Arianny
© Marc Wickert
www.knucklepit.com
All photos copyright 2004 Zuffa LLC
Photography by Joshua Hedges
Held at the Manchester Evening News (MEN) – Europe’s largest indoor arena, UFC 70 was welcomed with open arms by Britain’s spirited crowd. And it was interesting to see fighters’ weights displayed in stones as well as pounds for the UK audience.
During a break, Dana White announced UFC’s current welterweight champion, Matt Serra, and former UFC welterweight champion, Matt Hughes, would be team coaches for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) season six, with Hughes challenging Serra for his title at the end of the TUF season.
The main event at Nations Collide between Gabriel Gonzaga and Mirko Cro Cop would determine the challenger to take on Randy Couture for the UFC world heavyweight title. Before the main event, Randy said he would rather defend his title against the striker, Mirko Cro Cop.
The Octagon’s Ninth Side, referee Big John McCarthy, was conspicuous in his absence from this UFC, however the big bouts were always in safe hands with Herb Dean.
Coming up:
UFC 71: Liddell vs. Jackson, May 26 in Las Vegas.
UFC 72: Victory (Rich Franklin vs. Yushin Okami), June 16 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The Battles
Paul Taylor (6’0” 169 lb) vs. Edilberto Crocota (6’2” 184 lb)
– Welterweight
Referee: Herb Dean
Edilberto “The Crocodile” Crocota came out wearing his Croc Dundee hat, performing a Wild Man of Borneo dance, and beating his chest like Tarzan. The Manchester crowd may have thought they’d mistakenly purchased tickets to an episode of National Geographic.
“That is some seriously not-normal dude,” commented Mike Goldberg.
But the UK’s Paul Taylor, unconcerned by the spectacle, walked out calmly as though he were about to board a flight at Heathrow.
Round One
Crocota chose not to touch gloves with Taylor. Paul leg-kicked and Edilberto missed with a huge right.
4.52: Crocota leg kicked; Taylor countered with a right. A frantic exchange continued until 4.39, when Crocota tried for a takedown.
4.36: Taylor resisted the takedown well and broke free.
4.29: Paul went for a left leg kick and Edilberto answered with a jab. Taylor was standing with his jaw tucked down and Crocota held his head high and his jaw exposed.
4.22: They swapped leg kicks. Crocota fired rights to Taylor’s body while ducking to Taylor’s right side to avoid counterpunches.
4.15: Paul backed Edilberto up with fists when Edilberto attempted another takedown. They clinched.
4.14: They broke free and continued to sling wild haymakers.
4.13: Crocota landed a jab that whip-lashed Taylor’s head back. The pair was using similar tactics: jabs, crosses and leg kicks. Taylor’s style was more orthodox, whereas Crocota tended to be ducking and slinging fire-and-forget shots, although his jab was proving to be quite an effective weapon.
2.49: Paul caught Edilberto’s left thigh with a punishing kick, then followed up with an inner leg kick.
2.43: They closed the gap and Edilberto opted for a takedown. Paul resisted, but gave up his back, with the pair standing against the cage. As Edilberto held onto Paul’s back, Paul slammed an elbow flush into Edilberto’s head. Eventually Crocota succeeded in taking Taylor down, but Taylor scrambled back up and delivered a crushing knee into Crocota’s face.
1.59: Crocota ducked down and threw a right fist, however this time Taylor was ready for the maneuver and smashed a right fist into Crocota’s face.
1.57: Taylor then pounded a left high kick into Crocota’s kisser. Edilberto weathered it well, showing he was made of tough mettle, and came back with two powerful jabs.
1.20: Taylor scored a kick to Crocota’s left thigh. When he tried to attack the right leg, Crocota countered with another jab.
0.27: Paul threw out a kick that Edilberto caught. Paul delivered a right fist and Edilberto let go of the leg. Paul landed a left high kick and a knee before the hooter sounded. This was a great opening bout.
