Arianny
© Marc Wickert
www.knucklepit.com
All photos copyright 2004 Zuffa LLC
Photography by Joshua Hedges
Although there were no championship belts up for grabs on this card, there were two hot bouts featuring main contenders for titles: Rich Franklin and Forrest Griffin. And their opponents, Yushin Okami and Hector Ramirez, were both out to cause major upsets and to present their own cases for shots at UFC titles.
The sold-out crowd at Northern Ireland’s first UFC event, held at the Odessey Arena in Belfast, gave these modern-day gladiators a rafter-rattling reception and the loyal fans were repaid for their enthusiasm with a display by some of the world’s best MMA athletes. This was truly a great night for all followers of global ultimate fighting.
The Battles
Marcus Davis (5’6” 155 lb) vs. Jason Tan (5’7” 155 lb)
– Welterweight
Referee: Yves Lavigne
Jason commenced this bout with kicks to southpaw Marcus’s lead right leg.
4.20: Jason narrowly missed with a kick to Marcus’s head.
4.05: Marcus retaliated with a fist combo.
3.51: He caught Jason with a big right hook. Jason didn’t know what hit him. He was like the farmer who woke up in a field with a piece of rope in his hand: He didn’t know if he’d found the rope or lost a cow.
Result: Marcus Davis by KO – 1.15, Round One.
Tyson Griffin (5’6” 155 lb) vs. Clay Guida (5’7” 155 lb)
– Lightweight
Referee: Big John McCarthy
Round One
Tyson went for a leg kick. Clay grabbed the kick and they fought for position. Clay latched on to Tyson’s left leg. They stood with Clay still hanging onto Tyson’s leg.
3.57: Clay picked Tyson up to slam him, but Tyson twisted and landed on his feet.
3.50: Guida maintained his hold of Griffin’s left leg and Griffin whacked on a guillotine, which contained Guida’s left arm.
3.44: With Guida remaining in the guillotine, Griffin pulled him to the floor – Guida in Griffin’s guard.
3.08: Guida lifted his left knee over to get half guard.
2.53: Guida prised his head free.
2.35: They were on their feet with Tyson taking Clay’s back. Clay took hold of Tyson’s left ankle, stopping Tyson’s quest for a choke.
1.50: They were standing in a clinch. A stalemate was reached against the fence until 1.00, when Tyson broke free and tagged Clay with a right, left, right package before Clay answered with a right fist and left kick.
0.50: Tyson was unloading gloves and Clay went for a shoot. Tyson sprawled. His hooks were outgunning Clay’s jabs, so Clay went for another shoot. Tyson sprawled and Clay latched onto his left leg. Against the cage, Clay let go of the leg and caught Tyson with a cracking right. Tyson came back with his own left and missed with a right. Clay got him with another right and Tyson went down. They scrambled and the hooter sounded.
Round Two
Griffin fired off big fists that Guida stepped away from.
4.46: Griffin landed a jab.
4.37: They traded and Guida took hold of Griffin’s right leg. He raised Griffin’s leg above his head and tried to sweep his left leg, but amazingly Griffin remained standing.
4.01: Guida got a takedown.
3.51: They were back up and trading.
3.47: Tyson narrowly missed with a monster right uppercut, then followed with jabs and an inner leg kick.
3.26: Clay came back with a combo and took Tyson’s left leg. Tyson resisted and took Clay’s left leg.
2.56: Tyson grabbed Clay’s back and went for a suplex that partially backfired with Clay dropping onto Tyson’s head. They rolled and Tyson had Clay’s back again. The pair scrambled for position some more.
2.17: Clay got Tyson’s right leg and went for a knee bar. Tyson sat up and pounded Clay’s body with left and right rib-busters.
1.45: Tyson rolled and got a heel hook on Clay.
1.40: Clay twisted out of the hold and latched onto Tyson’s back.
1.31: Tyson rose up on all fours and Clay got his hooks in.
1.12: Tyson was standing with Clay wrapping on a rear naked choke.
