UFC 91: Couture vs Lesnar Re-Cap

Tonight was one of the most anticipated fights in MMA History!
3-Time UFC Heavyweight Champion Randy "The Natural" Couture returned to the Octagon, after a year hiatus, to put his title on the line against the largest opponent of his career - Brock Lesnar!

Couture & Lesnar face off at the Weigh-Ins

Before we get to the main event of the evening, let's cover the fights that took place beforehand:

First up was a Middleweight match-up between Demian Maia & Nate Quarry

I wanted Quarry to win this fight, mainly because I have watched his career since he appeared in the First Season of The Ultimate Fighter, and he seems like a nice guy. It wasn't to be though, as Maia caught Quarry in a Rear-Naked Choke, 2 minutes and 13 seconds into the 1st Round.

Next up was a Heavyweight fight between Josh Hendricks & Gabriel Gonzaga

I wanted Gonzaga to win this fight, as I think he is a great fighter, and he did - 1 minute and 1 second into the 1st Round! I am waiting for when Gonzaga gets a title match!

Next, was a Welterweight fight between Matt Brown & Ryan Thomas

Matt Brown took this fight, with only two weeks notice. I was hoping that he would win, and I started to get excited when Brown almost caught Thomas in an Armbar, and then a Triangle, and then a Guillotine, but Thomas kept slipping out! Finally, Brown caught Thomas in a solid Armbar, 57 seconds into the 2nd Round, forcing Thomas to Tap Out!

Tamdan McCrory & Dustin Hazelett then stepped into the Octagon for the second Welterweight match-up of the evening. I had never seen either of these fighters fight before, and they both seemed pretty cool, however Hazelett's beard won me over before the fight started. :-)

Luckily, Hazelett caught McCrory in a deep Armbar, in the 1st Round, winning the fight.

We then had the first Lightweight fight of the evening, between Jeremy Stephens & Raphael Dos Anjos.

I wanted Stephens to win this fight, and was holding my breath during the last 10 seconds of the 1st Round, as Anjos about ripped Stephens shoulder right out of its socket! Fortunately, Stephens hung in there, until the round ended.

These two fought great, until 39 seconds into the 3rd Round, Stephens performed one of the greatest uppercuts ever, knocking Anjos out cold! [they probably re-played that uppercut 6 or 7 times too - it was great!] :-)

Next, was my 2nd most anticipated fight of the night -Lightweights Kenny Florian vs Joe Stevenson

Now, I like both of these guys, however I wanted Florian to win this fight, as it was announced beforehand, that the winner of this fight, would get a title shot for the Lightweight Belt, against B. J. "The Prodigy" Penn [My 2nd Favorite Fighter]

After Sean "The Muscle Shark" Sherk [My Favorite Fighter] defeated Florian, in UFC 64, Florian won every single match-up, since then, yet never received another title shot.

I am happy to say that Florian defeated Stevenson, and now has a 2nd shot at the title, though I doubt that he will defeat B. J. Penn. . .

Finally, the Main Event of the Evening:

Randy "The Natural" Couture aka Captain America vs ex-WWE wrestler and ex-NFL turned MMA phenomenon Brock Lesnar

I was one of those who thought that Couture would defeat Lesnar [not easily mind you, but I thought that due to Couture's overall experience in the Octagon, etc that he would emerge victorious]

I was wrong :-(

Lesnar used his superior size, to his advantage, and basically just overpowered Couture in the 2nd Round [if you watched the fight, then you have to admit that Couture did hold his own there for a while!] Still, the speed that Lesnar has, for his size, is incredible, and eventually he caught Couture with a couple of powerful blows, dazing him, and then just pounced. . . seconds later, it was over.

Brock Lesnar - UFC's New Heavyweight Champion

I still say though - you are not the "true" champion, until you defend your title.

Let's see how long Lesnar can hold onto that belt. There are some great up and coming Heavyweight fighters out there.

[I personally would love to see Tim Sylvia return to the UFC and challenge Lesnar for the Belt - two behemoths - that would be something, though I think that with Lesnar's speed it wouldn't even last the full 5 Rounds]

Normally, I watch the post fights as well, however tonight's Main Event ended just mere moments before Legend of the Seeker started [Best New Show This Season!]

So, I watched that instead, since I was disappointed from Couture's defeat :-)

Well, I guess I will be back here, after December 10th's UFC Fight Night "Fight for the Troops" on Spike - Until then,

Jason