UFC 102 marked the company’s first event in Portland, Oregon and was headlined by a long-overdue matchup between the UFC legend and hometown favorite Randy Couture and the former Pride FC & UFC champion Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
Brandon Vera vs Krzysztof Soszynski (205 lbs)
Round 1: Soszynski leads with a combination, Vera responds with a body kick that stops Soszynski in his tracks. Soszynski continues attacking but Vera evades his strikes and counters with leg kicks and knees to the body. Soszynski forces a clinch; they trade then break free. Soszynski shoots with no success. Vera keeps landing counterstrikes, easily winning the round. Round 10-9 Vera
Round 2: After an initial exchange, Soszynski clinches and tries to maneuver Vera against the fence. They trade elbows and knees with neither having a significant advantage. Vera spins Soszynski around; Soszynski moves forward and Vera’s mouthpiece is knocked out in the scuffle, forcing a brief pause in the fight. Soszynski takes Vera down but Brandon immediately stands up, and it’s back to clinch. Round 10-10 draw
Round 3: Soszynski is tired but keeps coming forward, and Vera is picking him apart with counters. Soszynski attempts a takedown; Vera stops it then answers with a takedown of his own. Soszynski gets up and Vera is continuing to land single strikes. Krzysztof is gassed but Vera just doesn’t pull the trigger, content with hanging back and scoring with occasional counters. The crowd is booing mercilessly. Round 10-9 Vera
Brandon Vera defeats Krzysztof Soszynski by a unanimous decision with the scores of 30-27 on all scorecards.
Aftermath: Another painfully slow and boring victory for Vera, who has fallen far since making a claim that he will hold both the UFC heavyweight and light-heavyweight titles after his first few victories in the Octagon. Soszynski was simply outclassed by a more technical striker. I would like to see Vera and Krzysztof next face the winner and the loser of the Keith Jardine/Thiago Silva bout, respectively.
Fight Grade: 2/5
Demian Maia vs Nate Marquardt (185 lbs)
Round 1: Maia throws a head kick, then another. Marquardt counters the second kick with an overhand right, sending Maia spinning through the air and landing in fetal position. Marquardt stands over Maia and considers hitting him some more, but finds it unnecessary as Demian is clearly out. Beautiful KO.
Aftermath: Marquardt calls out Anderson Silva in his post-fight interview, but a matchup between Henderson and Marquardt to determine who gets the next title shot makes the most sense at this point. Maia is dealt his first loss, ending an impressive streak of submissions.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Keith Jardine vs Thiago Silva (205 lbs)
Round 1: Jardine attacks Silva with leg kicks. Thiago catches a kick and throws Jardine to the ground; Jardine quickly gets up. They trade punches and Silva drops Jardine, then follows it up with three powerful strikes on the ground, knocking Jardine out cold.
Aftermath: Silva moves back into the Top 10 with an impressive victory, while Jardine once again finds himself on the receiving end of a highlight-reel knockout. As mentioned earlier, it makes sense to match up Thiago with Brandon Vera, and Jardine with Krzysztof Soszynski for their next bouts.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Tim Hague vs Todd Duffee (HW)
Round 1: Hague immediately walks into Duffee’s jab, and drops like a brick. Duffee finishes the job with a flurry of punches, for a seven-second knockout.
Aftermath: A great UFC debut for Todd Duffee. He should next face Michael Russow, who was also successful in his Octagon debut, winning a unanimous decision over Justin McCully in an untelevised bout. Hague falls to 1-1 in the Octagon; his chin is questionable after being dropped in both fights.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Chris Leben vs Jake Rosholt (185 lbs)
Round 1: A slow start to the round, with fighters trading leg kicks. Surprisingly, Leben goes for the takedown first and scores. Leben works body shots from guard. Rosholt gets back to his feet and takes Leben down, quickly gaining mount. Leben scrambles back to his feet and throws a flurry of punches; Rosholt backs up as the round ends. Round 10-9 Rosholt
Round 2: Rosholt leads with a head kick. Leben counters, dropping Rosholt with a hook and jumps into his guard. It’s a stalemate on the ground and eventually the referee stands the fight up. Leben forces a clinch and foot-stomps Rosholt. Rosholt gets a takedown but Leben is up quickly and they trade punches on the feet. Round 10-9 Leben
Round 3: Rosholt gets a takedown early and mounts Leben. Leben works back to half guard; Rosholt regains mount and locks in an arm triangle choke. Leben struggles, looks like he begins to tap out but loses consciousness mid-tap as the referee hesitates for a moment.