Round Two
At the commencement of this round, Joe Rogan said, “Crocota looks a little disorientated or something.” Perhaps it was because Crocota appeared to want to take his cow-milker’s stool into the fight with him.
4.46: Edilberto shot out a jab and Paul answered with a right leg kick. Edilberto was doing better with his fists in this round, but it was a worry when he persisted in ducking to his left and looking away while throwing right punches. Meanwhile, Paul was still attacking Edilberto’s left leg with kicks.
3.23: Crocota slowly started lifting his left leg for a kick, and Taylor brought a right kick under Crocota’s kick and swept Crocota’s right leg, putting him on his butt.
3.18: Taylor waited for Crocota to stand up. They kept the exchange going. Whenever Taylor looked to be getting more dominant, Crocota slowed up Taylor’s advance with jabs.
1.55: Crocota went for a takedown, but Taylor sprawled well.
1.24: They swapped synchronized leg kicks. Edilberto’s left leg had been taking more punishment throughout the fight and Paul’s kick put Edilberto down, then he followed up with more leg attacks.
Round Three
4.37: Taylor landed an inside leg kick.
4.28: Taylor landed a right high kick that put Crocota away. He moved in to g’n’p before Herb Dean came to the rescue. Both Taylor and Crocota had put on an exciting performance.
Result: Paul Taylor by TKO – 0.37, Round Three.
Jess Liaudin (5’9” 168 lb) vs. Dennis Siver (5’7” 167 lb)
– Welterweight
Referee: Steve Mazzagatti
Usually Bruce Buffer manages to pronounce referee Mario Yamasaki’s name with a Japanese flavor, but as a special treat, tonight he even added an oriental twist to Steve Mazzagatti’s name when introducing him to this sold-out crowd. Steve seemed to get the joke.
Round One
Jess wasted no time letting Dennis know he was ready to boogie when he let fly with a right spinning kick that flew just over Dennis’s cropped hair.
4.51: Dennis then backed out of range of Jess’s left high kick.
4.44: Jess fell short with a low right kick. Dennis remained composed.
4.33: Jess landed a leg kick.
4.27: Liaudin went in with a flying knee to Siver’s body. They clinched and Siver rolled Liaudin to the floor, then moved into Liaudin’s half guard.
4.05: Siver moved his free, right knee to momentarily pin Liaudin’s left arm to the ground.
3.58: Siver worked Liaudin into full guard.
3.51: Jess brought his knees over Dennis’s shoulders and around his neck. He clamped a right arm bar on Dennis. The fight was over.
Result: Jess Liaudin by arm bar – 1.21, Round One.
Alessio Sakara (6’0” 204 lb) vs. Victor Valimaki (6’0” 203 lb)
– Light Heavyweight
Referee: Mario Yamasaki
Round One
4.51: Alessio closed in with a powerful jab to get things rolling.
4.43: He moved in with another heavy jab. Victor sent one back and Alessio replied with a right. Alessio continued to use his jabs like battering rams while ever Victor was prepared to do a toe-to-toe duel with him.
4.18: Victor closed in and tried for a takedown that Alessio avoided.
4.14: Valimaki attempted the takedown again and they clinched as Sakara resisted going to the ground.
4.07: Valimaki tried to hip-throw Sakara, but Sakara caught him with an uppercut.
3.56: Sakara landed a jab and right fist. Valimaki was popping out his own jabs, however they didn’t match Sakara’s cannonball left fists.
3.38: Victor really wanted to take Alessio down, and Alessio was determined to stand and bang.
3.32: He lined Victor up with a right and Victor copped the leather in the face before seizing Alessio’s left leg. Alessio broke free and tagged Victor with a right to the temple, then a left high kick. Victor’s mouthguard flew out as he turned his back on Alessio. Mario Yamasaki moved in and called timeout. Fortunately this didn’t change the outcome of the bout. When the fight restarted, Alessio finished it for good with two more rattling rights.
