Tuesday Morning Quarterback: UFC 115

By Elton "Hobbie" Hobson


UFC 115 is the second UFC event to be held in the Great White North this year, and talk persists of a possible third Canadian stop in Toronto in December, for St. Pierre vs. Koscheck 2 (assuming the Ontario legislature ever decides to change its outdated stance on MMA). Say what you want about Dana White, but he certainly seems to be showing Canada some love in 2010.

As one of the 20,000 people who paid good money to see Anderson Silva vs. Thales Leites in Montreal last year - well, let’s call it a good start.

This past Saturday, a sold-out crowd packed General Motors Place in Vancouver B.C for the UFC’s first forray into western Canada. And I’m guessing they didn’t leave disappointed. No MMA card (with the possible exception of the WEC’s “Aldo vs. Faber”) this year has delivered, top to bottom, like UFC 115 did this past Saturday.

Simply put, what a rollercoaster of an event.



Shows you not to judge a card by its main event only, as many fans did for 115. The overall matchmaking of the undercard fights was excellent, and the result was a fun night you had no problem paying $44.99 for. Of course, the biggest story coming out of UFC 115 is also a bittersweet one, as the main event saw the resurgence of one legend, at the expense of another.

Has “The Iceman” Finally Melted?

I’ll admit it (might as well, since my predictions are online for all to see) - before this fight, I had let myself believe.

Chuck Liddell has always been one of my all-time favourites, a go-for-broke brawler with one of the best resumes the sport has ever seen. From 2004-2006, he WAS the face of mixed martial arts, and had an aura no fighter has managed to capture since.

It was tough watching his career begin to free fall after losing his title to “Rampage” in 2007. It was even tougher seeing him end so many fights stretched out on the Octagon floor, studying the inside of his eyeballs.

But like so many fans, I let myself hope that this time might be different.

We all saw the pictures of Chuck minus-beer belly floating around, all saw how ripped he looked at the weigh-ins. He had been training BJJ and training Boxing and dieting and working out more and not going out and bench pressing Buicks - you get the picture. Maybe this was finally the motivation needed to get the most successful man in the sport to push himself in training.

Less then 5 minutes into the fight, and Chuck was once again staring up at the lights, asking the ref what had happened. After all we had heard about Chuck’s renewed dedication and commitment, he wasn’t able to defeat the two opponents who eventually defeat every fighter - Mother Nature, and Father Time.

For longtime fans, it was tough to see Chuck end his storied UFC run in another KO loss. What makes it worse is that the previous 4 and a half minutes showcased a vintage Liddell performance - which may have been the problem. For all he newfound commitment, I guess you really can’t teach an old dog new tricks, and Liddell still had the same wide open, winging punches from the hips stance he’s always used (and that has been pretty much figured out by now). Franklin countered him coming in, and Chuck can no longer avoid the truth that his days as a fighter are over.

Or are they? Maybe I’m just a delusional fan boy, but I think there is still merit and cause to give Chuck Liddell one more fight in the UFC. Which fight is that, you ask? Only the one opponent guaranteed to make Chuck Liddell look good - Tito Ortiz. No flash KO threat here, people. Book the fight as the final fight for both guys and lets give fans the Chuck Liddell send off he deserves, a victorious one with his opponent unconscious behind him.

Let’s Hear it for Rich Franklin

I think It’s time to admit that Rich Franklin is the man.

After his two losses to Anderson Silva, I think fans were all too quick to throw Franklin under the bus as a “has been” who had simply been eclipsed in his own division. Then his recent spate of catch weight bouts and fluctuations between weight classes has a lot of fans confused about his career trajectory.

Franklin is a fighter who never says no - even when it might actually benefit his career. I know being the 195 lb. gatekeeper for Dan Henderson, Wanderlei Silva and Vitor Belfort didn’t help him build a case for a title shot or put him on the rankings in any division. But that didn’t matter to Franklin. The UFC needed him to fill the gaps in their schedule, and he obliged them.

Along the way, he put on some great fights. Always a gamer, Franklin brought it to every one of his opponents and has never been in a boring fight. He is conscious of his fans and always tries to put on a great show. This past Saturday, Franklin was the recipient of a broken forearm, courtesy of a Liddell high kick. Franklin described in the post-fight how he could hear the bones audibly clicking around in his forearm.

Yet he never thought about quitting, or even shying away from exchanges. Instead, he knocked him out with his good hand.

If that alone doesn’t earn Franklin more respect, I don’t know what will. Here’s hoping “Ace” gets a crack at a top 10 ranked LHW in his next fight, one last chance at a title run late in his career. I could see him putting on great fights with Forrest Griffin, Little Nogueria, or Randy Couture once his arm heals up and I hope they give him an opponent of that calibre once he returns to action.

I think he’s earned it.

How Lose a Fight by Not Losing

Have Yves Lavigne officiate.

