UFC 105 results recap from last night in Manchester for 'Couture vs Vera'
by MMAmania.com on Nov 15, 2009 3:24 AM EST
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It's alllll over!
UFC 105: "Couture vs. Vera" from the Manchester Evening News (MEN) Arena in Manchester, England, is officially recent history.
It marked the triumphant return of a legend to the land of light heavies, as well as critical redemption for one of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) winners in the middleweight division.
Of course, we also now have the next number one welterweight contender teed up for division champion, Georges St. Pierre.
And an event these days wouldn't quite be the same without a little controversy in the final marquee match now would it?
There's tons to talk about so feel free to do just that in the comments section below. Let's get cracking:
The ageless Randy Couture, who was on a two-fight skid since returning to the promotion (again) late last year as the heavyweight champion, decided to try his luck (again) in the 205-pound class.
He's apparently somehow still got it.
Couture was up against a younger, faster and more powerful opponent, Brandon Vera, but he used his significant experience and cage generalship to earn a unanimous decision from all three judges sitting ringside. It's a result that more than likely won't elicit a chorus of discontent among fans (see UFC 104), but it was an extremely close and competitive match.
Did Couture do enough inside the cage to earn it or did Vera get the shaft? We'll let you decide.
In the meantime, UFC President Dana White and matchmaker Joe Silva are probably wondering how they can coax Couture into returning in a few weeks to save the main event-less (again) UFC 108 card on Jan. 2, 2010. But after seeing some of the body shots Couture absorbed tonight, he might need more time to recover.
He just so happens to be 46-years-old, too. Besides ... a future showdown with reigning division champion, Lyoto Machida, might be worth waiting for, anyway.
Literally.
Couture wasn't the only one to raise a few eyebrows (in a good way) with his performance -- Dan Hardy earned the opportunity to challenge division champion, Georges St. Pierre, with an impressive performance to defeat Mike Swick to become the current number one welterweight contender.
That feels odd to type.
Hardy did well tonight, without question. It just seems like he's at least one more win away from a chance like that -- wins over Swick, Marcus Davis, Rory Markham and Akihiro Gono just don't seem to justify the booking.
Here's an idea: Let him fight Jon Fitch, Matt Hughes, Thiago Alves or some other former number one contender first. And let's do it on the year-end show (UFC 108) so that the winner can take on "Rush" sooner rather than later.
Otherwise, it might just be more worthwhile to wait for St. Pierre vs. Anderson Silva. Then again, Hardy might have something to say about that and once again prove the doubters wrong.
Are you among them or have you become a believer?
Welcome back, Mike.
If there were ever a fighter who needed a big win, in convincing fashion, to get his career back on track it was Michael Bisping. He went from being one win away from a middleweight title shot to a total "joke" on the message boards after his devastating knockout loss to Dan Henderson earlier this year.
It wasn't easy, however.
Denis Kang had him rocked early in the first round of their bout tonight. In fact, Bisping even asked his corner, "What happened?" between rounds.
What happened is Bisping recovered from a big punch, turned the tide, and scored a big win when it mattered most. That, for now, will probably go down as his biggest win ever. He needed it bad and did what he had to do to get it.
Will it be enough to sway public opinion back in his favor (if it was ever even there to begin with)?
Let's hear what you have to say in the comments section below.
Remember to also check out our complete UFC 105 results and blow-by-blow coverage of the main card action here and here.
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Ridicoulus
How stupid that the UFC updated the fighter profiles before the matches aired here. We saw the winners and how….Lovely
I didnt think there was any controversy in the main event… Couture bullied Vera in the clinch. It wasnt the most exciting fight, but Vera didnt do enough to win. Hardy impressed me, but GSP will tear him apart. Cant wait to see Matt Brown fight again, he brings it every time!!!
by PHISH NATION on Nov 15, 2009 12:19 AM EST up reply actions
VERA WAS ROBBED!
Well I broke even thx to the bad judging but seriously, worse scoring than Machida fight.
Impressed by Hardy even though I can’t stand him.
AND THANK YOU BISPING I KNEW YOU HAD IT IN YOU!
