Fight Grade: 5/5
Aftermath: Lesnar avenges his loss and unifies the heavyweight title. Next, he will most likely face the winner of the upcoming bout between Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez, unless the UFC is able to come to terms with Fedor Emelianenko. Mir will likely campaign for a rubber match, and should get it with 2-3 wins under his belt. Cheik Kongo may be a good starting point for Mir’s path to another title shot.
John Fitch vs. Paulo Thiago (170 lbs)
Round 1: Fitch throws several kicks to start the fight then takes Thiago down and gets caught in a guillotine. Thiago can’t finish the guillotine and switches to a brabo choke attempt; Fitch struggles a bit but finally pops his head out. A scramble as Fitch tries to pass Thiago’s guard; round ends in a stalemate. Round 10-9 Thiago
Round 2: Fitch leads with strikes into a clinch then a takedown. Fitch gets Thiago’s back as Paulo works back to his feet. Fitch scores another takedown and takes Thiago’s back again; Fitch attempts a rear naked choke but Thiago defends well. Round 10-9 Fitch
Round 3: More of the same as Fitch lands a solid combination, then follows up with a takedown and quickly takes Thiago’s back. Fitch transitions to mount then back control again. Thiago stands up and falls backward, slamming Fitch to the ground, but Fitch holds on. Fitch locks in a body triangle from the back and attempts to work a choke; Thiago survives the round. Round 10-9 Fitch
Fitch wins a unanimous decision with scores of 30-27, 29-28, 29-28
Fight Grade: 2/5
Aftermath: After a thunderous UFC debut, Paulo Thiago gets shut down in his second bout – not an unexpected outcome against John Fitch. Fitch should rematch Thiago Alves next, while Paulo Thiago should face one of UFC’s numerous mid-level welterweights.
A good UFC all in all, though some fans might have been disappointed if you bought into all the hype leading up to the event.