UFC 101 ‘Declaration’ was the first event that the promotion held in Philadelphia, and as is often the case for UFC’s debut in a new market, the fight card left a bit to be desired. The event was headlined by a lightweight title bout between the champion BJ Penn and top contender Kenny Florian, and co-headlined by the middleweight champion Anderson Silva going up to 205 lbs for the second time in his career, to take on the former lightheavyweight champ Forrest Griffin. Besides the two headlining bouts, the remainder of the fights on this card had little significance. And while sometimes events that look lackluster on paper end up very exciting, this was not the case for ‘Declaration’.
Josh Neer vs. Kurt Pellegrino (155 lbs)
Round 1: After an initial exchange, Pellegrino capitalizes on a kick attempt by Neer, and slams Josh to the canvas. Pellegrino attempts to pass guard while Neer looks for an armbar. Neer locks on an armbar but gets slammed on his head and lets go. Neer looking for a triangle, but Pellegrino maintains control and scores with short punches & elbows. Round 10-9 Pellegrino.
Round 2: Neer is landing leg kicks and blocks the initial takedown attempt from Pellegrino, but Kurt perseveres and drags Neer down. Neer looks for an armbar, then a triangle. Pellegrino escapes and passes Neer’s guard, ending up in full mount. Neer gives up his back; Pellegrino attempts to sink in a choke but Neer defends as time runs out. Round 10-9 Pellegrino.
Round 3: The fighters trade kicks; Pellegrino catches a leg and takes Neer down once again. Neer is still looking for a submission but nothing comes close. Pellegrino passes guard and mounts Josh; Neer escapes and ends up on top. They stand and Pellegrino attempts another takedown. Neer sprawls and lands a number of unanswered elbows to end the round. Round 10-9 Pellegrino.
Aftermath: Pellegrino utilized takedowns and top control to improve his UFC record to 6-3, winning his last three bouts. However the lightweight division is stacked with strong wrestlers, and I don’t see Pellegrino using this strategy with any degree of success against someone like Gray Maynard or Clay Guida. Neer once again learned the hard way that working off your back does not win you a decision unless you submit your opponent. All in all a rather boring fight between two mid-level fighters without much upside.
Fight grade: 2/5
Kurt Pellegrino wins the unanimous decision, 30-27 on all scorecards.
Kendall Grove vs. Ricardo Almeida (185 lbs)
Round 1: Almeida shoots for a takedown right off the bat; Grove sprawls and they end up clinching against the fence. After some uneventful clinch work, Almeida finally gets a takedown. Almeida passes Grove’s guard and ends up in side control. Grove gives up his back and works back to his feet, only to be slammed down to the ground again. Round 10-9 Almeida.
Round 2: Almeida get a quick takedown; Grove locks in an armbar and it looks very deep but somehow Almeida rolls out of it. Grove attempts a leg lock and Almeida defends, remaining in Grove’s guard. Grove had a body triangle and lands elbows from the bottom. Almeida passes into mount but Grove stands up. Grove lands a couple of good shots then Almeida gets another takedown to finish the round. Round 10-9 Almeida.
Round 3: Almeida trades with Grove for a bit, lands a punch and follows it with a takedown. Grove gets right back up, and it’s a stalemate in clinch. Almeida gets another takedown but is not able to do anything with it. Grove gets back to his feet again. Grove blocks the final takedown attempt and lands a few elbows as the fight draws to a close. Round 10-9 Almeida.
Ricardo Almeida wins the unanimous decision, 30-27 on all scorecards.
Aftermath: This was supposed to be Almeida’s final bout as a middleweight – he will be moving down to 170 lbs in his next bout. Grove fought well but the decision loss leaves him near the bottom of the middleweight division. He is still in jeopardy of being the first ‘Ultimate Fighter’ winner to lose his spot in the UFC.
Fight grade: 2/5
Amir Sadollah vs. Johny Hendricks (170 lbs)
Round 1: Sadollah comes out aggressive, running at Hendricks throwing punches and kicks. Hendricks counters with an uppercut that drops Amir to his knees. Hendricks unleashes a flurry of punches, most of which miss their target. Sadollah grabs a leg just as referee Dan Miragliotta steps in and stops the bout.
Aftermath: Another horrible stoppage in a long string of horrible stoppages by Miragliotta. Nothing was answered about either fighter, and a rematch is in order – with a better ref the next time around.
Fight grade: 0/5 – fans were robbed of a fight by ‘Big’ Dan
Aaron Riley vs. Shane Nelson (155 lbs)
Round 1: Riley rocks Nelson early, but Shane quickly recovers and fires back. Nelson catches a leg kick and attempts a takedown; Riley rolls backwards and gets to his feet. The fighters clinch and trade takedown attempts but neither is successful. Riley neutralizes most of Nelson’s offense. Round 10-9 Riley.