Nobody can take this one away from you.
don't bet on it
you know all the haters on here will pick Bispings win apart and claim Kang was a can etc etc. They won’t be detered by a silly thing like the facts. Bisping is not a TOP 3 but he’s no slouch and doesn’t deserve all the hate he gets on here. I was very impressed with him as a father, bringing his boy in the ring to armbar him in the real octogon on TV in his hometown. The kid will never forget that. Half of these fighters probably don’t even know their kids names.
i called lock of the night
exactly right shonuff.bispings not gonna get any credit from most posters on here.they are gonna say kangs a can blah blah blah.i told u this was a definate win for mike.he had a point to prove but come out a bit reckless and got caught but his escapes from the bottom were top notch.he absolutely destroyed kang in the 2nd round with some awesome gnp.not bad for someone who couldnt bust a grape!!look at kangs face!!i loved the brown/wilkes fight they are two seriously tough men.good night for the brits overall and i think vera got robbed.has randy forgot about dirty boxing,all he did was press vera up the cage.vera hurt randy 2-3 times and got mount.id be pissed!!
I said so before
I said in a previouse post (before th format change) that Bisping was coming to the ring heavier and more aggresive and that he had been working on his strength over cardio.
This fight would have been over in the first if he hadn’t walked on to Kangs right straight but even then his defence from the bottom was outstanding and Kangs a JJ blackbelt, at no point was Bisping in trouble in the first he even tried to pull off a sub before the round ended.
Second round was all bisping (obviously..lol) Kang got messed up after the first take down and was clearly hurt (and bloody) even though Bisping didn’t land many clean strikes (so much for having zero power) after that bisping was landing great strikes on the feet and taking him down at will to delliver some punishing G’n’P
Kang was simply overwhelmed…lets face it he ended the fight curled up in a ball like a turtle in its shell unable to deal with the punishment he was recieving.
In all his fights Ive never seen Kang fold like that…and please understand I like kang and still think he will do well.
Its a shame to see sites like sherdog effectively putting Bispings win down to kang gassing…anyone who watched the fght and saw kangs face knows he was simply beaten up and finished by a tougher oponent.
Like I said This could have finishe in the first. Bisping deserves full credit for a great victory….I just dont see how “journolists” like the one who wrote the preview in Nostradumbass can be so blind to Bispings natural talent and obvious potential.
Well done Micheal Bisping
Kangs Black Belt
Where did Kang get his Belt from? I haven’t seen him use any effective JJ yet. Black belts are handed out like Halloween candy now. I agree that Bisping fought well, but a BJJ black belt doesn’t seem to mean much anymore in the UFC.
I agree
In truth I only said that because rogan mentioned it on the broadcast, I dont remember anything kang has done in my memory that could be considered “Outstanding” JJ
Ive said before anyway in MMA I dont think its neseccery to be a master at BJJ you simply have to know enough to implement it in to your own style as a fighter.
But yes your right in general with the amount of fighters that apparently have blackbelts in BJJ “Halloween candy” might be the best description I’ve heard for it…lol
Same shop Delgado bought his. Seriously Kang gave up as soon as he was taken down, he looked dominant in the first but once again wasn’t mentally prepared for his opponent coming back and lost a fight he had in the bag. Bisping has a lot of flaws, a more confident fighter would have finished him in the first, but he did well to survive and his ground and pound was brutal. He seems to be a great dad, but I don’t see him beating anyone better than Kang in his career and he’d get murdered by Wandi if they ever fought.
Now feed him to Wandy, Sonnen or Okami!!! I am a Bisping hater big time, through and through! I will say though he did earn a big win yesterday and has silenced some of the ?‘s around him. I still don’t think he will ever amount to much more then a high level gate keeper and will always hoover in the 15 to 12 rankings. I would also like to see him against some of the other high level b’s like Goveia, Belcher, Quarry, Rosholt, or Dan Miller. They would all make for interesting fights for him and the possibilty of me seeing him loose to some b level comp.
Hardy looked great and took some seriously big punches without even being the slightest bit phased. I think he should still have to have at least one more fight against a top 10 like Kos, Thiago alves, Paulo Thiago, or even more interestin Paul Daley. 2 heavy handed Brits fighting. Would be fun. Kos and Alves also excite me! Him fighting GSP does not interest me. I will also say it was nice to not hear Hardy talkshit leading up to this fight, and a great hug and hand shake ummedatly following the final bell.