0.52: Griffin suddenly dropped forward and smashed Guida’s head into the mat – a la Alan Belcher vs. Yushin Okami at UFC 62. Guida had Griffin in a body triangle, but couldn’t take it further.
Round Three
Tyson was winning the toe-to-toe, so Clay shot in at 4.12 and took Tyson’s left leg.
4.04: Tyson had his leg back. He caught Clay with jabs, an uppercut and a leg kick. Clay replied with a right. Tyson dominated the stand-up.
3.47: Clay shot for Tyson’s left leg.
3.18: He had Tyson’s back and Tyson rolled and drove elbows into Clay’s head.
3.04: Tyson briefly went for a heel hook, then opted to drop down hammer fists.
2.53: Clay got to his knees and landed right backfists while holding onto the cage with his left hand, causing a caution from Big John.
2.35: Clay dropped into Tyson’s guard.
2.25: Tyson rolled onto his knees. They scrambled some more.
1.35: Guida was in Griffin’s guard and pounding on him, and Griffin was striking from his back.
1.12: Guida stood and caught a kick in the face as he dropped back into Griffin’s guard, then half guard. Guida came home stronger in the dying moments of the bout.
Result: Tyson Griffin by split decision.
Ed Herman (6’2” 186 lb) vs. Scott Smith (6’0” 185 lb)
– Middleweight
Referee: Herb Dean
Round One
Ed threw a distracting left and right into the air before taking Scott down at 4.53, with Scott forced against the cage and Ed in his guard. Ed g’n’ped Scott with right body shots and left fists to the head.
4.07: Scott turned and Ed took his back. As they stood they clinched.
3.19: Ed opted for a takedown and Scott fitted him with a guillotine.
3.13: Ed slammed Scott to the canvas.
3.06: Herman was out of the guillotine and fighting from Smith’s guard.
2.02: Herman started raining down elbows.
1.36: Smith’s face was covered in blood from a right elbow shot to the bridge of his nose. The blood was going into Smith’s eyes, so Herb Dean called time-out for the ring physician to check the cut. Herb then put them back in position, with Herman in Smith’s guard.
0.47: Ed took Scott’s back momentarily, but Scott rolled and moved into Ed’s guard.
0.35: Scott went for a leg lock and Ed went for one on Scott.
0.22: They both gave up on their holds and Ed was pounding from Scott’s back.
Round Two
4.42: Ed went for the takedown. Scott sprawled and wrapped on another guillotine, which included Ed’s right arm in the choke.
4.16: They collapsed to the floor – Ed in Scott’s guard. Scott arched his back to dig the guillotine in deeper.
3.56: Ed’s head was free. He launched elbows, fists and forearms at Scott’s cut nose. Scott’s face was a mess.
2.45: He rolled and sacrificed his back. Ed got the rear naked choke on, and Scott tapped.
Result: Ed Herman by rear naked choke – 2.25, Round Two
Jason McDonald (6’3” 185 lb) vs. Rory Singer (6’2” 186 lb)
– Middleweight
Referee: Yves Lavigne
Round One
4.51: Jason kicked Rory’s inner leg and vied for a takedown. Rory resisted and clinched. Jason attacked with foot stomps.
3.21: Rory pinned Jason against the fence and was looking to take him down, then dispatched a series of knees.
3.09: Rory followed up his knee strikes with a fist package, before he drove up two more knees, and dropped to the floor with Jason in his guard.
2.05: After landing punches, Jason stood to rain down more fists on Rory, and he lashed up with kicks.
1.59: They were both standing.
1.48: Jason fell to the floor after missing with a shoot, then seized Rory’s left leg from underneath. They stood and Rory unloaded more knees and fists.
1.20: Singer pulled McDonald to the floor and mounted him.
1.19: McDonald rolled and surrendered his back. Singer was going for a rear naked choke and McDonald rolled into Singer’s guard. Singer went for a triangle and McDonald fought through it and pounded away.
Round Two
4.44: Jason caught Rory with an inner leg kick.