Result: Alessio Sakara by TKO – 1.44, Round One.
Junior Assuncao (5’9” 170.5 lb) vs. David Lee (5’10” 155 lb)
– Lightweight
Referee: Herb Dean
Round One
David was holding his hands dangerously low. This looked scary. He opened the round with a left fist to Junior’s body.
4.46: There was a flurry and Junior had no trouble connecting due to David’s lack of guard. They clinched and exchanged knees.
4.18: Junior caught David with a series of rights. Junior wanted to take David down but met with too much resistance, so he proceeded to rough David up.
3.31: David broke free from the clinch.
3.24: They each missed with right bombs.
3.13: David hip-threw Junior from a loose clinch and they both scrambled back to their feet and clinched again.
2.42: Assuncao delivered knee strikes.
2.39: Lee caught Assuncao with a slapping, spinning back-fist that sounded impressive but did little to halt Assuncao’s attack.
2.36: They were back in the clinch. Lee tried to catch Assuncao with knees to the head from the clinch, but Assuncao had his face buried against Lee’s shoulder and was out of range.
1.24: Neither fighter was taking this anywhere so Herb separated them. Both men were pretty gassed. David loosely body-kicked Junior and Junior dispatched a jab.
1.09: When David lifted his leg to kick, Junior came under the kick and swept David’s right leg, putting him down. Junior moved into David’s guard and dropped a few hammer fists, then stood up to unload more punches.
0.27: Lee surrendered his back. With less than half a minute to go in round one, Assuncao chose to go for a rear naked choke, but he probably should have kept g’n’p-ing. With so little time to fit the choke, it’s usually easier to have the ref pull a fight up due to an opponent being hammered with strikes than to apply a submission and have him tap. The hooter sounded.
Round Two
During the break, David’s corner told him to keep his hands up – advice he really needed to follow.
4.53: Lee attempted a telegraphic spinning kick.
4.47: They clinched. Assuncao managed to take Lee down.
4.33: Lee climbed back to his feet. They were in a clinch against the fence with both men running on empty. David was soldiering on, kneeing Junior’s body and legs.
4.02: Junior knocked David down with a knee. He moved into David’s guard and started pounding.
3.51: Junior had side control.
3.30: He got David’s back and latched on a rear naked choke.
David Lee showed a lot of heart in this match. If he adjusts some of his martial arts skills to a more MMA- practical approach, he should be quite competitive.
Result: Junior Assuncao by rear naked choke – 1.55, Round Two.
Terry Etim (6’1” 154 lb) vs. Matt Grice (5’8” 155 lb)
– Lightweight
Referee: Steve Mazzagatti
Round One
Both contestants came into this fight with 9-0 records.
4.55: Terry went for a leg kick that failed to connect. Matt was looking to close the gap and Terry tagged him with a left that had Matt dazed.
4.48: Over eager to end the match, Terry rushed in with a right flying knee that Matt caught. He slammed Terry to the canvas and assumed side control. Terry maneuvered around and had Matt in his guard. He tried to tie up Matt’s wrists, but Matt was having a lot of success with his g’n’p-ing – sometimes standing in Terry’s guard to rain down heavier blows.
2.10: Etim wore a large dose of leather and had blood around his nose and mouth. This wasn’t looking good for him.
1.41: Grice worked him up against the cage to continue the pounding more effectively.
1.14: Grice backed off and let Etim stand. Maybe this wasn’t a good decision by Grice.
1.09: Etim attacked Grice’s body with a kick, followed by a jab and another kick taken on the shoulder by Grice.
1.07: Terry latched on a guillotine. He arched his back and really put it on tightly. Matt pushed Terry’s hips back to alleviate the pressure, but he didn’t have enough power left to fight Terry’s hold.
0.37: Matt dropped to the floor with his head free. Terry delivered some token blows.
