Nog Wins War Against Couture at UFC 102

Randy Couture fought a valiant fight but it wasn’t enough: Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira defeated him in a three round fight that saw Big Nog take the decision off of knockdowns and submission attempts. Couture managed to stay in the fight right up to the final bell, but there was no doubt in anyone’s mind who won the fight.

UFC 102 Poster - Image: Ultimate Fighting Championships

Also winning in this fight were the fans, who witnessed what has to be a fight of the year candidate if I ever saw one. From slugging on the feet to near-finish submission escapes, this fight blew away quietly confident expectations and really reminded everyone why both fighters are legends of the sport. Even I was wishing the fight could have lasted two more rounds, and that’s with me thinking 5-round non-title fights are a tool of the devil.

Past that, UFC 102 as a whole was pretty awesome. Several giant knockouts and some slick submissions plus an extra war jammed in at the end gave the event massive bang for it’s buck, and it gave me a nice shot in the arm I needed after a crap-tastic UFC 101. I recommend finding a way to watch it, but if you just want the nitty gritty results, here they are:
- Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira def. Randy Coture via Unanimous Decision
- Thiago Silva def. Keith Jardine via TKO (Strikes) Round 1
- Nate Marquardt def. Demian Maia via TKO (Strikes) Round 1
- Brandon Vera def. Kryzsztof Soszynski via Unanimous Decision
- Jake Rosholt def. Chris Leben via Submission (Arm Triangle) Round 3
- Aaron Simpson def. Ed Herman via technical knockout (injury) in round two
- Gabriel Gonzaga def. Chris Tuchscherer via technical knockout (strikes) in round one
- Mike Russow def. Justin McCully via unanimous decision
- Todd Duffee def. Tim Hague via knockout in round one (Seven seconds!)
- Mark Munoz def. Nick Catone via split decision
- Evan Dunham def. Marcus Aurelio via split decision

Bonuses:
- Fight of the Night: Nogueira & Couture
- Submission of the Night: Jake Rosholt
- Knockout of the Night: Nate Marquardt

Next up: Gray Maynard vs Roger Huerta at UFC Fight Night on September 16!