After the UFC lightweight title was on hold for most of the year due to the champion Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson and the top contender Forrest Griffin coaching opposite each other on the seventh season of ‘The Ultimate Fighter’, the two finally met in the Octagon at UFC 86. With all the hype on the main event, the rest of the card looked somewhat lackluster in comparison, with Cote-Almeida being the only undercard bout with immediate title implications.
Tyson Griffin vs Marcus Aurelio (155 lbs)
Griffin dominated Aurelio in standup, and avoided danger on the ground, through the entire fight. Aurelio was not able to find an answer for Griffin’s striking, never achieved dominant position, and while he threatened numerous submissions from his always-dangerous guard, none of them came close. Griffin won every round on every judge’s scorecard for a 30-27 unanimous decision.
The aftermath: With four consecutive UFC wins, Griffin moves into the upper echelon of lightweight contenders, but inability to finish a fight may earn him an unfavorable reputation (just ask Sean Sherk!) I would like to see Aurelio face Thiago Tavares next.
Fight grade: 3/5
Josh Koscheck vs Chris Lytle (170 lbs)
Koscheck’s recently improved striking was not seen in this bout, as he repeatedly took Lytle down and punished him with elbows and hammerfists. In the second round, multiple cuts were opened on Lytle’s face, making this one of the most grotesquely bloody fights I’ve ever seen. Surprisingly the fight was allowed to run its course, despite the bloody imprint of Lytle’s head leaving a trail across the canvas. In the third round Koscheck began to run out of steam and Lytle unloaded with combinations in the last minute of the fight, but ended up losing a unanimous decision: 30-26, 30-28, 29-27.
The aftermath: Koscheck inches closer to a title shot, though the winner of the upcoming Alves-Sanchez bout as well as BJ Penn should he move up to 170 lbs, are still ahead of him. Lytle should take a break from being the UFC’s gatekeeper and try his luck in the WEC for a change.
Fight grade: 3/5
Joe Stevenson vs Gleison Tibau (155 lbs)
Stevenson comes out aggressive and rocks Tibau, then follows up with a guillotine but Tibau scrambles out of it. Another scramble ends with Tibau catching Stevenson in an omoplata, holding it for a while but not able to sweep or finish. In the second Tibau gets the best of the ground game at first, then is caught in another guillotine and this time forced to tap.
The aftermath: Stevenson should face tonight’s other 155 lbs winner, Tyson Griffin next. Tibau, despite great wrestling and possessing a size advantage over most lightweights, doesn’t seem able to put it all together on this level. He would be a better fit in the WEC as well.
Fight grade: 4/5
Patrick Cote vs Ricardo Almeida (185 lbs)
Almeida controls the first round with an early standing guillotine attempt, followed by a takedown and some ground-and-pound. Almeida’s glove is torn and it takes some time to repair between rounds, which seems to shift the momentum Cote’s way. Cote successfully defends Almeida’s takedowns and punishes him with leg kicks and an occasional punch for the next two rounds. Almeida is not able to bring it to the ground until the very end of this slow-paced fight, and doesn’t have anything for Cote on the feet. One of the judges awards Almeida a 29-28 decision, while the other two see it as 29-28 for the winner by split decision, Patrick Cote.
The aftermath: The winner of this bout has been promised a shot at the middleweight title, presumably the winner of the future bout between Anderson Silva and Yushin Okami. Almeida should fight the winner of the upcoming bout between Demian Maia and Jason MacDonald.
Fight grade: 2.5/5
Champion Quinton Jackson vs Forrest Griffin (205 lbs title bout)
Round 1: Griffin is peppering Jackson with leg kicks and jabs. Jackson fires back with combinations, and eventually drops Griffin with an uppercut to steal the round. Round 10-9 Jackson
Round 2: Griffin lands two devastating leg kicks that buckle Jackson’s knee and force him off-balance. Griffin capitalizes with a guillotine and a takedown then proceeds to dominate Jackson for the entire round, eventually achieving side mount and then mount but not doing much damage from the top position. Round 10-8 Griffin.
Round 3: Jackson is careful to avoid the leg kicks, and lands the more damaging strikes despite Griffin’s consistently high punch & kick output. Round 10-9 Jackson.
Round 4: Griffin attempts a takedown but lands on his back. He catches Jackson in a triangle; Jackson attempts his patented slam that Ricardo Arona once fell victim to. Griffin lets go of the hold to avoid being slammed. Griffin gets back to his feet where he finds himself on the receiving end of several combinations. Griffin is bleeding from a small cut on the side of his face by the end of the round. Round 10-9 Jackson.
Round 5: The final round is all standup, with Griffin’s leg kicks once again starting to find their target. Rampage is slowing down while Griffin keeps up the pace, to win the round. Round 10-9 Griffin.
I scored this a 47-47 draw; however all three judges scored the bout for Forrest Griffin: 49-46 and 48-46 twice. A surprising decision, to say the least, but Griffin is the new lightheavyweight champion of the world!
The aftermath: As strange as it is to see the ‘Ultimate Fighter’ winner Forrest Griffin with the coveted lightheavyweight belt around his waist, it makes for some interesting matchups in the division. While an immediate rematch is certainly a possibility due to the controversial decision, I would rather see Griffin face the winner of Chuck Liddell-Rashad Evans, and Jackson rematch with one of his Pride nemeses: Wanderlei Silva or Mauricio ‘Shogun’ Rua.
Fight grade: 5/5
Melvin Guillard vs Denis Siver(155 lbs)
In the only preliminary bout shown, Guillard drops Siver with a huge right hook early on. Siver survives and scrambles up only to be dropped again, this time for good.
The aftermath: An impressive performance against an unimpressive opponent earns Guillard the ‘knockout of the night’ award and certainly another UFC fight. Siver falls to 1-3 in the UFC and is not likely to return.
Fight grade: 3/5
While the main event was stellar, the undercard really dragged with forgettable matchups where both fighters neutralized each other’s offense. Not a great showing for what was likely a very widely watched event.