UFC 113 took place in Montreal, Canada and was headlined by a long-awaited rematch between the light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida, and Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua. Machida defeated Rua at UFC 104 in a highly controversial decision – most observers, including myself, disagreed with the judges and felt that Shogun deserved the nod in their first fight. The other featured matchup on the card was a welterweight title shot eliminator bout between Josh Koscheck and Paul Daley.
Alan Belcher vs. Patrick Cote (185 lbs)
Round 1: Belcher comes out throwing leg and body kicks. Cote responds with punches. Belcher’s kicks are finding their target until one lands in Cote’s groin. The fight is paused briefly then they resume trading. Both fighters land punches in an exchange. More kicks from Belcher until Cote catches one and trips Alan to the ground. Cote looks for a kimura, it’s locked in as he passes Belcher’s guard but Belcher is able to sweep and ends up in top guard. Belcher passes into half guard, attempts an arm triangle then steps over into side control. Round 10-9 Belcher
Round 2: Belcher once again leads with low kicks. Referee Mario Yamasaki halts the action – turns out Belcher forgot to put his mouth guard back in between the rounds. The fight resumes and Cote flurries with punches, landing several solid ones. Belcher clinches and pushes Cote into the fence. They separate and trade punches; Cote gets the best of the exchange then follows up with a takedown. Belcher scrambles to his feet; Cote looks for another takedown but as he is attempting a double-leg, Belcher elevates him in the air and slams Patrick flat on his face! Cote is stunned and Belcher hops onto his back and locks in a rear naked choke. Cote submits, tapping on his opponent head.
Aftermath: Alan Belcher, continuing his rise up the middleweight ranks, should next fight Demian Maia. A #1 contenders match with Vitor Belfort is also a good possibility. Belcher earns the ‘Submission of the Night’ award for his performance.
Patrick Cote receives a harsh welcome back in his first fight since the loss to Anderson Silva, and should next take on CB Dollaway or Tim Credeur.
Ranking Impact: Alan Belcher rises 3 spots to #11 MW. Patrick Cote, unranked for inactivity, returns at #52 MW.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Kimbo Slice vs. Matt Mitrione (HW)
Round 1: Slice charges at Mitrione. Mitrione glances a high kick off Kimbo’s head. Kimbo keeps advancing, throws several punches then slams Mitrione to the ground. Mitrione scrambles up and is slammed back down again. Kimbo ends up in side control but can’t do anything with it. Mitrione recovers guard and locks in a triangle choke but Slice escapes. Mitrione uses a kimura attempt to stand up. Kimbo throws punches then takes Matt down again. Mitrione with another triangle attempt – this one nowhere close. Slice stands up out of Mitrione’s guard. They trade knees. Mitrione knocks Kimbo down with a leg kick and looks for an anaconda choke. Looks like he might have it but Kimbo frees his head just as the round ends. Round 10-9 Mitrione
Round 2: The fighters exchange punches early in the second round. Slice looks tired and Mitrione goes to town with leg kicks. Slice is wobbly and goes for a half-hearted takedown which Mitrione easily shrugs off. Kimbo ends up on his knees; Mitrione attempts the anaconda choke again, then lets go and settles for punishing Kimbo with knees to the body. Slice rolls over and Mitrione mounts him. Mitrione throws soft punches from the top; Slice makes no attempt to escape. Mitrione briefly looks for a keylock then goes back to throwing weak punches. Kimbo has nothing left and finally referee Dan Miragliotta stops the fight with about 30 seconds left in the second round.
Aftermath: Matt Mitrione is now 2-0 with two knockouts in his young UFC/MMA career. He will likely next either face a big step up in competition against someone like Stefan Struve or Joey Beltran, or be brought up more slowly and take on a UFC newcomer.
Kimbo Slice is done with the UFC, according to president Dana White in the post-fight press conference.
Ranking Impact: Matt Mitrione debuts in the HW top 250 at #89. Kimbo Slice falls 51 spots to #128 HW.
