The Ultimate Fighting Championship’s debut in Portland, Oregon set a remarkable pace for the organization’s expansion into the most Northwestern states of this country.
Randy Couture and Antonio Rogrigo Nogueira put on a long overdue fight, and what a fight it was. Thiago Silva also shined in his first round destruction of Jardine, while Marquardt did the same.
However, Chris Leben and Demain Maia fell hard after disappointing performances left them without the victory.
A great card, headlined by a fight of legend, left the fans of Oregon screaming for more, while the fighters were left the biggest winners with rewards, as the losers now face repercussions.
Biggest Winners:
Thiago Silva:
Silva’s loss to Lyoto Machida was devastating to say the least. The Brazilian was deemed as one of the division’s top prospects, a view that was changed after the Machida beat down. However, Silva’s first round destruction of Keith Jardine puts him right back into the category of top prospects.
Silva claimed to have done a lot of soul searching after the Machida fight, and it certainly paid off. He know finds himself in a position to be launched into the division’s top five if he can win his next fight. A match up with Forrest Griffin would do just that.
Griffin is no doubt aching to get back into the octagon, and it is only sensible that he fight another top ten light heavyweight. Thiago Silva’s one loss has come to one of the world’s best pound for pound fighters, and the UFC has to be ready to test the young gun once again.
However, Silva finds himself in a group of several other fighters who are ready to break into the division’s elite. Brandon Vera, Jon Jones, and Luiz Cane are all knocking at the door, and Silva may be just the guy to turn them away. A fight with any of the three would be a smart fight for the UFC, as it would sort out the division nicely.
Silva’s performance last evening has given him the opportunity to rise into the elite tier of the division through one or two more victories. Those who counted him out after the Machida fight need to realize the potential this American Top Teamer holds. Brutal power and tremendous all around skill give Silva an opportunity to break through the many barriers of the light heavyweight division. The Brazilian is easily one of the biggest winners at UFC 102.
Nate Marquardt:
Marquardt’s performance at UFC 102 was short and sweet, a nightmare for his next opponent. Marquardt has claimed that he has improved tremendously since his loss to Anderson Silva, and the short performance last night just showed how true that statement was.
Now Marquardt enters an interesting scenario involving Anderson Silva and Dan Henderson. The sensible fight would be between Henderson and Marquardt to declare who rightfully deserves a rematch with Anderson Silva. However, Henderson claims he will move to light heavyweight if he does not get the title shot, which could leave the door open for Marquardt.
However, Anderson Silva seems bored with the competition at 185, and unless he really does want to fight Marquardt, Silva may just stay above 200 pounds for the remainder of his career.
The best possibly scenario for the middleweight division would be for Anderson Silva to leave middleweight for good, leaving Henderson and Marquardt to fight for the vacant title. The division has basically been Anderson Silva and everybody else since Silva gained the title several years ago. If the champion decides to leave, the division would suddenly become more interesting.
Marquardt now finds himself close to the top of the division, as he is undoubtedly the night’s biggest winner.
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira:
Noguiera’s battle with fellow legend Randy Couture was exactly the fight Dana White and the fans had hoped for. It developed a fast pace early, and the excitement lasted all 15 minutes, with Nogueira gaining the unanimous decision victory.
Nogueira had been questioned continuously since his loss to Frank Mir. Many thought the heavyweight was on the way out. However, his striking is back, and his ground game was as good as ever, having his way with Couture for the majority of the fight.
Unfortunately, as Nogueira stated in the media call two weeks prior to the fight, he will probably not get a title shot to face the winner of Shane Carwin and Brock Lesnar. However, the winner of Dos Santos and Cro-Cop, or even Velasquez and Rothwell, could prove to be Nogueira’s next opponent.
That being said, his next opponent should be worried at this point in time, as Noguiera has launched himself back into title contention. He performed as well as he has in years last evening, and perhaps his time in the UFC is very far from over.
Randy Couture:
Couture’s battle with Nogueira was a fight for the ages. Couture may have lost the decision, but a new six fight contract seems to show that he has won the war.
In the post fight press conference, Couture stated that he had signed a six fight deal for 28 months, and Dana White seemed very certain that the contract was well-deserved and a great deal for both Couture and the organization.
The question remains, however, as to whether Couture will drop down to 205 pounds, or stay in the heavyweight division. He has hopes to fight Lyoto Machida and Anderson Silva. It seems the light heavyweight division would be his best option in having a chance for those fights to happen.
Couture may have lost to Nogueira, but he takes a victory for the night with his new six fight deal. The legend will likely be with us for quite a while longer.
Biggest Losers:
Keith Jardine:
Keith Jardine’s loss to Thiago Silva catapults him further from a title shot than he has been in a while. After fighting punch for punch with Quinton Jackson, Jardine could not even last a round with Thiago Silva.
Jardine now finds himself at the very edge of the division’s top ten, with Luiz Cane or Jon Jones as potential future opponents. However, while this loss was enormous for Jardine, the UFC needs him more than many realize.
Jardine has never really been one of the division’s elite, but he has beaten several of them. He is always willing to brawl and plays the role of gatekeeper very well. His time with the UFC is definitely not over after this loss, as he will once again allow someone advancement in the division, or turn them away.
Jardine, like Forrest Griffin, usually puts on a great fight that the fans can enjoy. He is a great asset for the UFC, and for that reason he will be sticking around for a while. However, his performance last night makes him one of the biggest losers, as he falls further away from a title shot.
Demian Maia:
Maia was deemed one of the only candidates who could possibly beat Anderson Silva. His Brazilian jiu-jitsu is some of the best in the sport. Unfortunately, it is pretty much his only strength.
A first round knockout at the hands of Nate Marquardt leaves Maia to fall back into the division. Maia will be put up against a top ten fighter, with Yoshiro Akiyama a possible candidate.
However, while Maia would likely be a favorite in that fight, he is not going to be a favorite in a fight with anyone of Marquardt’s status. Until Maia can round out his game he is going to be stuck just outside the top three for the remainder of his career.
Developing a good striking game and any kind of takedown offense would make Maia a huge threat in the division. However, he displayed very little good last night as the fight lasted a mere 21 seconds, making him an enormous loser from UFC 102.
Chris Leben:
Leben’s loss to Jake Rosholt via arm triangle left the Oregon native unconscious, and with another disappointing loss. After landing several good punches, and even competing with Rosholt on the ground, Leben could not finish his opponent, and ended up getting finished himself.
Now Leben falls further back in the division, although his next opponent should be a decent one. Alan Belcher is fresh off of his loss at UFC 100 to Yoshiro Akiyama, and that would be a great match up for both fighters.
However, Leben has fallen far from where he was just a few years ago. “The Crippler” needs to turn things around fast if he ever wants to make a run at the middleweight title.
The worst part of all is that Leben actually looked pretty solid last night. He landed several big shots, and had Rosholt running away from him several times during the fight. However, he made a devastating mistake late and it put him to sleep. Leben is another one of the night’s biggest losers, and his career with the UFC is undoubtedly on thin ice.
There are always winners and losers after every UFC event. However, there are always those who have risen phenomenally, while others fall harder than they have ever fallen in their careers.
UFC 102 was no different, as once again divisional ranks were shaken and fighters fell into their respective positions as another UFC event has past with repercussions or rewards for the mixed martial artists.
