UFC 102 Couture vs. Nogueira ongoing play-by-play

UFC 102 Couture vs. Nogueira ongoing play-by-play
By Bryan Alvarez

Welcome to our live coverage of UFC 102, Couture vs. Nogueira, live from the Rose Garden in Portland, OR.

Some crowd notes. The place is maybe a quarter full right now and there are huge areas of empty seats in what I presume are the $200-$400 areas. It's interesting in that they haven't sold out but they also haven't blocked off any of the arena and there are people way the hell up at the very top of the building in the cheap seats. I presume in about an hour or so they'll start moving people down.

1. Marcus Aurelio vs. Evan Dunham. First round was mostly Evan outclassing him on the feet. He nearly finished him with a shot about halfway through the round, and followed it up with a violent pounding on the mat, but Marcus pulled into the guard and survived. Second round was even more action-packed with some great back and forth exchanges. Crowd strongly behind Evan. He hit a hard knee to the face for a big pop. Really fun round and the place cheered it. Aurelio got the advantage in the second with a takedown and attempted guillotine. It looked over, and the pop when Evan escaped was incredible. Evan was born in Eugene, so there you go. Either 30-27 or 29-28 if you figure the choke was close to nearly finishing the fight. I'd guess they'll score it 30-27. A huge crowd-pleaser and an awesome opener.

It was a split decision. One dude gave it 29-28 Aurelio, meaning he thought Aurelio won two rounds, and the others scored it 29-28 Dunham and 30-27 Dunham.

2. Mark Munoz vs. Nick Catone. I missed it but Munoz came out in a lucha mask described by Admin Tony as "a skull looking thing", so perhaps La Parka. Catone came out to "Sympathy for the Devil". Catone was tagging him with shots early. Catone got a timeout for a knee to the pills. Crowd gasped every time they showed it. Catone took him right down after that and the mauling began. He tried to roll into a kneebar and that was a bad idea because he got reversed and punched in the face repeatedly. Big slam by Munoz, but Catone was right back up. Second round saw Catone take him right down on kick attempt. Munoz, who looked the fresher of the two, was right back up. Cool scramble with 1:40 left. They clinched against the fence and traded knees and shots. Catone looked really tired. Munoz went for a guillotine but didn't come all that close as the round ended. Munoz tried a takedown early in the third and Catone tried to pull guard, then escaped back to his feet by doing a backward roll. He was punched on the way up for his troubles. They had a slugfest and sweat was flying. They both tried and failed at takedowns. Munoz tried another guillotine and missed it. Catone rolled into another kneebar but Munoz got out, slammed him, and laid in punches to a big pop. Catone took him down and got his back. Munoz ended up getting his back and pounding on him, but then in the finals seconds Catone did a weird roll like he was trying to pin him in an amateur match and held it until the bell rang. Action packed fight but the crowd didn't like it nearly as much as the opener.

Another decision. Judges had it 29-28 Catone, 30-27 Munoz and 29-28 Munoz. More interesting scoring.

3. Tim Hague vs. Todd Duffee. Duffee punched him in the face and finished him via TKO in 7 seconds. Hague had NO idea where he was afterwards. They showed a replay and Hague came at him with his hands down and his face out. Never do that.

Rogan, who got a huge pop, interviewed Duffee about the supposed fastest knockout in UFC history. He was happy.