4.30: He took Rory down and fell into his guard, forcing him against the cage. Rory kicked himself away from the fence, and Jason used his left hand to seize Rory’s right arm and pinned it under Rory’s body, then started pounding his face. Rory did get his arm free, but only after Jason had delivered left fists into his face. Jason stayed busy pounding Rory’s face and body.
2.22: Jason got half guard.
2.15: He had the mount and kept up the g’n’p-ing until Yves Lavigne pulled the battle up.
Result: Jason McDonald by TKO – 3.18, Round Two
Forrest Griffin (6’3” 205 lb) vs. Hector Ramirez (6’0” 204 lb)
– Light Heavyweight
Referee: Herb Dean
Round One
4.44: Forrest slaps out a leg kick.
4.37: Forrest scores with an inner and outer leg-kick combo.
4.31: He moves in with a leg kick and backs Hector up with a barrage of fists, then Hector takes him down. He goes from half guard to side control and back to half guard, before standing and delivering right fists at Forrest, then backing away and letting Forrest stand.
3.36: Forrest delivers a high kick.
3.28: He continues to attack Hector’s lead left leg with kicks.
3.15: Hector lands a good jab. He follows with a right, and shows Forrest that his fists do pack sting.
2.55: Forrest attacks the legs some more.
2.30: Hector catches Forrest with two left hooks and a right, but misses with a follow-up uppercut. Forrest fights back with knees, and continues to focus on Hector’s left leg while distracting him with jabs.
1.48: Griffin goes for a leg kick and Ramirez counters with a stiff right. Griffin is firing a lot of leg and high kicks, mixing them up and punctuating them with jabs and rights. Ramirez is staying tough, but Griffin is like a well-oiled machine and varies his wide assortment of strikes.
Round Two
Hector blasts with lefts and rights, and Forrest clinches, then drives a knee into Hector’s body.
4.42: From the clinch, Forrest tries to sweep Hector’s leg, but Hector resists, so Forrest continues to unload more knees.
4.37: They separate. Hector attempts to trade blows with Forrest, however Forrest chooses to dispatch smart bombs, then disengages. Rather than shooting out single kicks or fists, Forrest is unloading a series of strikes – varying his combos in each attack.
3.23: Ramirez delivers a jab and Griffin counters with another nasty leg kick.
3.07: They exchange and Griffin discharges a left high kick followed by a right leg kick. Ramirez won’t be going out dancing after this bout.
1.48: Ramirez starts checking Griffin’s leg kicks, so Griffin backs him up with an assortment of lefts, rights and uppercuts. He is rolling now and doesn’t give Ramirez a chance to get his own rhythm going.
1.29: In front of this Belfast crowd, Hector cops a knee in the two-leaf clovers, and Herb gives him time to recover. The round closes after more punishment to Hector’s legs. Not only is Forrest firing with his combos, he’s also very effective with his hit’n’run tactics.
Round Three
The theme from the last two rounds continues. Hector comes out more aggressively and takes Forrest down at 4.12. However Forrest scrambles back to his feet in the clinch.
3.59: They part. The fight proceeds with Hector putting up a brave battle, but Forrest outclasses him.
Result: Forrest Griffin by unanimous decision.
Rich Franklin (6’1” 185 lb) vs. Yushin Okami (6’2” 185 lb)
– Middleweight
Referee: Big John McCarthy
Round One
Rich comes out with both ankles strapped as the men face off in southpaw stance.
4.41: They trade blows and Rich indicates to Yushin that his kick was south of the border.
4.05: They exchange jabs, then Rich comes in with arms swinging like saloon doors. Yushin retreats out of their path.
3.59: He sends up a right air-kick to keep Rich on his toes.
3.26: They swap jabs. Rich is pursuing Yushin, but Yushin’s not keen to get in an exchange with him, and backs off whenever Rich closes in.
3.02: Yushin delivers a leg kick.
2.56: Yushin now tries standing with Rich and cops a very powerful right to the body.
2.48: There was a lot of talk prior to this fight as to whether Okami would be too strong for Franklin, but after a brief clinch, Franklin overpowers Okami and shoves him into the fence. The look on Okami’s face says he’s not used to being manhandled like this.