0.30: Terry whacked the guillotine back on, wrapped his legs around Matt’s body, and rolled him over. Matt was out.
Result: Terry Etim by guillotine – 4.48, Round One
Cheick Kongo (6’4” 229 lb) vs. Assuerio Silva (5’10” 241 lb)
– Heavyweight
Referee: Mario Yamasaki
Round One
4.51: Assuerio scored with a leg kick.
4.45: Cheick came back with an inside leg kick. He was using his five-inch reach advantage to jab and circle, but Assuerio kept coming.
4.32: After missing with a kick, Assuerio checked Cheick’s leg kick. Cheick unloaded jabs and straight rights. Assuerio lacked glove reach so he replied with a kick.
4.04: Silva got under Kongo’s guard and took him down. They stood with Kongo trying to latch on a guillotine, and the pair dropped back down. Kongo’s choke attempt was unsuccessful and Silva moved into half guard.
2.53: Kongo wrapped his arms around Silva’s back from underneath and buried his head in Silva’s chest to avoid any g’n’p.
2.37: They were back standing, with Silva having achieved little on the ground. Kongo scored with a knee from the clinch and broke free. He caught Silva with gloves and a kick.
2.15: Assuerio went for a takedown, and Cheick sprawled and opened up with more knees and fists.
1.38: Assuerio secured Cheick’s left leg. When he sprawled, Assuerio picked him up and slammed him down, taking side control.
0.14: Assuerio briefly got the mount before Cheick grabbed Assuerio’s left leg and moved into his guard. The buzzer sounded. So far, the stand-up had been Kongo’s world and Silva was scoring with takedowns, but couldn’t capitalize once he took Kongo down.
Round Two
Kongo attacked with inner- and outer-leg kicks to prevent Silva from closing in. Silva replied with a kick and Kongo indicated that it was close to the ballpark area.
4.31: Kongo delivered a front kick to Silva’s body. Silva moved in. They exchanged and Kongo had him backed against the fence, and was outgunning Silva with straight punches, hooks and uppercuts. Silva was blocking some of the strikes and scored with solid leg kicks.
4.00: Silva attempted another takedown and Kongo sprawled. Eventually Silva had Kongo on the floor. Silva was in half guard, but again, he wasn’t taking the fight anywhere.
1.19: Mario stood them up.
1.10: Cheick jabbed and Assuerio shot in for the takedown. Cheick went for a front headlock and Assuerio picked him up and slammed him down. Assuerio was back in half guard and scoring with some body punches, but little else was achieved.
Round Three
Kongo had been keen to go at the start of each round and each time Mario had to order him back to his corner. When Mario let them loose, Kongo rushed in with a flying knee that Silva dodged. Kongo then sent up a high kick that Silva blocked, so Kongo attacked with inner- and outer-leg kicks, a front kick and some fists. Silva absorbed a lot of the assault on his forearms, but also wore a few.
4.18: He went for the shoot and Kongo sprawled, then locked onto Silva’s head. Silva picked Kongo up and banged him down on the floor. Joe Rogan was saying that Asseurio needed to get to a wrestling camp to pick up some ground experience, which was so true. Asseurio really lacked submission and g’n’p-ing skills: He was getting dominant position but wasn’t dominating.
Result: Cheick Kongo by majority decision.
Lyoto Machida (6’1” 199 lb) vs. David Heath (5’11” 205 lb)
– Light Heavyweight
Referee: Mario Yamasaki
Prior to the bout Lyoto predicted this would be the best fight of the night. He also predicted it would be a very bloody battle. In fairness to David Heath, this ‘fight’ probably should have been declared a ‘no contest’.
Result: Lyoto Machida by unanimous decision.
Michael Bisping (6’2” 204 lb) vs. Elvis Sinosic (6’3” 205 lb)
– Light Heavyweight
Referee: Steve Mazzagatti
Round One
Elvis came out looking cool and confident. Michael received a rafter-rattling reception from his hometown Manchester crowd. Elvis went for a leg kick and Michael tried to catch it.
