· UFC 129: What We Learned

A record crowd of 55,000 witnessed UFC 129 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto last night, as two championship fights headlined the promotion’s latest offering. The judges played a pivotal role in the title tilts, as both bouts needed decisions to determine the winners. But before we delve into whether or not the decisions were just, we have to ask our typical post-event question: What did we learn?

The Legend Of Steven Seagal Grows

The first time Seagal accompanied Anderson Silva to the Octagon, fans surely were scratching their heads, bewildered. While there’s no way to know with any real certainty how much Seagal is tinkering with the games of Silva and Lyoto Machida, there’s no denying that he has received credit, from both fighters, for two of the most recent—and memorable—KOs in UFC history.

First Seagal was given props by Silva after his stunning front kick to the face took down Vitor Belfort at UFC 126 back in February. Then last night Lyoto Machida added to the lore with a kick straight out of the All Valley Karate Championship that leveled Randy Couture and sent him into retirement. In a post-fight interview Seagal told interviewer Ariel Helwani that not only had he worked on that particular kick with Machida, but that he was yelling from his seat for Machida to employ it.

In the past a fight-altering kick has typically come in the form of a roundhouse. But MMA fans have been spoiled of late, and possibly will come to expect the spectacular after the recent string of creative knockout kicks fostered by Seagal. Along with Anthony Pettis’s cage-bounce head kick of Ben Henderson at the WEC send-off last December, nothing seems impossible anymore.

But Machida, though jubilant in his post-fight celebration, probably didn’t care how he won—only that he won. Two losses in a row had left him desperate. By defeating a wildly popular Couture in explosive fashion, Machida suddenly becomes relevant again after being proved mortal by Mauricio Rua and Quinton Jackson in his most recent outings. Though the division squarely belongs to phenom Jon Jones, Machida is wily and seasoned enough to present a stylistic challenge for the current champ. With a couple more wins he may get a chance to dethrone the young king and reclaim his crown.

Couture Leaves Behind An Impressive Legacy

After continually shocking the MMA world, Couture’s final bout went down the way most fighter’s final fights do: in crushing and disappointing fashion. Unable to keep Machida tied up in his trademark clinch, Couture even admitted after the fight that he felt a step slow. But what’s made Couture so successful in the Octagon is his head, and he’s showing how smart he is once again by bowing out at the proper time.

Much will be written about Couture’s retirement this week, and how he was a multiple champion in two weight classes. Much will also be made of his advanced age and how he dispatched men vastly younger and larger as a middle-aged man. But Couture should be remembered for being the thinking man’s martial artist.

Few fighters are better game planners than Couture. He was the master of neutralizing his opponent’s strengths by keeping strikers on their backs or clinched against the cage. He incorporated dirty boxing into his Greco-Roman wrestling skills and made it into an art form. His thoughtful and insightful interviews belied an intelligence and respect that is usually lacking in such a violent sport.

Whether you point to his wars with Chuck Liddell, beating Tim Sylvia to become heavyweight champion at the age of 43, or dominating upstart James Toney and simultaneously silencing the boxing vs. MMA debate, Couture is a fighter who will not be forgotten any time soon.

Aldo Receives Judges’ Nod After Arduous Affair

Jose Aldo and Mark Hominick delivered an instant classic featherweight bout at UFC 129. Though Aldo won a unanimous decision with scores of 50-43, 48-46, and 49-46, he was visibly exhausted by bout’s end and unable to put the Canadian away, even though Hominick had a grotesque hematoma bulging from the side of his head after round four.

As usual, Aldo connected on the feet with punches and punished Hominick’s lead leg with heavy kicks. But as the fight wore on it became clear that Hominick was holding his own standing, as evidenced by Aldo’s decision to take Hominick down repeatedly.

But in the third round Aldo connected with a straight right followed by a left hook that dropped Hominick to the canvas. Though Aldo pounced and landed shots, Hominick recovered to fight the championship rounds. Then in the fourth frame Aldo crushed Hominick again with another straight right that crumpled him. Aldo’s subsequent ground-and-pound brought about the swelling on Hominick’s forehead. But again, the Canadian survived.

The final round then saw a slight momentum shift as Hominick took Aldo down and administered a solid display of ground-and-pound of his own. Though it was too little too late, his gutty performance in front of his countrymen garnered him newfound respect. Moreover, it was the first time fans have seen Aldo uncomfortable in the cage.

That said, being uncomfortable but still winning convincingly on the score cards proves that Aldo is obviously still the man at featherweight. With a 12-fight win streak under his belt, the champ is as dominant as many of his UFC championship brethren.

St-Pierre Delivers Decision Win In Front Of Record Canadian Crowd

Though Jake Shields fought better on the feet than most expected, he was unable to take Georges St-Pierre down to the canvas to utilize his Brazilian jiu-jitsu back belt. Though after the bout St-Pierre had a bloodied face and busted eye, he still—barely—got the better of the boxing and earned a unanimous decision victory over Shields with scores of 50-45, 48-47, and 48-47 from the cageside judges.

The win halted Shields’ streak of 15 triumphs in a row, and pushed St-Pierre’s to nine. The Canadian pumped an effective jab for the bulk of the bout, but also worked in spinning back kicks, hunted with his overhand right, and mixed in takedowns. A jab in the first round briefly crumpled Shields to the mat, and then in the fourth frame a left kick to the head caught him again. But St-Pierre was unable to finish the gritty Cesar Gracie fighter.

In going the distance with St-Pierre—and winning rounds from him—Shields proved his worth to the casual fan and to those who gave him no chance against the champion. The damage on St-Pierre’s visage was impressive, but for Shields to wrest the title away from him he needed to notch a takedown and work from top position where his smothering brand of jiu-jitsu might have given St-Pierre serious problems. But he was not only unable to do so, he never really came close.

While St-Pierre should be lauded for dictating the pace of the fight, outboxing Shields, and avoiding fighting off his back, he will certainly face criticism for letting the fight fall to the judges again (for the fifth time in six fights). When it comes to winning in the eyes of the judges, he is a dominant champion. But fair or not, when other fighters—specifically his fellow UFC champions—are finishing fights on their own terms, he will continue to take fire for not being a definitive closer. It’s an unenviable position.

Sure, winning is everything. But when it comes to MMA fans, how you win matters too. That’s why St-Pierre’s failure to close out fights on his own accord continues to follow him around like a pesky shadow.