Thats big praise!!
Coming from you Monkey,
I apreciate you will never like isping and he will have to fight and win against better oponents before you rate him as a fighter but the fact that you acknowledge he did a good job last night is big praise indeed considering how much you dislike him..lol
I agree with Okami or Sonnen (as I said in the new bisping thread) and the wandi fight will happen but I dont think it will be next.
Sexyyama could possibly be next for him I’m thinking.
I agree with you on hardy allthough I thought his strategy was retarded (he should have went for the kll not the takedown) simply put Hardy is a great talent but he isnt on GSP’’s level yet (if ever)
Confused, totaly forgot about sexyyama and Bisping. There are so many good fights for him on that hoovering level. Honestly he just needs a few key wins to really solidfy himself. He got one yesterday.
I kept wondering why Hardy kept going for the takedown everytime he had Swick woobling. I was at the bar, was hoping for swick to win, but man Hardy has such a solid chin. He won me over about half way through the fight. I found myselfrooting for him. He got caught clean so many times and was able to counter after the fact. His abilty to take that kind of shot and still counter will be a huge advantage to him in this heavy handed division. Swick has ko power and he was virtually unphased. Hardy is officially or should be the UK poster boy for MMA.
I also Like Weinner(sp?). He has such insanly fast hands. The ref was slow getting in on those last 3 unanswered. I wondered what his angle was cuz that guy was out on his feet. Those last 3 reminded me of the Hendo shot, head on the canvas, nowhere to go,and huge power shots landing. They took him out in a stretcher?
Andre Winner
Yeh he is one (possibly “THE”) big british hope.
He was favourite to win TUF when the cast was anounced and was easily the best of the fighters there….unfortunately he choked but he seems to have recovered from it judging from last nights performance however I dont know enough about his opponent to say how good the win was.
As for the KO, I thought the exact same thing, exact same strike Hendo nuked Bisping with…really impresive.
Andre Winner is deffinatly one to watch for MMA fans
Andre Winner is for real
Winner’s stand up yesterday was phenomenal. Is he a good grappler or anything besides having obvious talent on the feet? I thought he looked good on TUF, but haven’t really done any research on him since. What are his chances on the ground against a good wrestler?
Winner is a beast
I knew he’d smash Delgado, as that guy shouldn’t even be in the UFC, but he still looked great. Andre was a beast on TUF but the fight against his mate Ross ended up as a stalemate and he was unlucky to lose it. Last night he looked a different class to Roli and smashed him with a couple of overhand rights, the latter knocking out the Cuban.
Roli walked out of the cage, the only guy who was helped out was Kelly after the spinning back kick from Siver, he was carried out by a couple of his cornermen but nobody was stretchered out.
Thanks for the heads up on the stretcher. I swore I had seen one while they were naming Winner, the winner. Delgado apparently is a great grappler, but obviously had no answers for Winners stand up. Like Confused said, the Brits overall do lack ground game, so I would imagine he may be a low level bjj rank. Hardy is a purple at 10th planet and Eddie Bravo. Bravo and Drysdale are world class grapplers. Rogan was saying that he has rolled with Hardy and he is really hard to keep down. Hardy was the fighter that pushed Winner to go to the TUF house, so it is possible he may do his ground training at 10th planet. All in all I wold love to see Winner go places.
Change of heart
Change of heart
Ok, initially, I thought it was Vera 29-28 winning the 2nd and 3rd rounds. But I have watched the whole fight 3 times now and watched the 3rd round 5 times and pause/replayed each exchange and counted up the damage. Watching each exchange repeatedly from both sides and tallying up the strikes on paper, I discovered a lot that I missed in my first couple of viewings. By my count, in ROUND 3, Randy landed 23 head punches, plus 2 elbows to the head, 10 knees, and 2 body punchesand that’s not counting any of the uppercuts that I couldn’t see if they connected or not. Vera landed only 4 punches to the head 1 leg kick, 2 knees, and 1 very solid body kick (the other 2 were blocked or caught) plus he had the takedown in which he landed in the mount, but was unable to land any strikes as Randy completely nullified his offense and quickly escaped. So even if you give Vera 5 points for his wasted TD and 10 points for the big kick, Randy would still outscore him in Round 3. I may be wrong on my exact strike counts, but I think tomorrow Fightmetric will confirm my conclusion that Randy won round 3 and takes the fight 2 rounds to 1 by the 10 point must.. I’ll be interested to see how they score the performance ratings
Final analysis, the judges got this one right (for a change). Couture 29-28
I agree.