Seriously, if MMA referee’s were like the Three Stooges then Lavigne would be Moe. Most of the time, nothing happens to Moe, just like Yves is usually a solid official. However, whenever something does befall Moe, it’s something really, really bad, like getting crushed by an elevator, drilled through the ear, shot etc. Same with Lavigne. When he screws up - man, does he screw up big.

His latest victim was Mac Danzig, a savvy and experienced ground fighter who was gritting his was through a tight but not sunk in guillotine choke when Yves decides he was unconscious and stepped in to halt the contest. The crowd and Danzig both lost their shit at that moment, though to Danzig’s immense credit he was classy as can be in the post-fight and gave Lavigne all the credit in the world for his monumental fuck up.

So despite all the fan vitriol on display for the rest of the event (Lavigne was heavily booed every time he called a match henceforth by the Vancouver crowd) this was almost a victimless crime. Sure, it will sting Danzig to have a loss like this on his record, but it’s pretty much a given that he’ll get another crack at Matt Wiman at a later date (preferably with Herb Dean reffing, I’m gonna guess). And also, before we burn our Yves Lavigne effigies and get our torches and pitchforks out and ready, let’s remember that all he cares about is fighter safety, first foremost and above all. Wiman told him he was out, and Wiman is the expert after all.

Ok, so maybe he should have been more through. No matter what sport you're in, it's a fact of life that referee's sometimes screw up. For proof of this, just watch a World Cup match. No worries though, as long as it all comes out in the wash. Look for Danzig vs. Wiman 2 sometime this fall.

Cro Cop via Submission?

Seriously, how awesome was that? Not much more to say here then that.

Never thought I’d see the Croatian kick boxer win the “Submission of the Night” bonus, but that’s why we love MMA - anything can happen. Even as one star falls in Liddell, we see how the perfect opponent and the perfect mindset can reignite a career all over again. Congratulations Mirko - now it’s time to put on Gonzaga vs. Cro Cop 2. Can you imagine how much hype that fight would get amongst the casuals?

As for Pat Berry, let him heal up, then give him Todd Duffee. Time to see which powerhouse prospect is the real deal.

Oh, Canada...

For two rounds, Rory MacDonald was living up to every bit of hype that had been written about him.

Against a game Carlos Condit, MacDonald was mixing it up well, out striking his opponent, and scoring some beautiful takedowns. He looked 5 minutes away from rocketing into the welterweight top 10.

But there’s a reason Condit used to wear 10 pounds of WEC gold around his waist. Down two rounds, “The Natural Born Killer” came roaring out in the final frame and completely turned the tide of the fight. He got Rory down, moved to half-guard, and made it ugly for him. He busted MacDonald up and shut down any attempt at counter attack. For 4 minutes, he rained down shots and controlled MacDonald on the ground, as each passing second seemed to drain the fight and the will out of the B.C prospect.

Still, the crowd roared for the hometown boy to hold on, and it seemed he might make it to the end of the round and receive the mercy of a judges decision. That is, before the referee intervened with only 7 seconds remaining on the clock to hand Carlos Condit his dramatic, come from behind victory.

The crowd was livid, as were many fans of Rory following the fight. He should have been allowed to make it to the end of the round, and the decision that would surely have gone his way. How dare the referee come in with only 7 lousy seconds left to rob one from the affable Canuck. Boooooo! Booooooo!

Listen, I know it sucks to see another Canadian prospect stumble, after the recent hype derailments of Mike Ricci, Tim Hague and TJ Grant. But I really don’t think MacDonald was headed for a Unanimous Decision win if the fight had gone to the judges cards - I had the last round 10-8 Condit and I think we were facing the real possibility of a draw.

Besides, put aside your patriotism for a second. Condit won that fight. The first two rounds were close. The last one was a clear domination and there was no doubt at it’s conclusion one way or another who had won the fight mentally (and physically, to judge off MacDonald’s battered face). As Dana White said after the event, it’s not the ref’s job to keep an eye on the clock, or consider which fighter may be ahead on the cards before he intervenes. A justified stoppage with only 7 seconds left is still a justified stoppage.

This may have been a loss for MacDonald on paper, but it was a moral victory for the Canadian and should help propel his career and improve him no matter the unfavourable outcome. He proved he has the tools to hang in there with the elite of the division, and at only 20 years old has years to round out his skillset and strengthen his mind. This fight should be viewed as good news by MacDonald fans everywhere, and I eagerly await the Canadian’s next trip to the Octagon. For an opponent, I say give him John Hathaway for the UFC’s rumoured September trip to the United Kingdom. That would be an awesome battle of young, white hot prospects that has “Fight of the Night” written all over it. As for Condit, give him to the Chris Lytle/Matt Brown winner, or even Paulo Thiago now that he needs a good rebound fight.