The main event at UFC 102 was one for the ages, with Antonio Minotauro Noguiera taking a unanimous decision over Randy “The Natural” Couture in Portland, Oregon.  It had everything that makes a classic fight, with great standup action, an unbelievable chess match on the ground, and an underdog to get behind as the fight got to it’s latter stages.  On a great card, Nogueira-Couture takes fight of the year for me.

And there’s no question it was a great card overall, with some higlight reel KO’s and a great 1st UFC win for a former All-American wrestler.  But it was the main event that stole the show, and all you can do is tip your hat to both competitors.  First thing’s first, Noguiera is back.  I think it’s safe to say his staph infection and knee issues had a HUGE part to play in his poor performance against Frank Mir in his previous fight.  On Saturday, Nog was in true Nog form…and showed some of his best striking ever.  He was the aggressor and won all 3 rounds (at least in my eyes), by having a smart and well executed gameplan.  His standup work was great, using a killer jab to set up a hook which caught Randy a few times…in all 3 rounds, Noguiera was able to get Randy to the ground.  And once the fight was on the ground, Nog showed why he is the most devestating ground fighter in the heavyweight division.  His work from the top was great, almost catching Randy in a choke early, and his guard work was phenomonal (including that sweep from guard to mount).  Plain and simple, Nog came to fight and showed he is still one of the top contenders in the weight class.

So what’s next?  Well…for Noguiera, I’d like to see him do a number of things.  As much as I’d love to see him match up with Mir again, I think the UFC might be looking to set up Brock Lesnar’s next challenger (if he beats Carwin of course).  I have a gut feeling that Nogueira will match up with Lesnar for his next fight, but what do I know?  For Couture, well, he signed a new 6 fight deal following the fights on Saturday, so he’s not going anywhere.  The 2 that came to my mind immediately were, again, Mir…and Mirko Cro-Cop.  Either would be really interesting fights for Randy, plus Gabriel Gonzaga seems like he’s on his way back up, so a rematch there might not be bad either.

Give it up for Nate Marquardt (maybe he used the FAN 960 interview karma, just like jungle karma…not likely)!  A 1st round KO of Demian Maia has Nate back on top of the contenders list at 185, and with his recent list of TKO and KO wins, I can’t think of anyone else he should be fighting other than Anderson Silva.  Do I think he can beat him?  Not necessarily, but prior to Saturday night I believed if anyone was going to dethrone the king at middleweight, it was going to be either Maia or Marquardt.  Maia showed that he’s not perfect, and we’ve all known that he needs to upgrade in the striking department for some time.  But lets go through the checklist for Nate…BJJ expert?  Check.  Versatile striker?  Check.  Takedown defence?  Check.  Good fight IQ?  Check.  And that last one is the most important…he knows what he did wrong against Silva last time around, and has changed his mindset because of it.  When I talked to Nate on Wednesday, he told me he learned so much from the Silva loss…and he told me, and the rest of the world on Saturday, that he’s ready to take Anderson’s belt.

Thiago Silva looked good, and Keith Jardine needs to really get things back on track soon if he wants to remain relevant at 205.  He’s got a lot of talent, but he continually makes bad decisions in important fights.  Jardine’s problem is, I believe, that he lacks focus at the beginning of fights.  3 of his last 4 losses have come in the first 2 minutes of the 1st round (Silva, Silva, Alexander).  But as fights go along, he is one of the best at wearing his opponent down and then using openings to his advantage.  His wins over Liddell and Vera are perfect examples.  But if he doesn’t figure out a way to stop these early defeats, he’s going to find himself battling at the bottom of the heap.  As for Silva, that puts him back in a contender spot at 205…1 or 2 more quality wins might get him another shot at Lyoto Machida.

Loved…check that, LOVED…seeing Chris Leben get choked out by Jake Rosholt.  Jake impressed me, as he was smarter on his fight than Leben was, and outclassed him in the wrestling and grappling aspects of the fight.  He might be one to watch at 185.  Bad night for the Canadians though, as Winnipeg’s Krzysztof Soszynski looked a step behind in his 3 round loss to Brandon Vera and Edmonton’s Tim Hague…well…had a nice 7 second welcome to the UFC.  Hopefully his exit isn’t as quick.  UFC 103 on the 19th, can’t even wait for the return of Vitor!

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