I had it 29-28 Couture. It was a close fight, so I figured some people would disagree, but I thought the judges got it right.
by naturalshadow on Nov 15, 2009 5:48 AM EST up reply actions
Same here
I thought it was a really boring fight, but I would have given it to Couture as well. Vera should have tried to break up some of the clinching but seemed to like being pressed up against the cage. Same goes for Dan Hardy, I thought he would want to stay away from the clinch, but he walked right into it every time. Love Dan Hardy, barely putting up with Randy.
Pacquiao vs Cotto fight proved why boxing is considered a SPORT and UFC if fuckin’ joke……..couture wins by hugging vera in the corner for 3 mins every round……and wins….fuck that at least in boxing no more that 3-6 seconds there is a clinch ref steps in…….control is half guard or full guard….not pinning him against the cage and not doing anything………I FUCKING HATE UFC and feel sooooooo bad for VERA.
SHOGUN got screwed….VERA got screwed…many others…NO WONDER FEDOR doesn’t wanna come to the UFC…….its a joke.
Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out
Are you gonna need mapquest directions to the boxing blogs then? GTFO.
The one and only Smitty...
you have nothing better to say than go to the boxing blogs! last time I checked MMA fighters use BOXING as a technique. Actually not 1 fighter in the UFC knows how to box properly.
You do know that Strikeforce has the same refs and judges as UFC right? They aren’t company employees. Now go watch the top boxers not fight each other.
You are wrong. I love watching ufc n others like strikeforce and bellator however I am really mad that couture won by just holding vera on the cage – all I’m saying is mma better fix the judges and how they rule the fights etc. I’ve never really been a fan of boxing but some guys are fun to watch like pacquiao and the young Tyson in the 90’s however boxing to me is clean and fair unlike MMA i feel like has no rules on how the fight should be scored – vera landed more and almost finished the fight and mounted couture on the end..rocked him couple of time and still couture wins….I don’t know I’m so mad i’m not even gotta watch the tito forrest event.
Toronto wrote: “I FUCKING HATE UFC”
two posts later Toronto wrote: “I love watching ufc”
Make up your mind.
Yeah, don’t just listen to Rogan, tonights fight was close but I had it for Couture.
I had it for Shogun, but it was hardly a landslide victory, it was close, he lost, whatever. Let’s see if he can do it again.
Boxing has had bull shit for years, tonights fight with Cotto and Pacman was great though.
Shogun lost a close decision! Everyone get crazy!
Personally...
I make it a point to stay off mma websites so as to avoid spoilers and whatnot until I’ve actually seen the fight…
Great night of fights!
I was very satisfied with the show tonight! I knew Hardy would pull it out, it must really suck for the people who hate Dan Hardy right now. I read one guy who said the very very sight of Hardy made him sick! Hilarious, he seems like a polite well spoken guy who is hungry and aiming to make a name for himself. Shockingly to most of you i’m sure I actually have a feeling about his chances with GSP, I’m calling the upset.
go ahead
and call the upset, but don’t call your bookie. Hardy surpised me yet again (I thought Davis would KO him). He did a great job, (despite his dumbass strategy of trying to take Swick down)but he still looks like an absolute retard with that stupid mohawk and bandana. He looks like a reject from the cast of Mad Max!
What do all the "Brit haters" think now?
Must just say that I’m soooo happy that 90% of people on these boards were calling it a clean sweep for the yanks, when their only win of the night over a Brit was Matt Brown over James Wilks – who is now an honorary American (especially after his loss ;) )
Bisping showed he is indeed a fighter regardless of what you think of him – and at least this time actually looked healthy. I know he made no excuses for the Henderson fight but he looked like some kind of Auschwitz camp laborer (or Brandon Vera) in that fight, something wasn’t right.
Hardy showed he can really hit (and be hit), still needs some polish, probably another big fight before GSP.
