In another installment of UK-based UFC events, UFC 95 was broadcast on Spike TV with several hours of tape delay. The event featured a mixed bag of fights spanning across all of UFC’s weight classes. In the main event, Ultimate Fighter Season 1 winner Diego Sanchez made his debut at 155 lbs, facing a fellow ‘TUF’ champion Joe Stevenson. UFC 95 also featured two bouts with title shot implications in the middleweight division as Chael Sonnen took on Demian Maia and Nate Marquardt faced off against Wilson Gouveia. There were also a number of fresh faces on the card as several fighters received an opportunity to impress the fans in their Octagon debut. Let’s see how it all turned out:
Josh Koscheck vs. Paulo Thiago (170 lbs)
The fighters circled and exchanged ineffective combinations for most of the first round. Koscheck was the aggressor until he walked into an uppercut-hook combination from Thiago that dropped Josh to his back. Koscheck appeared to have recovered instantly but the referee jumped on him and halted the bout before Josh had a chance to get up or Thiago had a chance to follow him to the ground. Awful, completely unjustified stoppage.
Fight Grade: 3 1/5 2 points deduction for the stoppage
Aftermath: With a little help from the ref, Paulo Thiago is launched right to the top with a first round TKO victory over a perennial UFC contender. A bad loss for Koscheck in a fight that he really should never have taken will drop him from title contention for the foreseable future. A rematch would be the most logical next fight in my opinion, to see if Thiago can repeat the feat without ref help involved.
Demian Maia vs. Chael Sonnen (185 lbs)
Maia attempted to bring the fight to the ground by pulling guard early in the first round. He eventually succeeded but Sonnen was not having any part of Maia’s ground game and stood back up, only to be taken down by a throw. Maia landed in mount and immediately secured a triangle choke, tightening it as Sonnen attempted to roll. Sonnen tapped out, making this Maia’s fifth straight submission win in the UFC.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Aftermath: Undefeated Maia is quickly becoming a top contender, though there are a number of middleweights in the UFC – Yushin Okami and Nathan Marquardt among them – who could also legitimately claim the #1 contender slot. Regardless, Maia looks unstoppable even despite his questionable striking. Sonnen shows that submission defense is still his big weakness, as it has been in the past.
Junior do Santos vs. Stephan Struve (HW)
Though the 6’11” UFC newcomer Struve towered over his opponent, Santos quickly closed the distance to negate the reach advantage and teed off on Struve. With his back against the fence, Stephan was not able to do much to stop the assault. Struve was rocked and dropped to his knees, got up quickly then was dropped for the second time, at which point the referee stopped the bout, giving Santos the TKO victory.
Fight Grade: 2/5
Aftermath: A failed Octagon debut for Struve, who is a young fighter with good physical attributes and plenty of time to improve his game. Dos Santos still remains a bit of a mystery, though it’s clear at this point that his knockout power is something to be reckoned with.
Nate Marquardt vs. Wilson Gouveia (185 lbs)
This middleweight bout took place mostly on the feet, and after a very close first round Marquardt began to dominate Gouveia with strikes. The second round was all Marquardt and Wilson was visibly reeling by the end of the stanza. With both fighters tired in the final round, Marquardt found a second wind and exploded with an amazing combination of punches, knees, and high kicks. Though only about a half of the strikes found their target, Wilson had nothing left and eventually crumpled to the canvas, giving Marquardt a TKO win.
Fight Grade: 4/5
Aftermath: With his last couple of fights, Marquardt is positioning himself for another title shot. He should take on Yushin Okami or Demian Maia next in a #1 contender bout. Wilson is dealt his first loss at 185 lbs, but at least he managed to make weight this time around.
Terry Etim vs. Brian Cobb (155 lbs)
The highly touted prospect Cobb took this fight on a very short notice, stepping in for an injured Justin Buccholz. Etim had a clear advantage on the feet, working Cobb with leg kicks. Cobb was able to bring the fight to the ground, but did not capitalize on the takedown. Early in the second round, Etim caught Cobb with a head kick, and rushed in to finish his fallen opponent with punches.
Fight Grade: 3/5
Aftermath: Though he started his UFC career with back-to-back losses, Etim is back on track with his second win in a row. He has an opportunity to capitalize on the UFC’s expansion into UK and the scarcity of elite British fighters. Cobb fails in his debut but will certainly be given another chance to compete in the Octagon.
Per Eklund vs. Evan Dunham (155 lbs)
In a bout betweeen two unheralded lightweights, Dunham got the best of Eklund in a wild striking exchange, knocking Per out with a hook halfway through the first round.
Fight Grade: 3/5
Aftermath: Undefeated Dunham will turn a few heads with this win. Eklund falls to 1-2 in the UFC.
Mike Ciesnolevicz vs. Neil Grove (HW)
This was a very quick fight between two heavyweights making their UFC debut. Ciesnolevicz has fought at lightheavyweight for most of his career, and quickly attempted to take down the much bigger Grove to negate the size advantage. Grove ended up on top; Ciesnolevicz went for a leglock and after a brief struggle forced Grove to tap. Grove was in visible pain after the bout.
Fight Grade: 2/5
Aftermath: Ciesnolevicz is a very small heavyweight and should drop back down to 205 lbs. Grove should face Stephan Struve to determine which of tonight’s failed heavyweight debutantes is worthy of remaining in the UFC.
Dan Hardy vs. Rory Markham (170 lbs)
Another quick fight with Markham playing the agressor to Hardy’s counterstriker, until Hardy dropped Markham with a hook on the button and finished him on the ground.
Fight Grade: 3/5
Aftermath: Hardy rises up the welterweight ranks and wants to face Marcus Davis next – a very marketable fight for the UFC’s next UK event. Markham’s aggressive straightforward style may not make him a champion but does make for entertaining fights.
Diego Sanchez vs. Joe Stevenson (155 lbs)
In the main event, ‘TUF’ Season 1 winner Diego Sanchez defeated Season 2 champ Joe Stevenson by unanimous decision, after outstriking and outhustling Stevenson for most of the three rounds. The fight was a little slower-paced than what fans have come to expect from these two fighters, as their styles seemingly cancelled each other out. Though both fighters attempted takedowns this was for the most part a kickboxing bout, and Sanchez utilized his reach advantage and a wide variety of strikes to outpoint Stevenson without inflicting much damage. Stevenson turned it up a notch in the third round but it was only enough to win a round on one of the three scorecards.
Fight Grade: 3/5
Aftermath: Sanchez makes a successful switch to the lightweight division and becomes an instant contender at 155 lbs. Stevenson has now lost 3 of his last four fights, though all to the top fighters in the division.
With nine of ten fights broadcast, UFC 95 made up for a few mismatches and a somewhat disappointing main event with pure quantity.