4. Justin McCully vs. Mike Russow. Russow had this flabby body with love handles. Russow took him down and had him hooked for Tyler Black's small package driver, but sadly was unable to execute it. He just mauled Justin like a bear. It bored the crowd though. At one point it looked like he tried to grab his leg and just tear it off. McCully finally stood up to a nominal pop. McCully tried a kimura and Russow did a float-over to escape, which at his size was an amazing physical feat. McCully slipped out and got his back, but Russow escaped. McCully tried to a kneebar but failed at it. So the second round was about to start and as McCully was getting out of his chair he stumbled. They stopped the clock between rounds and brought the doctor into the ring and he looked at McCully, asked some questions, and then shook his head no. The fans started booing. So the doctor pushed him sideways and McCully couldn't keep his base. Doctor did it again, same thing. More booing. And they booed and booed and the next thing you know, they took the stools out of the ring and THE FIGHT CONTINUED. Everyone in press row was wondering what the hell this was all about. Russow took him down and held him there. I should note that unlike in Brock's fights, the fans didn't chant "STAND THEM UP!" here. Herb Dean finally stood them up. McCully tried a jumping knee and Russow just grabbed his knee and took him down again. He went for a kimura and appeared to have it locked and right there the horn sounded. They let McCully out for the third round and he was immediately taken down. Herb Dean got bored and stood them up again. Another takedown against the cage by Russow. Another stand-up. Suffice to say this fight will not make TV even if every main card match ends in a 7 second knockout. They'll show a prelim from 101 instead. So yeah, the only question here is whether that one judge will score this for McCully.

Russo won. No scores read but I'll get them soon.

5. Chris Tuchscherer vs. Gabriel Gonzaga. Brock was here with Tuchscherer. What a huge dude. Tuchscherer was booed loudly and Gonzaga got a big pop. Chris was kicked in the pills immediately and sold it huge, falling down and actually writhing on the mat. They showed a replay and, well, writhing was acceptable. With that said, I've never seen a man writhe like this after a nut shot in the history of UFC. They called the doctor into the ring. Suddenly, Chris started kicking and writhing and three men had to hold him down. This was so weird. People were starting to boo loudly. They brought a bucket into the ring, presumably so he could vomit. He finally made his way onto a bench and put his mouthpiece back in, which got a huge pop. He proceeded to walk it off for awhile. Fight restarted and, well, Chris may have been better off with injured balls. Gonzaga flattened him like a pancake with a shot and then mauled the hell out of him on the mat. Chris ended up facing the cage as Gonzaga punched him, so his face was pretty much being ground into the chain link like this was War Games. Chris ended up looking like Ric Flair with his bleached blonde hair soaked in blood. This mauling was such that there were people around me yelling that it should be stopped. It finally was, arguably too late, and the place went apeshit. So yes, Gonzaga won via death.

They asked Gonzaga if he thought the low blow changed the fight. He basically said it sucked but shit happens.

In the McCully vs. Russow fight, it was Russow 30-27, Russow 30-26 and Russo 29-28. Judge Trevor Trachsel gave McCully round three 10-9.

Place looks maybe 70% full at this point. Cheap seats are packed. Still scattered empty seats in the $200-$400 range. As I was scoping out the crowd I noticed a good looking girl in a pink top and jeans giving a dude a lap dance. Welcome to Portland.

6. Ed Herman vs. Aaron Simpson. The Oregonian did a story on Herman a few days ago so he got a huge pop here. Herman came out to "In the Air Tonight" by Phil Collins. They brawled early, then Simpson picked him up and gave him an enormous slam. Crowd chanted "EDDIE!" Herman was throwing all of these nutty upkicks from his back, like roundhouse kicks. The fans who loved him moments earlier were now booing him for laying in the crab. Then they popped huge when he stood up. He tried a flying knee and fell on his ass. They stood up and Simpson dropped him with a hard shot and went after him. Herman laid in the crab a bit, then stood up, but was stumbling. Simpson took him right back down. Herman limped back to the corner afterwards, and this was a pronounced limp. They showed a replay and it appeared he blew it out when Marcus took him down. He came out for round two and was moving fine. Well, until he threw a kick, got punched, and then collapsed and grabbed his leg. The ref stopped it. Crowd booed. Herman was pointing to the outside of his knee, so I guess that would be blown ACL. That's a shitty, shitty injury.

Still only about 75% full with the same seats still empty.

