Prior to UFC 102, mixed martial arts fans and critics counted Randy Couture and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira out of the mix. After suffering crushing defeats to Brock Lesnar and Frank Mir, respectively, were Couture and Nogueira still relevant as heavyweight forces?
Their UFC 102 fight did not provide a definitive answer as to their current chances against names like Lesnar, non-UFC fighter Fedor Emelianenko, Shane Carwin and Cain Velasquez, but it definitely proved that the two are capable of a memorable fight. The two had an epic battle–featuring one of the most thrilling opening rounds in years–that had the Portland, Oregon crowd on its feed.
Essentially a real-life version of the match pro wrestlers try to stage, it told a simply fantastic story. Couture’s hands were quick and accurate, yet Nogueira, whose legendary chin came under suspicion against Frank Mir, took the damage in stride. Meanwhile, Nogueira quickly understood Couture’s timing, and, throughout the fight, landed several shots that put Couture in danger.
When push came to shove, Nogueira’s combination of more effective punches and grappling excellence led to a definitive victory over Couture. Couture impressed with his ability to escape tight D’Arce and arm triangle chokes in the first two rounds, but from an offensive perspective, he never compiled enough damage to threaten Nogueira. When it came time for the judges to speak, the cards fell in favor of Minotauro.
Also on the card: Thiago Silva rebounded from a devastating loss to Lyoto Machida with a first round knockout victory over Keith Jardine, while Nate Marquardt made a big statement with a 21 second knockout of touted Middleweight Demian Maia. On the undercard, Todd Duffee won with a record-setting 7-second-knockout over Tim Hague.
QUICK MATCH RESULTS – CLICK HERE FOR THE DETAILED, ROUND-BY-ROUND COVERAGE
Evan Dunham b. Marcus Aurelio via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 30-27)
Mark Munoz b. Nick Catone via split decision (28-29, 29-28, 30-27)
Todd Duffee b. Tim Hague via knockout (punches) at :07 of Round One
Mike Russow b. Justin McCully via unanimous decision (29-28, 30-26, 30-27)
Gabriel Gonzaga b. Chris Tuchscherer via TKO (strikes) at 2:27 of Round One
Aaron Simpson b. Ed Herman via TKO (knee injury) at :17 of Round Two
Brandon Vera defeated Krzysztof Soszynski via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
Nathan Marquardt defeated Demian Maia via knockout (punch) at :21 of Round One
Jake Rosholt defeated Chris Leben via submission (arm triangle) at 1:30 of Round Three
Thiago Silva defeated Keith Jardine via KO (strikes) at 1:35 of Round One
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira defeated Randy Couture via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)