Pearson proved that he’s legit and has all the tools to get to the top, again a few more fights needed but Riley was certainly no joke but got bullied the whole fight.
Winner showed some more of his A-game striking, something still lacking in general in MMA for some reason (look at K1 highlights of guys like Andy Hug, Peter Aerts, Jerome leBanner or even some Rob Kaman Muay Thai to see what I mean) – hopefully more Anderson Silva’s & GSP’s will come along over the next few years, guys who can do it all to a top standard.
A shout must also go out to Terry Etim, a guy who’s been demolishing all put before him in style, showing real jits and striking skills but somehow slipping under the mainstream radar – his next fight will definitely be on a main card.
I’m not one of those who thinks Brits are now going to dominate MMA, I’m just proud of the hometown boys who were all written off by many on these boards (I like a good fighter wherever they’re from, but also an underdog who comes good :) ), at the very least they’ve shown they belong in the sport and can’t be seen as so much of a joke brought in to get UK audiences as has been the case in the past. Good job guys.
this "yank" agrees
None of these Brits are TOP 3 yet, but I don’t know why everyone hates on Bisping and calls him a can. He’s got a very respectable record. Hardy is one-dimensional but very good at what he does. And I don’t understand why the UFC is sleeping on Etim. He’s looked very impressive every time I’ve seen him, and he’s 5-2 in the UFC and should be getting a lot more attention than he has.
I think Bisping’s main problem (apart from his mouth) was the Hamill decision – for some reason fighters are always blamed for a bad decision by the refs, and no, when you’re in a fight you don’t always see it the same way as the audience – he probably does think he won it. (it certainly wasn’t as clear cut as many make out anyway, I’ve seen worse decisions).
Machida is suffering a little in the same way (saved by his humility to an extent), people just don’t like a bad decision and take it out as dislike for the fighter.
agreed
… i made this point on saturday afternoon….. most of the anti-brit bias on here isn’t based on ability, it’s based on personailties
'... with all the will in the world, diving for dear life... ... .. when we could be diving for pearls'
you brits should
adopt Rampage the way we adopted Craig Ferguson. Rampage seems to like it over there and he needs some love and time away from all the haters over here.
And after 2 energy drinks
He would forget you drive on the left side, and all hell would break loose.
That is a truly classic statement! Nice avenue while not beating an already dead horse.
As far as the Hammil decison and the Bisping hate you are correct. A lot of that hate stems from that fight and decision, nut not the decision itself. It was his post fight statementts to a fighter who is te epitome of hard working profesional that made me hate on him so much. Rather then take the high road and show some class, hug the guy out or thank him ffor giving him the fight of his career to that point, he chose the low road with insults. People hate on Brock for his post fight antics with Mir(who attacked Brock verbally, profesionally and personally). Now granted his comments were not as slanderous but they were stil trashy and uncalled for. Hendo’s decapitating was a neccessary and humbling experience for Bisping. I am hoping that he continues on the more humble path that he has chosen, since the Hendo Experience. It fits him much better.
Ive been telling you guys for weeks
Worst main even EVER.
I knew it was going to be boring, Vera AND Couture are UFCs most boring fighters and they abosolutely does not belong in the main or co main event.
Hell, they dont even deserve to be on the main card.
by Lester The Pimp on Nov 15, 2009 7:19 AM EST reply actions
agree
I knew Randy vs. Vera was going to be a snoozefest as well. They can’t have Randy as the main event anymore since he has no KO power and can’t submit anyone. He is destined to be in decisions or lose. I thought the Hardy fight should have been the main event. Even that fight was slow for Hardy and Swick standards.
Gay porn...
There are always arguments for/against the wrestler lay n pray style, and with Randy’s record there’s no doubt he should be on the main card…
With that said, if every fight was like a Randy/Hughes/Lesnar fight there would be no UFC – no-one would pay to watch. It’s pretty much akin to softcore gay porn without the moneyshot. I do not think non-title wrestler bouts should EVER headline a UFC card unless they want to lose the newer fanbase they’ve been accumulating in the last couple of years. It’s the entertainment industry at the end of the day and it has to entertain to succeed.
what?
