Ali
© Marc Wickert
www.knucklepit.com
All photos copyright 2004 Zuffa LLC
Photography by Joshua Hedges
This event was a crucial outing for Matt Hughes and Rich Franklin, but particularly for Randy Couture who was coming out of UFC retirement and needed to re-establish himself as a current force.
Held at Nationwide Arena, in Columbus, Ohio, before the largest North American crowd in MMA history (19,000 plus), and beamed over the world on p-p-v, this was a groundbreaking event that featured Randy Couture and Tim Sylvia in the main event.
While Randy was out to prove he could make the comeback at top level, Tim seemed to have something to prove to his critics, despite winning back the heavyweight title and defending it against Andrei Arlovski – a man many regarded as being unbeatable.
The lack of respect Sylvia has endured is something Rich Franklin experienced while carrying the middleweight belt. Coming back after losing the title to Anderson Silva, having entered their bout injured, Rich had the opportunity to rebuild his career and reputation against Jason MacDonald. And former welterweight champion Matt Hughes knew a win tonight against the respected Chris Lytle would put him in good standing with the public for a rematch with Georges St. Pierre.
The Battles
Jason Lambert (5’10” 204 lb) vs Renato ‘Babalu’ Sobral (6’1” 204 lb)
– Light Heavyweight
Referee: Big John McCarthy
What a cracker of a bout this one was to get the p-p-v coverage rolling. Thank God it didn’t fall into the ‘preliminaries’ category that four other bouts on the bill fell into, with p-p-viewers not even getting to see the usual highlights of these matches.
“I think that Babalu has a great heart: He’s not going to give up. And I know I’m not going to give up. So I think we’re going to have some fireworks in this fight,” said Jason ‘The Punisher’ Lambert before their battle. It proved to be a very accurate prediction.
Jason Lambert vs Renato ‘Babalu’ Sobral
Round One
They touched gloves and squared off. Babalu whipped out a distracting leg kick and moved in with a series of fists that had little on them, but enabled him to set up a takedown at 4.37 into the fight. Renato was in half guard and Jason tried to latch on a kimura that was unsuccessful.
3.56: Renato worked to g’n’p but Jason tied him up and had Renato in full guard. Babalu maneuvered Jason over to the fence and was catching him with some fists and elbows.
2.58: Lambert surrendered his back in an attempt to escape being pinned against the fence.
2.21: Big John warned Babalu not to strike the back of Jason’s head as Renato looked to fit Jason with a rear naked choke.
2.11: Renato had the hooks in, but Justin was still throwing punches back into Babalu’s face and avoiding the choke. Lambert turned a negative into a positive and used being up against the fence to protect his back from Renato’s submission attempts.
1.18: It looked like Babalu’s work was going to pay off when he rolled Justin over with his right forearm around Justin’s neck, but Lambert seized Babalu’s left wrist and levered it away, stopping Renato from completing the choke.
0.45: They were back standing with Lambert delivering uppercuts from the clinch.
0.25: They separated. Renato looked gassed from his unsuccessful submission attempts and Justin was now out of hibernation and ready to rock on.
0.20: They exchanged front kicks. With 10 seconds remaining in round one, Lambert moved in with a rattling right hook and two uppercuts that put Babalu on his butt. The Punisher g’n’p-ed Babalu up to the bell.
Round Two
Babalu scored with a left knee to Justin’s body. They clinched. Renato followed with more knees to the body and Justin tried to counter with fists to the body. He forced Babalu back into the fence and took him down.
4.11: After scuffling against the cage, they stood up in a clinch, then fell back down with Lambert pounding from half guard. Babalu attempted to cover up as Justin dispatched elbows, fists and forearms.
3.11: Lambert was in full guard – unloading everything he had while Renato worked to tie up Justin’s arms. Lambert used his palms to cover Babalu’s mouth and disrupt his heavy breathing.
2.15: Justin employed short elbow shots to work Babalu’s now-cut face.
1.34: Big John stood them up.
0.28: Renato attempted another left knee, but this time Justin was prepared and countered with a huge left hook that unplugged Babalu.
Result: Justin Lambert by KO – 3.36, Round Two.
Matt Hughes (5’9” 171 lb) vs. Chris Lytle (5’11” 169 lb)
– Welterweight
Referee: Mark Matheny
Matt Hughes vs Chris Lytle
Round One
Both men came out totally cool. Chris opened the show with swinging fists that Matt ducked from.
4.43: Chris moved in again and Matt took him straight down. Lytle slapped on a guillotine which included Matt’s left arm in the package. With the size of Hughes’s neck, it was surprising Lytle’s arm didn’t just slide up and off Matt’s head. Being an MMA veteran, Chris didn’t overcommit his energy to the hold and just lay back, levering with his body weight.