Fight Grade: 3/5
Sam Stout vs. Jeremy Stephens (155 lbs)
Round 1: The fighters exchange leg kicks. Stephens catches a kick and knocks an off-balance Stout to the ground with a jab. Stephens in Stout’s guard but Stout quickly kicks him off and stands up. Stout attacks the legs and the body but is rocked by a big right hook. Stout keeps coming forward but Stephens is beating him to the punch almost every time. Stephens drops Stout with another right hand. Stout scrambles up and eats a knee. Stout is hurt but keeps coming forward and throwing leg kicks and body shots. Round 10-9 Stephens
Round 2: Stout is once again leading with a leg kick and continues eating right hands from Stephens. Stephens takes Stout down after an exchange. Stout attempts a kimura from his guard and uses it to get back to the feet. Stout continues the attack with leg kicks and body punches. Stephens still landing counter punches but appears to slow down as the round wears on. Round 10-9 Stephens
Round 3: Stout lands a low kick to Stephens’ cup, briefly halting the action. The fight is back on and Stout opens up with combinations, starting to hurt Stephens with the body shots. Stephens still looking to counter but not much is landing now. Stout hurts Stephens with a big punch to the mid-section then doubles him over with a leg kick. Stout pounces on Jeremy, landing a series of elbows from the top. Stephens utilizes his guard to minimize damage and stall Stout. Stout lets Stephens back up and they resume trading; Stephens scores a late takedown but Stout gets up immediately. Round 10-9 Stout
Jeremy Stephens defeats Sam Stout by split decision with the scores of 30-27, 29-28, 28-29.
Aftermath: Both fighters earn the ‘Fight of the Night’ award for the competitive battle. After a rocky start in the UFC, Jeremy Stephens seems to be getting back on track with back-to-back wins. If he is ready for a step up in competition, and Sean Sherk is ever healthy enough to fight again, it would be a good test for Stephens. Meanwhile Sam Stout should take on Melvin Guillard or Ross Pearson.
Ranking Impact: Jeremy Stephens rises 50 spots to #31 LW. Sam Stout falls 5 spots to #34 LW.
Fight Grade: 3.5/5
Joe Doerksen vs. Tom Lawlor (185 lbs)
Round 1: Lawlor comes out swinging just as he has in previous fights. Doerksen fires back but Lawlor is outlanding him and Doerksen is dropped with a punch. He recovers and gets up but is rocked by another combination. Doerksen is covering up as Lawlor keeps landing. Doerksen recovers and drops Lawlor in return; they fight for a takedown as the round ends. Round 10-9 Lawlor
Round 2: More wild trading in the second round; Doerksen is doing better as Lawlor appears to be running out of steam. Doerksen lands a solid combination and Lawlor shoots for a takedown. Doerksen takes his back in a scramble, sinking in a rear naked choke. Lawlor quickly taps out.
Aftermath: The veteran Joe Doerksen, who has been on a 5-fight win streak since suffering a string of losses in WEC and UFC, earns his first victory under the Zuffa banner in over 5 years. He should next take on Tomasz Drwal. Tom Lawlor seems more focused on weigh-in shenanigans rather than his fight performance. As a result he loses his second consecutive fight after starting out 2-0 in the UFC. He should fight Jesse Forbes next.
Ranking Impact: Joe Doerksen rises 8 spots to #28 MW. Tom Lawlor falls 18 spots to #101 MW.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Josh Koscheck vs. Paul Daley (170 lbs)
Round 1: Daley throws a flying knee out of the gate; it misses by a mile. Daley jabs and gets taken down. He scrambles up and Koscheck plants him back down with a big slam. Koscheck works to control position, landing an occasional elbow. Daley gives up his back and Koscheck looks for the choke but Daley spins out and ends up in Josh’s guard, then lets him up and throws a knee to the head as Koscheck is getting up. Koscheck was on both knees as the knee landed, and so referee Dan Miragliotta stops the action, giving Koscheck time to recover. Josh is able to continue and the ref deducts a point from Daley. Round 10-8 10-9 Koscheck
Round 2: The replay shows that the knee barely grazed Koscheck’s head, if at all. Miragliotta reverses the point deduction after seeing the replay, and the second round begins. A brief exchange then Koscheck scores another takedown. They struggle on the ground; Koscheck is trying to pass into mount and succeeds briefly but Daley is able to regain half-guard. Mostly positional jockeying on the ground with little action; Koscheck eventually takes Daley’s back but can’t do anything with the position. Round 10-9 Koscheck
Round 3: Daley is having a bit more luck with staying on his feet in the third, and lands several strikes before Koscheck drags him back to the ground. Koscheck passes guard and eventually achieves full mount. Daley gives up his back but can’t escape and Koscheck regains mount. Daley eventually gets back to half guard; Koscheck is controlling him without much offense save for an occasional body punch. Some trash talking from both fighters; it’s clear Daley has lost this bout. Round 10-9 Koscheck
After the bell, Daley walks up to Koscheck – seemingly as if to shake his hand – and throws a sucker punch. Probably the cleanest strike landed all night. Miragliotta restrains and reprimands Daley; Koscheck laughs it off.