4.49: Elvis buckled Michael’s lead leg with a kick.
4.46: Elvis buckled Michael’s lead leg again with a kick. Michael replied with fists that missed their target.
4.40: Elvis went for an inner leg kick that didn’t have too much sting on it, then secured Michael’s neck, Thai style, and brought up two strong right knees to the body before releasing his grip.
4.34: Elvis delivered a left kick, but Michael caught it and put Elvis on his butt, then dropped into Elvis’s guard. Sinosic tried for an arm bar that Bisping shrugged off. Bisping started to unwrap some g’n’p as Sinosic attempted to fight back. [Memories of the Elvis Sinosic vs. Alessio Sakara match started coming to mind, where fighting from his back had not been a favorable position for Elvis.] Bisping was dropping hellfire shots and Sinosic wasn’t faring well. Bisping was finding too many gaps and Sinosic was bleeding from the middle of his forehead. This was a big round for Bisping.
Round Two
Michael was very confident now and came out throwing punches and kicks.
4.37: Elvis came back with a knee to the body that put Michael down. Elvis stood in Michael’s guard and began pounding away. He then dropped to his knees and looked to shut up shop with a kimura. He had a good hold on Michael’s left arm and appeared to be sealing the deal.
4.09: Michael somehow reclaimed his arm.
4.00: He gave up his back to Elvis.
3.51: Elvis accepted Michael’s back and had his hooks in.
3.35: With more in the gas tank, Michael rolled into Elvis’s guard and recommenced the g’n’p-ing. Steve Mazzagatti pulled it up. This had been an action-packed fight.
Result: Michael Bisping by ground’n’pound – 1.40, Round Two
Andrei Arlovski (6’3” 238 lb) vs. Fabricio Werdum (6’4” 233 lb)
– Heavyweight
Referee: Herb Dean
Being Cro Cop’s BJJ instructor, Fabricio came in as a threat on the ground – despite Andrei’s sambo skills. Fabricio entered the arena to Welcome to the Jungle by Guns’n’Roses. Without a UK fighter competing in this battle, it appeared the Brits had adopted Andrei as one of their own.
Round One
Arlovski looked very agile and light on his feet despite weighing in at 17 stone.
4.46: Werdum slung a huge right that missed and Arlovski backed him up with a straight right.
4.40: Arlovski avoided a jab then countered with a leg kick.
4.24: Werdum delivered a leg kick.
4.20: Arlovski leg-kicked and moved in. They scuffled and Werdum caught Arlovski with an uppercut and right hook. Arlovski forced Werdum back with a right, and they clinched with Arlovski against the fence.
4.04: Fabricio brought up a knee. He caught Andrei with solid right and left elbows. Andrei countered with a cranky look on his face, as Fabricio broke free.
3.36: Fabricio landed a leg kick. Andrei was missing with fists and kicks.
3.22: Andrei missed with a leg kick and Fabricio responded by standing flat-footed, his chin out, and his hands clasped at his waist like a choirboy about to burst into song.
2.55: Both men were off target with their shots until Fabricio ducked under a right, then Andrei shook him with an uppercut whilst in a loose clinch and dropped Fabricio. From his back the Brazilian invited Andrei to join him on the canvas, but the offer was declined.
2.25: Herb ordered Fabricio up.
2.00: With his back to the cage, Werdum charged at Arlovski with fists blazing and drove Arlovski right across to the other side of the cage. They clinched and exchanged knees, as Werdum held onto the fence. Arlovski missed with a right uppercut but scored with a right hook that had Werdum backpedaling.
1.02: Arlovski delivered a powerful leg kick.
0.55: Werdum slung a right bomb. Arlovski dodged it and caught Werdum on the button with a right. Werdum backed up. Arlovski reverted to attacking Werdum’s legs in order to slow down his evasive dancing.