Round 2: Riley is the aggressor, chasing Nelson around the cage but not landing much. Ineffective striking exchanges from both fighters until Riley gets a takedown. Riley hangs out in Nelson’s guard, not doing any damage. The ref finally stands them up and Riley gets another takedown. Round 10-9 Riley.
Round 3: Riley defends a takedown attempt from Nelson and answers with a takedown of his own. Riley works some largely ineffective ground-and-pound. A fight breaks out in the crowd, making the live fans much more excited than they are for the action in the Octagon. Riley controls Nelson for most of the round, grinding out a victory. Round 10-9 Riley.
Aaron Riley wins the unanimous decision, 30-27 on all scorecards.
Aftermath: Riley avenges the questionable stoppage loss that took place in the first bout between these two. Another boring and meaningless fight – this event is off to a very poor start and it’s only up to the headlining bouts to salvage this show.
Fight grade: 2/5
Anderson Silva vs. Forrest Griffin (205 lbs)
Round 1: Not much happens in the first minute, with the fighters feeling each other out. Griffin throws a few kicks; they do not land but Anderson catches a leg kick and throws Griffin down. Griffin gets up, Silva charges forward and drops Griffin. Forrest recovers quickly and backs up. Silva stands in front of Forrest with his hands down, trying to goad Griffin into trading. The strategy works as Griffin moves forward with punches. Silva slips every strike and knocks Griffin down again. Griffin gets up and rushes Silva; Anderson evades Griffin’s punches and Forrest runs right into a straight left from Silva. Forrest falls down for the final time and waves Silva off as Anderson seems to be considering whether to jump on top of Griffin. Referee steps in to stop the bout.
Aftermath: An absolutely amazing performance by Silva, which should erase his last two fights in the fans’ minds. Though Dan Henderson is tentatively scheduled to rematch Silva for the middleweight title, the light-heavyweight division looks ripe for Anderson to pick, and presents much more interesting matchups than the middleweight class. Unfortunately the friendship between Anderson and Lyoto Machida stands in the way of Silva’s run at the light heavyweight title.
Forrest Griffin does not handle losing well, and runs out of the arena, similar to when he lost to Keith Jardine. After back-to-back knockout losses, UFC should put some mid-level competition in front of Griffin to allow him to build up some momentum again.
Fight grade: 5/5
Champion BJ Penn vs. Kenny Florian (155 lbs title bout)
Round 1: Florian leads with a head kick, blocked by BJ Penn. Penn responds with a flurry. Penn catches a kick from Florian and knocks Kenny off-balances. Penn pushes Florian into the cage. Florian attempts several takedowns from clinch but nothing comes clothes. Penn rocks Florian with a punch then follows up with a grazing flying knee. Round 10-9 Penn.
Round 2: Florian lands two leg kicks then pushes Penn into the fence. Florian attempts a takedown but Penn sprawls and punishes Florian with punches. Florian has several clinch and takedown attempts through the round but the all end similarly, with Penn stopping the takedown and landing strikes. Florian is not landing anything besides an occasional leg kick. Round 10-9 Penn.
Round 3: More of the same as the previous rounds, with Florian attempting takedown and clinching BJ against the fence, with an occasional kick mixed in. Florian appears to be trying to wear Penn down, but BJ remains unfazed, stopping every takedown and making Florian pay with strikes every time. Round 10-9 Penn
Round 4: Penn shows no signs of gassing, and as Florian attempts another takedown from clinch, BJ rocks him with a combination then follows up with a takedown. Penn quickly passes into half guard, then mount. Florian rolls and gives up his back, and Penn has a rear naked choke secured shortly, forcing Florian to tap out.
Aftermath: Penn reclaims his rightful spot as the #1 lightweight in the world, showing that there are very few who can compete with him at this weight class. Hopefully BJ will continue to defend his title and brings some stability to the UFC’s lightweight division. His next opponent is most likely to be Diego Sanchez.
Florian loses his second title shot and goes to the back of the line – it’s time to start building up another win streak.
Fight Grade: 3/5
George Sotiropoulos vs. George Roop (155 lbs title bout)
Round 1: Sotiropoulos capitalizes on a missed kick to take Roop down, then mounts him quickly. Roop gives up his back and escapes, only to get rocked with a combination then taken down again. Sotiropoulos takes Roop through a series of dominating positions and ends up in back mount; Roop escapes again. Round 10-9 Sotiropoulos.
Round 2: Roop lands a combination early and follows up with a knee, which Sotiropoulos uses to take Roop down. Sotiropoulos mounts Roop and after a brief struggle locks in a kimura. Roop taps out.
Aftermath: A great display of grappling from George Sotiropoulos after a long layoff, injecting him into the lightweight mix. A non-starter for George Roop.
Fight Grade: 3/5
With the exception of a beautiful display of skill from Anderson Silva, this event ranged between dismal and mediocre.