Josh Koscheck wins a unanimous decision, 30-27 on all scorecards.
Aftermath: Josh Koscheck earns himself a title shot – a rematch with Georges St. Pierre, and a spot as a coach on the next season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ opposite GSP.
Paul Daley’s post-fight behavior, as expected, resulted in a termination of his UFC contract. In addition he will likely face a lengthy suspension from the athletic commission officials, making it highly unlikely we will see him fight on the North American continent again any time soon.
Ranking Impact: Josh Koscheck moves up 1 spot to #2 WW. Paul Daley falls 2 spots to #12 MW.
Fight Grade: 3 2/5 1 point deduction for the sucker-punch
Champion Lyoto Machida vs. Mauricio Rua (205 lbs title bout)
Round 1: In their first fight, leg kicks were the key for Rua and he tries the same strategy this time around. Machida closes distance and scores a trip takedown. Rua sweeps and gets back to his feet. Rua attacks with punches, eating one of Machida’s on the way in. Machida takes Rua down again but still can’t keep him down; Rua lands a knee as he’s getting up. They exchange and Rua lands a big hook, knocking down Machida. Rua swoops into mount and tees off; after 4-5 punches from the top Machida loses consciousness. Rua realizes his opponent is out, getting up as the referee Yves Lavigne steps in to officially stop the bout. ‘Shogun’ is the new UFC light-heavyweight champion.
Aftermath: New champion Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua extracts revenge on Lyoto Machida, and is almost certain to make his first title defense against the winner of the upcoming bout between former champions Rashad Evans and Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson. If something should happen to prevent a bout with Rashad/Rampage, Rua has expressed interest in fighting Randy Couture or Anderson Silva. Rua earns the ‘Knockout of the Night’ award for the finish.
Lyoto Machida is dealt the first loss of his career – a brutal knockout that results in a grotesque swelling of his left eye. Machida should start his comeback trail against Forrest Griffin, once Machida’s face and Griffin’s shoulder heal up.
Ranking Impact: Mauricio Rua rises 3 spots to #1 LHW and debuts at #4 in the Division Dominance Top 10. Lyoto Machida falls 1 spot to #2 LHW and 6 spots in Division Dominance list, knocking Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson out of the #10 spot.
Fight Grade: 5/5
Marcus Davis vs. Jonathan Goulet (170 lbs)
Round 1: Goulet leads and misses with a head kick. Davis charges Goulet with punches and rocks him but Goulet responds with a takedown. Davis pulls guard with a guillotine and looks to finish but Goulet escapes. Goulet is staying on Davis as Marcus attempts to get back to his feet. He eventually suceeds then gets taken down again off a leg kick. Goulet works the body and head from Davis’ guard. Marcus looks for submissions from the bottom; none come close. Round 10-9 Goulet
Round 2: Davis drops Goulet early and swarms him trying to finish. Goulet survives but Davis is relentless, rocking Goulet with more punches and pouring it on until the referee stops the bout.
Aftermath: Marcus Davis salvages his UFC career after suffering back-to-back in his last two fights. He should next take on Michael Guymon, who defeated Yoshiyuki Yoshida by a unanimous decision in an untelevised bout. Jonathan Goulet does about as well as expected in his return from a long layoff. He is likely done with the UFC for the time being, unless they need local fodder for their next Canadian event.
Ranking Impact: Marcus Davis rises 8 spots to #34 WW. Jonathan Goulet, unranked for inactivity, returns at #125 WW.
Fight Grade: 3/5
A decent undercard (though somewhat lacking in star value and significant fights), and an excellent main event. The only dark spot on this card was the Koscheck-Daley bout, and it’s ugly aftermath.