3.29: Lytle released Hughes’s head.
2.52: Matt took Chris’s head in a lock from on top and Chris maneuvered Matt into the butterfly guard and briefly went for another guillotine. The scenario seemed to be a case of Hughes going for positioning and Lytle being always on the lookout for guillotine opportunities.
1.44: Matt got his way – achieving side control.
0.44: Hughes opted to deliver elbows to Chris’s head whilst in side control, but Chris had hold of Matt’s bicep and took the sting out of the strikes.
0.22: Lytle lifted his hips and caught Hughes’s head with leg scissors. The bell rang.
Round Two
Déjà vu: Chris went to strike and Matt took him down, with Chris seizing Matt’s neck in a guillotine. Lytle was on his back – Hughes in half guard. Matt then got side control, forcing Chris up against the fence. Matt dropped short elbows from there, and then fists that opened a cut beside Chris’s right eye.
2.08: Hughes switched to the mount.
1.18: Lytle used his feet to push himself off the fence and climbed on top of Hughes.
0.54: Matt went for a kimura on Chris’s left arm. Chris rolled and Matt regained side control. They faded out to the bell.
Round Three
Chris moved in with a token fist and kick. He closed in again and Matt took him back down and gained side control. The fight stalemated up to the bell. Matt won the battle he needed to win and Chris defended well. Although Matt will need to do more than this to win back the title, coming off a loss, he used this fight as a qualifier and he wasn’t about to risk doing anything flash tonight.
Result: Matt Hughes by unanimous decision.
Rich Franklin (6’1” 185 lb) vs Jason MacDonald (6’3” 183.5 lb)
– Middleweight
Referee: Herb Dean
Rich Franklin vs Jason MacDonald
Round One
Rich came out to Acca-Dacca’s For Those About to Rock, and from the opening seconds of the first round, the ‘Ace’ showed he was definitely about to rock. Jason quickly assumed position at center ring, and southpaw Franklin danced around him. MacDonald dispatched a leg kick, Franklin countered with flying fists and Jason snatched Rich’s right leg for the takedown. Jason persisted and Rich resisted.
4.14: They broke free. When Jason moved in again, Rich picked him off with a knee and blazing fists.
3.50: MacDonald latched onto Franklin and tried for the takedown. Rich was against the fence and spun Jason’s back into the cage. They exchanged knees from the clinch.
2.08: Franklin broke free and caught Jason with some sharp gloves. Jason landed a leg kick, but paid for it when Rich countered with a big left fist.
1.18: They clinched. Franklin loosely threw MacDonald to the floor, then stood over him and rained down punches.
0.53: Rich invited Jason to stand back up.
0.33: MacDonald took Franklin down. He had Rich on his back, but Rich rolled Jason over and started some g’n’p-ing before the first round terminated.
Round Two
Jason leg kicked and Rich counterpunched. Jason grabbed hold of Rich’s right leg, causing Rich to hop around on his left leg before breaking free at 4.18 – only to have Jason seize his left leg.
3.25: MacDonald got his wish and took Franklin down. He snared Franklin’s left arm, attempting to line it up for an arm bar, but Franklin grabbed MacDonald’s right ankle, preventing the arm bar from happening.
3.00: Jason aborted the attempt. Rich got side control before maneuvering his way to mount position at 2.00 and commenced some big-time g’n’p-ing.
0.50: Franklin was hammering from MacDonald’s back. Like Chris Lytle in the previous bout, Jason was a tough opponent but couldn’t come back out for the final round.
Result: Rich Franklin by TKO – 5.00, Round Two.
Martin Kampmann (6’0” 185.5 lb) vs. Drew McFedries (6’0” 185 lb)
– Middleweight
Referee: Herb Dean
Martin Kampmann vs Drew McFedries
Southpaw Drew closed in with a left jab and Martin responded with a fist and kicks. He appeared to be outgunning Drew until Drew put Martin on his butt with a sharp right bunch of fives. Drew pounded Martin from his open guard.
4.15: They were back standing. Kampmann now had less sting on his kicks and punches, while McFedries upped his strike power, catching Kampmann with another right and left shaker.
3.45: Drew didn’t quite connect with a superman punch.
3.30: Martin started to turn the tide back with a left fist and a series of rights. Drew continued his slow pursuit in Terminator fashion, showing little respect for the Danish kickboxer’s power.
2.54: Kampmann clinched and hip-threw McFedries to the floor, taking side control. He delivered short left elbows to McFedries’ face and right knees to his body before sliding around McFedries’ head and assuming control on Drew’s left side.