7. Krzysztof Soszyinski vs. Brandon Vera. I'm trying to think if I've ever seen KS's name spelled the same way. This is the official spelling from the UFC program. Huge pop for both guys. Someone should tell them KS started out as a pro-wrestler training with Don Callis. Slugfest early. KS bulled him into the fence, they clinched, then restarted in the middle. KS was bleeding under the eye. The crowd was more polite than I expected since they were much quicker to boo on the undercard. Being a recognizable face helps. They started booing with 47 seconds left. Very close round. KS was landing more early in the second. Crowd was booing much quicker for the clinching in this round. KS finally shot in for a takedown and right as he had his legs Herb Dean stopped it so Vera could put his mouthpiece back in. Bad timing there. KS got a takedown, so at least we have a clear-cut winner of this round. He was also the more aggressive of the two. Vera wasn't hardly doing a thing. Vera teased a spinning backfist in the third but did a kick instead. Wacky. KS got him in the Muay Thai clinch and was throwing knees. Fans really hated this fight. Being a recognizable fighter will only get you so far. Vera finally took him down and landed some shots but KS got back up. Herb stopped the fight for a low blow. Are guys wearing metal cups and magnets in their kneepads tonight? KS didn't writhe on the mat in pain and the fight quickly resumed. Crowd loudly booed the last ten seconds even though they were throwing. Can't wait to see the scores on this one. Rashad was shown in the crowd and his reaction to being booed was the most charisma he's ever shown in his entire career. It was awesome and left me salivating for TUF 10.

Vera won the unanimous decision. Lots of boos for that. Baffling to me, but in a fight like that you really can't bitch too much.

Dana and company were apparently in Las Vegas today for the Fertitta memorial and should be here by now, but I haven't seen hide nor hair of him. Not that I would ever normally see hair of him.

8. Demian Maia vs. Nate Marquardt. Wanderlei Silva's New Face ™ accompanied Maia to ringside. He was also wearing designer jeans, which was fucking phenomenal. Sagging ones at that. Fight ended almost immediately in much the way everyone figured Maia's first loss would be handed to him. He was punched in the face and went almost literally ass-over-teakettle, landing face-first for good measure. And that was the end of that. Fight went 21 seconds.

They interviewed Marquardt afterwards and he said he didn't know who was getting the shot against Anderson Silva next, but if we wanted someone who was going to get in there and KICK HIS BUTT, he was the man. They cut to Silva in the crowd and he smiled, shrugged and then nodded at the crowd. Huge pop for him, I mean shockingly big.

9. Jake Rosholt vs. Chris Leben. Leben was over huge as another Portland-area guy. Leben looks like a guy who would have worked Portland Wrestling TV, just OWNED by the road. "LEBEN!" Feeling out process early. Rosholt hit him with a hard knee and Leben immediately took him down. They stood back up and Leben's face was bleeding. Rosholt took him down and hit him with another hard knee. Leben, doing his zombie shtick, just kept coming forward. He was literally running at him and swinging. Leben is great. Jake went for a high kick in the second and lost his balance, and Leben jumped on him for a huge pop and "LEBEN!" chant. You'd think Leben actually took him down or something. Jake tried a triangle but came nowhere close. Leben was landing some punches but ref Yves Lavigne stood them up. Some boos for that. Leben threw a goofy high kick and then punched him right in the face. They clinched on the fence and he was stomping on Jake's feet. Crowd loved that. They swung and Jake took him down and held him there. Leben hit a few upkicks. One thing about Leben is he is always trying to do damage somehow. He is a FIGHTER. The new blonde ring girl nearly tripped on a cord and it was almost GIRL DOWN. Jake with another takedown in the third, then a mount. Leben gave up his back to attempt to escape. Jake ended up putting him in a side choke and Leben chose to go out on a shield, being choked completely unconscious. This should have gotten a much bigger reaction but everyone loved Leben so they were just sort of sad. He was up 20 seconds later.

