The Ultimate Fight Night Live
– 3 October 2005
© Marc Wickert
www.knucklepit.com
This bout shapes up well on paper and becomes etched in time as one of UFC's classic showdowns.
Former Middleweight Champion Evan Tanner has delivered epic battles at all his recent Octagon appearances, against Phil Baroni, Robbie Lawler, David Terrell and Rich Franklin. Whenever Tanner is in the ring you know you're going to be in for one hell of a bang.
David Loiseau has been making a dramatic climb up the UFC middleweight ladder, and using vicious elbow-strikes to leave his mark on such opponents as Jorge Rivera, Chris Fontaine, Gideon Ray and Charles McCarthy.
Although both gladiators have suffered the odd loss in the past, they have fought sledgehammer and nail till the bitter end regardless of their fights' outcomes, and have consistently provided fight fans with some of UFC's most memorable battles. This bout proves to be another exceptional knuckleodeon. Let's hope we get to see both warriors back in the Octagon very soon.
Round One
"Okay, fight clean, fight hard, fight fair," instructs referee Big John McCarthy before the two combatants wage war. They return to opposite sides of the cage and face off.
Big John asks David 'The Crow' Loiseau if he's ready, and gets a slight nod in reply. Evan Tanner's response is the same. Then McCarthy barks out his famous line: "Let's get it on."
Tanner reaches out with his left hand to touch gloves and Loiseau taps back as Tanner tries to catch The Crow with a right cross. But David quickly responds, using his footwork to sidestep Evan's forward charge and shoves Tanner into the fence.
Tanner scrambles back into toe-to-toe position while Loiseau directs two left high-kicks at Tanner's face. Evan's right guard mostly blocks the first kick. He steps out of range for the other.
4.44: E.T. is at centre ring and in hot pursuit of Loiseau. He crowds The Crow and has him up against the Octagon, wanting to take David down. But the Canadian resists well. Evan lands with a left elbow before David breaks free.
4.08: Evan shoots out a jab and David counters it with one of his own. Tanner then scores with a leg kick before tying Loiseau up against the cage, trying to take The Crow to the canvas.
3.48: Loiseau falls to the mat. E.T. is in a loose half-guard, and is looking to pull the show up early via a rear-naked choke (RNC). But The Crow has been here before and obstructs Evan's choke with his right forearm.
2.18: The pair are back on their feet. The hunter and the hunted have spent a lot of gas. E.T. rolls The Crow to the floor and is chasing up another RNC. Again, David resists being strangled by jamming the hold with his forearms.
1.22: Tanner revisits the half-guard, opting to roughen his opponent into compliance. He is working hard, dishing out fists to the head, and knees to David's body. Loiseau offers his back from the kneeling position, as Tanner stands crouched behind him, then he rolls David back down and has another choke-out attempt at 0.38.
With only seconds remaining in round one, The Crow turns E.T. on his side. Tanner misses with an arm bar, and Loiseau slams down a succession of right fists and signature Crow elbows. The hooter sounds as Big John halts the action.
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