1.03: Martin briefly got the mount, but then gave it up to again take side control on Drew’s right. Kampmann then put McFedries out with an arm triangle. Herb Dean looked annoyed when Martin didn’t release the choke immediately.
Result: Martin Kampmann by arm-triangle submission – 4.06, Round One.
Randy Couture (6’2” 220 lb) vs. Tim Sylvia (6’8” 255 lb)
– Heavyweight Title
Referee: Big John McCarthy
As challenger, Randy came out first to the tune of Aerosmith’s Back in the Saddle Again, which proved to be another musical prophecy. The trademark red shorts and cool smile made it look like Randy had never been out of the saddle or Octagon. And then the champion, Tim Sylvia, entered the arena. Despite being one of MMA’s true battlers, having previously bounced back from vicious arm bar injuries with a shrug, and having regrouped to take the heavyweight title after losing the first of three battles to Andrei Arlovski, Tim still managed to attract some boos from the crowd.
At one of the early UFCs, Tank Abbott remarked that you have to have ‘big balls’ to climb into the Octagon. And when Tim received more boos while ring announcer Bruce Buffer welcomed him, Tim appropriately shrugged them off his broad shoulders in true warrior fashion, knowing it’s a lot easier to sit on your butt and boo with the mob, than it is to stand up and put your butt on the line.
Randy Couture vs Tim Sylvia
Round One
They touch gloves. Randy slips in a distracting leg kick and overrides it with a right fist that puts Tim down. Randy rushes in and unloads left fists to the stunned Sylvia who is against the cage. Couture seizes Sylvia’s back and flings the 263-pound champion to the canvas with the hooks in, and tries to fit Sylvia out with a rear naked choke. But Tim grabs Randy’s right wrist and negates the attempt. The 6’2” Randy appears little as he hugs onto Tim’s back and kicks him in the face with his toes – an amazing sight!
3.21: Sylvia looks up and Big John tells him he’s not going to stand them back up, which results in the fight being stalemated for the remaining four-and-a-half minutes of round one.
Round Two
They trade fists.
4.26: Couture reenacts his front leg kick-right fist combo of the first round. They clinch and test the cage’s durability with their combined weight of 475lbs. Randy wants the takedown and Tim is resisting.
3.32: Randy succeeds. Tim has Randy in his guard but Randy has Tim up against the fence. They are both sharing elbows.
2.07: Couture stands and throws down punches, but Sylvia, with his long reach, is still able to catch Couture with counterpunches from his back.
1.30: Randy drops back into Tim’s guard. He is dictating the action although he can’t dominate the fight in the way he did against Tito, or against Chuck in their first bout.
0.30: Big John stands them. Tim delivers a knee that Randy grabs, and they fall to the canvas on the bell.
Round Three
They trade blows.
4.35: Couture tries the front kick-punch combination again, but Sylvia is ready this time. Couture bobs and weaves to dodge Sylvia’s jabs and is outgunning Sylvia in the stand-up. Tim seems to be too concerned about potential takedowns to unload his bigger strikes.
2.10: Randy seizes Tim’s neck and pays for it when Tim delivers a big knee to Randy’s body. The round ends with Tim being beaten in the strike game because he is not putting his hips and back behind his punches, resulting in his strikes becoming too telegraphic and carrying less impact. Randy is committing to his punches – Tim is not.
Round Four
Randy moves in with guns flying and attempts the takedown. Tim sprawls and they stand back up.
4.39: Couture succeeds with the takedown this time and is fighting from Sylvia’s guard. Tim uses his powerful thighs and hips to control Randy’s positioning in the guard, and strikes up with punches.
2.56: Big John stands them. Randy does not have the same control on the ground he’s used to having against fighters more his size, yet Tim remains too defensive against the threat of takedowns despite defending well on the ground.
2.03: Randy has Tim back down and adopts side control. He seems to be looking to fit Tim with an arm triangle before taking the mount. Sylvia effortlessly bridges and holds Couture’s neck in the six-o’clock position. They stand and the round ends.
Round Five
Eddie Bravo has the fight going10-9 to Randy in each round thus far. Pat Miletich tells Tim to ‘quit hesitating’. Randy comes out and gets the takedown. This final round follows suit with the previous four. Randy Couture would have come away knowing he’d added yet another page to his amazing career. And Tim Sylvia would have been disappointed with his performance, but reassured that this wasn’t his best display, and knowing that he can bounce back as he has done in the past. It will be interesting to see if Randy and Chuck Liddell will be planning to put their belts on the line for a winner-take-all title bout. The 19,000-crowd record would certainly be shattered that night.
Result: Randy Couture by unanimous decision.
Arianny
Knucklepit’s Fighter of the Night: Jason Lambert
Jason Lambert
