Another UFC is in the books and overall the event was pretty solid. You can’t deny this fight card was probably the strongest card the UFC has ever put on. For those who can’t stand fights going to the distance, you were probably somewhat disappointed with UFC 73; for those who love good MMA matchups, you were probably greatly pleased. Personally, I was greatly pleased.
- Anderson Silva vs Nathan Marquardt - Silva looked dominating and I think Rich Franklin’s face said it all when they showed him after the fight ended; Silva will probably be hanging onto the UFC Middleweight belt for a long time. Rich didn’t look to anxious to get back into the mix with Silva.
- Tito Ortiz vs Rashad Evans - As much as people probably hate fights that end in a draw, this is probably one of those rare times where the decision is perfectly fitting. Ortiz and Evans truly fought to a draw; neither fighter was better or more dominating in this matchup than the other. Ortiz shot himself in the foot by losing a point for grabbing the fence, and would have otherwise won this fight on points. But, in the end, it just feels right that Ortiz lost that point and the fight ended in a draw.
- Sean Sherk vs Hermes Franca - It may not be very aesthetically pleasing to watch Sean Sherk wrestle and “lay” on his opponents for a full 25-minute fight, but if it earns him a victory I say he should keep doing it until someone can stop him. Sherk dominated Franca even more then he did against Florian. Sherk passed guard with ease and did anything and everything he wanted to on the floor. I held my breath every time he shot in and ate a knee, but in the end, Sherk proved he deserves the belt.
- Heath Herring vs Minotouro Nogueira - I have to admit I’m completely surprised the ref didn’t stop this fight in the first round when Big Nog was rocked by Herring’s head kick. Personally, had it been me, I would have stopped the fight and we’ve all seen fights stopped for far less. But you’ve got to give credit to Yves Levigne for not stopping it considering that Herring was willing to get off Nogueira and ask for him to stand back up. Nog, Dana White, and the UFC dodged a bullet and Nog was able to pull out the victory and now the UFC has their next challenger for the winner of Couture vs Gonzaga at UFC 74.
- Did I really hear Joe Rogan say that Rashad Evans got “kicked in the balls”? What?!?!? Rogan has always been one to speak his mind, but I guess I’m still used to it being referred to as the “groin” on TV. Definitely got a chuckle in my house.
- The UFC needs to pick and choose their upcoming movie sponsors a little better because hearing Bruce Buffer say “I now pronounce you Chuck and Larry” during the main event pre-fight intros was just weird and creepy.
- Once again, I found myself missing the PrideFC shows where we would get 8 or 9 fights every PPV in a 3 hour span. The UFC continues to struggle to get 4-5 fights in a 3 hour window. That “swing bout” with Kenny Florian and Alvin Robinson seemed rushed. I barely blinked and Florian and Robinson where in the ring and Buffer was introducing them talking nearly as fast as that old MicroMachines guy.
- It was good to see “Mach” Sakurai at the event last night. I was hoping for some kind of “announcement” regarding him but there was none.