Aftermath: Rosholt gets his first victory in the UFC, and asks for a rematch with Dan Miller, who submitted Jake in Rosholt’s UFC debut. Leben suffers another setback in his return to the Octagon after a steroid-related suspension.
Fight Grade: 3/5
Ed Herman vs Aaron Simpson (185 lbs)
Round 1: After an exchange on the feet, Simpson drags Herman to the ground. Herman stands up only to be taken down again, with a huge slam. Simpson stands over Herman, who keeps him at bay with up-kicks. Herman finally gets back to his feet, but Simpson floors him with a punch and jumps in to finish. Herman survives and works back to his feet, then gets taken down once again as the round ends. Herman is limping as he walks back to the corner – it appears he injured his knee on the final takedown. Round 10-8 Simpson
Round 2: Herman is examined by the ringside doctor and allowed to continue. Bravely but foolishly, Herman leads with a high kick, planting himself on the injured knee. Simpson catches the kick and throws Herman to the ground, wrenching the knee in process. Herman is screaming in pain, and the fight is over.
Aftermath: A very impressive performance from Simpson, who should fight Jake Rosholt next as both middleweights are coming off big wins. Herman will likely be out of action for some time with a serious knee injury.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira vs Randy Couture (HW)
Round 1: Couture is looking to box with Nogueira and is doing a good job of landing strikes while avoiding Nogueira’s attempts to take the fight to the ground. Nogueira tries to pull guard but Couture lets him stand up. They go back to trading on the feet and Nogueira drops Couture, following him to the ground and locking in a d’arce choke. The hold looks tight but Couture remains calm and somehow escapes, getting back up and slugging it out on the feet with Nogueira to end a very high-paced round. Round 10-9 Nogueira
Round 2: Another exchange early in the round, then Nogueira goes for a guillotine and pulls guard. Couture slips out of the chokehold and is working punches and elbows from the top. Nogueira sweeps and mounts Couture. Nogueira locks in an arm triangle, and once again it looks like Couture is about to go to sleep, but miraculously he slips out. They are trading punches at the bell, and neither man shows any sign of slowing down. Round 10-9 Nogueira
Round 3: Couture needs to stop Nogueira to win the bout at this point, and he flurries and lands several good punches, but Nogueira is unfazed. Nogueira responds with a combination of his own and drops Couture for the second time in the bout. Nogueira is pummeling Couture, and it looks like the fight will be stopped but Couture perseveres and survives the onslaught. Nogueira takes Couture’s back; Randy reverses and ends up in Nogueira’s guard. Couture finishes the round in a controlling position but still loses the final round, and the fight. Round 10-9 Nogueira
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira defeats Randy Couture by a unanimous decision with the scores of 30-27, 30-27, 29-28
Aftermath: An incredible performance by both fighters, and dominating Couture puts Nogueira right back into title contention. He should face the winner of the upcoming title match between the champion Brock Lesnar and Shane Carwin. Couture has signed a new contract prior to the Nogueira bout, and will finish his career in the UFC. After weighing in at 220 lbs for this fight, a return to the light-heavyweight division is not out of question.
Fight Grade: 5/5
Marcus Aurelio vs Evan Dunham (155 lbs)
Round 1: Aurelio looks content to trade with Dunham, until he gets dropped. Dunham tries to finish but Aurelio recovers and Evan lets him back up. This time Aurelio wisely goes for a takedown, but Dunham is not having it. Round 10-9 Dunham
Round 2: Aurelio mixes up strikes with takedown attempts and finally gets Dunham down. Aurelio lands a few strikes on the ground; Dunham gets up and they go back to trading strikes. A more even round but Dunham edges it out with sprawl-and-brawl. Round 10-9 Dunham
Round 3: This time Aurelio takes the fight to the ground right away, and works his way into north-south position, locking in an anaconda choke. Aurelio flips Dunham and tries to finish, but Evan is able to escape. Dunham gets up and is taken down again. Good round for Aurelio but not enough to pull out a victory. Round 10-9 Aurelio
Evan Dunham defeats Marcus Aurelio by a split decision with the scores of 29-28, 28-29, and 30-27
Aftermath: Evan Dunham improves to 2-0 in UFC and gets his first win over a ‘name’ opponent. For Aurelio, his UFC comeback may have been cut short after the very first fight.
Fight Grade: 4/5
An amazing main event and a lot of one-and-done knockouts made this a very entertaining event, with Vera -Soszynski the only low spot on the card.