For historical purposes

It appeared Bruce Buffer forgot Jake Rosholt's last name.

10. Keith Jardine vs. Thiago Silva. Looked like it hurt Jardine to do laps. Thiago caught his leg on a kick and took him right down. Jardine quickly made it back to his feet. Thiago caught him with a shot and finished it on the ground. That didn't take long.

Rogan interviewed Thiago afterwards, who said he was very happy and was BACK~! "UFC is my life!" he concluded.

Main event about to start and I'd estimate 85% full. So much for every seat in the house being filled.

The rumor is 15,000 or so in the building by the end of the night and a strong gate.

10. Randy Couture vs. Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. Nogueira physically looks the best he has in awhile. Randy got a huge reaction coming out, but it wasn't in the same universe as the one Gina Carano got two weeks ago. Urijah Faber was in the front row taking video on his cell phone. I was surprised that they booed Nogueira loudly. Randy's reaction when they actually introduced him was definitely bigger and one of the loudest I've ever heard. Amazing heat and "RANDY" chants. Trading right off the bat. Randy physically looked great. Dirty boxing in the clinch and Nog ended up on his back for a moment to a giant pop. They were quickly back on the feet. "RANDY!" Pretty much nonstop chants. Nog caught him with a shot and Randy went down, but not out. Nog went for a D'Arce choke. Place was going nuts. Nog let it go. The place went absolutely apeshit. "RANDY!" Randy threw a leg kick and landed a few combos. Nog struck back with a few of his own. They started trading HARD shots. Nog was bleeding from under the eye. "RANDY!" Couture was using all of his head movement to avoid shots. They had a Frye/Takayama spot as the place went nuts. Couture finally bulled him into the fence. An absolutely incredible round live. Round two saw Randy land a punch and huge string of bloody drool came out of Nog's mouth. Nog tried to pull a guillotine but Randy slipped his head out and pounced. "RANDY!" They both landed shots from Nog's guard. Place was so pumped I was expecting "YAY!" and "BOO!" chants. Nog swept and mounted him but Randy elbow escaped. Nog went for a head-and-arm choke but Randy wouldn't let him pass to side control and was landing shots from the bottom. More "RANDY!" chants. Randy finally stood up and the place went ballistic. They were standing toe-to-toe and throwing. Another amazing round live. One thing that is abundantly clear is that win or lose, this is not the same Nogueira that faced Frank Mir in December. And we're onto the third and final round. Probably 20-18 Nogueira at this point. Nogueira dropped him with another shot and threw punch after punch after punch on the ground but 90% weren't connecting and ref Mario Yamasaki let it go. Huge pop when the crowd realized it was going to continue. Nog pounded on him from side control. Wasn't looking good at all for him here. Couture was walking up the fence to try to escape. Crowd was booing, apparently wanting a stand-up. Randy tried to fight free and Nog got his back with one hook in. Randy ended up in his guard to a gigantic pop. He had a minute left to finish this fight. Loud "RANDY!" chants with people stomping their feet. Randy pounded on him from the top until about the final second, at which point Nog swept him and the ref broke it up. I don't think that was enough to win this fight, but you never know with these judges.

Scores were 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 for Nogueira.

Nogueira was booed loudly. Then he said it was beautiful to fight in Portland and he loved the city and would always respect Randy, and the people cheered. Rogan asked him how hurt he was going into the Mir fight. He said he had come off a staph infection and was hospitalized for a week before the fight and also had his meniscus tore out. "My neck, my knee, everything." He said he wanted a title belt.

Couture was up next. He got a giant ovation. He said he was disappointed to lose but you had to love this sport because you never knew what was going to happen. Rogan asked him what was next. He said guys like Nogueira kept him going, and he'd take a week to think about what he'd do next. He said he was ready to fight again and felt the best he'd ever felt. Place went crazy.

Main event made this a super memorable show.