2.07: They clinch again with Okami’s back to the cage. He has the under-hooks in while Franklin stays busy delivering left and right knees, and keeps Okami pinned against the fence with over-hooks in place.
1.25: The fight reaches a standstill, so Big John separates them.
1.14: Rich lashes out with a leg kick and Yushin comes back with a left fist.
0.41: Richs lands a leg kick.
0.10: He follows with another one.
Between rounds, the cameras and microphones close in on both corners. They switch their attention from Franklin’s to Okami’s corner, where they’re conversing in Japanese. Joe Rogan says he would like to have heard what Yushin’s team was saying. And Mike Goldberg replies, “You did.” These two guys really work well together, and having Randy Couture as guest commentator is just icing on the cake.
Round Two
4.26: Rich catches Yushin with a leg kick and Yushin answers with a right fist.
3.56: Rich bangs the leg one more time and Yushin attempts an inner-thigh kick that has much less bite.
3.46: Rich barges forward with punches, and Yushin backs away. Mike Goldberg, Joe Rogan and Randy Couture are all calling for Yushin to engage.
3.10: Yushin wears a further kick to his right leg.
3.07: He returns the kick.
3.02: They close in and there’s an accidental clash of heads. Rich rubs his forehead above the left eye, but fortunately there’s no blood.
2.53: Franklin closes in to strike and Okami clinches. Again, Franklin backs him up to the cage. This is more a psychological victory than a physical gain: Strength is definitely not an issue for Franklin. They swap knees to the body.
2.05: Big John restarts things. Thus far, Franklin has been the ringmaster.
1.08: He goes for another leg kick, but Okami intercepts it and backs Franklin up with a right glove.
1.00: They trade and Rich pounds a right fist into Yushin’s midsection.
0.51: Yushin fires off a leg kick.
0.05: Rich closes the round with a big left that shakes Yushin, but it appears to cause problems with Rich’s hand.
Round Three
Yushin comes out with a flying kick. Rich steps aside and shakes a finger at Yushin.
4.44: Rich catches an incoming kick, then Yushin pulls it back.
4.24: Rich scores with a leg kick.
4.15: He lands his third big punch to Yushin’s body – this time it’s via the left hand.
4.09: He follows with a kick to the same target.
4.05: They clinch and Rich fails with a takedown attempt.
3.52: Yushin now takes Rich down from the clinch and assumes side control.
3.44: Franklin tries to benchpress Okami off his chest and over his head, but Okami hangs in there and delivers left taps to Franklin’s head.
3.17: Okami gets the mount, however Franklin manages to sneak his left knee between them. After Okami’s soft g’n’p-ing against Mike Swick, it’s doubtful Okami will be able to stop Franklin this way.
2.36: Franklin gets both knees between them in a butterfly guard.
2.20: Rich spins under Yushin and attempts a Houdini, but Yushin bungs on a guillotine with Rich’s left arm enclosed in the hold. Yushin maintains the choke and drops to the floor. Rich slips his head out and moves to pin Yushin.
1.41: Yushin tries to stand as Rich tugs him back down.
1.36: Yushin stands with Rich hugging his back. Yushin goes for a kimura and drops to the canvas, with Rich’s left arm trapped. He also has Rich’s left leg secured and is cranking the arm right back. Rich manages to roll and has Yushin sitting on his chest, still yanking on Rich’s arm. An arm wrestle with Franklin’s limb continues: Despite Okami using two arms against Franklin’s one, Rich manages to pull his left arm into his body and alleviates the pressure. This is an amazing feat by Franklin.
0.34: Yushin has a second go at levering Rich’s arm and Rich pulls it free. He tries some g’n’p, but both men are gassed. The hooter sounds and Franklin can clearly be seen to mouth the words, “Gee whiz”, as he stands.
This has been an amazing performance by Franklin, and will be an enormous benefit to preparation for his next bout against the winner of the upcoming title fight between Anderson Silva and Nate Marquardt at UFC 73.
Result: Rich Franklin by unanimous decision.
Ali