0.29: Arlovski surged forward with a knee that missed and Werdum popped him with a right hook then danced out of range. Arlovski might have been winning the stand-up, but Werdum wasn’t going to gift-wrap it for him. The Hooter sounded.
Rounds Two and Three
The remainder of the bout was much the same. Before the start of round three, Herb Dean wanted to see more action and informed the fighters he would take a point from the first one to retreat. It’s a shame this announcement wasn’t made for the Machida vs. Heath match. It would have been interesting to see how Andrei’s sambo game would have gone against Fabricio’s BJJ skills. To present his case as a current heavyweight contender, Andrei will need to follow this victory with a swashbuckling performance. His next opponent could be in for a war.
Result: Andrei Arlovski by unanimous decision.
Ali
Gabriel Gonzaga (6’2” 243 lb) vs. Mirko Cro Cop (6’2” 255 lb)
– Heavyweight
Referee: Herb Dean
What an incredible coup for the UK crowd to have this match-up as their main event!
Round One
They move in slowly and look quite flat-footed. Gonzage kicks it off with a jab and a cross that Cro Cop backs away from.
4.50: Gonzaga whips out a right and Cro Cop backs away again.
4.47: Gonzaga tries another right, but Cro Cop keeps his distance and looks to be lining Gonzaga up for a big whopper.
4.40: Gonzaga discharges another out-of-range right fist. This scenario continues with Gonzaga pursuing Cro Cop, but thus far into the opening round, Gabriel is positioning himself off southpaw Mirko’s right side, making it harder for Mirko to launch ‘the big one’. Mirko reaches out with his right glove to measure up Gabriel for an Octagon Armageddon. But Gabriel flicks out a right kick to distract Mirko. The cat-and-mouse game continues, with Gonzaga pushing the play and Cro Cop choosing not to engage until the moment is right.
3.45: Gonzaga fires off an air kick. He is sticking to his game plan of positioning himself off Mirko’s starboard, at an angle that’s difficult for Cro Cop to unload.
3.39: Cro Cop launches a left kick which strikes Gonzaga on his side, under his right arm – a kick that has demolished many a fighter in the past. But Gonzaga manages to catch the kick then does a double-leg takedown, falling into Cro Cop’s guard. Mirko does his best to tie up Gabriel’s arms.
3.04: Cro Cop avoids many of Gonzaga’s elbow strikes, but some get through.
2.34: Gonzaga steps up the offensive and lands a succession of right elbows, resulting in Cro Cop copping a cut on the hairline.
1.51: Gonzaga switches to left elbows. It’s all his fight at the moment and Cro Cop needs to get back to his feet somehow.
0.54: Gabriel now has Mirko against the fence and is adding punches to his assault.
0.36: Herb Dean stands them up and they circle.
0.13: Gabriel throws a fist and there’s nothing on it.
0.11: Gabriel cannonballs a huge right kick that drops Mirko like a ton of bricks. Ouch! Mirko is out colder than a brass monkey’s two best friends.
Result: Gabriel Gonzaga by KO – 4.51, Round One.
Dressed in a suit, UFC World Heavyweight Champion, Randy Couture, watched the main event to see which fighter would be challenging him for his belt. After Gabriel Gonzaga was victorious, Randy went up to Gonzaga to congratulate him.
In 1976, at the European Weightlifting Championships held in Berlin, East Germany’s Gerd Bonk broke the Russian Vasili Alexeyev’s world clean and jerk record and was favored to snatch the gold medal from Alexeyev at the Montreal Olympics later that year.
Dressed in a suit and not competing at the European championships, Alexeyev went up to congratulate Bonk. Randy Couture had a similar look on his face when he shook hands with Gonzaga. Somehow the quietly confident Alexeyev found a way to pull the rug from under the East German and won gold in Montreal. It seems hard to believe Randy won’t also have a way to hang on to his title.
Knucklepit’s Fighter of the Night: Gabriel Gonzaga.