Did you just lump Lesnar in with a bunch of LNP fighters? Lesnar goes at 100% always trying to finish the fight, I don’t think his fights would lose the UFC any fans. He isn’t going into a fight trying to hug his way to a 15 minute decision, which is exactly what Randy said he is going to do from now on. Just because Lesnar is a wrestler doesn’t mean he wants to lay on people.
NO Kidding
Because he was a collegiate wrestler he has to be boring. You can’t even say Randy was LNP’ing last night since he couldn’t get it to the ground. It was more like stand and pray. He also said that with Randy’s record he should be on the main card for sure. Is 16-10 something all aspiring fights strive for?
Yup
I saw the Heath Herring fight, even though Lesnar broke his orbital with his first punch he was unable to finish him over 3 rounds, all of which were horizontal on the mat, no subs or even many attempts from what I can remember just ground n pound, much like the last Mir fight – masturbation fist for the win. I’m not saying he does nothing or that he’s not athletic, just that he’s yet to impress me other than with his size and athleticism. He struggled with the much smaller Randy too and just caught the old man behind the ear with an average swing of an oversized hand for the knockdown. I want to see him fight more before I see him as anything more than a big wrestler lacking KO power and still with an untested chin. (power has as much to do with speed and timing as well as brute strength – Fedor being a prime example of an extremely powerful striker)
Don’t take my comments about Randy the wrong way 16-10 ain’t great but he’s been the champ multiple times which makes him always a main carder for the UFC regardless of how dull his fights are.
no sub attempts?
Of course he didn’t attempt any subs. He’s a wrestler, who had about 13 months experience. Why would he attempt a sub on an experienced vet? Not finishing HH is nothing to be ashamed of. Maybe you expect too much from him. I see no problem with “masturbation fists” when those punches cause more damage than most people can do with flush head kicks.
Best event i've been to...
Out of the 6 i have attended, this was by far the best card of fights i have seen overall.
Also, this morning i met Randy Couture, Slick Nick, Dean from TUF 9 and Paul Daley… all extremely friendly and approachable!!!
Some thoughts:
Andre Winner, great KO!!! He’s serious man!!!
Slick Nick impressed the hell of me… Matt Riddle coming out to Real American was quality i have to say.
Paul Kelly, think it’s time he was cut to be honest. I think he’ll do great on the local scene or abroad… get more experience and skills and then return all the better.
Bisping: Great performance. Glad he shut a lot of people up!
Dissapointed in Wilks, but i’m a huge Matt Brown fan anyway.
Dan Hardy shouldn’t get the next shot but i’m so pleased for him anyway… Swick looked awful!
Not a classic fight in the main event… 1st round Randy, 2nd to Vera then the 3rd i had as a draw…. tough for Vera but i don’t think it matters too much (much like Nates loss to Leites)
105 = amazing!!!
Good card. The main event was a bit of a turkey, but I’m not too interested in Vera and Couture, because both their careers seem on the down anyway.
Good win for Dan Hardy. He is a good fighter and he deserves his shot. But he probably will be destroyed by GSP.
Bisping is back, and I’m happy because it pisses off the american fans.
Also, I was very pleased with Ross Pearsons performance, and predict good things in his future.
All in all I would give this card 8/10.
American fan
I like bisping and I am an american.How can you hate on the guy really? Alot of people hate him for the Hamill decision, which he didn’t control, and the knock out from henderson (and who doesnt get knocked out sometimes?) As a matter of fact the only brit i was hoping would lose is Wilks, and he did! Great results for me all the way around.
lay and pray? more like "clinch and rest".
i don’t not think the clinch is a dominant position unless you are causing damage from it. and randy rarely did. he tried numerous times to take vera down and was largely unsuccessful. the judges gave way too much credit to randy for clinching.
by JaBu - (formerly JB) on Nov 15, 2009 2:28 PM EST reply actions
not a dominant position
but the fact that Randy wanted to be there and Vera didn’t and could do nothing about it, means that Randy is controlling the fight and keeping it in his world. That’s what won him Round 1. Nobody will say Randy was dominating Vera. Neither of them accomplished anything offensively, but Randy spent the whole round on the offensive and Vera on the defensive.
Round 3 Randy changed his strategy from trying to get the TD to “dirty boxing” and he outstruck Vera 6 to 1.
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